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The Epic of Marindel: Chosen
Every person has a story.
Every story is a part
Of something Greater.
Long ago, the elven Kingdom of Marindel governed the realm of Tyrizah from its place on the back of a giant sea turtle. But when a great evil was unleashed, the Era of Peace came to a tragic end. Thousands of years passed, and Marindel was all but forgotten.
Connor, a young farmer with a wild imagination, always longed for adventure. When bizarre events cause him to realize his role in the greatest story of all, Connor embarks on a quest to defend the Great King’s daughter from a wicked sorcerer, whose darkness grows with every passing day.
Tarento, a promising Samurai warrior, is disillusioned with the grandeur of his own kingdom. But when he hears the voice of a King he cannot see, he discovers his destiny to save the people of Felidae from impending disaster.
As their journeys entwine, Connor and Tarento will travel across the realm, uncover the mysteries of Marindel, and face unimaginable odds in their fight to survive. Tension broils in the city of Cloud Summit as diabolical factions vie for control of the Kingdom of Armavir. The adventurers must make a daring rescue attempt—but at what cost?
Embark on the journey of a lifetime in Book I of The Epic of Marindel!
“An impressive debut novel… I walked away with one word, WOW. I am convinced this is Holy Spirit inspired.” —Peter Younghusband, reviewer at Perspective by Peter
Every story is a part
Of something Greater.
Long ago, the elven Kingdom of Marindel governed the realm of Tyrizah from its place on the back of a giant sea turtle. But when a great evil was unleashed, the Era of Peace came to a tragic end. Thousands of years passed, and Marindel was all but forgotten.
Connor, a young farmer with a wild imagination, always longed for adventure. When bizarre events cause him to realize his role in the greatest story of all, Connor embarks on a quest to defend the Great King’s daughter from a wicked sorcerer, whose darkness grows with every passing day.
Tarento, a promising Samurai warrior, is disillusioned with the grandeur of his own kingdom. But when he hears the voice of a King he cannot see, he discovers his destiny to save the people of Felidae from impending disaster.
As their journeys entwine, Connor and Tarento will travel across the realm, uncover the mysteries of Marindel, and face unimaginable odds in their fight to survive. Tension broils in the city of Cloud Summit as diabolical factions vie for control of the Kingdom of Armavir. The adventurers must make a daring rescue attempt—but at what cost?
Embark on the journey of a lifetime in Book I of The Epic of Marindel!
“An impressive debut novel… I walked away with one word, WOW. I am convinced this is Holy Spirit inspired.” —Peter Younghusband, reviewer at Perspective by Peter
- GenresFantasyChristian Fantasy
624 pages, Paperback
Published July 7, 2019
6 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Nathan Keys
4 books8 followersNathan is an award-winning epic fantasy author based in Southwestern Idaho. It is his dream and vocation to write empowering stories that will leave readers with hope and purpose.
Nathan has been fascinated with storytelling from an early age. As a child, he invented worlds and creatures, played pretend, and told stories to anyone who would listen. He completed his first "novel," an 85,000-word fanfiction, at age 13. He spent high school summers creating plotlines for role-playing games on a forum site, where many concepts for characters, creatures, and kingdoms in The Epic of Marindel were first developed.
Nathan is a Vision Lead for the Kingdom Writers Association, a resource center which serves to empower and encourage Christian writers to publish award-winning material within all genres for the purpose of reaching more people for Christ. Community is an indispensable part of every writer's journey.
During his free time, Nathan enjoys hiking, exercise, traveling, playing with cats, and visiting coffee shops, breweries, and wineries with good friends.
Nathan graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University with a B.S. in Biology, a minor in Psychology, and a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership.
Nathan has been fascinated with storytelling from an early age. As a child, he invented worlds and creatures, played pretend, and told stories to anyone who would listen. He completed his first "novel," an 85,000-word fanfiction, at age 13. He spent high school summers creating plotlines for role-playing games on a forum site, where many concepts for characters, creatures, and kingdoms in The Epic of Marindel were first developed.
Nathan is a Vision Lead for the Kingdom Writers Association, a resource center which serves to empower and encourage Christian writers to publish award-winning material within all genres for the purpose of reaching more people for Christ. Community is an indispensable part of every writer's journey.
During his free time, Nathan enjoys hiking, exercise, traveling, playing with cats, and visiting coffee shops, breweries, and wineries with good friends.
Nathan graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University with a B.S. in Biology, a minor in Psychology, and a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership.
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July 9, 2019
I discovered this author and his novel from his GoFundMe advert on my Facebook feed. When I read the campaign, the blurb for the novel, and the Vision he has for it, I was very impressed. This encouraged me to review it for him so I contacted him for a review copy.
I am so glad I volunteered to do this. After reading this novel, I am more than impressed. It is described as epic fantasy and it definitely lives up to this description. It is one of those novels where you become so engrossed you are lost to reality and have a hard time returning to this.
The more I read this novel, the more it reinforced the first impression I had and that was WOW! I was hooked and immersed in this world Keys creates. It became a highlight of my day to return to reading it.
For a debut author, this is novel is very well constructed. Not perfect (no novel is), but has a solid foundation. At the time of writing this review, Keys’ manuscript needs a professional edit, hence the GoFundMe campaign. This will no doubt improve the manuscript and enable a much-improved and enjoyable reading experience.
It does not take you long to become immersed in the plot, the characters and the action. All are firmly intertwined. Connor, the main character, is one you centre on and become endeared to. And I guess, you should as he is the main character and everything centres on him until at least he is introduced to his quest of finding Melody and helping her be restored to the Great King. Then everything is expanded and the reader gets a wider view of the plot, much like a camera pans out during a movie shoot and the viewer sees a much wider view.
It is from here that this novel really takes off. And it is here that Keys introduces more of the superb world building of the realm this novel is set in. Fantasy and science fiction will fall flat if there is not any depth and a firm foundation for the world-building to manifest as credible and realistic. Keys have mastered this well. Even if part of his inspiration has come from The Lord of the Rings, he has done it well and it undergirds this novel well and for the rest of the series.
This world-building consists of a pronunciation guide of the many names of the various parts of the realm, the character names, and those of the various events and histories. There is a map of the realm which I found very beneficial. A timeline is explained and applied to each chapter. The prologue sets the stage at the beginning of the novel where Connor is introduced to his quest to restore Melody to the Great King. Keys shines describing the history of the Great King, His undersea world, his son Eli, the special powers and gifts He has bestowed on Melody. Keys describes the various histories of the different kingdoms outlining their origin and the characteristics of their people including any special powers they have. It is a good depiction here that Keys has a member from each of these kingdoms as part of the team the Great King assembles to restore Melody to Him, defeat the Serpent and evangelise the realm about the Great King and His Son, Eli and restoring the Kingdom of Marindel. This means that each of the team has a special ability, talent or power to be used in the quest. It becomes clear that as the Great King has brought them together for this, these attributes are not based on the dark arts or originate from the Serpent but as a normal part of the creation of these people by the Great King. The only exception is the Offspring of Sisesa as these originate from the Serpent.
