Sequel Review: "Exiles"

This is the fourth book in the Ilyon Chronicles. I would recommend reading the previous books prior to picking this one up. I'll be back with a fresh series next week! Also, thanks for helping The Book Hound reach 10,000 page views! 

The Short:

Exiles

Ilyon Chronicles #4

By: Jaye L. Knight

4/5 Stars

What: The Resistance must find new allies to survive the persecution coming their way.

Recommended to those who like: Fantasy, dragons, Christian, romance

The Long:

I would have loved to have been in on the release party for this book, but it occurred while I was in Germany. Better late than never, I suppose. 

Jace, Kyrin, and the rest of the Resistance are hard pressed against Daican's new advances. Their survival, as well as the survival of their faith may rest in the hands of unlikely allies. Meanwhile, Prince Daniel fights for his newfound faith in spite of his father's protests. Will the Resistance be able to survive?

There were some parts I absolutely loved in this book. Jace (as always), Prince Daniel, and Ann are some of my favorite characters ever. However, I sadly felt rather distanced from many of them. There was so much going on in different parts of the world! As someone who hasn't read any of the prequels in a while, it was a little difficult to hop back into the story.

While Elon's appearance was well-done in the last book, it seemed to have relatively little consequence for the story overall (excepting a few key characters' story arcs). I hope the story returns to his influence in the coming books; His part of the story was quite well written in the previous novel, and I would love to see Him play a bit bigger of a role in the coming installation(s). 

Finally, I hope you're a fan of romance if you pick this one up! While there was definitely enough epic dragon-flying adventure to keep me entertained, it is a little heavy on the romance. However, I will tip my hat to Ms. Knight for exploring some different aspects of romance that prevented the insta-love feeling. That's quite the accomplishment.

The Bottom Line: This Christian allegorical fantasy was a pleasant read that offers hope for a return to stellar character development and plot points in the coming novels.