Double Feature: "Kingdom's Dawn" and "Kingdom's Hope"

I decided to do a double review on these two books because of how this series is set up (the first two books are really like one story). They're very short, easy reads.

The Short:

Kingdom’s Dawn and Kingdom’s Hope

Books one and two of The Kingdom Series

By: Chuck Black

4/5 Stars

What: A tight allegory highlighting many significant events of the Old Testament in a medieval/fantasy setting.

Recommended to those who like: Allegories, easy/middle grade books, sword fights, fantasy

The Long:

I dusted off this series and sat down for a nice afternoon read. The Kingdom Series is a very tight allegory. In this first post, I’ll be reviewing the first two books of the series (they fit together very well and are pretty much a continuum).

Leinad is just a simple farmer, but his father seems intent on teaching him the way of the sword and a virtuous way of life. When his life is turned upside down, he realizes that there’s much more in the world beyond his hometown. There’s a King who’s much more involved in the history of the Kingdom of Arrethtrae—and his own life—than he could have imagined.

The books follow Leinad through his many adventures and perils. There’s lots of good sword fighting and the vivacious character Tess always makes me smile.

Truth be told, I debated giving this one a five-star rating (I would say that it’s a five-star book for middle grade readers, but adults/more advanced readers may find the vocabulary and character development a little below their liking). The action is great, but sometimes the characters feel a little stiff. All in all though, it’s a good allegorical pair of novels to get the series started and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Christian, middle-grade books. This was one of my favorite series in Middle School/ High School.

If you’ve read the book, feel free to share your thoughts below. Please remember to be respectful of Mr. Black and his work, as well as other commentators. I also welcome comments on what you would like to see included in the reviews. I reserve the right to remove vulgar, hateful, or rude remarks from the comments. Thanks for sharing!

Due to travel plans and having multiple tests this upcoming week, I will not be posting on Tuesday. Check back in on Friday for another book review!