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Legends of Lanaria #3
The Highlander's Victory
Her family refuses to fight the war. But Isla refuses to cower, no matter the cost.Isla is outraged at the damages the Norvege war has caused to her own country, and she refuses to turn a blind eye. As the rageful warmonger focuses on finding the rest of the Prophecy before Lanaria, Isla joins forces with the countries fighting to end the war. Labeled a rebel, traitor, and runaway, she takes control where her clan leader would not, and recklessly leads a group of zealous soldiers into battle. But pride has a deadly cost. And when Isla falls to rock bottom, she’s lured to the darkness her ancestors once worshipped. Will she succumb to death, or will she emerge victorious? Inspired loosely by the biblical story of Deborah, grab this compelling story of conquering darkness and following God’s path no matter the cost.
159 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 7, 2023
6 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
About the author
Michaela Bush
50 books115 followersMichaela Bush is an independent writer of Christian fiction. She graduated from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 2019 with a degree in English and minor in Psychology. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and when she isn't writing, freelancing, or building her own editing business, she's out with her horses or playing violin. Writing has been her calling from a young age and she hopes to touch lives and inspire readers with clean, thoughtful, and impactful novels. Follow her blog at www.tangledupinwriting.com.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 1, 2024
3.5 stars, personally.
About this book:
“Her family refuses to fight the war. But Isla refuses to cower, no matter the cost.Isla is outraged at the damages the Norvege war has caused to her own country, and she refuses to turn a blind eye. As the rageful warmonger focuses on finding the rest of the Prophecy before Lanaria, Isla joins forces with the countries fighting to end the war. Labeled a rebel, traitor, and runaway, she takes control where her clan leader would not, and recklessly leads a group of zealous soldiers into battle. But pride has a deadly cost. And when Isla falls to rock bottom, she’s lured to the darkness her ancestors once worshipped. Will she succumb to death, or will she emerge victorious?
Inspired loosely by the biblical story of Deborah, grab this compelling story of conquering darkness and following God’s path no matter the cost.”
Series: Book #3 in the “Legends of Lanaria”. Review of Book #1, Here! and Book #2 Here!
Spiritual Content- Isaiah 60:1-2 & Judges 4:14 at the beginning; Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; This story is loosely inspired by the Biblical story of Deborah; There is a strong Light overcoming darkness theme in this book; God is called Dhia and I Am & Jesus Christ is called Iosa Criosd throughout this book; Prayers (including Isla praying that if God “can hear prayers from sinners like [her]…”); Talks about God (Dhia), praying to Him, following Him, His will, & Deborah in the Bible; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Isla is new to her faith in Dhia & doesn’t think He will want to hear from her (which someone quickly corrects); Isla’s brother says that Satan has his eye on her because of her challenging evil; *Spoiler* ; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of people praying, receiving salvation, & their eternities; Mentions of a preacher/minister & a church; Mentions of a Prophecy & a woman having the gift of prophecy (Book #2); Mentions of being Blessed; A few mentions of miraculous healings (Book #2); A few mentions of sins & sinners; A mention of saints;
*Note: Isla says that her brother believes that will-o-the-wisps are “spirits of darkness we’ve allowed into our country”; Isla’s brother tells others not to serve Dhia and also consult druids & when someone else says that it “can’t hurt to communicate with all the spirits”, Isla has strong words to say about that it can hurt; There’s a legend of a woman taming a dragon/mythological beasts and her followers try to resurrect the beasts of old by doing evil rituals (*Spoiler* ); *Spoiler* ; Will-o-the-wisps try to tempt Isla at one point, telling her that they can help her (*Spoiler* ); Many mentions of witches, their wickedness, the darkness/evil they serve, the occult, tokens, other deities/false gods, dryads, druids, will-o-the-wisps, & talismans (all portrayed negatively); Mentions of Banshees; A mention of a miracle not being magic.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bloody’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘sissies’, two ‘hush up’s, two forms of ‘stupid’, three forms of ‘hang it all’; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); Isla curses a couple men under her breath (not written and not implied as witchcraft curses); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Killing one enemy, Seeing two deaths, & bodies (including a loved one dying, up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Battles, Attacks, & Being held at sword-point (up to semi-detailed); Helping an injured wolf (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Isla has killed others in battles and has a lot of pride in her battle experiences; Isla wishes she could die instead of someone else dying; Isla’s team captures an enemy solider and then tortures and kills him for information (off-page, barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of wars, battles, attacks, fights, taking prisoners, torture, murders, deaths, bodies, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & pubs (including Isla teasing her brother about her knowing a pub but correcting that she’s only passed by it when he disapproves of her comment); Mentions of lies; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of rumors & gossip; A few mentions of hangings & executions; A few mentions of a dead animal (stag, up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of hunting (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of a possible kidnapping & ransom threats; A couple mentions of robbers; A mention of jealousy; A mention of crass jokes (not written out); A mention of eavesdropping;
*Note: Most of Isla’s family does not stand up for her or support her, which makes her bitter towards them and disappointed.
