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The Crowned Guardians
As evil forces seek to collect the crowns of the Rhea Lands and consolidate their power, Adaliah, Elhian, Alexia, and Darj fight for the very heart of their homelands. Assassination attempts, vindictive queens, vile monsters, and terrifying hoards stand in the way of peace. It is a race against time to protect the crowns and their magical swords before all is lost to the darkness.
360 pages, Paperback
Published June 20, 2023
4 people want to read
About the author
Trudy Adams
8 books12 followersTrudy Adams is an award-winning Australian author, as well as a speaker and a community services worker. With a passion for writing about real-life issues faced by teenagers and young adults, Trudy has worked in the youth work, child protection, and family violence support sectors.
Born in the Hunter Valley, NSW, Trudy's love for the power of words and stories began at a young age. She completed the draft of her award-winning debut novel, Desolate Beauty, at the age of 18, which went on to win 3rd prize in the Australian Christian Book of the Year Award in 2010. Since then, she has published many more novels, including those in The Armoured Butterfly series.
Through her writing, Trudy aims to positively impact the lives of young people and provide them with entertaining and meaningful stories that offer a roadmap for overcoming adversity, self-discovery, and finding one's true identity. Trudy's writing focuses on themes of hope, resilience, and redemption, with an emphasis on exploring the complexities of relationships and family dynamics. As a Christian, her faith is an integral part of her storytelling, and she aims to create Australian content in a genre often dominated by overseas books.
In addition to writing, Trudy also facilitates writing workshops at schools and works in the community services sector. She is a skilled musician, having studied the piano to grade 8 level, and currently lives in the Moorabool Shire in Victoria, Australia.
Born in the Hunter Valley, NSW, Trudy's love for the power of words and stories began at a young age. She completed the draft of her award-winning debut novel, Desolate Beauty, at the age of 18, which went on to win 3rd prize in the Australian Christian Book of the Year Award in 2010. Since then, she has published many more novels, including those in The Armoured Butterfly series.
Through her writing, Trudy aims to positively impact the lives of young people and provide them with entertaining and meaningful stories that offer a roadmap for overcoming adversity, self-discovery, and finding one's true identity. Trudy's writing focuses on themes of hope, resilience, and redemption, with an emphasis on exploring the complexities of relationships and family dynamics. As a Christian, her faith is an integral part of her storytelling, and she aims to create Australian content in a genre often dominated by overseas books.
In addition to writing, Trudy also facilitates writing workshops at schools and works in the community services sector. She is a skilled musician, having studied the piano to grade 8 level, and currently lives in the Moorabool Shire in Victoria, Australia.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 19, 2025
The Crowned Guardians is a fantasy novel that adult readers of high stakes narratives will enjoy. The book has many interesting elements including political instability with war on the horizon, assassinations, corruption, and a primary plot centered on good versus evil.
Some of my favorite parts of the book include the positive relationships depicted, the theme of true identity stemming from being children of God and not by societal labels, the theme of finding strength through faith, and the theme that we are all in control of our choices including the choice of what type of person we want to be. The scenes where Adaliah and her three primary companions faced the main antagonist are the best written scenes, with great dialogue and tension. And even though there are many scenes with high stakes action, there is a lot of focus given to characters and how they’re feeling, too.
It wasn’t until I had started the book that I realized it is the third book in a series. Though it is written where readers can follow the storyline easily without having to read books 1 and 2 first, I believe that several scenes would have a greater emotional impact if the reader has the context of the previous books in the series. I believe that the series starts with Adaliah at 17, so the series “grows up” along with the main character. I enjoyed this book but I do recommend starting at the beginning of the series!
Overall, this is a great fantasy story, written from a Christian worldview, interwoven with several themes that will resonate with many readers. Fans of M. H. Elrich’s Daughter of Tamnarae series and Maggie Platt’s Kingdom Above the Cloud should definitely check this series out!
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
Some of my favorite parts of the book include the positive relationships depicted, the theme of true identity stemming from being children of God and not by societal labels, the theme of finding strength through faith, and the theme that we are all in control of our choices including the choice of what type of person we want to be. The scenes where Adaliah and her three primary companions faced the main antagonist are the best written scenes, with great dialogue and tension. And even though there are many scenes with high stakes action, there is a lot of focus given to characters and how they’re feeling, too.
It wasn’t until I had started the book that I realized it is the third book in a series. Though it is written where readers can follow the storyline easily without having to read books 1 and 2 first, I believe that several scenes would have a greater emotional impact if the reader has the context of the previous books in the series. I believe that the series starts with Adaliah at 17, so the series “grows up” along with the main character. I enjoyed this book but I do recommend starting at the beginning of the series!
Overall, this is a great fantasy story, written from a Christian worldview, interwoven with several themes that will resonate with many readers. Fans of M. H. Elrich’s Daughter of Tamnarae series and Maggie Platt’s Kingdom Above the Cloud should definitely check this series out!
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
Displaying 1 of 1 review