Review: King by R.J. Larson

King Author - R.J. Larson 348 pages Time It Took for to Read - 3 Days Rating - 4 out of 5 Stars Would I Recommend to My Students: Yep

Akabe of Siphra is certain his people are insane.

Why have they made him a king?

What, in the name of peacetime boredom do kings do?

Frustrated by a lengthy silence from his Creator, the Infinite, Akabe decides to prove himself as king by undertaking a monumental task, his own lifelong dream: Rebuild the Infinite’s temple in Siphra.

But Akabe’s impulsive decision sweeps him into a storm of controversy. The Infinite’s enemies join forces in Siphra, and beyond, conspiring to destroy the emerging temple—and to kill their king and his mysterious new queen.

What I Loved...

While 90% of the books I read are Christian related in some way, I rarely find one that speaks directly to me individually. This book  absolutely did that for me. I found myself wanting to just be closer to God and allow Him to lead me even more in my life like many of the characters. Awesome job by the author.

Akabe's character is so easy to relate to.  How many of are probably doing what we think is right but not following God's will for our lives. It made the story so much more real for me.

What I Liked...

Barth Siymont. I could totally see him "flirting" with the ladies at court. While he was used like most children are in movies and books, to soften up scenes and add some humor,  I found him funny and liking his character. I hope to see him in a future book. =)

Other...

I liked most characters in the book except Queen whatshername. I can't even remember her name...that's how much I liked her. SPOILER ALERT...I found myself wishing she would somehow get killed when she ran off from her imprisonment. She annoyed me to no end and I absolutely couldn't stand that Akabe married her. SPOILER END

The word Infinite as it related to God bothered me. I just didn't like it. It almost felt like idol worship. They described my God and I know that is who Infinite was, but I just couldn't get into it.

While I liked Akabe well enough (he reminded me a little of King David) I felt like Ela and Kien's story was dominate and was written more powerfully. By the end of the book I was more interested in their storyline and wished I had read Prophet and Judge before this book.

I would recommend this book to my students that enjoy books like Robin Hood and Knight inspired books.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher Bethany House. The opinion of this book, is my own and I was not paid or compensated for for my review.