Another part of this world building is the histories of the kingdoms in this realm. This is explained in the accounts of how the Great King led each team member to become part of Connor’s company. While this adds length to the novel (it is 500 plus pages), it does also add depth and much-needed background to the plot and to what defines these characters and what they contribute to the King’s quest to restore Marindel and Melody.
The account of The Great Story is another important history. This describes the kingdom of Rhema set up by Melody as a utopia but became corrupted by her pride leading to her pronouncing herself as its Queen. It is here that the Great King sends Eli to this kingdom and it is a wonderful allegory of the Gospel message including the Crucifixion and God’s plan of salvation. Keys has depicted this beautifully and his writing of it is superb. Despite its length, it is a necessary part of the plot and placed in the second half of the novel, it builds and adds to the finale of this instalment, laying important themes that will be developed and explored in future instalments of this series. It here in this account that Keys shines in the use of allegory but this is also evident in many other parts of the novel. Keys has definitely depicted Eli as the Jesus of the Bible and for me, this was very convincing. Keys has portrayed Jesus as I have read and experienced from the bible. I imagine that any author depicting Jesus in their novel would find this a challenging feat. Keys has succeeded well here and has done this with ease!
The spiritual aspects of this novel are very unique. I have not read a novel where there is a direct interaction from God to the characters. The Great King speaks directly into the minds of his followers and even to those who do not know Him yet. With the former, it is to give further instruction to thwart the attempts of the various antagonists, namely the Serpent and those under his control and to encourage, uplift their faith and relationship with Him and with the latter, it is to draw them to Him. Keys also has the believers respond freely to the Great King’s interaction. I found this direct interaction between the Great King and His followers a breath of fresh air. It resonated with me that this is how our relationship with God should be. We should be and need to be free with Him in our prayer and relationship with Him. We are encouraged as Christians in our prayer relationship to speak to God as if we are talking to a fellow human, so Keys does this well here. How many times do we complicate this by thinking and speaking to impress Him or to hide what we are really feeling, the good, the bad and the ugly? This is not what we should be doing or need to be doing.
Keys has included two members of the Trinity, the Great King as God the Father, and Eli as God the Son. I at first considered that the Spirit of God could be construed as the voice of the Great King speaking in the minds of the “Christian” characters but the more I read these instances, the more it is apparent that it is the voice of the Great King and not of the Spirit of God. I hope that the Spirit of God is included in future novels in this series. So far we have the allegory of these two members of the Trinity so it would seem appropriate to have the third as we have in real life.
For those characters who have accepted Him as their King and Saviour, there is no sinner’s prayer that so many of us are used to in our conversion. Keys has made it so simple that they just need to believe Him to be who He says He is and call on Him or his name for salvation. This is similar to the many Bible references that support this that to be saved, you need to call on the name of the Lord and to believe He is who He is. In this novel, this is tied back to the Great Story that outlines Eli’s mission to draw Melody to Himself and was willing to die for her, despite her many flaws and rebellion through her disobedience to the King. Here Keys’ allegory has Melody’s rebellion representing sin and Melody representing fallen/sinful mankind. When Eli died and was resurrected He then extended this saving grace to everyone and not just Melody.
These redemptive features are counterbalanced by the allegorical symbolism of evilness so well described and depicted through the character of the Serpent. I am sure readers will grow to despise and dislike him and the level of his despicableness, evilness and deceitfulness. Keys has done a great job here seeing as the Serpent represents Satan and his rebellion against God. What Keys has not shown is the backstory as to why the Serpent was imprisoned in the area of the Castle that we are introduced to at the beginning of the novel. This needs to be explained and will make a great plotline in a future instalment. It is the only plot line that is left undone.
One other aspect that Keys has done well is the characterisation. These are characters that you can relate to and become endeared to including rooting for them in their quest. Keys successfully develops this team not only through the events and obstacles they have to overcome but through their interactions and how they get to know each other that then develops into their relationships. Keys have depicted the team with diverse personalities, each with different gifts and abilities and this adds to the team building and dynamics.
These characters are very memorable. I am looking forward to journeying with them in future novels in this series and seeing how they all develop further as a team and individually and how the Great King will transform them more into His likeness as the Bible instructs. There is already the beginnings of this in this volume.
This novel is yet another that has a profound effect on me and meets the criteria I like to see in Christian fiction. This is from the “Why I read and review Christian Fiction” section of the About tab of this blog:
Generally, I hope at the end of the novel:
it has entertained me immensely,
it has encouraged my walk with God,
it has not deviated from known biblical doctrine, and it will not, I believe, lead a non-believer astray or promote false doctrine,
it honours God,
it does not encourage worship of the created (eg angels) instead of the Creator (God).
I applaud Keys for including all the elements in this novel that I have mentioned throughout this review. It is such a joy to read! For a debut novel, he has done well in all its aspects and allowed the Spirit to be present.
God has provided funds to complete the campaign. This novel is now out there for Him to minister to readers as the Spirit sees fit.
Highly Recommended.
I am so glad I volunteered to do this. After reading this novel, I am more than impressed. It is described as epic fantasy and it definitely lives up to this description. It is one of those novels where you become so engrossed you are lost to reality and have a hard time returning to this.
The more I read this novel, the more it reinforced the first impression I had and that was WOW! I was hooked and immersed in this world Keys creates. It became a highlight of my day to return to reading it.
For a debut author, this is novel is very well constructed. Not perfect (no novel is), but has a solid foundation. At the time of writing this review, Keys’ manuscript needs a professional edit, hence the GoFundMe campaign. This will no doubt improve the manuscript and enable a much-improved and enjoyable reading experience.
It does not take you long to become immersed in the plot, the characters and the action. All are firmly intertwined. Connor, the main character, is one you centre on and become endeared to. And I guess, you should as he is the main character and everything centres on him until at least he is introduced to his quest of finding Melody and helping her be restored to the Great King. Then everything is expanded and the reader gets a wider view of the plot, much like a camera pans out during a movie shoot and the viewer sees a much wider view.
It is from here that this novel really takes off. And it is here that Keys introduces more of the superb world building of the realm this novel is set in. Fantasy and science fiction will fall flat if there is not any depth and a firm foundation for the world-building to manifest as credible and realistic. Keys have mastered this well. Even if part of his inspiration has come from The Lord of the Rings, he has done it well and it undergirds this novel well and for the rest of the series.
