Monday, September 7, 2015

Exiles (Realms of the Infinite #1) by R. J. Larson













Title: Exiles (Realms of the Infinite #1)
Author: R. J. Larson
Pages: 340
Year: 2014
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing
Format: eBook (also available in paperback)
Note: I received a free eBook copy of this novel through The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest opinion.

About the book:

     From the acclaimed author of Prophet, Judge, and King…

     Return to the realms of the Infinite!

     For daring to trust their Creator, Araine and Nikaros are swept from their homes into a foreign land… slaves to their enemies.

     Araine Khalome of ToronSea follows the goddess Atea. But Araine secretly questions Atea’s power as a goddess. Wrestling with her spiritual doubts, Araine finds old scrolls containing verses that come alive, beckoning her soul. Within those words, Araine senses the presence of the Infinite, the despised Most Ancient God, enemy to the Ateans, and she’s captivated – secretly risking her life to read the Books of the Infinite.

     You are forever in My sight…

     Betrayed and condemned, Araine is swept away to the kingdom of Belaal, where she is swiftly apprehended and marked as a slave. Caught up in the lethal political and religious struggles within Belaal, Araine joins forces with another slave, Nikaros, a hostage and exiled son of an Eosyth Lord. As they fight to survive the antagonistic royal court, Nik and Araine soon realize that they must also protect the despotic god-king who has enslaved them.

     But the god-king Bel-Tygeon, has plans of his own.

     Child of Dust, are you My servant?

My review:

     An incredibly well crafted fantasy novel!

     Though this is book 1 of this particular series it is my belief that to receive the maximum enjoyment from this story you should read all 3 books in the previous series, “Books of the Infinite,” before this one.

     From the very beginning my heart was aching for the plight that Nikaros and his friends were caught in. I wanted so badly to see them free from their captors. Yet shortly after their captivity starts I suddenly found myself transported to ToronSea and the home of a wealthy family.

     At first I was confused by the dramatic shift but it didn’t take long to start feeling a connection to Araine. I found myself wanting to see her realize the love of the Infinite in the midst of what seemed to me to be a cold, unfeeling family.

     As soon as Araine arrives in Belaal the intrigue in the royal court picks up. With it there is plenty of action and excitement.

     Since I have read the entire Bible I am fascinated by the marvelous way that R. J. Larson takes wonderful stories from the Old Testament and retells them within the fantasy land that she has developed for these fantastic books.

     I have got to give this spectacular book a rating of 5 stars. I am highly recommending it. I know for a fact that I will be reading the rest of this series.

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