Review: More like 4.5 stars. Loved the romance in this one!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 24, 2011
This story was very unique and a bit complex, but I really enjoyed it. I particularly enjoyed the themes related to the king and obeying Him even if you don't understand all the details or have answers to your why questions. You just need to trust that He loves you and has your best interests at heart. I was drawn to that theme and the imagery regarding spending time with the King. In the story they had access to Him whenever they wanted as long as they touched the pendant on their necks. The King just wanted his adopted children to spend time with him. However, when they were in His presence and decided to take care of things on their own instead of trusting Him, the King disappeared. I thought that was cool.I also enjoyed the gradual love developing between Tayte, the princess, and Athan, the undercover prince who posed as a teacher. In some ways this had a lot of common themes to Jesus coming to earth to show men the way to the King, only in this story Athan was not perfect and was an adopted son like all of us are if we've been adopted into the kingdom. That was cool because in essence Athan's story could be hours. His journey could show us how to treat our spiritual journeys. That was a lot to ponder and I'll be thinking about it for some time to come.Regarding the romantic element, I found it breath-stealing at times and downright delectable. Poor Athan held such affection and attraction to Tayte, but he could not reveal who he was. And Tayte found herself falling in love with Athan, but knew that she was supposed to wait for the prince. That provided for some incredible tension between them, especially when they were locked in the cellar together. And the scene at the end. Whew. That was great stuff, especially the imagery regarding the power of the marriage act, and it being something God not only blesses, but wants husbands and wives to fully enjoy. That was one of the best scenes I've ever read that said a lot without actually saying it. Again, powerful imagery and steamy enough to make me smile. It was impossible not to be caught up in the moment with the characters.This book was a bit long, but most fantasy fiction lovers want that, so it works for that purpose. If you like books with Medieval type futuristic themes merged with kings and kingdoms, you'd enjoy this fantasy excursion into the land of Undae. The author did a great job pulling the reader in and I'm sure the second book will be gripping as well.