This world-building consists of a pronunciation guide of the many names of the various parts of the realm, the character names, and those of the various events and histories. There is a map of the realm which I found very beneficial. A timeline is explained and applied to each chapter. The prologue sets the stage at the beginning of the novel where Connor is introduced to his quest to restore Melody to the Great King. Keys shines describing the history of the Great King, His undersea world, his son Eli, the special powers and gifts He has bestowed on Melody. Keys describes the various histories of the different kingdoms outlining their origin and the characteristics of their people including any special powers they have. It is a good depiction here that Keys has a member from each of these kingdoms as part of the team the Great King assembles to restore Melody to Him, defeat the Serpent and evangelise the realm about the Great King and His Son, Eli and restoring the Kingdom of Marindel. This means that each of the team has a special ability, talent or power to be used in the quest. It becomes clear that as the Great King has brought them together for this, these attributes are not based on the dark arts or originate from the Serpent but as a normal part of the creation of these people by the Great King. The only exception is the Offspring of Sisesa as these originate from the Serpent.
Another part of this world building is the histories of the kingdoms in this realm. This is explained in the accounts of how the Great King led each team member to become part of Connor’s company. While this adds length to the novel (it is 500 plus pages), it does also add depth and much-needed background to the plot and to what defines these characters and what they contribute to the King’s quest to restore Marindel and Melody.
The account of The Great Story is another important history. This describes the kingdom of Rhema set up by Melody as a utopia but became corrupted by her pride leading to her pronouncing herself as its Queen. It is here that the Great King sends Eli to this kingdom and it is a wonderful allegory of the Gospel message including the Crucifixion and God’s plan of salvation. Keys has depicted this beautifully and his writing of it is superb. Despite its length, it is a necessary part of the plot and placed in the second half of the novel, it builds and adds to the finale of this instalment, laying important themes that will be developed and explored in future instalments of this series. It here in this account that Keys shines in the use of allegory but this is also evident in many other parts of the novel. Keys has definitely depicted Eli as the Jesus of the Bible and for me, this was very convincing. Keys has portrayed Jesus as I have read and experienced from the bible. I imagine that any author depicting Jesus in their novel would find this a challenging feat. Keys has succeeded well here and has done this with ease!
The spiritual aspects of this novel are very unique. I have not read a novel where there is a direct interaction from God to the characters. The Great King speaks directly into the minds of his followers and even to those who do not know Him yet. With the former, it is to give further instruction to thwart the attempts of the various antagonists, namely the Serpent and those under his control and to encourage, uplift their faith and relationship with Him and with the latter, it is to draw them to Him. Keys also has the believers respond freely to the Great King’s interaction. I found this direct interaction between the Great King and His followers a breath of fresh air. It resonated with me that this is how our relationship with God should be. We should be and need to be free with Him in our prayer and relationship with Him. We are encouraged as Christians in our prayer relationship to speak to God as if we are talking to a fellow human, so Keys does this well here. How many times do we complicate this by thinking and speaking to impress Him or to hide what we are really feeling, the good, the bad and the ugly? This is not what we should be doing or need to be doing.
Keys has included two members of the Trinity, the Great King as God the Father, and Eli as God the Son. I at first considered that the Spirit of God could be construed as the voice of the Great King speaking in the minds of the “Christian” characters but the more I read these instances, the more it is apparent that it is the voice of the Great King and not of the Spirit of God. I hope that the Spirit of God is included in future novels in this series. So far we have the allegory of these two members of the Trinity so it would seem appropriate to have the third as we have in real life.
For those characters who have accepted Him as their King and Saviour, there is no sinner’s prayer that so many of us are used to in our conversion. Keys has made it so simple that they just need to believe Him to be who He says He is and call on Him or his name for salvation. This is similar to the many Bible references that support this that to be saved, you need to call on the name of the Lord and to believe He is who He is. In this novel, this is tied back to the Great Story that outlines Eli’s mission to draw Melody to Himself and was willing to die for her, despite her many flaws and rebellion through her disobedience to the King. Here Keys’ allegory has Melody’s rebellion representing sin and Melody representing fallen/sinful mankind. When Eli died and was resurrected He then extended this saving grace to everyone and not just Melody.
These redemptive features are counterbalanced by the allegorical symbolism of evilness so well described and depicted through the character of the Serpent. I am sure readers will grow to despise and dislike him and the level of his despicableness, evilness and deceitfulness. Keys has done a great job here seeing as the Serpent represents Satan and his rebellion against God. What Keys has not shown is the backstory as to why the Serpent was imprisoned in the area of the Castle that we are introduced to at the beginning of the novel. This needs to be explained and will make a great plotline in a future instalment. It is the only plot line that is left undone.
One other aspect that Keys has done well is the characterisation. These are characters that you can relate to and become endeared to including rooting for them in their quest. Keys successfully develops this team not only through the events and obstacles they have to overcome but through their interactions and how they get to know each other that then develops into their relationships. Keys have depicted the team with diverse personalities, each with different gifts and abilities and this adds to the team building and dynamics.
These characters are very memorable. I am looking forward to journeying with them in future novels in this series and seeing how they all develop further as a team and individually and how the Great King will transform them more into His likeness as the Bible instructs. There is already the beginnings of this in this volume.
This novel is yet another that has a profound effect on me and meets the criteria I like to see in Christian fiction. This is from the “Why I read and review Christian Fiction” section of the About tab of this blog:
Generally, I hope at the end of the novel:
it has entertained me immensely,
it has encouraged my walk with God,
it has not deviated from known biblical doctrine, and it will not, I believe, lead a non-believer astray or promote false doctrine,
it honours God,
it does not encourage worship of the created (eg angels) instead of the Creator (God).
I applaud Keys for including all the elements in this novel that I have mentioned throughout this review. It is such a joy to read! For a debut novel, he has done well in all its aspects and allowed the Spirit to be present.
God has provided funds to complete the campaign. This novel is now out there for Him to minister to readers as the Spirit sees fit.
Highly Recommended.
July 10, 2019
I was here from the very start. I watched this adventure hatch from an idea, grow into a story, and fly into a dream.
And here it is. A 628-page monster of an epic that pulls no punches and bars no holds. It’s riveting, compelling, timely, and powerful.
The sweeping tale told here takes you from farmland to far-away places, up mountains and into dungeons, and all around a vast world built with incredible love and detail.
Read this book. Not because I was here from the start, not because it was written by my brother. Read it because it’s a good, solid story that will leave you wanting more, and will leave you believing that you, too, can be a part of something greater.
And here it is. A 628-page monster of an epic that pulls no punches and bars no holds. It’s riveting, compelling, timely, and powerful.
The sweeping tale told here takes you from farmland to far-away places, up mountains and into dungeons, and all around a vast world built with incredible love and detail.
Read this book. Not because I was here from the start, not because it was written by my brother. Read it because it’s a good, solid story that will leave you wanting more, and will leave you believing that you, too, can be a part of something greater.
July 24, 2019
Originally posted on my book review blog: http://bookishlysweet.blogspot.com/20...
Book: The Epic of Marindel: Chosen
Author: Nathan Keys
Review by Amanda Heck
All thoughts, critiques, and opinions expressed here are my own.
This is the non-spoiler review.
Preface:
I have finally sat down to write my review! Wow, what a ride. I began reading Chosen June 12th and finished it July 19th - normally I read much more quickly, but I needed some time to process this masterpiece, especially chapters 37 to 47. It was absolutely breath-taking.
Let me begin by adding some background surrounding this review. When I first found out that Nathan was writing a book, I was very much intrigued. Since I was little, I have been devouring stories. I am a voracious reader, and I also love to write, so hearing my future brother-in-law was crafting his own book greatly interested me.
However, I was skeptical upon hearing it was 1) Christian fiction and 2) going to be most likely self-published.
Yes, I am a book snob. For context, since 2012, I have read between 50 to 60 books a year, all across genres and grade levels. I must say that Christian fiction is not a favorite genre of mine, as most of it is (in my opinion!) cheesy, formulaic, and usually unrelatable. It often misses the mark on getting me feeling closer to God, and seems like a thinly veiled attempt at persuading me to take on the author’s personal views and beliefs about God. I much prefer Christian nonfiction, since there is often rich and strong theology that is based on God’s Word rather than human sentiments, thus having a stronger foundation and gravitational pull on my soul.
Yet, here I am, with Chosen in front of me - ringing in my head and engraved on my heart.
This is not about me, but let me say that God had the most perfect timing for this story to fall into my lap. The pages are tear-stained, marked in blue ink, scattered with notes, and have small personal connections written in the margins. This book did not simply speak to me.
It whispered. It pleaded. It joked. It played. It sang.
It changed.
Now, if that sounds corny, I apologize. This is simply how I write, and I seek to nail down my thoughts and emotions as clearly as possible. And that is exactly what I think and feel towards this beautiful book.
So, let me dive in.
--------------------------------
First, let me state that as a Christian, I definitely feel I understood and enjoyed this book deeply. I noticed all the little references back to the Bible, its stories, and the humans who are included in God’s very Word.
And even more importantly, I do not think this book attempted to add on, change, or manipulate the Word.
I hold to the belief that the Bible is God-breathed, timeless, and infallible. It is not something to be toyed with or taken lightly.
So on that note, I do not feel that this book is theologically unsound.
On the other hand, I personally believe this book will also relate to non-Christians. Looking past the biblical elements, this is an engaging and enthralling story of epic proportions. It has kingdoms, wars, feuds, dragons, elves, terrifying creatures and monsters, well-written villains, and of course, lovable heroes. It is not distracting in its presentation of the Christian elements, as they interweave throughout the story in such a sophisticated way.
I believe this book is for all ages, all walks of life, and obviously for those who love reading. And of course, if you love fantasy, you will enjoy it even more so!
There is a bit of a slow build-up with the exposition to set the background story and stage, but once the story takes off, it takes off. The reader is swept up on horse-back, dragon-back, and unicorn-back to be carried on an amazing journey. (Sorry, I love horses, dragons, and unicorns. Plus there’s a pegasus, and my little girl heart is squealing with joy).
The story never let me down in the sense that I felt I was trudging through unnecessary detail or description - in fact, this book is so well-written that I found myself wide-eyed at how beautifully all of the elements, story + character arcs, and ‘rules’ of the universe fit together. There were no plot holes, no boring characters, no weak dialogue, and no inconsistencies. It was glorious.
Marindel, one of the main kingdoms in the book, was so lovingly crafted that it oozes off the page. The depiction of a vast city on the back of a sea turtle was awe-inspiring, and the magic laws pertaining to the Galyyrim (elven citizens), Great King, and the overall kingdom were fascinating.
Pertaining to the world, Tyrizah is the ‘Earth’, or the overarching realm. Much of the story is set directly in the land of Armavir, which envelops several kingdoms that come into play during the story. There are also many other cities, kingdoms, and realms throughout the book, and each one is unique in its governments, customs, and histories.
What I appreciate personally, as an upcoming English teacher, is the obvious diversity and ethnic representation in this book. The lands, cities, and kingdoms are based off real-world continents and countries, and if you pay attention, you can easily spot the connections. For example, Felidae is reminiscent of Asian culture, while Sunophsis is Middle Eastern. The respective characters reflect these cultures without overt stereotyping; there is care and dignity in the representation, which is excellent.
With all of the overall world-building out of the way, let me touch on the characters.
There are multiple points of view from different characters throughout the story. The main perspectives are Connor (Armavir), Tarento (Felidae), and Celine (Sunophsis). These are the main points-of-view provided throughout the story, though some other POVs are also presented.
One character, Jake, gets a few pages from his first-person point of view in order to expound on his history and current story. Another character, Scourge, gets a point of view, but it is brief and aids in providing exposition for a different kingdom and his own life. However, he is one of my top favorite characters, and his first-person point of view tale is riveting.
Additionally, some omniscient third-person perspectives are given in order to help set more scenes, which was effective and gave some interesting breaks between characters’ first-person views. Chapters 37 through 47 are told through flashbacks via a Galyyrim named Penn, but his voice is not present throughout in the sense of ‘Penn said.’ The mini tale told from 37 to 47 is written almost fully in the third-person perspective, and I personally almost completely forgot the bookends of the beginning and end of the tale (Penn and Connor conversing) because it was the most engrossing portion of the book.
Thus, all of these choices in the vein of craft were well done, fully developed, and gripping. Once again, the story never felt like it was dragging, and each character (and there are many, both main and side characters) were well-rounded and unique in their behaviors, beliefs, backgrounds, and even in their manner of speech. That is another aspect that fully drew me in: each character has their own manner of dialogue, such as voice style, accent, or vocabulary. This made each character memorable, and I did not mix them up or forget a single one at all, even if that character was only there for a few paragraphs or pages. Even more so, each character elicited a different and marked reaction from me, so I established varying connections with each one, which even further bore them into my memory and emotions.
Out of all the main characters, my favorites are Tarento, Scourge, and Jed. Connor is also a love in my heart, as he is the one who snowballs the quest to its beginning despite his humble heritage.
