Suspense, Adventure, and Destiny!

The land of Andara seeks its rightful king. Edmund, bearer of the Lion Ring, has gone into hiding to keep his Ring, and therefore his throne, from falling into evil hands. While political intrigues abound on the mainland, a young island boy named Seth daydreams of leaving his small town behind. Seth has always looked and felt different than the rest of the island people, and longs for adventure. Little does he know what destiny has in store for him! Could he be the key to Andara's future?

C.R. Richards is an excellent storyteller. The story carries you along at a good pace, while maximizing suspense and piquing your curiosity. You come to care about the characters in the book, and will find yourself rooting for good to win the day. What I liked best about the book is that the characters in it are realistic . . . the rangers who fight for good are heroes yes, but they are also mortal men who sometimes question their own behavior in order to become better people. I also loved how the farm boy, Riley, youngest of a gaggle of brothers, cannot seem to get the knack of caring for the livestock but eventually finds his true calling as he helps Seth in his journey.

I felt this novel would be appropriate for pre-teens on up. There is one very brief love scene between one ranger and his wife, but it is very discreet. There is a lot of sword fighting within the book, and while that necessitates mention of bloodshed and murder, the descriptions are not gory. There is no bad language to worry about. As an adult, I loved it and I think my teenagers would enjoy it, too. As a lot of the main characters are male, this may appeal more to boys, although again, as a woman I found it to be an excellent choice and I'm eager to see the rest of the series as it is published! The ending of this novel definitely left me curious as to what will happen next!

ISBN 978-0-9906694-3-2. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This is a book I enjoyed so much I would read it again while I wait for the sequels!