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The Way of the King
As the Kingdom of Érkeos collapses in revolution, three unlikely heroes must keep the loyalty through the darkest of days.
Three months after The Torch Keepers ends, Kadira, a warrior-defector from the Prince’s Liberation army, flees into the mountains as a big sister to a family of orphans. Her eyes mark her as a Torch Keeper for the King, an enemy to the Prince.
Behind her, Rekém rises to power over the city that was once the children’s home. As the Prince’s brother, he is forced to become a leader yet is drawn to humble hunting trips where he remembers dreams he once had. In mountain forests, Rekém discovers dangerous secrets he can’t escape from.
And deep in the throngs of cave tunnels, a musician missing half his arm builds his own fortress, not knowing that two armies close in. When the sides collide, the heroes must decide if the one they follow is truly worthy of every sacrifice. It seems the future of Érkeos is in the hands of a King who's never been seen.
Three months after The Torch Keepers ends, Kadira, a warrior-defector from the Prince’s Liberation army, flees into the mountains as a big sister to a family of orphans. Her eyes mark her as a Torch Keeper for the King, an enemy to the Prince.
Behind her, Rekém rises to power over the city that was once the children’s home. As the Prince’s brother, he is forced to become a leader yet is drawn to humble hunting trips where he remembers dreams he once had. In mountain forests, Rekém discovers dangerous secrets he can’t escape from.
And deep in the throngs of cave tunnels, a musician missing half his arm builds his own fortress, not knowing that two armies close in. When the sides collide, the heroes must decide if the one they follow is truly worthy of every sacrifice. It seems the future of Érkeos is in the hands of a King who's never been seen.
415 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2023
3 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Hosanna Emily
7 books65 followersBecause of the grace of God, Hosanna Emily is a warrior poet: a warrior because God is her Father (which makes her a crazy-in-love princess) and she lives fighting to be faithful for the day Jesus’ Kingdom will come and a poet because she loves beautiful, truth-filled words. Thus, she fills her journal with poetry, her blog with urges to live for Jesus, and then writes books on top of that—from fantasy to middle grade and more—stories to inspire radical living for the coming King who is worthy.
On a normal day, you may find her homemaking on the family farm, going on long walks, singing worship, cooking healthy food, playing Frisbee, randomly dancing the Virginia Reel, dreaming of Jesus’ coming Kingdom, and enjoying life with her family of more than a dozen amazing people and her Church family of even more.
On a normal day, you may find her homemaking on the family farm, going on long walks, singing worship, cooking healthy food, playing Frisbee, randomly dancing the Virginia Reel, dreaming of Jesus’ coming Kingdom, and enjoying life with her family of more than a dozen amazing people and her Church family of even more.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 14, 2025
5+ stars (7/10 hearts). I was so scared to read this sequel to
The Torch Keepers
because I was worried it wouldn’t live up to the awesomeness. I needn’t have. It was perfect.
I loved, loved, loved Kadira’s theme of trusting when it hurts, constantly believing in God’s forgiveness, and living for Him and His kingdom while patiently awaiting it. I loved Othniel’s faith journey as he learned to serve God where he was, as he was. I loved seeing Rekém on his search for forgiveness, truth, and peace. I didn’t expect to end up liking A., but she was pretty cool in the end—and C & M were awesome. So were the kids/siblings… and it was so fun seeing some old characters again!!
This story is more of an allegory of serving and Christian life, and I was surprised by the ending, which was a retelling of sorts of Christ’s second coming. It fit in well and was super well done + striking, I just didn’t expect it. I loved seeing plot threads finally resolved and so many plot twists happen, and I was perfectly satisfied in the end. I cannot wait to reread this series and cry over it once more. ;) What an encouraging, powerful story!
Content: Mild undetailed violence. the ending, being about the second coming, contains fire-related deaths.
A Favourite Quote: “Do you realize morning doesn’t have to come every day, but it does? … That’s how amazing my King is. He told the dawn to rise. And it obeys every morning for thousands of years without fail.” When he looked up, I thought his eyes were moist. “And he wants ME to serve him?”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: The melody trembled with low notes then swung up, hopeful, like when morning rose on foggy hills.
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “Next time we meet, I’ll have it for you. Unless,” he held up a finger, “unless I get incredibly busy, as prisons can be the most time-consuming place, you know.”
