Once We Were Kings by Ian Alexander - REVIEW

This book has been dubbed an "epic fantasy" and wow, this book was definitely EPIC! I cannot believe how much I enjoyed this read, and being not much of a fantasty fan it exceeded ALL of my expectations! Pick this book up, you won't be disappointed.

Book Summary:

Two kingdoms, five centuries, one destiny.

In a world where the Sojourners, a nearly extinct race with preternatural abilities struggle to preserve their faith and heritage, destiny thrusts two youths from opposing nations into the heart of a centuries-old conflict.

Render, an orphan from the outskirts of the culturally enlightened Kingdom of Valdshire Tor, escapes slavery and seeks the truth about his true identity only to discover a web of conspiracies. This quest leads to the revelation of his uncanny ability to wield the destructive forces of nature.

Ahndien, sole survivor of a heinous raid on her peaceful village in the Eastern Kingdom of Tian Kuo, embarks on a journey to find her father, now a captive of Torian troops. What she uncovers surpasses anything she can imagine as she masters the ability to manipulate fire.

Guided by shape-shifting spirits, Render and Ahndien’s fates collide when first they meet as mortal enemies. However, to save their people from annihilation, they must unite both kingdoms against a terrifying enemy that threatens to destroy both realms.

But how can a young slave and a peasant bring sworn enemies of half a millennium together?

ONCE WE WERE KINGS: The first book in a saga of destiny and redemption, in a world of dying hope

My Thoughts:

As I mentioned above, this book in one word: EPIC! I am so taken with it, I absolutely could NOT put it down.

Right from the first page, the author does two amazing things...he grads the reader's attention AND he allows you to form a STRONG connection with one of the main characters, Render.

There are so many valuable lessons that the characters learn and so many different topics that are addressed in this novel. There is quite literally, something for everyone. I cannot imagine a reader who wouldn't find something in this book that they identify with! And what made this novel even more amazing was how the characters developed along the way and how they dealt with each situation they found themselves in. I think this might have been the strongest positive about the book.

Another storng point of this novel was the writing - Alexander's writing style flows nicely and is almost poetic. The language parallels the time period beautifully and perfectly accompanies the characters and how a reader would imagine them to be if they were here in real life. This is another driving force behind why this book is such a great read, and it makes it that much more impossible to put down

I am highly recommending this book to anyone and everyone, it is a great read and I look forward to more from Ian Alexander in the future!

Happy Reading!