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Verindon #3
The Reign
As Sarah tries to live with the knowledge that she and Keridan can never be together, she accepts a pledge of allegiance from the graduating class of agents. But this allegiance will be tested when an unexpected visitor arrives on Verindon; a visitor with a shocking secret. How will this affect Sarah's reign? The Reign is Book 3 in the Verindon Trilogy.
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First published May 1, 2014
1035 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Stringer
12 books342 followersLynne Stringer has been passionate about writing all her life, beginning with short stories in her primary school days. She began writing professionally as a journalist and was the editor of a small newspaper (later magazine) for seven years, before turning her hand to screenplay writing and novels. Lynne currently works as a professional editor and proofreader. She lives in Australia with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 17, 2016
4.5 stars.
Some very unexpected twists in this (who else loved what happened in middle?) that made for a very satisfying conclusion. This ended in way I would have never predicted but really enjoyed.
Sarah's life is completed transformed after she spots her earth mother in the crowd. Expect betrayals, romance, love, commitment, self-sacrifice and destruction.
I would have liked to see a bit more of Ardon (especially some of Keridan's reactions to him being fleshed out and I also would have loved an Ardon/Sarah discussion that involved her apologising or explaining her actions or something).
Overall this is a clean enjoyable YA science fiction series that rewards keeping sex for marriage but is not Christian in any way otherwise. I would recommend it to teenagers who want a fast paced clean romantic SF that is free of brutal bits.
Some very unexpected twists in this (who else loved what happened in middle?) that made for a very satisfying conclusion. This ended in way I would have never predicted but really enjoyed.
Sarah's life is completed transformed after she spots her earth mother in the crowd. Expect betrayals, romance, love, commitment, self-sacrifice and destruction.
I would have liked to see a bit more of Ardon (especially some of Keridan's reactions to him being fleshed out and I also would have loved an Ardon/Sarah discussion that involved her apologising or explaining her actions or something).
Overall this is a clean enjoyable YA science fiction series that rewards keeping sex for marriage but is not Christian in any way otherwise. I would recommend it to teenagers who want a fast paced clean romantic SF that is free of brutal bits.
August 9, 2014
For me, the mark of a good novel is that I'm still thinking about, and even missing, the characters after I've finished the book. This was definitely the case for me with The Reign.
This is the third and final book in the series, so it's necessary to have read the other two books before launching into this one.
I found it a little slow at the beginning, but as with the others in the series, once the action got going, it stayed going for the rest of the novel.
This book is a great read for teenagers especially, but as an adult, I really loved the series so don't hold back if you're past your teen years. :)
This is the third and final book in the series, so it's necessary to have read the other two books before launching into this one.
I found it a little slow at the beginning, but as with the others in the series, once the action got going, it stayed going for the rest of the novel.
This book is a great read for teenagers especially, but as an adult, I really loved the series so don't hold back if you're past your teen years. :)
August 31, 2016
The Reign is the third and final book in the Verindon Trilogy, and it is best to read The Heir and The Reign first. In fact, if you haven’t read the first two and want to, you might be not reading this review - while it doesn't contain spoilers about The Reign, the whole plot of The Reign is kind of a spoiler for the earlier books.
All three stories follow Sarah, a teenage American girl who finds out she’s actually the heir to the throne on a far-off planet, and her best friend and teenage crush are actually aliens from her home planet, sent to Earth to guard and protect her (The Heir). Upon arriving on Verindon, she finds her life threatened by unknown forces, and learns she is required to marry but forbidden by law to marry the man she loves (The Crown).
The Reign begins with Sarah finally deciding which of her approved suitors she will marry, as her efforts to change the law have failed. Another attack on her life reveals information that will change everything—and place her in even more danger.
I’ve really enjoyed this debut YA series by Lynne Stringer. It’s not Christian fiction, but it is written from a Christian world view, so it doesn’t have any of the sex, violence or negativity so prevalent in contemporary YA fiction. The Reign pulls together all the plot points of the earlier books, and delivers a satisfying finale.
The books are all written from Sarah’s point of view, which has plusses and minuses. It was a strength in The Heir, because it meant the reader discovered the secrets of Sarah’s past as she did. I would have liked to have seen some alternate points of view in The Crown and especially The Reign, because both have strong male characters, and I would have liked to know what they were thinking!
Overall, I’ve really enjoyed this series and recommend it to fans of YA sci-fi.
Thanks to Wombat Books for providing a free book for review.
All three stories follow Sarah, a teenage American girl who finds out she’s actually the heir to the throne on a far-off planet, and her best friend and teenage crush are actually aliens from her home planet, sent to Earth to guard and protect her (The Heir). Upon arriving on Verindon, she finds her life threatened by unknown forces, and learns she is required to marry but forbidden by law to marry the man she loves (The Crown).