And of course, I absolutely adore Melody and Eli. Writing too much about them will lead into major spoiler territory, but I am compelled to mention them nonetheless. If there were ever two characters crafted with such emotion, love, grace, and painstakingly minute details in their relationship, it is them.
Tarento and Scourge are echoes of my own heart and life story. I deeply connected with both of them in very personal manners - Scourge’s story in particular emitted wavelengths of affection and empathy that run similar to events in my own life.
Tarento’s personality, specifically his struggle with losing his friends due to dividing beliefs and his own doubts in his faith and feelings towards life and the Great King, made me ache internally. I found myself murmuring, “Me too...me too. It hurts, I know. I understand.” I am even tearing up as I write this section. It always feels beautiful and magical when you can connect to fictional characters that reflect your own and true reality.
--------------------------------
I feel as if this is getting long, and that I have covered much of my non-spoiler thoughts. Again, all beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and opinions here are my own. I have mulled this over long and hard, and have no true qualms with the story and essence of the world and characters.
In a more vain approach, I absolutely adore the cover art. I now own the book in both paperback and hardcover, and I strongly dislike hardcover books (dust jackets are annoying). However, when I saw the actual hardback book is blue, I could not resist. It truly is a gorgeous book despite being one that was not picked up by an established publishing company. And to be honest, now that my skepticism is at rest, I think that makes this book even more charming and alluring. It didn’t need to be picked up by a big publisher in order for it to come to life and be an actual physical book for many to pick up, read, mark up, and hold close. It just needed the tender loving care of a man who believes in his God, his talent, and his own self-discovery as an individual in this wide, crazy world.
So Nathan, hats off to you. Congratulations on this blue behemoth of brilliant blessings - blessings both for you and those who read your story.
And thank you. Thank you for sharing your story. For working for nearly five years on this adventure, so that we may too partake in ‘playing a story’ in the kingdom of Marindel, and beyond.
"Stories lose their power if we start leaving things out," I reply. "It's just about to get good; I promise you'll think differently when it's over." - Connor Lightwood
Book: The Epic of Marindel: Chosen
Author: Nathan Keys
Review by Amanda Heck
All thoughts, critiques, and opinions expressed here are my own.
This is the non-spoiler review.
Preface:
I have finally sat down to write my review! Wow, what a ride. I began reading Chosen June 12th and finished it July 19th - normally I read much more quickly, but I needed some time to process this masterpiece, especially chapters 37 to 47. It was absolutely breath-taking.
Let me begin by adding some background surrounding this review. When I first found out that Nathan was writing a book, I was very much intrigued. Since I was little, I have been devouring stories. I am a voracious reader, and I also love to write, so hearing my future brother-in-law was crafting his own book greatly interested me.
However, I was skeptical upon hearing it was 1) Christian fiction and 2) going to be most likely self-published.
Yes, I am a book snob. For context, since 2012, I have read between 50 to 60 books a year, all across genres and grade levels. I must say that Christian fiction is not a favorite genre of mine, as most of it is (in my opinion!) cheesy, formulaic, and usually unrelatable. It often misses the mark on getting me feeling closer to God, and seems like a thinly veiled attempt at persuading me to take on the author’s personal views and beliefs about God. I much prefer Christian nonfiction, since there is often rich and strong theology that is based on God’s Word rather than human sentiments, thus having a stronger foundation and gravitational pull on my soul.
Yet, here I am, with Chosen in front of me - ringing in my head and engraved on my heart.
This is not about me, but let me say that God had the most perfect timing for this story to fall into my lap. The pages are tear-stained, marked in blue ink, scattered with notes, and have small personal connections written in the margins. This book did not simply speak to me.
It whispered. It pleaded. It joked. It played. It sang.
It changed.
Now, if that sounds corny, I apologize. This is simply how I write, and I seek to nail down my thoughts and emotions as clearly as possible. And that is exactly what I think and feel towards this beautiful book.
So, let me dive in.
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First, let me state that as a Christian, I definitely feel I understood and enjoyed this book deeply. I noticed all the little references back to the Bible, its stories, and the humans who are included in God’s very Word.
And even more importantly, I do not think this book attempted to add on, change, or manipulate the Word.
I hold to the belief that the Bible is God-breathed, timeless, and infallible. It is not something to be toyed with or taken lightly.
So on that note, I do not feel that this book is theologically unsound.
On the other hand, I personally believe this book will also relate to non-Christians. Looking past the biblical elements, this is an engaging and enthralling story of epic proportions. It has kingdoms, wars, feuds, dragons, elves, terrifying creatures and monsters, well-written villains, and of course, lovable heroes. It is not distracting in its presentation of the Christian elements, as they interweave throughout the story in such a sophisticated way.
I believe this book is for all ages, all walks of life, and obviously for those who love reading. And of course, if you love fantasy, you will enjoy it even more so!
There is a bit of a slow build-up with the exposition to set the background story and stage, but once the story takes off, it takes off. The reader is swept up on horse-back, dragon-back, and unicorn-back to be carried on an amazing journey. (Sorry, I love horses, dragons, and unicorns. Plus there’s a pegasus, and my little girl heart is squealing with joy).
The story never let me down in the sense that I felt I was trudging through unnecessary detail or description - in fact, this book is so well-written that I found myself wide-eyed at how beautifully all of the elements, story + character arcs, and ‘rules’ of the universe fit together. There were no plot holes, no boring characters, no weak dialogue, and no inconsistencies. It was glorious.
Marindel, one of the main kingdoms in the book, was so lovingly crafted that it oozes off the page. The depiction of a vast city on the back of a sea turtle was awe-inspiring, and the magic laws pertaining to the Galyyrim (elven citizens), Great King, and the overall kingdom were fascinating.
Pertaining to the world, Tyrizah is the ‘Earth’, or the overarching realm. Much of the story is set directly in the land of Armavir, which envelops several kingdoms that come into play during the story. There are also many other cities, kingdoms, and realms throughout the book, and each one is unique in its governments, customs, and histories.
What I appreciate personally, as an upcoming English teacher, is the obvious diversity and ethnic representation in this book. The lands, cities, and kingdoms are based off real-world continents and countries, and if you pay attention, you can easily spot the connections. For example, Felidae is reminiscent of Asian culture, while Sunophsis is Middle Eastern. The respective characters reflect these cultures without overt stereotyping; there is care and dignity in the representation, which is excellent.
With all of the overall world-building out of the way, let me touch on the characters.
There are multiple points of view from different characters throughout the story. The main perspectives are Connor (Armavir), Tarento (Felidae), and Celine (Sunophsis). These are the main points-of-view provided throughout the story, though some other POVs are also presented.