I loved, loved, loved Kadira’s theme of trusting when it hurts, constantly believing in God’s forgiveness, and living for Him and His kingdom while patiently awaiting it. I loved Othniel’s faith journey as he learned to serve God where he was, as he was. I loved seeing Rekém on his search for forgiveness, truth, and peace. I didn’t expect to end up liking A., but she was pretty cool in the end—and C & M were awesome. So were the kids/siblings… and it was so fun seeing some old characters again!!
This story is more of an allegory of serving and Christian life, and I was surprised by the ending, which was a retelling of sorts of Christ’s second coming. It fit in well and was super well done + striking, I just didn’t expect it. I loved seeing plot threads finally resolved and so many plot twists happen, and I was perfectly satisfied in the end. I cannot wait to reread this series and cry over it once more. ;) What an encouraging, powerful story!
Content: Mild undetailed violence. the ending, being about the second coming, contains fire-related deaths.
A Favourite Quote: “Do you realize morning doesn’t have to come every day, but it does? … That’s how amazing my King is. He told the dawn to rise. And it obeys every morning for thousands of years without fail.” When he looked up, I thought his eyes were moist. “And he wants ME to serve him?”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: The melody trembled with low notes then swung up, hopeful, like when morning rose on foggy hills.
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “Next time we meet, I’ll have it for you. Unless,” he held up a finger, “unless I get incredibly busy, as prisons can be the most time-consuming place, you know.”
September 1, 2025
Fantasy is just not my genre... but this was a lovely book to read, and I really enjoyed the faith content. What made me read a book outside my usual type, is the fact that I am personally acquainted with the author. Good writing, Hosanna!
June 16, 2025
This is an allegorical fantasy tale of two sides, two armies, two leaders. And everyone has to choose their side. Will they be loyal to the King even when they don’t understand what He is doing? Or will they give in to the lies propagated by the Prince’s Liberation army?
I very much enjoyed this book. It’s a sequel to The Torch Keepers, and I actually liked this one better than its predecessor. (Though, if you haven’t read The Torch Keepers, you really should read it first before reading The Way of the King.)
This book focuses on three main characters: Kadira, Othniel, and Rekem. I enjoyed each of their stories and thought their characters were well-developed. Kadira and Othniel were definitely my favorites! A large cast of supporting characters, including several children, adds depth to the story as well.
One of the main themes in this book is remaining loyal to the King and continuing to trust and follow Him, even when it hurts and you don’t understand why. Another theme is hoping in the King’s return. There were some parts which reminded me of The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis, which I loved! Other themes woven in of family, friendship, self-sacrifice, and using your gifts for the King were also well-done.
There were some great plot twists. One in particular really impressed me, because I did not see it coming, but then afterward I felt like I ought to have guessed it, which is exactly what an author wants to happen!
There is some violence (battles/fighting, and prisoners are beaten) although it’s not graphic, and I think there was actually less violence in this one than in The Torch Keepers. There’s just a little bit of romance involving two couples; one couple is clearly going about it in a pure and honorable way, the other couple not so much (a hug is as far as any physical affection goes, though). Also, there’s one particularly sad part when a parent-figure dies.
Overall, I thought this was a beautifully written, suspenseful, adventurous story of loyalty, faithfulness, and hope.
I very much enjoyed this book. It’s a sequel to The Torch Keepers, and I actually liked this one better than its predecessor. (Though, if you haven’t read The Torch Keepers, you really should read it first before reading The Way of the King.)
This book focuses on three main characters: Kadira, Othniel, and Rekem. I enjoyed each of their stories and thought their characters were well-developed. Kadira and Othniel were definitely my favorites! A large cast of supporting characters, including several children, adds depth to the story as well.
One of the main themes in this book is remaining loyal to the King and continuing to trust and follow Him, even when it hurts and you don’t understand why. Another theme is hoping in the King’s return. There were some parts which reminded me of The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis, which I loved! Other themes woven in of family, friendship, self-sacrifice, and using your gifts for the King were also well-done.
There were some great plot twists. One in particular really impressed me, because I did not see it coming, but then afterward I felt like I ought to have guessed it, which is exactly what an author wants to happen!
There is some violence (battles/fighting, and prisoners are beaten) although it’s not graphic, and I think there was actually less violence in this one than in The Torch Keepers. There’s just a little bit of romance involving two couples; one couple is clearly going about it in a pure and honorable way, the other couple not so much (a hug is as far as any physical affection goes, though). Also, there’s one particularly sad part when a parent-figure dies.