The Reign begins with Sarah finally deciding which of her approved suitors she will marry, as her efforts to change the law have failed. Another attack on her life reveals information that will change everything—and place her in even more danger.
I’ve really enjoyed this debut YA series by Lynne Stringer. It’s not Christian fiction, but it is written from a Christian world view, so it doesn’t have any of the sex, violence or negativity so prevalent in contemporary YA fiction. The Reign pulls together all the plot points of the earlier books, and delivers a satisfying finale.
The books are all written from Sarah’s point of view, which has plusses and minuses. It was a strength in The Heir, because it meant the reader discovered the secrets of Sarah’s past as she did. I would have liked to have seen some alternate points of view in The Crown and especially The Reign, because both have strong male characters, and I would have liked to know what they were thinking!
Overall, I’ve really enjoyed this series and recommend it to fans of YA sci-fi.
Thanks to Wombat Books for providing a free book for review.
April 28, 2016
This is the third novel in the Verindon trilogy.
This story has one almighty twist. So I can’t say much about the story line. No spoilers.
Sarah is still feisty and her character has typical traits of ranting and sulking when things don’t go her way but she knows what she wants and will fight for it until the end.
This was a fitting end to the trilogy and I was satisfied with the way the story went.
Stringer focuses on equality for all when a new set of eyes rules Verindon they can see that the way life has always been may not necessarily be the right way.
The Verindon trilogy was an enthralling YA Sci Fi series suitable for all teenagers with plenty of danger for the boys and romance for the girls. No sex or bad language.
I would highly recommend this series.
June 2, 2014
The Reign is a fitting and exciting conclusion to Lynne Stringer's Verindon Trilogy.
At the end of the Crown Sarah has been crowned as Overlord of her native planet and her scheming uncle has been exposed and brought to justice yet Sarah is still as far from being united with her great love - agent Keridan - as ever. He will soon be assigned a bonding partner and Sarah herself is under increasing pressure to choice a suitable consort from a list of eligible nobles. Will Sarah be able to change the rigid laws to allow her to marry the man she loves?
Right from the start, Lynne takes the story in surprising directions, throwing up new heart-stopping challenges for Sarah and her friends. Apart from one or two lulls, the book is fast paced and full of action and twists and Lynne brings it all to a satisfying conclusion.
Well worth reading.
At the end of the Crown Sarah has been crowned as Overlord of her native planet and her scheming uncle has been exposed and brought to justice yet Sarah is still as far from being united with her great love - agent Keridan - as ever. He will soon be assigned a bonding partner and Sarah herself is under increasing pressure to choice a suitable consort from a list of eligible nobles. Will Sarah be able to change the rigid laws to allow her to marry the man she loves?
Right from the start, Lynne takes the story in surprising directions, throwing up new heart-stopping challenges for Sarah and her friends. Apart from one or two lulls, the book is fast paced and full of action and twists and Lynne brings it all to a satisfying conclusion.
Well worth reading.
July 2, 2014
In the last book, Sarah must choose a consort to bond with and help her rule the planet. Her life is once again threatened and in a surprising twist, she must leave the planet to find evidence of a traitorous plan against not only herself, but against the entire Verindal population. Her life takes a sudden and drastic turn and she finds herself being the defender instead of the defended.
This one was really exciting. It's so fascinating to explore a world so different from our own. I found myself asking questions about the people and the races and the status quo, which means I was completely living in the world created in the series. Very fun.
I love that I was not able to guess what the twists were. Usually I'm pretty good at guessing and while I was right about part of it, I had NO CLUE how Sarah's life was going to change.
The biggest minus for me is that we don't really get to see much emotional range from Sarah in certain situations. We see her love for Keridan and her desperate feelings in that area, but other emotions are glossed over that make her appear a little heartless, which I don't think is the case. For example, there is an instance where someone is severely injured, having just done her a HUGE service, and as he reaches out to her she turns away back to Keridan. Clearly Keridan is her priority, but we don't even get to see her thank the person or really show much emotion at all towards the injured agent. I'm sure she's FEELING it because everything else in the book points to her being very empathetic, but I think some of these emotional scenes may have been cut to carry the story along. I understand it, but I think the reader misses some important information about Sarah's character. In that moment, without a thank you or any sort of gesture, it seems callous. But because we see other instances in the book where she DOES show empathy and great feeling, I don't think it's possible that she could be so callous, so I can only imagine that it's just not described in this situation. I would have liked to see a bit more of that scene.
I'm still left with a few questions, but most of them would contain spoilers, so I won't post them. Most of the bigger questions were answered, such as who kidnapped her and put her on earth. But I am nosy and want to know EVERYTHING, so I have questions that probably would interest no one but me.
This one was really exciting. It's so fascinating to explore a world so different from our own. I found myself asking questions about the people and the races and the status quo, which means I was completely living in the world created in the series. Very fun.
I love that I was not able to guess what the twists were. Usually I'm pretty good at guessing and while I was right about part of it, I had NO CLUE how Sarah's life was going to change.
The biggest minus for me is that we don't really get to see much emotional range from Sarah in certain situations. We see her love for Keridan and her desperate feelings in that area, but other emotions are glossed over that make her appear a little heartless, which I don't think is the case. For example, there is an instance where someone is severely injured, having just done her a HUGE service, and as he reaches out to her she turns away back to Keridan. Clearly Keridan is her priority, but we don't even get to see her thank the person or really show much emotion at all towards the injured agent. I'm sure she's FEELING it because everything else in the book points to her being very empathetic, but I think some of these emotional scenes may have been cut to carry the story along. I understand it, but I think the reader misses some important information about Sarah's character. In that moment, without a thank you or any sort of gesture, it seems callous. But because we see other instances in the book where she DOES show empathy and great feeling, I don't think it's possible that she could be so callous, so I can only imagine that it's just not described in this situation. I would have liked to see a bit more of that scene.
I'm still left with a few questions, but most of them would contain spoilers, so I won't post them. Most of the bigger questions were answered, such as who kidnapped her and put her on earth. But I am nosy and want to know EVERYTHING, so I have questions that probably would interest no one but me.
December 27, 2014
The Reign, by Lynne Stringer, is a gripping novel which takes readers on a veritable roller-coaster ride of sci-fi adventure. Sarah is the Overlord of the planet where she has lived for only a short time. Her position and title is her birthright, but there are those who do not respect her as the newly appointed leader of their world. Thankfully she is under the protection of some the finest and most faithful guards who will risk anything to ensure her safety. But when someone from Sarah's past shows up, Sarah is haunted by questions that have plagued her for years. Determined to get answers, she sets out to find the truths that have been hidden from her since her childhood.
Book #3 in the Verindon series is filled with action, romance, and enough plot twists to keep the reader guessing all the way to the end. Stringer has skillfully crafted a tale which will appeal to readers who enjoy science fiction, romance, mystery and even action novels. This book reads well as a stand-alone, but should be read as part of the series to be fully appreciated.
Book #3 in the Verindon series is filled with action, romance, and enough plot twists to keep the reader guessing all the way to the end. Stringer has skillfully crafted a tale which will appeal to readers who enjoy science fiction, romance, mystery and even action novels. This book reads well as a stand-alone, but should be read as part of the series to be fully appreciated.
July 3, 2014
I really enjoyed The Reign—the third book in the Verindon Series. I found that the writing was tighter in this book than the previous two, and that the pace picked up.
The tension was consistent throughout and kept me turning the page.
The plot complications were interesting and believable.
If you liked The Hunger Games and the Divergent Series, you would most likely enjoy this one.
Feminist themes are woven throughout, but more than that a sense of partnership and equality is espoused through the narrative—a deliberate move I'm sure!
If I read the series again, I'd read it as one book rather than three.
Well done, Lynne Stringer!
The tension was consistent throughout and kept me turning the page.
The plot complications were interesting and believable.
If you liked The Hunger Games and the Divergent Series, you would most likely enjoy this one.
Feminist themes are woven throughout, but more than that a sense of partnership and equality is espoused through the narrative—a deliberate move I'm sure!
If I read the series again, I'd read it as one book rather than three.
Well done, Lynne Stringer!
May 3, 2020
Sarah finally reaches the conclusion that she and Keridan can never be together. So she has to choose a consort from those eligible. Ardon, the one whose mocking, enigmatic smile drives her mad, was at least recommended by Keridan.
A shock awaits during the public announcement of their betrothal: she sees her mother in the crowd. How is it possible that Amanda Fenhardt, from earth, the woman who abandoned her father when Sarah was five, could be on the planet Verindon?
Sending agents to find her, Sarah confronts the woman about her abduction as a baby but comes very little closer to the truth. Other than minding Sarah on earth was a job that paid regularly, Amanda had no real idea who her employer was. Sarah insists the agents let her go.
But then she receives a mysterious message from Amanda to go to the Place of Meeting. It's hard to arrange to elude her ever-present every-watchful guards but she manages to get to the meeting, only to find Amanda dead. A group of agents who had pledged their allegiance to her in the very recent past have gone rogue and are plotting to overthrow Sarah's reign and establish an entirely new society. Trapped, Sarah looks for escape and sees none... And then, without warning, the impossible happens. She changes.
A great conclusion and the most enjoyable of the trilogy. Heaps of unexpected twists.
A shock awaits during the public announcement of their betrothal: she sees her mother in the crowd. How is it possible that Amanda Fenhardt, from earth, the woman who abandoned her father when Sarah was five, could be on the planet Verindon?
Sending agents to find her, Sarah confronts the woman about her abduction as a baby but comes very little closer to the truth. Other than minding Sarah on earth was a job that paid regularly, Amanda had no real idea who her employer was. Sarah insists the agents let her go.
But then she receives a mysterious message from Amanda to go to the Place of Meeting. It's hard to arrange to elude her ever-present every-watchful guards but she manages to get to the meeting, only to find Amanda dead. A group of agents who had pledged their allegiance to her in the very recent past have gone rogue and are plotting to overthrow Sarah's reign and establish an entirely new society. Trapped, Sarah looks for escape and sees none... And then, without warning, the impossible happens. She changes.
A great conclusion and the most enjoyable of the trilogy. Heaps of unexpected twists.
November 8, 2021
Good conclusion, suspenseful though.
May 5, 2014
I think this is my favourite book in the Verindon series. It answers so many of the questions I have been asking - even since The Heir! I did have my own thoughts about where this book might go, and while I did get one thing right I could by no means could guess where this story was going. Wonderful surprises and a beautiful ending.
March 15, 2018
4.5 Stars
November 16, 2016
A satisfying conclusion to a great sci-fi romance adventure. An interesting and engaging path the plot takes, including some jaw-dropping twists.
This is a series I will look back on, and think fondly of the characters.
This is a series I will look back on, and think fondly of the characters.
June 7, 2020
The book tidied up the series an a great way. There were lots of twists and there was only one question I had that wasn't answered in this story.
Overall, a great sci-fi series.
Overall, a great sci-fi series.
November 28, 2025
Just when you think you have a handle on Sarah's strange new world - chapter 6 drops on you. You won't see it coming. Trust me, it's a banger!
September 24, 2014
The Reign by Lynne Stringer is a science fiction romance story. Sarah was adopted and came to love her Earth father. Her mother left them when she was young. Her father was heart broken and never recovered from his grief. He put a good face on for Sarah but then he died. Sarah was whisked away to the planet Veridon where she was hailed as the overlord. She had special agents as her guard. This book is part of a set but you can get the gist of the story here. She loves the agent Keridan. It is forbidden for her race to marry into Keridan's race. Hajitis is her trainer, putting her thru simulated situations to teach her how to survive. Denzik, the high commander is in charge of all the agents. Agents are taught to not have feelings. Instead of marriage there is a bonding ceremony. Perisina is head of her guards. Her bonded partner is Pravvit, a tech genius. Rogue agents lead Sarah to a trap. When she sees on the monitor that the rogues are going to kill Keridan, Sarah goes zonal. Something only Keridan's race can do. Keridan finds her and takes her to the science lab to check her DNA. What do they discover about Sarah's DNA? Can the few agents stop the rebellion before innocent lives are loss? This is a first reads win and I have given my honest opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2014
Just finished the conclusion to this Verindon series, and it was so great! I loved that it was unpredictable for me. I loved the cause they were fighting for, and how that all played out. The ending was perfect. I'm so glad I bought the books and got to sit in this world for a while. Great characters, beautiful setting, really good morals (I so appreciated the lack of graphic sex, drugs, and foul language, I can't even tell you), great plot... The author really made me care about the characters, they feel like friends. I'm so excited to finish the series up again with my husband soon. Highly recommended!
July 19, 2014
I received this book through a First Reads giveaway. The author was kind enough to not only sign it but to personalize it.
This is an interesting other worlder love story. It is a moralistic plot without being preachy. It was engaging moved quickly and did not have plot holes. The protagonists are compelling. I would suggest that you read the books in order as plot elements found in the first two books are important to the third.
This is an interesting other worlder love story. It is a moralistic plot without being preachy. It was engaging moved quickly and did not have plot holes. The protagonists are compelling. I would suggest that you read the books in order as plot elements found in the first two books are important to the third.
November 14, 2015
so ends the adventure of Sarah and Keridan, and their persecuted love...despite the first two chapter, this last one didn't catch me that much, even though finding out Hajitis was in love with Sarah was kind of stunning... the finale was too much foregone I must say, I would have preferred another kind of ending, maybe more realistic according what has happened between the Vendals and Verindons
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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