Hi everyone! Today I’m excited to be part of the blog tour for the latest book of an author friend, Kendra E. Ardnek! I’ll be sharing my review of this delightful book — and there’s also a giveaway, so keep reading! š
Title: The Worth of a King
Author: Kendra E. Ardnek
- Date read: August 30, 2018
- Rating: 5 stars
- Genre: Christian Fantasy
- Age: YA-ish
- Year pub: 2018
- Pages: 358 (Kindle)
- Series: The Fall of a Star, #1
- Fave character: Delaney! ā¤
- Source: The author
- Notes: I received a free Advance Reader Copy ebook from the author. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.
SQUEE! This was a really enjoyable book. š
Things I loved:
+ Delaney! Of course he had to be at the top of this list. I LOVE THIS BOY. Heās fantastic. I donāt want to give away any of the plot, but the way he does all the awesomeness, and is also sweet, and stands firm on the right things when everything is conspiring against himābasically, Iām a fan. š
+ Winged Horses! Okay, I really want one of these. They were awesome.
+ The world, the āfeel,ā and just… I canāt quite explain it, but I really enjoyed being here in this setting. ^_^ The cultures were interesting (like the masked Zovordians!) and I just… I donāt know. It felt homey. š And fresh. And honestly it gave me Goldstone-Wood-series vibes which is always a good thing!
+ The plot was unique and intriguing, and once I got used to the weird politics and laws, those made it even more fascinating. š Some of it wasnāt as exciting as I thought it might beāitās sometimes more of a character story, which was awesomeābut there were also plenty of high stakes and it kept me guessing.
+ Cream cake. Because I neeeed one! (Or possibly several.)
+ Iām also pleased that I was able to enjoy this book without having read the Rizkaland books. I believe this is the first book in a sort of prequel series to that, so I was wondering… but it stood on its own quite well. (Just a few things about the world I didnāt quite get a feel for… maybe if Iād read those it would have helped? But nothing serious.) It WAS a little weird reading this because of my experience not having read the Rizkaland books and YET also knowing things about… well… STUFF, due to things Iāve heard said about the series. So… I kind of knew things… which kind of colored some of my perspectives… and makes me wonder how Iād feel about things if I didnāt know certain THINGS. But thatās just me. XD On the whole, if youāve never picked up a book by this author before, this is a good one to start with. š
+ Humor is also one of my favorite things, and there was some of that scattered throughout to make me smile. š
+ Sweet romance(s) which I WILL SAY NO MORE ON but so adorbz! š I really liked the main one, but I also loved that there were a few other ones scattered along the side of the story. Keeps one on oneās toes and adds to the adorbz factor.
+ Twins. Because twin stories are fun, and I enjoyed Adrian and Obsidia (who, yes, I did like quite a bit when she wasnāt being… odd). ADRIAN IS PRECIOUS. He needs a hug. He could get hard to deal with at times too, but I liked his quietness and surprising strengths. And the whole twin thing was great.
+ The rest of the characters were quite intriguing and I donāt have time to mention them all here, but they fleshed it out nicely, and I came to care about so many of them. š And certain have me curious about thiiings.
+ Graniteāoh my word, I loved Granite!! Heās such a fun guy but also kinda mysterious because āImmortal Kingā and all that. I loved when he was around in any scene and I donāt even know how to describe it. Magnetism and humor, I guess. He was fabulous.
+ Oh, and Delaney. DELANEYYY. I did mention him, right? *cough*
Less favorite things:
Okay, so I have a couple of things I didnāt love… Once I got about halfway through, I confess that I started screaming every time a character “admitted” something, and some of the wording was a smidge modern-feeling. (OH. But I did read an ARC of this book, so itās possible some of these things were smoothed out; I wouldnāt know. :P) Obsidia occasionally annoyed/puzzled me, especially how she reacted (or rather, failed to react) to a certain big thing (also so much blushing; help), and Nadilynn wasnāt my favorite (but Iām never big on the exuberant, chatty best friend character, so thatās just me. :P). (Oh, and Iām not sure an 18 year old boy would be thinking of a certain girl as just his “best friend”?? It made him feel young sometimes.) And I honestly donāt know how I feel about some of the things at the end or about everything involving the queen.
BUT ANYWAY, those are simply personal opinions, and small complaints, and didnāt detract much from my overall enjoyment of this delightful novel. š
On the whole, I had a blast reading it, and I definitely recommend it to fans of fantasy with a Christian tilt to it. If you havenāt yet, check it out and dive into a whole new unique world with winged horses, shady dragons behind the scenes, and touching stories of beloved characters as they navigate the complexities of political intrigue, different cultures, matters of the heart, and of family lost and re-found. It made me happy and was an enjoyable fantasy read! ^_^
About The Worth of a King
Princess Obsidiaās father was killed the night she was born. Since there was no male heir, the crown went to the man who killed him, by Dialcian law. This never bothered her, growing up, and when it comes time for Obsidia to choose her husband, she chooses Prince Delaney, the son of that man, with little hesitation. Only then does her life start crumbling around her.
Adrian expected to live a normal life, taking his fatherās place at the print shop when his father retired. But, on his eighteenth birthday, when the princessā engagement is announced, his world is ripped out from under him when he learns that his life was a ruse, and he is the twin brother to the princess ā and expected to take back his fatherās throne.
Delaney knows that his country is hovering on the brink of war ā and that his father may harbor murderous intentions towards his intended bride due to her Zovordian blood. He wants nothing more than to protect Obsidia and his people, but as merely prince, he has little power against his father.
The ancient war between the Dragons and the Immortal King and Queen is nearing its climax, and the three are already caught in it.
Links
About the Author
Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairytales and twisting them in new and exciting ways. She’s been or acting them on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years. “Finish your story, Kendra,” is frequently heard at family gatherings. Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children’s tales that glorify God and His Word.
Find her online at:
WebsiteĀ ||Ā BlogĀ ||Ā GoodreadsĀ ||Ā FacebookĀ ||Ā TwitterĀ ||Ā Amazon
Schedule
Here are the posts on the blog tour for today. Check out the full tour schedule HERE!
Thursday, August 30th
- Knitted By Godās Plan: Inspirations for Worth
Reviews:
- The Page Dreamer (you are here! :P)
Interviews:
- Selina J. Eckert ā Kendra E. Ardnek
- Reality Reflected ā Obsidia
- Resting Life ā Jerolin
Giveaway
Kendra is giving away a paperback copy of The Worth of a King and a 15ml bottle of Peppermint oil (US only). You can find the info on her blog.
She also has a special prize for whoever leaves the most comments across the blog tour! (International)
Sarah Holman is a not-so-typical girl, a homeschool graduate, sister to six awesome siblings, and lives in the great state of Texas. If thereās anything adventuresome about her life, itās because she serves a God with a destiny greater than anything she could have imagined. You can find out more about her at her website: 
The Page Dreamer (Deborah O'Carroll) 