One character, Jake, gets a few pages from his first-person point of view in order to expound on his history and current story. Another character, Scourge, gets a point of view, but it is brief and aids in providing exposition for a different kingdom and his own life. However, he is one of my top favorite characters, and his first-person point of view tale is riveting.
Additionally, some omniscient third-person perspectives are given in order to help set more scenes, which was effective and gave some interesting breaks between characters’ first-person views. Chapters 37 through 47 are told through flashbacks via a Galyyrim named Penn, but his voice is not present throughout in the sense of ‘Penn said.’ The mini tale told from 37 to 47 is written almost fully in the third-person perspective, and I personally almost completely forgot the bookends of the beginning and end of the tale (Penn and Connor conversing) because it was the most engrossing portion of the book.
Thus, all of these choices in the vein of craft were well done, fully developed, and gripping. Once again, the story never felt like it was dragging, and each character (and there are many, both main and side characters) were well-rounded and unique in their behaviors, beliefs, backgrounds, and even in their manner of speech. That is another aspect that fully drew me in: each character has their own manner of dialogue, such as voice style, accent, or vocabulary. This made each character memorable, and I did not mix them up or forget a single one at all, even if that character was only there for a few paragraphs or pages. Even more so, each character elicited a different and marked reaction from me, so I established varying connections with each one, which even further bore them into my memory and emotions.
Out of all the main characters, my favorites are Tarento, Scourge, and Jed. Connor is also a love in my heart, as he is the one who snowballs the quest to its beginning despite his humble heritage.
And of course, I absolutely adore Melody and Eli. Writing too much about them will lead into major spoiler territory, but I am compelled to mention them nonetheless. If there were ever two characters crafted with such emotion, love, grace, and painstakingly minute details in their relationship, it is them.
Tarento and Scourge are echoes of my own heart and life story. I deeply connected with both of them in very personal manners - Scourge’s story in particular emitted wavelengths of affection and empathy that run similar to events in my own life.
Tarento’s personality, specifically his struggle with losing his friends due to dividing beliefs and his own doubts in his faith and feelings towards life and the Great King, made me ache internally. I found myself murmuring, “Me too...me too. It hurts, I know. I understand.” I am even tearing up as I write this section. It always feels beautiful and magical when you can connect to fictional characters that reflect your own and true reality.
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I feel as if this is getting long, and that I have covered much of my non-spoiler thoughts. Again, all beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and opinions here are my own. I have mulled this over long and hard, and have no true qualms with the story and essence of the world and characters.
In a more vain approach, I absolutely adore the cover art. I now own the book in both paperback and hardcover, and I strongly dislike hardcover books (dust jackets are annoying). However, when I saw the actual hardback book is blue, I could not resist. It truly is a gorgeous book despite being one that was not picked up by an established publishing company. And to be honest, now that my skepticism is at rest, I think that makes this book even more charming and alluring. It didn’t need to be picked up by a big publisher in order for it to come to life and be an actual physical book for many to pick up, read, mark up, and hold close. It just needed the tender loving care of a man who believes in his God, his talent, and his own self-discovery as an individual in this wide, crazy world.
So Nathan, hats off to you. Congratulations on this blue behemoth of brilliant blessings - blessings both for you and those who read your story.
And thank you. Thank you for sharing your story. For working for nearly five years on this adventure, so that we may too partake in ‘playing a story’ in the kingdom of Marindel, and beyond.
"Stories lose their power if we start leaving things out," I reply. "It's just about to get good; I promise you'll think differently when it's over." - Connor Lightwood
November 4, 2024
An epic, faith filled, emotional, wonderful fantasy book!
When I picked up this book, I had been burned by three or four stories and actually asked God what I should read next. He told me this one, and of course, he was right!
With a whopping 600+ pages, this book took me longer than my normal reading pace, but it was so worth it. Keys knows how to develop a wide cast of characters and make each of them unique with backstories, action, and the moving element of faith. My favorite was Conner, whose humor brought the stories to life (in more ways than one!). Tarento was a close second but Conner really stole the show.
Despite the info-dump stories, I really didn't feel like it was slow and wouldn't have the lore told any other way. There's was plenty of action, and as a woman, it was a bit much at times for me. But, the emotional drama was enough to keep me going and I found myself in tears, especially with the story of Marindel. It was such a unique allegory that I was moved beyond measure. I loved how he has the characters listening to the Great King, aka God, and how he addresses the lies of the Great Serpent, aka Satan. When I read the parts with the Great Serpent, I cried because I have heard those same lies before. In fact, I couldn't read certain parts because it hurt knowing I've bought into such lies before. Yet, knowing God's love and how it works and how that was in this book, it just made it so much better. I haven't read a Christian Fantasy like this in a long time and I HIGHLY recommend paying the whole price to get this book. It is so wonderful that I plan on buying book 2.
When I picked up this book, I had been burned by three or four stories and actually asked God what I should read next. He told me this one, and of course, he was right!
With a whopping 600+ pages, this book took me longer than my normal reading pace, but it was so worth it. Keys knows how to develop a wide cast of characters and make each of them unique with backstories, action, and the moving element of faith. My favorite was Conner, whose humor brought the stories to life (in more ways than one!). Tarento was a close second but Conner really stole the show.
Despite the info-dump stories, I really didn't feel like it was slow and wouldn't have the lore told any other way. There's was plenty of action, and as a woman, it was a bit much at times for me. But, the emotional drama was enough to keep me going and I found myself in tears, especially with the story of Marindel. It was such a unique allegory that I was moved beyond measure. I loved how he has the characters listening to the Great King, aka God, and how he addresses the lies of the Great Serpent, aka Satan. When I read the parts with the Great Serpent, I cried because I have heard those same lies before. In fact, I couldn't read certain parts because it hurt knowing I've bought into such lies before. Yet, knowing God's love and how it works and how that was in this book, it just made it so much better. I haven't read a Christian Fantasy like this in a long time and I HIGHLY recommend paying the whole price to get this book. It is so wonderful that I plan on buying book 2.
March 5, 2025
Wow! How can I put into words how much I throughly enjoyed this book?
When I first heard about Chosen I was immediately intrigued. A kingdom of elves that lives on the back of a giant sea turtle? An epic Christian fantasy? Sign me up! After I finally picked it up, I couldn’t put it down!
It is a wonderful story full of humor and heart. I laughed. I cried. I wanted to join in on the adventure. It was an absolute joy to read! Chosen follows the journey and adventures of several people in service of the Great King. They must learn to work together as a team in the face of adversity.
Chosen is a beautifully written allegory that isn’t preachy! Though there were many references to the Bible and the Christian faith, I feel that anyone who picks up this book would enjoy it. I loved seeing the relationship between the Great King and His followers, along with the wonderful friendships he brings together along the way.
Fans of Lord of the Rings, Avatar: the Last Airbender, Eragon, and Narnia would definitely love this book!
Chosen has easily become on of my favorite books, and I can’t wait to pick up the next one in this epic fantasy series!
A few of my favorite quotes:
“To have hope, you must see as the Great King sees.”
“Stories loose their power if we start leaving things out.”
“Those who take a stand against evil understand the risk involved.”
When I first heard about Chosen I was immediately intrigued. A kingdom of elves that lives on the back of a giant sea turtle? An epic Christian fantasy? Sign me up! After I finally picked it up, I couldn’t put it down!
It is a wonderful story full of humor and heart. I laughed. I cried. I wanted to join in on the adventure. It was an absolute joy to read! Chosen follows the journey and adventures of several people in service of the Great King. They must learn to work together as a team in the face of adversity.
Chosen is a beautifully written allegory that isn’t preachy! Though there were many references to the Bible and the Christian faith, I feel that anyone who picks up this book would enjoy it. I loved seeing the relationship between the Great King and His followers, along with the wonderful friendships he brings together along the way.
Fans of Lord of the Rings, Avatar: the Last Airbender, Eragon, and Narnia would definitely love this book!
Chosen has easily become on of my favorite books, and I can’t wait to pick up the next one in this epic fantasy series!
A few of my favorite quotes:
“To have hope, you must see as the Great King sees.”
“Stories loose their power if we start leaving things out.”
“Those who take a stand against evil understand the risk involved.”
August 1, 2020
It starts like any great D&D adventure. It then becomes a great tool for catechism classes or youth bible study classes to make God’s love and forgiveness understandable to young ones, maybe tween ages. Capture them with a good story and then draw parallels between this adventure story and books of the bible.
April 27, 2025
Immersive world-building at its finest! The Epic of Marindel: Chosen is indeed epic in scope, and with an allegorical narrative woven into the heart of this story, you'll be rooting for this wide cast of characters as each one is chosen for a purpose. Much of the story is told through the lens of a young farmer named Conner, who craves adventure, and a young samurai named Tarento--personally my favorite character in this story. As these characters team up, more join the adventure, adding more flavor, banter, and tension--especially when a wily thief FMC get thrown into the mix!
This book is great for fans of Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Avatar the Last Airbender, and Legend of Zelda. If you love grand, epic adventures, with characters who come from vastly different walks of life, then you'll have a blast with this story.
This book is great for fans of Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Avatar the Last Airbender, and Legend of Zelda. If you love grand, epic adventures, with characters who come from vastly different walks of life, then you'll have a blast with this story.
April 28, 2025
I picked up this book expecting a great adventure, and I was not disappointed!
But it was also so much more.
This is a rich and beautiful allegory with more Biblical parallels than I could even count.
I loved how each character had their own unique journey to knowing the Great King, but they all came together for the greater purpose of following him. This story is such a beautiful picture of what it means to serve the kingdom, even in the face of adversity, persecution, and danger.
The plot is intriguing and the setting is so creative and intricate. This was definitely an enjoyable read. I can't wait to continue reading the next book in the series and find out what happens next!
But it was also so much more.
This is a rich and beautiful allegory with more Biblical parallels than I could even count.
I loved how each character had their own unique journey to knowing the Great King, but they all came together for the greater purpose of following him. This story is such a beautiful picture of what it means to serve the kingdom, even in the face of adversity, persecution, and danger.
The plot is intriguing and the setting is so creative and intricate. This was definitely an enjoyable read. I can't wait to continue reading the next book in the series and find out what happens next!
December 9, 2025
This book is FANTASTIC! I have never read a book quite like this before, and it was worth reading from page one all the way through to the Epic end.
This story is brilliantly woven together with all its cast of characters with a clear message about the kings undying love for his CHOSEN.
This story encouraged my heart to TRUST, and to look beyond what is in front of me into the bigger picture of Gods kingdom.
So many truths of the Bible interwoven in this epic fantasy revealing fresh perspective.
I love the farm boys purpose to the samurai’s journey. Beautiful and even sarcastic. MUST READ!
This story is brilliantly woven together with all its cast of characters with a clear message about the kings undying love for his CHOSEN.
This story encouraged my heart to TRUST, and to look beyond what is in front of me into the bigger picture of Gods kingdom.
So many truths of the Bible interwoven in this epic fantasy revealing fresh perspective.
I love the farm boys purpose to the samurai’s journey. Beautiful and even sarcastic. MUST READ!
March 24, 2022
The Epic of Marindel is a great read. It is an epic quest of good vs. evil. I would have given the book 5 stars save a few uses of words that I do not approve of. Outside of these words, Nathan uses dynamic creativity to write this fantastic allegory. I enjoyed reading this great book. I highly recommend it to anyone who delights in a great story about a great story.
May 2, 2024
A compelling allegory. Less preachy than CS Lewis, but just as deep. Unfortunately hampered by grammatical issues throughout, but I put that on the editor not the author.
July 20, 2024
WOW!!!!
This book was absolutely AMAZING!!! Best fantasy read I have encountered in a very long time. Nathan Keys does NOT hold back and the result is truly powerful. This story feels like a combination of the intrigue and creativity of the old legends with the city on the back of a sea turtle, the meaningful faith allegory of The Chronicles of Narnia (subtle to those unfamiliar, yet deeply moving for those who recognize it), and the truly epic high fantasy and adventure style from The Lord of the Rings. Think of those stories, remember what was best about them and combine those best qualities together while making something unique and new and you get this book! Yes! Nathan has done that well!
This book had me at the edge of my seat almost the entire way through. There were some slower spots here and there, but they were by no means boring. I can barely wait to dive in to the sequel because I have to see what happens next!
Reading this book will take you on a fantasy adventure that feels real, steals your breath, engages your emotions, make you think deeper and harder, possibly question from time to time your natural sense of who is good or not, shock you, challenge you, hurt you, and encourage you.
If I could give this more stars I would in a heartbeat. Definitely check this book out. It will be worth it.
Trigger warning: this is a very strong storyline of good vs evil and although the good is so beautifully and comfortingly good, the evil is truly and painfully dark, twisted, and at times scary. Not thriller or horror level, but it does get intense at times and there is a bit of gore in the battle scenes.
This book was absolutely AMAZING!!! Best fantasy read I have encountered in a very long time. Nathan Keys does NOT hold back and the result is truly powerful. This story feels like a combination of the intrigue and creativity of the old legends with the city on the back of a sea turtle, the meaningful faith allegory of The Chronicles of Narnia (subtle to those unfamiliar, yet deeply moving for those who recognize it), and the truly epic high fantasy and adventure style from The Lord of the Rings. Think of those stories, remember what was best about them and combine those best qualities together while making something unique and new and you get this book! Yes! Nathan has done that well!
This book had me at the edge of my seat almost the entire way through. There were some slower spots here and there, but they were by no means boring. I can barely wait to dive in to the sequel because I have to see what happens next!
Reading this book will take you on a fantasy adventure that feels real, steals your breath, engages your emotions, make you think deeper and harder, possibly question from time to time your natural sense of who is good or not, shock you, challenge you, hurt you, and encourage you.
If I could give this more stars I would in a heartbeat. Definitely check this book out. It will be worth it.
Trigger warning: this is a very strong storyline of good vs evil and although the good is so beautifully and comfortingly good, the evil is truly and painfully dark, twisted, and at times scary. Not thriller or horror level, but it does get intense at times and there is a bit of gore in the battle scenes.
January 15, 2020
I bought this book from the author himself who I personally know through the writing group we attend - so I will try to keep my bias’ at bay and give a fair review.
The Epic of Marindel is a story with a deep rooted theme of redemption that plays out in an epic-fantasy world. While the world has many of the staples typical of a fantasy story, such as human and elf characters who use magic, it also contains unique magical creatures and systems of magic that differ in the world’s regions. The characters in the story are complex, in that they come from various backgrounds and circumstances. Many of them are or become aware of the world’s story of redemption that’s playing out before their eyes and must decide what part they will play in it (if any). Their interactions, thoughts, and conversations I felt had a comfortable rhythm. The only thing I’d point out is that there were a few times where some of the characters’ conversations felt a little like generic filler, but this to me did not detract from the overall rhythm of the conversations or the story.
I found particularly fascinating the use of elements from cultures in our world that were integrated into the story - One character, for example, came from a country that resembled feudal Japan/China which I felt brought a certain richness to the settings of many of the scenes the character was involved in. The one thing I enjoyed most was how in nearly every chapter you could somehow find implicit or explicit ideas of redemption, which made me feel a plethora of different emotions, all of which I feel made the story memorable. Even though the book is slightly over 600 pages, it never felt like a chore to read. The pacing of the chapters kept my attention with a desire to read more.
Overall, I think this is a great debut novel and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.
The Epic of Marindel is a story with a deep rooted theme of redemption that plays out in an epic-fantasy world. While the world has many of the staples typical of a fantasy story, such as human and elf characters who use magic, it also contains unique magical creatures and systems of magic that differ in the world’s regions. The characters in the story are complex, in that they come from various backgrounds and circumstances. Many of them are or become aware of the world’s story of redemption that’s playing out before their eyes and must decide what part they will play in it (if any). Their interactions, thoughts, and conversations I felt had a comfortable rhythm. The only thing I’d point out is that there were a few times where some of the characters’ conversations felt a little like generic filler, but this to me did not detract from the overall rhythm of the conversations or the story.
I found particularly fascinating the use of elements from cultures in our world that were integrated into the story - One character, for example, came from a country that resembled feudal Japan/China which I felt brought a certain richness to the settings of many of the scenes the character was involved in. The one thing I enjoyed most was how in nearly every chapter you could somehow find implicit or explicit ideas of redemption, which made me feel a plethora of different emotions, all of which I feel made the story memorable. Even though the book is slightly over 600 pages, it never felt like a chore to read. The pacing of the chapters kept my attention with a desire to read more.
Overall, I think this is a great debut novel and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.
January 10, 2020
Let's see... The short is this: It was beautiful!
The longer answer is: I was given the challenge to read this book before the end of the year. Normally, such a task would be a pain. It was not the case for The Epic of Marindel. It was beautifully crafted, from the cohesive storyline to the engaging first-person point-of-view. As it was a challenge, the completion of the Epic of Marindel had some weight on it, but compared to other challenges I was given, it was rather light due to the sheer enjoyment I was able to get from it. It's rare for me to say this, but this book was much more enjoyable to read than most of the ongoing anime series were to watch. It just had everything I wanted. It hit on all of my emotions. The one thing that wasn't super enjoyable was when it turned to the third person in the later chapters. Though not bad by any stretch of the imagination, it didn't have the immersive experience and the chance to really be in the characters' shoes that the first-person point-of-view had. Other than that, I thought it was great! I am a definite fan and believer in your series; you have won me over to it's awesomeness, and one day, I'll be able to proudly say that I was one of the earliest fans of the Epic of Marindel.
P.S. — If you’re looking for something to give to that person in your life who loves books, do yourself a favor, grab out the money needed for this book and buy it. It’s also not a bad thing to buy it for yourself either. I mean, my mom bought for me on my birthday, and I still use it as one of the best birthday presents ever given.
The longer answer is: I was given the challenge to read this book before the end of the year. Normally, such a task would be a pain. It was not the case for The Epic of Marindel. It was beautifully crafted, from the cohesive storyline to the engaging first-person point-of-view. As it was a challenge, the completion of the Epic of Marindel had some weight on it, but compared to other challenges I was given, it was rather light due to the sheer enjoyment I was able to get from it. It's rare for me to say this, but this book was much more enjoyable to read than most of the ongoing anime series were to watch. It just had everything I wanted. It hit on all of my emotions. The one thing that wasn't super enjoyable was when it turned to the third person in the later chapters. Though not bad by any stretch of the imagination, it didn't have the immersive experience and the chance to really be in the characters' shoes that the first-person point-of-view had. Other than that, I thought it was great! I am a definite fan and believer in your series; you have won me over to it's awesomeness, and one day, I'll be able to proudly say that I was one of the earliest fans of the Epic of Marindel.
P.S. — If you’re looking for something to give to that person in your life who loves books, do yourself a favor, grab out the money needed for this book and buy it. It’s also not a bad thing to buy it for yourself either. I mean, my mom bought for me on my birthday, and I still use it as one of the best birthday presents ever given.
August 9, 2019
~The Epic of Marindel ~
I just finished reading the epic of Marindel and I have to say it really had me captivated by the storyline, Each character was very unique, And the way the author wrote the story, from each characters point of view, this allowed me to better understand what and how they experienced the unfolding events. I especially liked the magical aspect of the story and how each character had their own unique abilities.
For anyone looking to enjoy a story filled with magic, mystery and adventure, I would highly recommend this book!
I just finished reading the epic of Marindel and I have to say it really had me captivated by the storyline, Each character was very unique, And the way the author wrote the story, from each characters point of view, this allowed me to better understand what and how they experienced the unfolding events. I especially liked the magical aspect of the story and how each character had their own unique abilities.
For anyone looking to enjoy a story filled with magic, mystery and adventure, I would highly recommend this book!
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