Sexual Content- A few mentions of an illegitimate son; A mention of a young boy pinning after Isla;
*Note: A mention of a woman dying in childbirth.
-Isla, age 16
P.O.V. of Isla
133 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
{Minus up to a full star for those sensitive to battles/attacks}
I’ve been looking forward to continuing this series as the books release and this one was very different from the prior books! She’s an actual warrior which was different to read—albeit at times she did act like the teen aged girl she was. She did have her moments of pride and bitterness that I figured would force her learn some lessons. I will say that while it was different to read about an actual warrior, I didn’t feel connected to her—probably because of her being a warrior and that this book is building up to more for the later books in the series.
I did struggle to remember all the details of wars and countries and such from the prior books, but the more I read, the more the author gave hints and mentions of past events which was helpful. I do think that it would be best to read them closer together, though.
I got goosebumps at some of the leadership speeches, and I really did like the strong faith shown in this book. While the battles and killing were never detailed, it did make me uncomfortable—even though that’s what a war entails—so my rating is 3.5 stars, personally. The faith content was super strong and well done, though, so I can see many that would enjoy it. There’s a major importance on Light overcoming darkness and I really liked that element. A lot of events are setting up for future books which makes me excited to see it all pan out and see these characters again.
Also, there’s no romance in this book, so that was a nice change to read. Hints to a possible one way off in the future, but nothing in this book. Looking forward to continuing with the next book when it releases!
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
About this book:
“Her family refuses to fight the war. But Isla refuses to cower, no matter the cost.Isla is outraged at the damages the Norvege war has caused to her own country, and she refuses to turn a blind eye. As the rageful warmonger focuses on finding the rest of the Prophecy before Lanaria, Isla joins forces with the countries fighting to end the war. Labeled a rebel, traitor, and runaway, she takes control where her clan leader would not, and recklessly leads a group of zealous soldiers into battle. But pride has a deadly cost. And when Isla falls to rock bottom, she’s lured to the darkness her ancestors once worshipped. Will she succumb to death, or will she emerge victorious?
Inspired loosely by the biblical story of Deborah, grab this compelling story of conquering darkness and following God’s path no matter the cost.”
Series: Book #3 in the “Legends of Lanaria”. Review of Book #1, Here! and Book #2 Here!
Spiritual Content- Isaiah 60:1-2 & Judges 4:14 at the beginning; Scriptures are mentioned & quoted; This story is loosely inspired by the Biblical story of Deborah; There is a strong Light overcoming darkness theme in this book; God is called Dhia and I Am & Jesus Christ is called Iosa Criosd throughout this book; Prayers (including Isla praying that if God “can hear prayers from sinners like [her]…”); Talks about God (Dhia), praying to Him, following Him, His will, & Deborah in the Bible; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Isla is new to her faith in Dhia & doesn’t think He will want to hear from her (which someone quickly corrects); Isla’s brother says that Satan has his eye on her because of her challenging evil; *Spoiler* ; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of people praying, receiving salvation, & their eternities; Mentions of a preacher/minister & a church; Mentions of a Prophecy & a woman having the gift of prophecy (Book #2); Mentions of being Blessed; A few mentions of miraculous healings (Book #2); A few mentions of sins & sinners; A mention of saints;
*Note: Isla says that her brother believes that will-o-the-wisps are “spirits of darkness we’ve allowed into our country”; Isla’s brother tells others not to serve Dhia and also consult druids & when someone else says that it “can’t hurt to communicate with all the spirits”, Isla has strong words to say about that it can hurt; There’s a legend of a woman taming a dragon/mythological beasts and her followers try to resurrect the beasts of old by doing evil rituals (*Spoiler* ); *Spoiler* ; Will-o-the-wisps try to tempt Isla at one point, telling her that they can help her (*Spoiler* ); Many mentions of witches, their wickedness, the darkness/evil they serve, the occult, tokens, other deities/false gods, dryads, druids, will-o-the-wisps, & talismans (all portrayed negatively); Mentions of Banshees; A mention of a miracle not being magic.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘bloody’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘sissies’, two ‘hush up’s, two forms of ‘stupid’, three forms of ‘hang it all’; A few mentions of curses (said, not written); Isla curses a couple men under her breath (not written and not implied as witchcraft curses); Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Killing one enemy, Seeing two deaths, & bodies (including a loved one dying, up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Battles, Attacks, & Being held at sword-point (up to semi-detailed); Helping an injured wolf (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Isla has killed others in battles and has a lot of pride in her battle experiences; Isla wishes she could die instead of someone else dying; Isla’s team captures an enemy solider and then tortures and kills him for information (off-page, barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of wars, battles, attacks, fights, taking prisoners, torture, murders, deaths, bodies, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of alcohol, drinking, & pubs (including Isla teasing her brother about her knowing a pub but correcting that she’s only passed by it when he disapproves of her comment); Mentions of lies; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of rumors & gossip; A few mentions of hangings & executions; A few mentions of a dead animal (stag, up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of hunting (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of a possible kidnapping & ransom threats; A couple mentions of robbers; A mention of jealousy; A mention of crass jokes (not written out); A mention of eavesdropping;
*Note: Most of Isla’s family does not stand up for her or support her, which makes her bitter towards them and disappointed.
Sexual Content- A few mentions of an illegitimate son; A mention of a young boy pinning after Isla;
*Note: A mention of a woman dying in childbirth.
-Isla, age 16
P.O.V. of Isla
133 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Two Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
{Minus up to a full star for those sensitive to battles/attacks}
I’ve been looking forward to continuing this series as the books release and this one was very different from the prior books! She’s an actual warrior which was different to read—albeit at times she did act like the teen aged girl she was. She did have her moments of pride and bitterness that I figured would force her learn some lessons. I will say that while it was different to read about an actual warrior, I didn’t feel connected to her—probably because of her being a warrior and that this book is building up to more for the later books in the series.
I did struggle to remember all the details of wars and countries and such from the prior books, but the more I read, the more the author gave hints and mentions of past events which was helpful. I do think that it would be best to read them closer together, though.
I got goosebumps at some of the leadership speeches, and I really did like the strong faith shown in this book. While the battles and killing were never detailed, it did make me uncomfortable—even though that’s what a war entails—so my rating is 3.5 stars, personally. The faith content was super strong and well done, though, so I can see many that would enjoy it. There’s a major importance on Light overcoming darkness and I really liked that element. A lot of events are setting up for future books which makes me excited to see it all pan out and see these characters again.
Also, there’s no romance in this book, so that was a nice change to read. Hints to a possible one way off in the future, but nothing in this book. Looking forward to continuing with the next book when it releases!
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
December 31, 2023
Wow, this book was very intense and much darker in feel and tone then the first two books in the series, but God’s light always shines through making it a hopeful read even amidst the pain.
Isla is a spitfire and I’m kind of glad that this book was much shorter then the first two as her pride and temper could easily have become annoying on a larger book but was just right for the length of this one. None of the other characters really jumped out at me though I did like Isla’s relationship with her brother. There’s also zero romance, so if you’re looking for a romantic fantasy, this isn’t it.
This story has a very Scottish vibe in the way the characters talk and the way the landscape was described, and I really liked that as outside of the movie Brave (which this story also has the vibes of) I haven’t seen or read many Scottish inspired fantasy lands, and I think there should be more since the country is very fantasyish to begin with. I also really liked how Michaela used will-o-the-wisps in a very unique way.
I’m excited and curious to see where this story goes next, and what exactly this prophesy will mean and say when it’s all put together!
‼️Content‼️
Violence: injuries and blood (not detailed); fighting with weapons (not detailed); a character is stabbed in the gut and its mentioned that a bloody blade sticks out of their back (not detailed beyond that); a wolf has an arrow in its shoulder; a stake is driven through a man’s forehead (not detailed or the action shown)
Other: talk about bad people/witches using dark magic, witchcraft, and worshipping dark, evil beings (not in a good light); people attempt to resurrect evil creatures; death and grief; will-o-the-wisps; an earthquake; mentions of using talismans and consulting druids (not in a good light); the act of worshipping God alongside false gods (not in a good light)
Isla is a spitfire and I’m kind of glad that this book was much shorter then the first two as her pride and temper could easily have become annoying on a larger book but was just right for the length of this one. None of the other characters really jumped out at me though I did like Isla’s relationship with her brother. There’s also zero romance, so if you’re looking for a romantic fantasy, this isn’t it.
This story has a very Scottish vibe in the way the characters talk and the way the landscape was described, and I really liked that as outside of the movie Brave (which this story also has the vibes of) I haven’t seen or read many Scottish inspired fantasy lands, and I think there should be more since the country is very fantasyish to begin with. I also really liked how Michaela used will-o-the-wisps in a very unique way.
I’m excited and curious to see where this story goes next, and what exactly this prophesy will mean and say when it’s all put together!
‼️Content‼️
Violence: injuries and blood (not detailed); fighting with weapons (not detailed); a character is stabbed in the gut and its mentioned that a bloody blade sticks out of their back (not detailed beyond that); a wolf has an arrow in its shoulder; a stake is driven through a man’s forehead (not detailed or the action shown)
Other: talk about bad people/witches using dark magic, witchcraft, and worshipping dark, evil beings (not in a good light); people attempt to resurrect evil creatures; death and grief; will-o-the-wisps; an earthquake; mentions of using talismans and consulting druids (not in a good light); the act of worshipping God alongside false gods (not in a good light)
September 12, 2024
This book was really different considering it was about a prideful, angry warrior, and there was no romance (possible future one).
Isla could get in my nerves, but I loved her transformation. And the wolf was great as well
Content: a bit more violence, a will-o-wisp (?) scene
January 7, 2024
Isla, the stubborn, impulsive princess, must learn the humility that only comes through trials...
I really enjoyed this continuation of the series, but it took me awhile to reacquaint myself with the world and plot. So I highly recommend reading this in sequence with the other novels-it can't be read as a standalone.
As for Isla, she is a bit unlikable at first, constantly ignoring, belittling, and hurting those who love her. Yet, as her brother and manservant confront her and she suffers loss, she grows and develops well over the course of the story. And there's an event in this story that was honestly bold of the author to do and had me quite sad.
The plot itself is extremely fast paced. At times, my brain had difficulties keeping up with the skirmishes and action of the various characters. To be honest, it felt rushed, but that could be because it is a shorter book.
As for world building, the names of the places and even the wolf itself were unpronounceable. Because of this, I ignored them and only got the basic gist. I think the author was going for an Israel and Judah vibe from the Old Testament. That was pretty cool since there were references to Deborah, a judge from the Bible. I also forgot about the will o wisps and other fantastical creatures in this world-they were treated as demonic, but it was still interesting to see them.
Overall, there were great messages about fully submitting to God, light overcoming darkness, and humility. I enjoyed this story, but definitely felt like it was not as developed as the others (but then again, they were longer). So I couldn't decide between 4 and 5 stars-4.5 is the best I got!
A great story to follow the others!
I really enjoyed this continuation of the series, but it took me awhile to reacquaint myself with the world and plot. So I highly recommend reading this in sequence with the other novels-it can't be read as a standalone.
As for Isla, she is a bit unlikable at first, constantly ignoring, belittling, and hurting those who love her. Yet, as her brother and manservant confront her and she suffers loss, she grows and develops well over the course of the story. And there's an event in this story that was honestly bold of the author to do and had me quite sad.
The plot itself is extremely fast paced. At times, my brain had difficulties keeping up with the skirmishes and action of the various characters. To be honest, it felt rushed, but that could be because it is a shorter book.
As for world building, the names of the places and even the wolf itself were unpronounceable. Because of this, I ignored them and only got the basic gist. I think the author was going for an Israel and Judah vibe from the Old Testament. That was pretty cool since there were references to Deborah, a judge from the Bible. I also forgot about the will o wisps and other fantastical creatures in this world-they were treated as demonic, but it was still interesting to see them.
Overall, there were great messages about fully submitting to God, light overcoming darkness, and humility. I enjoyed this story, but definitely felt like it was not as developed as the others (but then again, they were longer). So I couldn't decide between 4 and 5 stars-4.5 is the best I got!
A great story to follow the others!
January 7, 2024
This series is so much fun, but this one is my favorite volume so far! I loved the themes, action, and the sibling bonds. EPIC!
January 18, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
One thing I really enjoy about these books so far is how each one has kind of a different spiritual aspect!
This one was interesting because it took someone who had converted from false gods to Christianity! Isla I believe was the first MC whose conversion we got to see!
I love that she is more on the strong-willed side. The main characters in book 1 and 2 stuggled more with standing up for themselves, whereas Isla struggled more with humbling herself and relying more on God.
Isla had to go through a lot, and I loved the similarities this story had with the story of Deborah in the Bible. This one was a bit more violent but I did enjoy it and would recommend it!
This whole series so far I would consider for probably upper middle grade to middle ya. It’s all very clean but there are some difficult topics handled in these books so far. On to the next one!
One thing I really enjoy about these books so far is how each one has kind of a different spiritual aspect!
This one was interesting because it took someone who had converted from false gods to Christianity! Isla I believe was the first MC whose conversion we got to see!
I love that she is more on the strong-willed side. The main characters in book 1 and 2 stuggled more with standing up for themselves, whereas Isla struggled more with humbling herself and relying more on God.
Isla had to go through a lot, and I loved the similarities this story had with the story of Deborah in the Bible. This one was a bit more violent but I did enjoy it and would recommend it!
This whole series so far I would consider for probably upper middle grade to middle ya. It’s all very clean but there are some difficult topics handled in these books so far. On to the next one!
April 26, 2024
I enjoyed this 3rd book in the series, in many ways, even better,
than the 1st and 2nd books.
For one thing, there seemed to be more scriptures,
and deeper faith content.
Strangely, the prayer to save her brother,
was not answered by God,
but in a way, it had a comforting aspect to it,
as it was later explained, that her brother
was now free of pain etc. etc.
Some of the ( Irish or Scottish words?)
were beyond my ability to pronounce,
tho I did figure out a few of the meanings of some of them.
And there are still parts of the whole issue
I am not totally getting
other than darkness, sin and evil abound...
( Just like in our times).
But some of the faith content was excellent.
I am looking forward to the next in the series.
than the 1st and 2nd books.
For one thing, there seemed to be more scriptures,
and deeper faith content.
Strangely, the prayer to save her brother,
was not answered by God,
but in a way, it had a comforting aspect to it,
as it was later explained, that her brother
was now free of pain etc. etc.
Some of the ( Irish or Scottish words?)
were beyond my ability to pronounce,
tho I did figure out a few of the meanings of some of them.
And there are still parts of the whole issue
I am not totally getting
other than darkness, sin and evil abound...
( Just like in our times).
But some of the faith content was excellent.
I am looking forward to the next in the series.
![Profile Image for Jacquelyn 💐 {This Rapunzel Reads} [Jesus Christ, my Living Hope].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1766269624i%2F169222098._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
September 27, 2025
🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺
Okay, wow, so Isla is one feisty and fierce girl! She is a force to be reckoned with! I wanted to yell at her on more than one occasion…haha! Hamish was a great character and I really liked him. Callum, honestly, I did not care for him as a love interest. He seemed so weak, I guess. He didn’t really fit with Isla’s personality, but who knows if my opinion will change down the road? I did enjoy this one, not as much as the first two. There was quite a bit of violence and some odd spiritual things. But other than that, the faith content was really good and strong which I appreciated it! I loved seeing Evangeline, Gabriel, Aurelie and Horace again! It was like seeing old friends! I can’t wait to continue the series!
🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺
Okay, wow, so Isla is one feisty and fierce girl! She is a force to be reckoned with! I wanted to yell at her on more than one occasion…haha! Hamish was a great character and I really liked him. Callum, honestly, I did not care for him as a love interest. He seemed so weak, I guess. He didn’t really fit with Isla’s personality, but who knows if my opinion will change down the road? I did enjoy this one, not as much as the first two. There was quite a bit of violence and some odd spiritual things. But other than that, the faith content was really good and strong which I appreciated it! I loved seeing Evangeline, Gabriel, Aurelie and Horace again! It was like seeing old friends! I can’t wait to continue the series!
🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺
February 5, 2025
Fun fantasy
I enjoyed this fairytale retelling(book 1) turned into a series and hope there will be more! A good series to read while I was sick and not wanting something deep, but still enough action to keep me turning pages.
I enjoyed this fairytale retelling(book 1) turned into a series and hope there will be more! A good series to read while I was sick and not wanting something deep, but still enough action to keep me turning pages.
October 29, 2025
Hamish 😭💔
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews