There are parts of The Prince Warriors that I loved, and other parts not so much. That's pretty true of almost every allegorical type of story that I've ever read, though. I can even say the same for one of my most favorite authors of all time! There's just always theology that I disagree with hidden(sometimes not so much) within the story. This book was no exception. I didn't agree with every little thing that was implied, but I also loved so much of the examples shown out in "real life" fiction.
Also, it dates itself with a phone app being a semi-big part of the story, at least towards the end. Without that, I feel it could have had more of a classic feel to it, but with the app, it seemed like it was working too hard to appeal to a modern, young audience. (Yes, I understand the target age IS a modern, young audience.) ;) (After reading the official description, I realize the inclusion of the app in the story might very well be an advertisement for the Unseen app, which annoys me to no end, just to be honest!)
Those things aside, I actually really liked the book. There's lots of food for thought scattered about, and it's something I'd love for my boys to read a bit down the road. It's an excellent book for reading discussion, and even a great family sort of "book club" pick. I do think that this book will appeal more for the younger crowd, and maybe a little more in the boy crowd, though I'm sure plenty of girls will enjoy it, too. I can think of several young readers right now that I think will love this book!
While a good portion of the story takes place in a fantasy world, Ahoratos, I loved that the other portion dealt with issues any average child will deal with: sibling squabbles, punishments, mean kids. Yes, some of the outcomes were unrealistic and too pretty, but it still provided good lessons in the form of an entertaining story.
Overall, despite a couple of complaints, I really like this book and the whole idea of it. I'm looking forward to my boys reading it and the discussions that I pray will come from it.
*Note: The Prince Warriors is the first book, in what will be a trilogy. While I can't call the ending a complete cliff-hanger, it does leave you knowing there's more to the story.
**I was provided a review copy, in exchange for my honest opinion.