The Short:
Oath of the
Brotherhood
Song of Seare, Book 1
By: C.E. Laureano
5/5 Stars
What: A prince falls short of all of his father’s
expectations—from not being able to wield a sword to holding fast to a
forbidden faith—but it seems that God has a larger, more dangerous plan for
him.
Recommended to those who like: Darker reads, Christian, Romance,
Fantasy, Sword Fights, Magic
The Long:
Where to begin with this book? Even though I decided to
write this review a full day after finishing it, I’m still trying to put my
thoughts into coherent words.
Conor Mac Nir is everything he shouldn’t be—a scholar,
musician, and member of the Balian faith. When he is sent as a hostage to a
neighboring kingdom to cement an alliance, he meets Aine, a young woman who
appreciates him for what he is. But war looms on the horizon and everything
he’s gained is at stake. Does God really have a purpose for all his suffering?
To start, this is a dark book—it reminds me a lot of
Macbeth. There are demons/banshees and magic that can be wielded for good or
evil. It would definitely be more appropriate for the teen crowd and up, just
because of the darker elements of the story. Violence is probably a PG-13 level
but isn’t gratuitous.
This book might have made it onto the favorites shelf, but
the love element was a little strong for my personal taste, though many would
probably enjoy it. If you’ve been reading the blog for very long, you’ve
probably picked up on the fact that I’m not a romantic type of gal.
The Christian element is strong, but is well incorporated
into the story without being too preachy.
The book covers three years, so there’s quite a bit of
action packed into the story without much fluff in between, which is something
I definitely appreciated. I wish I could write more about the plot, but I don’t
want to give too much away.
What was the last
book that scared you a little?
This sounds really interesting. I haven't read any Christian quite like this, but as someone who buys for our church library, I need to read more of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! And also, Victoria sent me from her blog, Endless Oceans of My Mind. Great idea for a blog:)
It's a bit different. Definitely give it a read first. If there are any questions you'd like answered or any books you'd like me to review, just let me know, either through the comments or in the contact form on the left.
DeleteThanks for the comment! Always good to see new faces!
Hmm, I'm not sure if this is something I'd be interested in. Maybe it's the Macbeth thing? Or maybe because I've seen the "person x doesn't accept me but love interest y does and the villains x and z are trying to seperate us" thing. Either way, I'm glad you enjoyed it, it just might not be for me.
ReplyDeleteIt's not often that book scares me, but then again I don't read many scary books so that may be why :) The Dark Knight scared me, though, because whenever I'm up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or grab a drink of water or something, I swear, the Joker is in every dark corner. (Don't judge :) )
Yeah, it's a bit predictable in regards to the romance, though the rest of it is well done (I think you and I agree on the whole romance thing, though). It probably wouldn't be something right up your alley, so I wouldn't recommend it at full price.
DeleteNo, I totally understand! The Dark Knight was very creepy.
Thanks for the comment (and for sending people over here)!