Overall, I thought this was a beautifully written, suspenseful, adventurous story of loyalty, faithfulness, and hope.
November 3, 2023
Number of pages: 415
Genre: Fantasy/Allegory
Series: Sequel to The Torch Keepers
Age recommendation: 14+
Summary: Kadira is now a dedicated follower of her King, and is helping Gamma to take care of the orphans. They flee into the mountains to escape the sword of the Prince, but his army continues to follow them. When they are forced to show who they stand for, will they choose the easy way, or else follow the way of the King?
My thoughts: This was a really good book. I enjoyed it so much (probably even more than the last one). However, to be fair, I basically ignored the allegory in this book as it had annoyed me in the previous book. I just focused on the story, as I really wanted to know what would happen to Kadira and Rekém - the first book doesn’t exactly have the most satisfying ending - and I really enjoyed seeing how their stories finished.
When I really think about the allegory, it is kind of mixed up. I think this story was supposed to be talking about the end times – i.e. the battles when Jesus comes back at the second coming - but I think the author mixed it up with the elements from the rapture (when all the Christians go to meet Jesus in the clouds). Also the Church and Israel seem a bit blended. I know allegories are imperfect pictures of biblical truths, but I would recommend studying the rapture, second coming, millennium, and new heaven and earth because the book kind of mixes everything up together and it is confusing. Honestly, I think it’s best to just not think too deeply about the allegory, and if there’s a thought mentioned that reminds you to spend time with Jesus, to do things for Him, or be excited about Him coming back, that’s great, but just enjoy the story for what it is rather than try to analyze the allegory. 😊
I personally didn’t like all the dialogue and just word choice used in general. The book felt like it was set in the past (far in the past like maybe even medieval times because of the fighting and dragons), but the characters used modern language (like “okey dokey,” “we’re twinsies,” “cuz” etc.) which seemed out of place. I also didn’t like that I didn’t know how old the characters were. I’m sure it was said, but I couldn’t remember while I was reading; I kept thinking everyone was younger. I would like to commend Hosanna Emily for the lack of typos/grammatical issues; I only noticed them once or twice in the whole book!
I liked that in the end
Genre: Fantasy/Allegory
Series: Sequel to The Torch Keepers
Age recommendation: 14+
Summary: Kadira is now a dedicated follower of her King, and is helping Gamma to take care of the orphans. They flee into the mountains to escape the sword of the Prince, but his army continues to follow them. When they are forced to show who they stand for, will they choose the easy way, or else follow the way of the King?
My thoughts: This was a really good book. I enjoyed it so much (probably even more than the last one). However, to be fair, I basically ignored the allegory in this book as it had annoyed me in the previous book. I just focused on the story, as I really wanted to know what would happen to Kadira and Rekém - the first book doesn’t exactly have the most satisfying ending - and I really enjoyed seeing how their stories finished.
When I really think about the allegory, it is kind of mixed up. I think this story was supposed to be talking about the end times – i.e. the battles when Jesus comes back at the second coming - but I think the author mixed it up with the elements from the rapture (when all the Christians go to meet Jesus in the clouds). Also the Church and Israel seem a bit blended. I know allegories are imperfect pictures of biblical truths, but I would recommend studying the rapture, second coming, millennium, and new heaven and earth because the book kind of mixes everything up together and it is confusing. Honestly, I think it’s best to just not think too deeply about the allegory, and if there’s a thought mentioned that reminds you to spend time with Jesus, to do things for Him, or be excited about Him coming back, that’s great, but just enjoy the story for what it is rather than try to analyze the allegory. 😊
I personally didn’t like all the dialogue and just word choice used in general. The book felt like it was set in the past (far in the past like maybe even medieval times because of the fighting and dragons), but the characters used modern language (like “okey dokey,” “we’re twinsies,” “cuz” etc.) which seemed out of place. I also didn’t like that I didn’t know how old the characters were. I’m sure it was said, but I couldn’t remember while I was reading; I kept thinking everyone was younger. I would like to commend Hosanna Emily for the lack of typos/grammatical issues; I only noticed them once or twice in the whole book!
I liked that in the end
August 20, 2023
I enjoyed the novel. It had some good spiritual and Biblical aspects. I would write more, but I foolishly forgot to write my review immediately after reading it...and worse, I went and read a different novel, by a different author. So I don't want to mix them up. It was good.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews