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The Blades of Acktar #5
Decree
The Adventure Continues.
Discover more of The Blades of Acktar in this collection of novellas and short stories.
The Blades as They Should’ve Been
A test and the Gathering of Nobles will decide Leith and Martyn’s futures. Can they fight to become more than the Blades they were? Will Keevan accept the man who attempted to kill him as family?
The First Mission
When Martyn visits Surgis, his past seems determined to haunt him. Can he figure out how to forgive, especially when confronted with an enemy in need of his help?
To the Far Great Mountains
A death sends Leith and Martyn far beyond the borders of Acktar. Will they be able to arrest their quarry before they are caught themselves?
From the story of how Leith and Martyn met to Ranson’s search for a life outside of the Blades, these stories will answer plaguing questions and expand the world of Acktar.
Discover more of The Blades of Acktar in this collection of novellas and short stories.
The Blades as They Should’ve Been
A test and the Gathering of Nobles will decide Leith and Martyn’s futures. Can they fight to become more than the Blades they were? Will Keevan accept the man who attempted to kill him as family?
The First Mission
When Martyn visits Surgis, his past seems determined to haunt him. Can he figure out how to forgive, especially when confronted with an enemy in need of his help?
To the Far Great Mountains
A death sends Leith and Martyn far beyond the borders of Acktar. Will they be able to arrest their quarry before they are caught themselves?
From the story of how Leith and Martyn met to Ranson’s search for a life outside of the Blades, these stories will answer plaguing questions and expand the world of Acktar.
436 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2018
47 people are currently reading
280 people want to read
About the author
Tricia Mingerink
12 books450 followersTricia Mingerink is a twenty-something, book-loving, horse-riding country girl. She lives in Michigan with her family and their pack of pets. When she isn't writing, she can be found pursuing backwoods adventures across the country.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
December 8, 2018
SMOL LIST OF THINGS TO LOVE IN THIS SHORT STORY/NOVELLA COLLECTION
-LEEEEITH. I'm not even sorry. He's just the best. <3
-KAYLEIGH. I was on the fence about this gal in the fourth book of the series, just because she was new and it felt like she was taking away the spotlight from my actual loves. But now I really love her. She's such a great female character--strong, a warrior, willing to dress up as a man to sneak to battle and getting herself made the first female Captain of the Guar. But she also loves to sew and is a good cook and has a house she loves and wants kids. Like...the balance! It's impeccable!
-The Blade Marshals were so incredible and I loved them.
-The setting! I've always felt the world of Acktar in terms of trade, neighbors, government, etc., isn't as well-developed as it could be, but these stories fix all of that. This is a big, sprawling, epic world, and I love it.
-BABIES! *shrieks*
-Michelle got a storyline and I appreciated that because I've felt bad for her from the beginning.
-So much grace and forgiveness and healing and overcoming of PTSD
-I just really like these stories k
SMOLER LIST OF THINGS I DID NOT LOVE
-Ummm, where were my beloved Faythe girls?! Brandi and Renna were here, yeah, but nowhere NEAR enough. I get that some characters have to move over to make room for others, but other than a couple of the earlier stories, Brandi was barely present here, and Renna didn't do a whole lot either. Here's hoping for more of the two of them later. *crosses fingers*
-I'm not really a fan of Martyn? Sorry *hides in a hole* I mean, I kind of liked him in Deliver, but in the end, he's just not my favorite. I like Leith's story a whole lot more. Please don't kill me...
-The idea of my little precious children being old enough to be married and have kids was...weird. Because they're my children. And I can't think of them as being old for some reason. I dunno why :P
-Nothing else?
Overall I'm giving four stars to this book because it was amazing and you need to go and read it like RIGHT NOW!!!!!! XD
-LEEEEITH. I'm not even sorry. He's just the best. <3
-KAYLEIGH. I was on the fence about this gal in the fourth book of the series, just because she was new and it felt like she was taking away the spotlight from my actual loves. But now I really love her. She's such a great female character--strong, a warrior, willing to dress up as a man to sneak to battle and getting herself made the first female Captain of the Guar. But she also loves to sew and is a good cook and has a house she loves and wants kids. Like...the balance! It's impeccable!
-The Blade Marshals were so incredible and I loved them.
-The setting! I've always felt the world of Acktar in terms of trade, neighbors, government, etc., isn't as well-developed as it could be, but these stories fix all of that. This is a big, sprawling, epic world, and I love it.
-BABIES! *shrieks*
-Michelle got a storyline and I appreciated that because I've felt bad for her from the beginning.
-So much grace and forgiveness and healing and overcoming of PTSD
-I just really like these stories k
SMOLER LIST OF THINGS I DID NOT LOVE
-Ummm, where were my beloved Faythe girls?! Brandi and Renna were here, yeah, but nowhere NEAR enough. I get that some characters have to move over to make room for others, but other than a couple of the earlier stories, Brandi was barely present here, and Renna didn't do a whole lot either. Here's hoping for more of the two of them later. *crosses fingers*
-I'm not really a fan of Martyn? Sorry *hides in a hole* I mean, I kind of liked him in Deliver, but in the end, he's just not my favorite. I like Leith's story a whole lot more. Please don't kill me...
-The idea of my little precious children being old enough to be married and have kids was...weird. Because they're my children. And I can't think of them as being old for some reason. I dunno why :P
-Nothing else?
Overall I'm giving four stars to this book because it was amazing and you need to go and read it like RIGHT NOW!!!!!! XD
March 10, 2024
Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word...It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
- Psalm 119:67,71
“Decree” is the fifth book in the young-adult christian fantasy series, The Blades of Acktar. It being a collection of short stories.
Meeting Martyn
My heart couldn’t handle Baby Leith and Martyn. My precious babies
A Blizzard for Brandi
Brandi’s birthday. Didn’t enjoy it as much
The Blades as They Should’ve Been
Yes to everything about this!
The First Mission
He released a sigh. So much for learning to forgive slowly. Apparently God wanted him to go about forgiving his parents and Lord Norton all in one day.
I love Martyn. I find everything to do with him absolutely adorable.
Honeymoon Holdup
Aww. We love a power couple
The Wedding
Lovely
To the Far Great Mountains
Again, anything to do with Martyn is a favourite
The Healer and the Clerk
My favourite of the stories. Ranson, my on-the-spectrum child
The Perfect Plan
Ehh, wasn’t that invested.
The Treaty
I teared up a bit🥹
August 14, 2020
I believe my family will rejoice when I tell them I'm finished reading this book. No more having to listen to my excessive fangirling, awwwing, gasping, and stopping to discuss the writing and thematic points of each story. :D But do I regret driving them nuts? Not at all.
December 18, 2018
Decree: ten stories of varying lengths of our beloved Acktar characters. I appreciated the cohesion, even though they were at different times in Acktar’s history and followed different characters.
Meeting Martyn: Martyn was one of the characters I connected with earlier in the series, so reading his backstory and how he met Leith was adorable and heartstring-tugging. The author did an excellent job crafting his story to elicit sympathy, and the tentative meeting between him and Leith was everything it should be.
A Blizzard for Brandi: This was short and centered on Brandi’s musings – not as memorable as the other stories in this collection, but interesting as a support story.
The Blades as They Should’ve Been: This story was perfect. In a sense, it brought Leith’s story of involvement with the Blades full circle. Furthermore, the Keevan storyline is something the series needed. Previous books may not have presented Keevan as a convincing “good king” type, and seeing his struggles with accepting Leith was excellent. I loved how the baby factored into this, and I love how he had to choose to act on what’s right regardless of his feelings.
The First Mission: I loved this! It brought Martyn’s story full circle as well. His struggles, his choices, his realizations, his awkwardness with children . . . so perfect. Of course, Kayleigh was the perfect sidekick.
Honeymoon Holdup: Short and cute, this story was excellent. It was fun to read how Leith and Renna worked together so well!
The Wedding: This was a fun story, even though I don’t connect with Shad and Jolene as much as with other characters.
To the Far Great Mountains: Leith and Martyn are adventuring across Acktar together! What could go wrong . . . what couldn’t go wrong? I enjoyed this tale of their adventures together and this glimpse into what life as a Blade Marshal looked like. I loved the balance and the tension between their love for adventure and heroism and their desire for home and family – it perfectly set the scene for this story. Of course, Leith’s creativity strikes again!
The Healer and the Clerk: I loved this tale! So simple and so awkward . . . so much character growth and mistakes and failing and love and learning. I’m so glad Ranson starred in a story – he’s a great character, and his plot was excellent to read.
The Perfect Plan: This short story was set long before the other stories of Acktar, but it was interesting to read about Renna’s parents.
The Treaty: I loved this little tale of one of Leith and Martyn’s missions! Leith is so creative and resourceful, and watching him go after a law-breaker in a lawful manner is so refreshing and fun. I could read little tales like this one all day long.
All in all, I enjoyed this collection greatly! I look forward to future books in the series – this collection seems to bridge the way quite nicely.
Meeting Martyn: Martyn was one of the characters I connected with earlier in the series, so reading his backstory and how he met Leith was adorable and heartstring-tugging. The author did an excellent job crafting his story to elicit sympathy, and the tentative meeting between him and Leith was everything it should be.
A Blizzard for Brandi: This was short and centered on Brandi’s musings – not as memorable as the other stories in this collection, but interesting as a support story.
The Blades as They Should’ve Been: This story was perfect. In a sense, it brought Leith’s story of involvement with the Blades full circle. Furthermore, the Keevan storyline is something the series needed. Previous books may not have presented Keevan as a convincing “good king” type, and seeing his struggles with accepting Leith was excellent. I loved how the baby factored into this, and I love how he had to choose to act on what’s right regardless of his feelings.
The First Mission: I loved this! It brought Martyn’s story full circle as well. His struggles, his choices, his realizations, his awkwardness with children . . . so perfect. Of course, Kayleigh was the perfect sidekick.
Honeymoon Holdup: Short and cute, this story was excellent. It was fun to read how Leith and Renna worked together so well!
The Wedding: This was a fun story, even though I don’t connect with Shad and Jolene as much as with other characters.
To the Far Great Mountains: Leith and Martyn are adventuring across Acktar together! What could go wrong . . . what couldn’t go wrong? I enjoyed this tale of their adventures together and this glimpse into what life as a Blade Marshal looked like. I loved the balance and the tension between their love for adventure and heroism and their desire for home and family – it perfectly set the scene for this story. Of course, Leith’s creativity strikes again!
The Healer and the Clerk: I loved this tale! So simple and so awkward . . . so much character growth and mistakes and failing and love and learning. I’m so glad Ranson starred in a story – he’s a great character, and his plot was excellent to read.
The Perfect Plan: This short story was set long before the other stories of Acktar, but it was interesting to read about Renna’s parents.
The Treaty: I loved this little tale of one of Leith and Martyn’s missions! Leith is so creative and resourceful, and watching him go after a law-breaker in a lawful manner is so refreshing and fun. I could read little tales like this one all day long.
All in all, I enjoyed this collection greatly! I look forward to future books in the series – this collection seems to bridge the way quite nicely.
January 13, 2019
This was an awesome collection of shorter works in the Blades of Acktar world! Some of them were little scraps of backstories, but others built on the ending of Deliver and then off of each other, and just about all of them deepened my understanding and love for these characters and my contentment with this whole series. The funny thing is, it took me a few books to fall totally in love, but now...yeah. Fangirl status achieved. ;)
Meeting Martyn - 3 stars
Didn't really learn much about Martyn here that I didn't already know, but it was fun getting a little glimpse of him and Leith as kids. Though fun may be a strong word since we already know the kind of pain they're in for. :(
A Blizzard for Brandi - 4 stars
Not that hard to see coming, but still a sweet story and good to see Brandi enjoying normal life again. I had totally forgotten about Jamie as her "birthday present," though! Love those two together. <3
The Blades as They Should Have Been - 5 stars
Okay. This story. Just--woooooow. Just when you think certain characters have probably reached all the healing you can reasonably expect... And the way it happened--that's such a guy thing! Which makes it all the more touching, honestly... And okay, I seriously gasped when Renna held the baby out to Leith! That's just so much--yeah--just, wow!
The First Mission - 5 stars
Okay, it's official. Martyn can make me laugh more often than either Shad or Brandi and can bring more tears to my eyes than Leith and Renna put together. This was just such a powerful story. Nothing like taking a few tentative steps toward healing and finding yourself thrown in at the deep end! Just loved the whole thing. <3
Honeymoon Holdup - 4 stars
Attacking a former Blade and his new wife on their honeymoon? Not the smartest of ideas. The difficulty of the balance Leith had to strike between using his Blade training and not resorting back to his former disregard for life was really well done, and I liked the solution he came up with.
The Wedding - 3.5 stars
Okay, I knew that was a fast engagement! Now it makes sense. ;) I liked seeing these glimpses of Shad and Joleen, especially with the bond between Shad and Leith tied in at the end. Shad pursuing Joleen more or less behind Lord Alistair's back didn't quite sit right, though.
To the Far Great Mountains - 5 stars
Ohhh, now ya done it! The tears have escaped my eyes and are spilling down my cheeks. And with Leith this time, not Martyn, which is a nice change of pace. Although we got plenty of great Martyn and Leith and Martyn and Kayleigh moments as well. And I loved the one scene between Leith and Keevan. That relationship gets better and better with every story. <3 Only, can we please get a little more Shad? I'm starting to miss him... But Leith's feeling that if he didn't hold onto his fear, he'd slip into what he didn't want to become resonated with me so much, and that ending scene was just beautifully perfect.
The Healer and the Clerk - 5 stars
Oh. My word. My heart. In a puddle. All over the floor. This story was perfect and just what we needed for Ranson. He's the only one that's never really come into his own, and I've so wanted to see him as more than a silent shadow to Leith or Jamie. This was just...so precious and perfect. I can completely relate to the social awkwardness (okay I'm not quite that awkward, but I can still relate), and I loved the way Leith found and encouraged his strengths while not pressuring him or making him feel like a disappointment. Michelle isn't one of my favorite characters, but I understood her struggle. And the number thing was amazing! <3<3<3
The Perfect Plan - 4 stars
This was a fun story, and I liked getting to see younger versions of many of the older (or long-dead :() characters from the rest of the series. I enjoyed the several Brandi-like moments from Princess Annita--especially the Bible stories--but I particularly liked Lord Alistair as a younger, happier, more carefree version of himself that looked rather suspiciously like a certain lord's son... :D
The Treaty - 4.5 stars
The mission half of this one was clever but felt a trifle redundant, but that ending! The family. The love. The peace. This would be a perfect ending to the series...except it isn't over?!? And I want to scream in anticipation at the same time I want to shut my eyes and hide because--aaargh! I do want to see more of them! But, but, but--something could happen to them in two more books! And I kind of just want to leave them here where they're safe and perfect forever... I'm so conflicted!!! <3
Content--fights and injuries, including deaths; mention of wounds, blood, and scars; mention of swearing (no words); kissing (not descriptive); a girl is cornered and feels threatened; talk about a girl trying to change her walk and hide her figure so she won't be perceived as a flirt; mentions of swearing; a girl is threatened by bandits and threatens their ransom if she is "ruined"
Meeting Martyn - 3 stars
Didn't really learn much about Martyn here that I didn't already know, but it was fun getting a little glimpse of him and Leith as kids. Though fun may be a strong word since we already know the kind of pain they're in for. :(
A Blizzard for Brandi - 4 stars
Not that hard to see coming, but still a sweet story and good to see Brandi enjoying normal life again. I had totally forgotten about Jamie as her "birthday present," though! Love those two together. <3
The Blades as They Should Have Been - 5 stars
Okay. This story. Just--woooooow. Just when you think certain characters have probably reached all the healing you can reasonably expect... And the way it happened--that's such a guy thing! Which makes it all the more touching, honestly... And okay, I seriously gasped when Renna held the baby out to Leith! That's just so much--yeah--just, wow!
The First Mission - 5 stars
Okay, it's official. Martyn can make me laugh more often than either Shad or Brandi and can bring more tears to my eyes than Leith and Renna put together. This was just such a powerful story. Nothing like taking a few tentative steps toward healing and finding yourself thrown in at the deep end! Just loved the whole thing. <3
Honeymoon Holdup - 4 stars
Attacking a former Blade and his new wife on their honeymoon? Not the smartest of ideas. The difficulty of the balance Leith had to strike between using his Blade training and not resorting back to his former disregard for life was really well done, and I liked the solution he came up with.
The Wedding - 3.5 stars
Okay, I knew that was a fast engagement! Now it makes sense. ;) I liked seeing these glimpses of Shad and Joleen, especially with the bond between Shad and Leith tied in at the end. Shad pursuing Joleen more or less behind Lord Alistair's back didn't quite sit right, though.
To the Far Great Mountains - 5 stars
Ohhh, now ya done it! The tears have escaped my eyes and are spilling down my cheeks. And with Leith this time, not Martyn, which is a nice change of pace. Although we got plenty of great Martyn and Leith and Martyn and Kayleigh moments as well. And I loved the one scene between Leith and Keevan. That relationship gets better and better with every story. <3 Only, can we please get a little more Shad? I'm starting to miss him... But Leith's feeling that if he didn't hold onto his fear, he'd slip into what he didn't want to become resonated with me so much, and that ending scene was just beautifully perfect.
The Healer and the Clerk - 5 stars
Oh. My word. My heart. In a puddle. All over the floor. This story was perfect and just what we needed for Ranson. He's the only one that's never really come into his own, and I've so wanted to see him as more than a silent shadow to Leith or Jamie. This was just...so precious and perfect. I can completely relate to the social awkwardness (okay I'm not quite that awkward, but I can still relate), and I loved the way Leith found and encouraged his strengths while not pressuring him or making him feel like a disappointment. Michelle isn't one of my favorite characters, but I understood her struggle. And the number thing was amazing! <3<3<3
The Perfect Plan - 4 stars
This was a fun story, and I liked getting to see younger versions of many of the older (or long-dead :() characters from the rest of the series. I enjoyed the several Brandi-like moments from Princess Annita--especially the Bible stories--but I particularly liked Lord Alistair as a younger, happier, more carefree version of himself that looked rather suspiciously like a certain lord's son... :D
The Treaty - 4.5 stars
The mission half of this one was clever but felt a trifle redundant, but that ending! The family. The love. The peace. This would be a perfect ending to the series...except it isn't over?!? And I want to scream in anticipation at the same time I want to shut my eyes and hide because--aaargh! I do want to see more of them! But, but, but--something could happen to them in two more books! And I kind of just want to leave them here where they're safe and perfect forever... I'm so conflicted!!! <3
Content--fights and injuries, including deaths; mention of wounds, blood, and scars; mention of swearing (no words); kissing (not descriptive); a girl is cornered and feels threatened; talk about a girl trying to change her walk and hide her figure so she won't be perceived as a flirt; mentions of swearing; a girl is threatened by bandits and threatens their ransom if she is "ruined"
October 8, 2024
This was a satisfying way to wrap up the series. (At least…I think it’s the end? Definitely seemed like it.) I didn’t mind that it was more of a collection of stories instead of one long one, because it felt like that was what was needed to tie up certain threads.
October 27, 2023
"Decree" by Tricia Mingerink is the fifth book in "The Blades of Acktar" series. It is a beautiful completion of stories that just put the cherry on this epic series. I loved these books, characters and story. They are amazing and I highly recommend them.
"But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful." ~ Psalm 68:3
"God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." ~ Psalm 68: 6
"I'm fine. Just...thankful."
Decree - Tricia Mingerink
"But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful." ~ Psalm 68:3
"God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." ~ Psalm 68: 6
"I'm fine. Just...thankful."
Decree - Tricia Mingerink
December 21, 2018
Likes:
I'll admit, I was skeptical as to if I would like this book or not. I mean, I had thought that I had already finished the series with Deliver, plus, Decree is a collections of novellas/stories. But I am pleased to say that I have never been more wrong.
Decree has ended up being one of my favorite Blades of Acktar books. It takes place apprx zero - six years after the fourth book, telling us how our fav characters have gotten along, what they're doing, and how Acktar has improved as a country. BUT. It also gives us a backstory or two to complete the collection.
Whereas Leith and Renna were always the big cheeses in the previous books, we get a lot of narrations from all of the other characters, which was completely awesome. It allowed us to get into their heads and to piece together all of their previous decisions and future loves. *is in love*
Characters:
Leith wasn't as prominent in this book (which made me sad ... he was always my favorite), so we get more narration from others characters. Martyn was a big D in the previous book, but we also get some of Ranson's POV, which, I believe, was a first. Leading into...
Ranson ended up being a favorite of mine. I had always liked him in the previous books, but he was barely ever mentioned. Now we had a whole novella devoted to him! Ranson is autistic (I'm not sure how accurate the portrayal was - sorry), which made him socially awkward, which made him pretty relateable to me. There were also scenes in which I threw myself to the floor in distress. Thanks for that, book.
I love Martyn. He has, and always will be, my favorite secondary character in the series. Not only do I relate to him and his sarcastic, pessimistic outlook and personality, we are both no-nonsense (me sometimes??? haha) and he is just great. Love his whole journey over the books. <3 <3
Still not a super fan of Kayleigh (though she is perfect for Martyn), but I actually started to like her more. Brandi is fun as ever, though man that girl is hyper. Lord and Lady Faythe are, like, my Ultimate Faves and biggest ship.
Writing/Plot:
As I had said, I was slightly skeptical as to how this book would turn out, being novellas and all that jazz. When writing shorter stories you often have to sacrifice writing quality and character developments, also the plots tend to be either non-existent or kinda crappy.
NOT SO WITH THIS, MY YOUNG CHICKLINGS.
Each novella had its own plot - started, had a climax, and tied up nicely - while still giving us the characters that we all know and love. AND THE WRITING WAS NOT COMPROMISED. IS THIS LOVE THAT I AM FEELING?
Dislikes:
Really, I don't have too many dislikes over the book. Some of the novellas I wished were stretched out a bit longer (more because I liked them sooo much rather than any actual fault) and I really wish that we saw more Leith/Renna and I would have loved more of Jamie. And Owen. (Though it seems like we may get more of them in the next books??)
That is seriously it.
Other/Summary:
Probably one of my favorites in the series thus far. Everything flowed, despite some novellas being years apart. Helps us to see that characters CAN get happy endings with evil authors. (😈)
If you are thinking about skipping this book because of the novellas status, THEN DON'T. YOU ARE WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG. My absolute fav characters are going all out on being adorable and I may or may not be in love. 😘
I'll admit, I was skeptical as to if I would like this book or not. I mean, I had thought that I had already finished the series with Deliver, plus, Decree is a collections of novellas/stories. But I am pleased to say that I have never been more wrong.
Decree has ended up being one of my favorite Blades of Acktar books. It takes place apprx zero - six years after the fourth book, telling us how our fav characters have gotten along, what they're doing, and how Acktar has improved as a country. BUT. It also gives us a backstory or two to complete the collection.
Whereas Leith and Renna were always the big cheeses in the previous books, we get a lot of narrations from all of the other characters, which was completely awesome. It allowed us to get into their heads and to piece together all of their previous decisions and future loves. *is in love*
Characters:
Leith wasn't as prominent in this book (which made me sad ... he was always my favorite), so we get more narration from others characters. Martyn was a big D in the previous book, but we also get some of Ranson's POV, which, I believe, was a first. Leading into...
Ranson ended up being a favorite of mine. I had always liked him in the previous books, but he was barely ever mentioned. Now we had a whole novella devoted to him! Ranson is autistic (I'm not sure how accurate the portrayal was - sorry), which made him socially awkward, which made him pretty relateable to me. There were also scenes in which I threw myself to the floor in distress. Thanks for that, book.
I love Martyn. He has, and always will be, my favorite secondary character in the series. Not only do I relate to him and his sarcastic, pessimistic outlook and personality, we are both no-nonsense (me sometimes??? haha) and he is just great. Love his whole journey over the books. <3 <3
Still not a super fan of Kayleigh (though she is perfect for Martyn), but I actually started to like her more. Brandi is fun as ever, though man that girl is hyper. Lord and Lady Faythe are, like, my Ultimate Faves and biggest ship.
Writing/Plot:
As I had said, I was slightly skeptical as to how this book would turn out, being novellas and all that jazz. When writing shorter stories you often have to sacrifice writing quality and character developments, also the plots tend to be either non-existent or kinda crappy.
NOT SO WITH THIS, MY YOUNG CHICKLINGS.
Each novella had its own plot - started, had a climax, and tied up nicely - while still giving us the characters that we all know and love. AND THE WRITING WAS NOT COMPROMISED. IS THIS LOVE THAT I AM FEELING?
Dislikes:
Really, I don't have too many dislikes over the book. Some of the novellas I wished were stretched out a bit longer (more because I liked them sooo much rather than any actual fault) and I really wish that we saw more Leith/Renna and I would have loved more of Jamie. And Owen. (Though it seems like we may get more of them in the next books??)
That is seriously it.
Other/Summary:
Probably one of my favorites in the series thus far. Everything flowed, despite some novellas being years apart. Helps us to see that characters CAN get happy endings with evil authors. (😈)
If you are thinking about skipping this book because of the novellas status, THEN DON'T. YOU ARE WRONG. WRONG WRONG WRONG. My absolute fav characters are going all out on being adorable and I may or may not be in love. 😘
September 7, 2022
This collection of short stories lets fans of Acktar see how Leith and Martyn met, shows Martyn learning to love Kayleigh well, details Ranson's journey from boy to man, and much more. The story about Ranson and Michelle was probably my favorite--showing Michelle's struggle to overcome her reputation and Ranson's struggle to be understood despite interacting with the world from what seems to be the autism spectrum.
Each of Tricia's characters (at least the good guys!) are relateable and dynamic even in the condensed space of short stories. I'm so glad she decided to share these snippets with us.
Each of Tricia's characters (at least the good guys!) are relateable and dynamic even in the condensed space of short stories. I'm so glad she decided to share these snippets with us.
May 16, 2020
What can I say? Tricia Mingerink has become one of my favorite authors and I am so attached to Acktar and its wonderful characters.
The only real issue/complaint that I have was the total lack of Renna, Brandi, and Jamie? They were in it, yes, but not as much as I would have liked. I missed them :( *sniffs*
But otherwise, this was amazing and I cannot wait to read the next book. Deceive, I believe? More Acktar!! EEEEEEP.
That ending was ADORABLE! 4 stars because, as always, it was just SO GOOD. AHHH.
The only real issue/complaint that I have was the total lack of Renna, Brandi, and Jamie? They were in it, yes, but not as much as I would have liked. I missed them :( *sniffs*
But otherwise, this was amazing and I cannot wait to read the next book. Deceive, I believe? More Acktar!! EEEEEEP.
That ending was ADORABLE! 4 stars because, as always, it was just SO GOOD. AHHH.
December 24, 2018
When I found out there would be more Acktar books, I was sooooo excited. I'd missed Leith and Renna, and finding out I'd have more of them was like an early Christmas present. Now, not all the stories are about them. There are some about Martyn, some of which involve Owen and Kayleigh. There is one about Ranson, which does have Leith and Renna in it, but is primarily about Ranson. But of course, my favorites were the ones about Leith and Renna.
This is the Lost Stories of Acktar and I love it. It bridges the gap between the early part of the series and what the rest of the series will be. It has stories about establishing the Blades as they should have been, and Keevan and Leith's confrontation and reconciliation. Because it is difficult when your cousin marries your would-be-murderer, but while I totally understand where Keevan's coming from, I'm still with Leith, not Keevan. The relationship between the two families is interesting for sure. And so is the political climate of Acktar.
I love seeing Leith and Renna with their kids. It's sweet and beautiful. But things aren't exactly peaceful in Acktar, so Leith has to be both father and Blade Marshall. And Renna has to be Lady Grayce/Torren as well as mother. And try to pay as little in taxes as possible. XD But I probably shouldn't say any more. Read it for yourself. Because Acktar is pretty awesome and if you love Ilyon, you'll love it too.
This is the Lost Stories of Acktar and I love it. It bridges the gap between the early part of the series and what the rest of the series will be. It has stories about establishing the Blades as they should have been, and Keevan and Leith's confrontation and reconciliation. Because it is difficult when your cousin marries your would-be-murderer, but while I totally understand where Keevan's coming from, I'm still with Leith, not Keevan. The relationship between the two families is interesting for sure. And so is the political climate of Acktar.
I love seeing Leith and Renna with their kids. It's sweet and beautiful. But things aren't exactly peaceful in Acktar, so Leith has to be both father and Blade Marshall. And Renna has to be Lady Grayce/Torren as well as mother. And try to pay as little in taxes as possible. XD But I probably shouldn't say any more. Read it for yourself. Because Acktar is pretty awesome and if you love Ilyon, you'll love it too.
November 13, 2021
*laughs hysterically*
THIS.
This book.
It is a gift.
I thought The Blades of Acktar were finished. I thought I would never hear more about Leith and Renna and the rest. But no, there's more.
At first I thought I wouldn't enjoy the "short story" format, but, honestly, I almost liked that better (in a sense). We could skip around from MC to MC, jumping years ahead and years back, without being confusing. And we got so many little glimpses of other characters, so many fangirl feels, so many little truths.
Seriously. This book is amazing.
THIS.
This book.
It is a gift.
I thought The Blades of Acktar were finished. I thought I would never hear more about Leith and Renna and the rest. But no, there's more.
At first I thought I wouldn't enjoy the "short story" format, but, honestly, I almost liked that better (in a sense). We could skip around from MC to MC, jumping years ahead and years back, without being confusing. And we got so many little glimpses of other characters, so many fangirl feels, so many little truths.
Seriously. This book is amazing.
December 20, 2018
I enjoyed this so much, especially the Keevan and Leith story but really, all of them. If you are a fan of the series, it is a *must-read* and is actually several riveting novellas plus short stories. My only quibble is I wanted ‘The Healer and the Clerk’ novella to be longer!!!
December 8, 2018
*happy sigh* I. loved. this. book. It reminded me why I fell in love with the series in the first place and why Tricia Mingerink is one of my favorite authors. Decree touched my heart in ways I can't articulate. I don't even know how, but reading this book was so healing for me in the place I was in. I cried. I laughed. I cried some more. Fiction is one of the ways I process the world. But Decree touched me more than most books.
Note: The rest of this review contains spoilers for books 1-4.
Watching the characters grow and change and move on was wonderful. There were weddings and births and struggles and missions and bad guys and international incidents and deaths. This collection of novellas and short stories ranged a wide time range, from Respen as a 13-year-old, to Annita and Laurence's (Brandi and Renna's parents) first adventure, to Leith and Maryn meeting for the first time (oh, those poor baby Blades!), to years after the end of Deliver. Yet despite that, the author did a great job of tying it all together and making it flow smoothly from one story to the next.
She did a great job of touching on each character and making you appreciate them even more... even characters you thought you knew super well already. I loved getting to know more of Jolene and Shad's story, and watching Martyn and Kayleigh's relationships grow... I especially appreciated how Martyn and Kayleigh weren't just a copy of Renna and Leith, even though the four are so close. They had their own dynamic and struggles and life. Ranson's story as he figured out what to do with his unique skills and such was also so sweet. I loved watching the Blades grow into who they were supposed to be... in more ways than one.
Keevan and Leith's dynamic was also healing to watch as they learned just how much they could work things out... and how much they couldn't. When I read books 1, 2, and 3, I wasn't sure about Keevan being king. But after Destroy and Decree, he turns out to be quite a good one in my opinion. Watching Acktar as a whole country change and heal and grow was also fun. It was nice to get to explore it more, and even get to know some of the surrounding countries.
This book wasn't just love stories and such, however. It had its fair share of action and adventures and missions. Bandits and rovers and thieves and new trainees for .
I just have one complaint. Why was there so little Brandi and Jamie in it?! I'm not asking for a love story. But them as individual characters and as friends is such an iconic part of this series! I suppose I could overlook such an omission if we were to get another book starring the two... *looks hopefully at Tricia*
Overall, though, this book will hold a special place in my heart, and I recommend this series greatly.
"New-fangled pencils . . . just about the best invention since the cookie."
"Proposing involved baring one's heart and soul and uncomfortable stuff like emotions and promising forever. Yes, of course he was going to mess it all up. . . . She deserved all the mushiness he could muster."
"It was all so wrong. And there was nothing Shad could do to fix any of it."
"Children should not be used to fight their parent's battles."
"All right, so jumping into heroics and all that nonsense was more Leith's thing than Martyn's, but Martyn had volunteered for this. He'd studied for hours to pass that blasted test. Heroics were just going to have to be his ting too from now on."
"Romance. It was going to kill him more surely than an enemy's knife ever would."
"Maybe if God had wanted Martyn to be better at trusting, He shouldn't have let Martyn get so broken in the first place."
"They could live upstanding lives for the rest of their days. But nothing they did could ever heal the brokenness they'd caused. Only God could work forgiveness in the broken hearts of others and heal what seemed unhealable. But even that was rarely immediate but instead a process God worked slowly."
"All Keevan could see was a flashing knife and gushing blood. . . . This was the hardest part of forgiveness. It would have been so much easier if Leith wasn't a Christian."
Content:
Violence: Memories of assassination attempts, a bit bloody (nothing much worse than in Destroy). One guy gets beat up, a rib cracked. (All in all, less violence than most of the other books in the series.) Various scuffles, nothing super graphic.
Sexual content: Some kissing, nothing more on screen or even implied. One woman is threatened, but nothing happens. Nothing worse than the first scene in Dare. She later feels a little bit traumatized.
Language: Some implied (i.e. "he cursed"), none written out.
Note: The rest of this review contains spoilers for books 1-4.
Watching the characters grow and change and move on was wonderful. There were weddings and births and struggles and missions and bad guys and international incidents and deaths. This collection of novellas and short stories ranged a wide time range, from Respen as a 13-year-old, to Annita and Laurence's (Brandi and Renna's parents) first adventure, to Leith and Maryn meeting for the first time (oh, those poor baby Blades!), to years after the end of Deliver. Yet despite that, the author did a great job of tying it all together and making it flow smoothly from one story to the next.
She did a great job of touching on each character and making you appreciate them even more... even characters you thought you knew super well already. I loved getting to know more of Jolene and Shad's story, and watching Martyn and Kayleigh's relationships grow... I especially appreciated how Martyn and Kayleigh weren't just a copy of Renna and Leith, even though the four are so close. They had their own dynamic and struggles and life. Ranson's story as he figured out what to do with his unique skills and such was also so sweet. I loved watching the Blades grow into who they were supposed to be... in more ways than one.
Keevan and Leith's dynamic was also healing to watch as they learned just how much they could work things out... and how much they couldn't. When I read books 1, 2, and 3, I wasn't sure about Keevan being king. But after Destroy and Decree, he turns out to be quite a good one in my opinion. Watching Acktar as a whole country change and heal and grow was also fun. It was nice to get to explore it more, and even get to know some of the surrounding countries.
This book wasn't just love stories and such, however. It had its fair share of action and adventures and missions. Bandits and rovers and thieves and new trainees for .
I just have one complaint. Why was there so little Brandi and Jamie in it?! I'm not asking for a love story. But them as individual characters and as friends is such an iconic part of this series! I suppose I could overlook such an omission if we were to get another book starring the two... *looks hopefully at Tricia*
Overall, though, this book will hold a special place in my heart, and I recommend this series greatly.
"New-fangled pencils . . . just about the best invention since the cookie."
"Proposing involved baring one's heart and soul and uncomfortable stuff like emotions and promising forever. Yes, of course he was going to mess it all up. . . . She deserved all the mushiness he could muster."
"It was all so wrong. And there was nothing Shad could do to fix any of it."
"Children should not be used to fight their parent's battles."
"All right, so jumping into heroics and all that nonsense was more Leith's thing than Martyn's, but Martyn had volunteered for this. He'd studied for hours to pass that blasted test. Heroics were just going to have to be his ting too from now on."
"Romance. It was going to kill him more surely than an enemy's knife ever would."
"Maybe if God had wanted Martyn to be better at trusting, He shouldn't have let Martyn get so broken in the first place."
"They could live upstanding lives for the rest of their days. But nothing they did could ever heal the brokenness they'd caused. Only God could work forgiveness in the broken hearts of others and heal what seemed unhealable. But even that was rarely immediate but instead a process God worked slowly."
"All Keevan could see was a flashing knife and gushing blood. . . . This was the hardest part of forgiveness. It would have been so much easier if Leith wasn't a Christian."
Content:
Violence: Memories of assassination attempts, a bit bloody (nothing much worse than in Destroy). One guy gets beat up, a rib cracked. (All in all, less violence than most of the other books in the series.) Various scuffles, nothing super graphic.
Sexual content: Some kissing, nothing more on screen or even implied. One woman is threatened, but nothing happens. Nothing worse than the first scene in Dare. She later feels a little bit traumatized.
Language: Some implied (i.e. "he cursed"), none written out.
December 14, 2018
Rather than try to combine all my feelings for this darling book in a coherent paragraph or two, I'll briefly go over each story and novella included—a total of ten. I so enjoyed my journey back to Acktar this week! <3
(Contains spoilers for anyone who hasn't read the previous four books in The Blades of Acktar series!)
Meeting Martin — a short story — 4 stars
This was a nice little story, and an insightful look into Martyn's backstory, including his introduction to Harrison Vane and Leith. The long division conversation made me smile. <3
A Blizzard for Brandi — a short story— 4 stars
Well, that was sweet. A bit predictable, by the title, but it was sweet to see Leith, Renna, Brandi, and their makeshift family.
The Blades as They Should Have Been — a novella— 4 stars
I was...kinda bored at first?? *wince* The feels were fabulous, as well as seeing everyone again and the intro to the Blade Marshals, but all the politics kind of bored me. It got more engaging toward the end, though.
The First Mission — a novella — 5 stars
Um, excuse me while I smirk over how adorable Martyn and Kayleigh are together. All this brother relationship thing with Owen? #allthehearts The hatred vs. forgiveness thread with Lord Norton was AMAZE—feelsy and so well done. Also, when Martyn was trying to comfort the girl and asking Kayleigh for advice...golly, who wouldn't grin over that? <3
Honeymoon Holdup — a short story— 4 stars
Cute and humorous, with it's serious moments. I'll always love Leith and Renna together. My only "complaint" would be that the can't-kill-even-in-the-line-of-duty-because-everyone-knows-I-was-an-assassin thing felt like a bit of a repeat of Martyn's struggles. Not that they both wouldn't be facing those thoughts in the given situations, it just felt redundant?
The Wedding — a short story — 4 stars
Basically, ten–twenty pages of Shad and Jolene being so darn cute. xD (I think I'd read this one before? Maybe during a blog tour special for street team members or something... I don't know, but it was familiar.)
To the Far Great Mountains — a novella — 5 stars
A mission that throws Leith and Marytn together on their own for a month + a wedding + a Torren baby?! YES PLEASE. The guys' escapade in Verden had me grinning and adoring their brothers-relationship, and the two of them talking about fatherhood made me so happy. My children are growing up. *sniffs*
The Healer and the Clerk — a novella — 4 stars
At first, I wasn't sure I'd like this one—I previously haven't been a fan of Michelle Allen and Ranson isn't a favorite of mine—but this ended up being a really sweet story. <3
The Perfect Plan — a short story — 4 stars
A funny and sweet story of Renna and Brandi's parents, Lord Laurance Faythe and Princess Annita Eirdon. From this one, you can see where Brandi got her spunk. ;) (I’d definitely read this one before, a shorter version. Again, probably from some sort of blog tour special or something.)
The Treaty — a short story — 5 stars
*grinning like a dork* So the rest of it was dandy, but gracious, that ending was ADORABLE. I always knew Leith would make a precious dad. <333
4/4.5 stars!
**I received this ebook free from the author for blog tour/promotional purposes. No reviews, positive or otherwise, were required. All opinions expressed are purely my own.**
(Contains spoilers for anyone who hasn't read the previous four books in The Blades of Acktar series!)
Meeting Martin — a short story — 4 stars
This was a nice little story, and an insightful look into Martyn's backstory, including his introduction to Harrison Vane and Leith. The long division conversation made me smile. <3
A Blizzard for Brandi — a short story— 4 stars
Well, that was sweet. A bit predictable, by the title, but it was sweet to see Leith, Renna, Brandi, and their makeshift family.
The Blades as They Should Have Been — a novella— 4 stars
I was...kinda bored at first?? *wince* The feels were fabulous, as well as seeing everyone again and the intro to the Blade Marshals, but all the politics kind of bored me. It got more engaging toward the end, though.
The First Mission — a novella — 5 stars
Um, excuse me while I smirk over how adorable Martyn and Kayleigh are together. All this brother relationship thing with Owen? #allthehearts The hatred vs. forgiveness thread with Lord Norton was AMAZE—feelsy and so well done. Also, when Martyn was trying to comfort the girl and asking Kayleigh for advice...golly, who wouldn't grin over that? <3
Honeymoon Holdup — a short story— 4 stars
Cute and humorous, with it's serious moments. I'll always love Leith and Renna together. My only "complaint" would be that the can't-kill-even-in-the-line-of-duty-because-everyone-knows-I-was-an-assassin thing felt like a bit of a repeat of Martyn's struggles. Not that they both wouldn't be facing those thoughts in the given situations, it just felt redundant?
The Wedding — a short story — 4 stars
Basically, ten–twenty pages of Shad and Jolene being so darn cute. xD (I think I'd read this one before? Maybe during a blog tour special for street team members or something... I don't know, but it was familiar.)
To the Far Great Mountains — a novella — 5 stars
A mission that throws Leith and Marytn together on their own for a month + a wedding + a Torren baby?! YES PLEASE. The guys' escapade in Verden had me grinning and adoring their brothers-relationship, and the two of them talking about fatherhood made me so happy. My children are growing up. *sniffs*
The Healer and the Clerk — a novella — 4 stars
At first, I wasn't sure I'd like this one—I previously haven't been a fan of Michelle Allen and Ranson isn't a favorite of mine—but this ended up being a really sweet story. <3
The Perfect Plan — a short story — 4 stars
A funny and sweet story of Renna and Brandi's parents, Lord Laurance Faythe and Princess Annita Eirdon. From this one, you can see where Brandi got her spunk. ;) (I’d definitely read this one before, a shorter version. Again, probably from some sort of blog tour special or something.)
The Treaty — a short story — 5 stars
*grinning like a dork* So the rest of it was dandy, but gracious, that ending was ADORABLE. I always knew Leith would make a precious dad. <333
4/4.5 stars!
**I received this ebook free from the author for blog tour/promotional purposes. No reviews, positive or otherwise, were required. All opinions expressed are purely my own.**
February 28, 2019
Decree is set up a little differently than the other novels, as a collection of short stories and novellas instead of a completely tied-together plot. No complaints from this ADHD reader, I loved it!! :) The background we got for different characters I didn't even know I cared about was so awesome, especially Renna and Brandi's parents. So cute!! I loved getting to see Leith, Renna, Martyn, Kayleigh, and all the other a few years down the road. Martyn and Kayleigh are SO STINKING ADORABLE. *heart eyes* The soap still exists, people. You need this book for the Martyn and Kayleigh banter, alone. xD
December 14, 2018
ahhh emotions. rtc.
January 10, 2019
From the beginning of this series I have enjoyed each book. The characters have been well developed and continued to grow over time rather than stagnating. I feel as if I know them personally. The world of Acktar, from the prairie to the Spires Canyon, from Nalgar Castle to Stetterly, has a life of its own. There were times I could feel the blast from a snowstorm on the prairie or smell the scent of pines from the Sheered Rock Hills.
For anyone who has read and enjoyed the Blades of Acktar series, this compilation of short stories and novellas will be a delight. Backstories are given their own identities and we glean some tidbits about how life has progressed over the next few years for our friends in Acktar.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of short stories or novellas as I prefer to read a full-length story that pulls me in and takes me for a longer ride. However, because I had already bonded with these characters, the short nature of the individual pieces was not a problem. I would have preferred if Ms. Mingerink had kept the stories in a chronological order. Going backward and forward as the stories moved about in time tended to pull me out of the book.
Ms. Mingerink’s writing is usually clear of typos and technical errors, so I was surprised to find odd words and/or missing words scattered throughout the work, as if editing changes had been made leaving behind crumbs of the changes. Despite the missing/extra words, the writing is excellent and the stories engaging. This was a quick and fun read and I look forward to continuing the Blades of Acktar series in the future.
For anyone who has read and enjoyed the Blades of Acktar series, this compilation of short stories and novellas will be a delight. Backstories are given their own identities and we glean some tidbits about how life has progressed over the next few years for our friends in Acktar.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of short stories or novellas as I prefer to read a full-length story that pulls me in and takes me for a longer ride. However, because I had already bonded with these characters, the short nature of the individual pieces was not a problem. I would have preferred if Ms. Mingerink had kept the stories in a chronological order. Going backward and forward as the stories moved about in time tended to pull me out of the book.
Ms. Mingerink’s writing is usually clear of typos and technical errors, so I was surprised to find odd words and/or missing words scattered throughout the work, as if editing changes had been made leaving behind crumbs of the changes. Despite the missing/extra words, the writing is excellent and the stories engaging. This was a quick and fun read and I look forward to continuing the Blades of Acktar series in the future.
May 30, 2025
I love how the author expands 'the world of Acktar' using different stories that allow the reader to gain a perspective on the continuation of the characters' lives after Book 4.
December 1, 2018
I was so excited to hear that the Blades of Acktar were making a comeback with this book. Especially with such a collection of prequels, sequels, and stories in between. There were some characters that I hadn't really expected to make a comeback that did, and it was really fun to see them again. With varying length from flash fiction size to a novella, you really can't get bored reading this book. Warning, there are spoilers in this review for anyone who has not read all the previous books.
Meeting Martyn:I loved seeing Martyn meeting Leith!! This was adorable and sweet. Martyn isn't my favorite, so I found it hard to enjoy this one as much as the others.
A Blizzard for Brandi: This was probably my least favorite of the whole collection. Brandi sets my teeth on edge, and I found this one a little boring. Also, she complains about outgrowing her dresses, but hasn't thought to make her own??
The Blades as They Should Have Been: This one was long and awesome. I loved all the character interaction and seeing the characters getting along more. The character development was really awesome to watch, and very well done.
The First Mission: Watching Martyn come face to face with the life he should have had, this follows him as he comes to terms with it, and practices forgiveness towards those who have wronged him. It was cool to see Martyn working, but again, he's not my favorite, so I didn't really love it.
Honeymoon Holdup: This one was short and sweet and goodness, they make a sweet couple! Can't really say more without spoilers.
The Wedding: I loved seeing Shad and Jolenes's story! While I did not agree with some of Shad's choices, I liked that he admitted they were wrong. Leith was just plain adorable in this one.
The the Far Great Mountains: This was my favorite by far! Watching Leith and Martyn do what they do best, fighting for justice and with humor that made me laugh out loud. I loved their ingenuity! And Leith and Renna's event at the end!! The only thing I didn't like was Kayleigh acting like she didn't need anyone else.
The Healer and the Clerk: I was wary of this story, considering it was about Michelle, but it became one of my favorites of the collection. Ranson was just the best, and the story was so sweet! I loved how Ranson rose the occasion so many times. While I wasn't quite sure what I thought of the story's view on modesty, I loved how respectfully it was presented.
The Perfect Plan: I liked seeing the story behind some of the characters, but I did get confused a lot. Because this story takes place years before the first book starts, I didn't know many of the characters and found myself really lost. Annita was... Brandi. Like, there was no difference that I could tell. It made sense considering that she's Brandi's mom, but really, it felt like it was copy paste. I did love Laurence.
The Treaty: This one was just fun. Martyn's and Leith's ingenuity came up again, and I love them working together. And that ending!! <3 I loved it!
Overall, it was very fun to see where the characters came from and went. My only big complaint about the collection was that it was out of chronological order. I got a bit confused trying to keep up with where we were in Actar's history. But it was really fun, and I look forward to the next book!
I received this book free from the author for promotional purposes. No reviews, positive or otherwise, were required. All opinions expressed are purely my own.
Meeting Martyn:I loved seeing Martyn meeting Leith!! This was adorable and sweet. Martyn isn't my favorite, so I found it hard to enjoy this one as much as the others.
A Blizzard for Brandi: This was probably my least favorite of the whole collection. Brandi sets my teeth on edge, and I found this one a little boring. Also, she complains about outgrowing her dresses, but hasn't thought to make her own??
The Blades as They Should Have Been: This one was long and awesome. I loved all the character interaction and seeing the characters getting along more. The character development was really awesome to watch, and very well done.
The First Mission: Watching Martyn come face to face with the life he should have had, this follows him as he comes to terms with it, and practices forgiveness towards those who have wronged him. It was cool to see Martyn working, but again, he's not my favorite, so I didn't really love it.
Honeymoon Holdup: This one was short and sweet and goodness, they make a sweet couple! Can't really say more without spoilers.
The Wedding: I loved seeing Shad and Jolenes's story! While I did not agree with some of Shad's choices, I liked that he admitted they were wrong. Leith was just plain adorable in this one.
The the Far Great Mountains: This was my favorite by far! Watching Leith and Martyn do what they do best, fighting for justice and with humor that made me laugh out loud. I loved their ingenuity! And Leith and Renna's event at the end!! The only thing I didn't like was Kayleigh acting like she didn't need anyone else.
The Healer and the Clerk: I was wary of this story, considering it was about Michelle, but it became one of my favorites of the collection. Ranson was just the best, and the story was so sweet! I loved how Ranson rose the occasion so many times. While I wasn't quite sure what I thought of the story's view on modesty, I loved how respectfully it was presented.
The Perfect Plan: I liked seeing the story behind some of the characters, but I did get confused a lot. Because this story takes place years before the first book starts, I didn't know many of the characters and found myself really lost. Annita was... Brandi. Like, there was no difference that I could tell. It made sense considering that she's Brandi's mom, but really, it felt like it was copy paste. I did love Laurence.
The Treaty: This one was just fun. Martyn's and Leith's ingenuity came up again, and I love them working together. And that ending!! <3 I loved it!
Overall, it was very fun to see where the characters came from and went. My only big complaint about the collection was that it was out of chronological order. I got a bit confused trying to keep up with where we were in Actar's history. But it was really fun, and I look forward to the next book!
I received this book free from the author for promotional purposes. No reviews, positive or otherwise, were required. All opinions expressed are purely my own.
September 22, 2019
This book was basically a giant ball of happiness and I AM HERE FOR IT.
July 8, 2019
This book deserves faaaaar more than five stars for how amazing it is. I absolutely loved reading more stories about my favorite characters. There were so many happy squeaks at the fluffy parts. XD I can not wait for the next books. Although for now, I believe a re-read of the entire series is in order. XD
June 9, 2021
I still love these shorter stories and novellas so much! I just love getting to see the cast of characters in different times and points of view.
April 23, 2022
The video review is out! You can find it here: https://youtu.be/f4NTqMiFUzk
This review was originally uploaded to homeschoolingteen.com, and it's a review for the entire series.
One nice thing about social media platforms is being able to meet other Christians and talk about our favourite books together, even from across oceans. It’s very encouraging to me and it’s also helped me discover a lot of new books I never would have read otherwise. Many of these have only very small followings and have been written by indie authors. My favourite up till now is the Blades of Acktar series by Tricia Mingerink. If my fellow Christians hadn’t recommended them to me, I’d probably have passed it by (sorry, but the covers are not that appealing). I’m so glad I didn’t!
The Blades of Acktar is set in a medievalish country called Acktar. It is ruled by a ruthless tyrant called Respen Felix. Keeping the people in line are his feared Blades: a group of assassins trained to show no mercy. When Third Blade Leith Torren is wounded during a mission, he stumbles upon the house of the very people he is supposed to kill. Instead of kicking him out into a snowstorm, they help him. It causes an early onset of midlife crisis in poor Leith, and he returns to his king in a state of utter confusion. This sets off a range of events in which we find out about rebellions, secret underground churches and iffy plots. Respen is bent on murdering every last noble that dares to resist him, and Leith is caught right in the middle.
Books 1 through 3 (Dare, Deny and Defy) are where the main story of defeating Respen takes place. After that comes book 3.5 (Destroy), which gives backstory to a major spoiler character. It and book 4 (Deliver) have the most gory violence. Deliver ties up some plot lines and character arcs that were left dangling in Defy. There is also a very short prequel, Deal, about how Leith got into the Blades. Lastly, we have book 5: Decree. It finally resolves all main plot lines. Other than that, it contains short stories and more background to minor characters. Honestly, at this point it reminds me of when you’re done with a painting but you don’t want to stop, so you continue and ruin the painting with too many touches. The series should have been wrapped up in book 4. It’s slowly becoming Ranger’s Apprentice. And that’s a fine format, but it’s not the way the series started out. In fact, there’s two more books coming out. Personally, I say the author should leave well enough alone.
For an age rating I would definitely give this book a 16+ due to the violence. It’s about assassins and murders, and the depiction of wounds is quite realistic. You can expect burns, cuts, arrow and sword wounds, whipping, decapitation, throat-cutting, etc. Another reason for the age restriction is because of sexual content: the standards are all Christian, but – especially in Destroy – topics like rape and consent are dealt with.
Personally, I had some doctrinal differences with the books: first of all, the book claims God doesn’t do miracles anymore. Not to go too in-depth, but this belief comes from the fact that there are seven churches addressed in Revelation, and some people say these seven churches stand for seven different periods in church history. According to them, we are now in a period without miracles. I think this is a bit far-fetched. Also, I know many people, including my father, who have witnessed miracles. Another standpoint the book takes is the idea that once you’re a Christian, you will always be one. I don’t really know where this idea comes from, although I have some verses in mind which might be the reason. Either way, I disagree with this because it leads to people saying that folks who stepped away from Christ never were saved in the first place. This seems strange to me: after all, hadn’t they asked Jesus into their heart? Secondly, while nothing can seperate us from the love of God, we still have free will to choose. If nothing can seperate us from the love of God, then how come some people will be seperated from it at the end? Because they chose to stay away from Him. I think the same counts for those who left God. I would also have preferred to see characters actually giving their lives to Jesus instead of them gradually just being considered a Christian. In a series where loyalties are given out pretty much every book, it would have been nice to actually see the scene where people give their loyalties to God.
Something else that really annoyed me was how a main character, Renna, was portrayed. Mingerink herself said that she wanted this character to be weak, because so many characters nowadays are amazing at everything and sometimes you just aren’t. Sometimes you can’t do anything to change your situation. At first, I appreciated this a lot. I really related to Renna for the fact that she can’t fight. When all the girls I ever read about are great at defending themselves, it tends to make me a bit insecure. What bothered me, however, is that the author didn’t seem to realise that Renna wasn’t weak. Yes, of course, we are all weak without God, etc., etc. But. Renna literally had only one useful skill that nobody even talks about. Throughout the last half of book 3 and the first half of book 4, whenever anybody says anything nice about her, they do it by comparing her to the “scared, cowering” girl she was before. Even her little sister thinks she’s a coward! I don’t mind when authors show that all our strength comes from God, but she only showed it for Renna, and not for anybody else. Renna wasn’t good with leading, wasn’t good with speeches, wasn’t good with trusting God, wasn’t good at fighting, and wasn’t brave. Now, these are not my words, because honestly I completely disagree with the last one. Renna was incredibly brave, forgiving, and sweet, and the fact that that rarely got a mention was very unfair.
By now you’ve heard quite a few criticims of the books and might even think I dislike them. This is actually not the case: the only reason I’m going so indepth on my issues is because I liked the books enough to spend so much time thinking about them. So, without further ado, let’s get into what I appreciated about the books. One of the most important things in a book – to me – is that I can relate to characters’ struggles. This was definitely the case, and it made me more emotionally invested in the story. The characters themselves seemed distinct and lively to me, and the romance didn’t feel awkward.
A difference between this book and other Christian fantasies is the religion system: most Christian fantasies create a religion system like Christianity. This book, however, has Christianity just like it is in our world. It was nice to just have a fantasy book that is straight-up about the Christianity, without a lot of allegory to dig through. Mingerink can skip all of that and go straight to asking difficult and relevant questions about evil, justice and hope.
Other aspects that people might like are the map at the beginning of the book and the detailed battle strategies. Personally, I don’t care either way whether there are maps in books and I’d rather skip all the planning and get to the fighting, but I know this is something that a lot of fantasy fans really like to see. The suspense was great, and when we did get to the fights, they were very exciting.
Respen, the villain, is given a backstory and motivations, just like the main characters. This is always a bit of a risky choice, because it can lead to excusing a bad character or making the villain seem like a decent person. Mingerink successfully showed that Respen also was a human with emotions, but made it very clear that he was not at all a good man and that his past experiences did not make any of his later actions okay. I did feel as if it the humanisation approached the line at certain points, but that might also be because we were seeing him from the perspective of a very forgiving character.
Although I clearly have some reservations considering The Blades of Acktar, I had a great time reading them. They were suspenseful and exciting, and Christianity was unashamedly a large factor. The characters were amazing, and I could relate to them. The character I first started relating too did get treated rather badly, and I didn’t agree with all the doctrines, but on the other hand everyone gets appreciated in the end and the overall message of perseverance and faith was put forward strongly and beautifully. If you want an amazing fantasy read which will also lift you up, you’d do well to pick The Blades of Acktar up.
This review was originally uploaded to homeschoolingteen.com, and it's a review for the entire series.
One nice thing about social media platforms is being able to meet other Christians and talk about our favourite books together, even from across oceans. It’s very encouraging to me and it’s also helped me discover a lot of new books I never would have read otherwise. Many of these have only very small followings and have been written by indie authors. My favourite up till now is the Blades of Acktar series by Tricia Mingerink. If my fellow Christians hadn’t recommended them to me, I’d probably have passed it by (sorry, but the covers are not that appealing). I’m so glad I didn’t!
The Blades of Acktar is set in a medievalish country called Acktar. It is ruled by a ruthless tyrant called Respen Felix. Keeping the people in line are his feared Blades: a group of assassins trained to show no mercy. When Third Blade Leith Torren is wounded during a mission, he stumbles upon the house of the very people he is supposed to kill. Instead of kicking him out into a snowstorm, they help him. It causes an early onset of midlife crisis in poor Leith, and he returns to his king in a state of utter confusion. This sets off a range of events in which we find out about rebellions, secret underground churches and iffy plots. Respen is bent on murdering every last noble that dares to resist him, and Leith is caught right in the middle.
Books 1 through 3 (Dare, Deny and Defy) are where the main story of defeating Respen takes place. After that comes book 3.5 (Destroy), which gives backstory to a major spoiler character. It and book 4 (Deliver) have the most gory violence. Deliver ties up some plot lines and character arcs that were left dangling in Defy. There is also a very short prequel, Deal, about how Leith got into the Blades. Lastly, we have book 5: Decree. It finally resolves all main plot lines. Other than that, it contains short stories and more background to minor characters. Honestly, at this point it reminds me of when you’re done with a painting but you don’t want to stop, so you continue and ruin the painting with too many touches. The series should have been wrapped up in book 4. It’s slowly becoming Ranger’s Apprentice. And that’s a fine format, but it’s not the way the series started out. In fact, there’s two more books coming out. Personally, I say the author should leave well enough alone.
For an age rating I would definitely give this book a 16+ due to the violence. It’s about assassins and murders, and the depiction of wounds is quite realistic. You can expect burns, cuts, arrow and sword wounds, whipping, decapitation, throat-cutting, etc. Another reason for the age restriction is because of sexual content: the standards are all Christian, but – especially in Destroy – topics like rape and consent are dealt with.
Personally, I had some doctrinal differences with the books: first of all, the book claims God doesn’t do miracles anymore. Not to go too in-depth, but this belief comes from the fact that there are seven churches addressed in Revelation, and some people say these seven churches stand for seven different periods in church history. According to them, we are now in a period without miracles. I think this is a bit far-fetched. Also, I know many people, including my father, who have witnessed miracles. Another standpoint the book takes is the idea that once you’re a Christian, you will always be one. I don’t really know where this idea comes from, although I have some verses in mind which might be the reason. Either way, I disagree with this because it leads to people saying that folks who stepped away from Christ never were saved in the first place. This seems strange to me: after all, hadn’t they asked Jesus into their heart? Secondly, while nothing can seperate us from the love of God, we still have free will to choose. If nothing can seperate us from the love of God, then how come some people will be seperated from it at the end? Because they chose to stay away from Him. I think the same counts for those who left God. I would also have preferred to see characters actually giving their lives to Jesus instead of them gradually just being considered a Christian. In a series where loyalties are given out pretty much every book, it would have been nice to actually see the scene where people give their loyalties to God.
Something else that really annoyed me was how a main character, Renna, was portrayed. Mingerink herself said that she wanted this character to be weak, because so many characters nowadays are amazing at everything and sometimes you just aren’t. Sometimes you can’t do anything to change your situation. At first, I appreciated this a lot. I really related to Renna for the fact that she can’t fight. When all the girls I ever read about are great at defending themselves, it tends to make me a bit insecure. What bothered me, however, is that the author didn’t seem to realise that Renna wasn’t weak. Yes, of course, we are all weak without God, etc., etc. But. Renna literally had only one useful skill that nobody even talks about. Throughout the last half of book 3 and the first half of book 4, whenever anybody says anything nice about her, they do it by comparing her to the “scared, cowering” girl she was before. Even her little sister thinks she’s a coward! I don’t mind when authors show that all our strength comes from God, but she only showed it for Renna, and not for anybody else. Renna wasn’t good with leading, wasn’t good with speeches, wasn’t good with trusting God, wasn’t good at fighting, and wasn’t brave. Now, these are not my words, because honestly I completely disagree with the last one. Renna was incredibly brave, forgiving, and sweet, and the fact that that rarely got a mention was very unfair.
By now you’ve heard quite a few criticims of the books and might even think I dislike them. This is actually not the case: the only reason I’m going so indepth on my issues is because I liked the books enough to spend so much time thinking about them. So, without further ado, let’s get into what I appreciated about the books. One of the most important things in a book – to me – is that I can relate to characters’ struggles. This was definitely the case, and it made me more emotionally invested in the story. The characters themselves seemed distinct and lively to me, and the romance didn’t feel awkward.
A difference between this book and other Christian fantasies is the religion system: most Christian fantasies create a religion system like Christianity. This book, however, has Christianity just like it is in our world. It was nice to just have a fantasy book that is straight-up about the Christianity, without a lot of allegory to dig through. Mingerink can skip all of that and go straight to asking difficult and relevant questions about evil, justice and hope.
Other aspects that people might like are the map at the beginning of the book and the detailed battle strategies. Personally, I don’t care either way whether there are maps in books and I’d rather skip all the planning and get to the fighting, but I know this is something that a lot of fantasy fans really like to see. The suspense was great, and when we did get to the fights, they were very exciting.
Respen, the villain, is given a backstory and motivations, just like the main characters. This is always a bit of a risky choice, because it can lead to excusing a bad character or making the villain seem like a decent person. Mingerink successfully showed that Respen also was a human with emotions, but made it very clear that he was not at all a good man and that his past experiences did not make any of his later actions okay. I did feel as if it the humanisation approached the line at certain points, but that might also be because we were seeing him from the perspective of a very forgiving character.
Although I clearly have some reservations considering The Blades of Acktar, I had a great time reading them. They were suspenseful and exciting, and Christianity was unashamedly a large factor. The characters were amazing, and I could relate to them. The character I first started relating too did get treated rather badly, and I didn’t agree with all the doctrines, but on the other hand everyone gets appreciated in the end and the overall message of perseverance and faith was put forward strongly and beautifully. If you want an amazing fantasy read which will also lift you up, you’d do well to pick The Blades of Acktar up.
January 1, 2019
This was the best thing ever! I dearly love the Acktar series, so getting to hang out with all the characters again was just what my heart needed a few weeks ago!
All the Martyn and Leith stories and getting to be bro's again! And I loved loved the Ranson story! It made me super excited and hopeful to see more of him in the next few books!
And all the changes with the Blade Marshals and the message riders. Like all of the things make me so excited and happy! I'm not even sure which story was my favorite, they are were all so fabulous. Reading this one felt a little like coming home, and I'm so glad that Tricia is writing more in this world!
All the Martyn and Leith stories and getting to be bro's again! And I loved loved the Ranson story! It made me super excited and hopeful to see more of him in the next few books!
And all the changes with the Blade Marshals and the message riders. Like all of the things make me so excited and happy! I'm not even sure which story was my favorite, they are were all so fabulous. Reading this one felt a little like coming home, and I'm so glad that Tricia is writing more in this world!
December 24, 2023
This the final instalment of the Blades Of Acktar series was such a beautiful collection of short stories. A view into the past of many of these beloved characters as well as how their lives went after “Deliver”. I’m sad it’s over but it was left on just the right note. I’ve never had a series end in a book composed of many shorter stories but it tied together so perfectly and tucked in a few little threads trailing out that I wanted to follow in the other books.
It’s been a treat to read this series this year and it has made my list of top favourite series.
It’s been a treat to read this series this year and it has made my list of top favourite series.
Read
March 1, 2020DNF at about 75% through. Not any fault of the book; I only was getting tired of being in Acktar after having just read the first four books and was ready for a change of scene, and then I never got back to it before my Kindle Unlimited subscription ran out.
March 24, 2019
Vary heart warming. Would recommend to anyone looking for a sweet story.
Read
December 13, 2025Great ending to a great series :')
August 2, 2019
As this is a review for the fifth book in a series it does contain spoilers for the previous books. And a few minor spoilers for Decree. I do have to talk about the book.
Decree is just a nice book. A lovely cozy kind of book that makes me happy. Up until now, the Blades of Acktar have been intense. There’s always been high levels of tension and danger. There’s been moments of relaxation in amongst the danger, but the tension has never dropped entirely. I couldn’t be sure the characters I loved wouldn’t die. Thus, I call Decree nice.
It's not a novel. It’s a collection of short stories and novellas. Most are heart warming, some are incredibly touching, the first is tragic. But it’s a tragic we already know the (mostly) happy resolution to. Decree is a book for those who love and have been inspired by the Blades of Acktar series. For those who want more. It is the beginning of more.
It’s the story of people living their lives, overcoming difficulties and fears, resolving their past. Stories of loves, faith and adventure. Stories of the re-building of a strong kingdom. Stories of family forming and healing.
The biggest development of Decree is the establishment of what’s basically law enforcement. Marshals to track down criminals, rescue people, and capture bandits. A new time of peace for Acktar. Of course this organization is going to include ex-blades, and it has to be approved by the nobles. Which leads to tension and careful political maneuvering. (But not boring politics.) These also matters of justice that hadn’t been tied off in the last book. Tricia is good at getting all those things tied up satisfactorily.
There’s various interpersonal problems to sort out. Keevan still is struggling to get over his problems with Leith. He’s trying his best, and his choices show that in his head he trusts Leith, but it’s not easy to feel comfortable around someone who nearly took your life. Honestly, I’m not sure I would feel perfectly at ease around a former assassin. Then we have Martyn and Owen just sorting out life. Figuring out how to make their lives work together. Martyn dealing with regrets, past abandonment, and spoiler: the fact that he has a gravestone. Owen just being Owen and generally great. And Martyn and Kayleigh making me smile. Kaaaaayleeeiiiiiigh!!!!
Kayleigh continues along her path of using swords, and follows her dream of becoming a guard. I’m not so fond of the idea of women in battle, but this isn’t battle, and there are good reasons for her to be a guard. And she is really good with it without neglecting needles and butchers knives. Kayleigh is a woman of many skills and I think Tricia handles that beautifully. Spoiler: I loved the twirly skirt and her wearing a sword to her wedding. And Martyn’s proposal and attempts to be mushy.
Along with the increased peace in Acktar, we also get international developments. Yes, despite how it seemed in the early books, Acktar is not the only country. There are others. Which means treaties and border agreements. It turns out that Blade Marshals are really terrible at geograpghy and navigating when the borders aren’t clearly marked. The far deep south of Acktar is a nice place to travel. Depending on your travelling companions. If you want to know what happens, you’ll have to read the book.
We also getting a story dealing with Ranson Harding, and, oh why not give away the spoiler, Michelle Allen, the sheriff’s daughter. Ranson is figuring out life outside of the Blades. Michelle is trying her best not the be the beautiful flirt she was two years before. yet people still keep noticing her. I like Ranson as a character. He’s socially awkward, and has some other issues, anxiety, sensitivity, things that I don’t know enough to put a label on. He never should have been made a Blade (Not that anyone should be). And he needs a hug, though he would also not cope so well with a hug. We learn interesting things about Ranson, time goes by and he has to deal with trouble and be awesome. And Michelle gets things sorted out, and happy endings. Funny and awkward happy endings.
We also get a prequel story, which I had read before when Tricia shared it online as a bonus, but it’s just as good now. All about Renna and Brandi’s parents. Princess Annita is amazing.
Finally there’s a ending story to wrap it it up, and a whole six years have passed. There’s children and they’re not all tiny. There’s plenty of peace. The Blade Marshals know exactly were the border is. All in all, Decree is a fairly relaxing read and perfectly sets the scene for more adventures in Acktar. I’m looking forward to them.
Decree is just a nice book. A lovely cozy kind of book that makes me happy. Up until now, the Blades of Acktar have been intense. There’s always been high levels of tension and danger. There’s been moments of relaxation in amongst the danger, but the tension has never dropped entirely. I couldn’t be sure the characters I loved wouldn’t die. Thus, I call Decree nice.
It's not a novel. It’s a collection of short stories and novellas. Most are heart warming, some are incredibly touching, the first is tragic. But it’s a tragic we already know the (mostly) happy resolution to. Decree is a book for those who love and have been inspired by the Blades of Acktar series. For those who want more. It is the beginning of more.
It’s the story of people living their lives, overcoming difficulties and fears, resolving their past. Stories of loves, faith and adventure. Stories of the re-building of a strong kingdom. Stories of family forming and healing.
The biggest development of Decree is the establishment of what’s basically law enforcement. Marshals to track down criminals, rescue people, and capture bandits. A new time of peace for Acktar. Of course this organization is going to include ex-blades, and it has to be approved by the nobles. Which leads to tension and careful political maneuvering. (But not boring politics.) These also matters of justice that hadn’t been tied off in the last book. Tricia is good at getting all those things tied up satisfactorily.
There’s various interpersonal problems to sort out. Keevan still is struggling to get over his problems with Leith. He’s trying his best, and his choices show that in his head he trusts Leith, but it’s not easy to feel comfortable around someone who nearly took your life. Honestly, I’m not sure I would feel perfectly at ease around a former assassin. Then we have Martyn and Owen just sorting out life. Figuring out how to make their lives work together. Martyn dealing with regrets, past abandonment, and spoiler: the fact that he has a gravestone. Owen just being Owen and generally great. And Martyn and Kayleigh making me smile. Kaaaaayleeeiiiiiigh!!!!
Kayleigh continues along her path of using swords, and follows her dream of becoming a guard. I’m not so fond of the idea of women in battle, but this isn’t battle, and there are good reasons for her to be a guard. And she is really good with it without neglecting needles and butchers knives. Kayleigh is a woman of many skills and I think Tricia handles that beautifully. Spoiler: I loved the twirly skirt and her wearing a sword to her wedding. And Martyn’s proposal and attempts to be mushy.
Along with the increased peace in Acktar, we also get international developments. Yes, despite how it seemed in the early books, Acktar is not the only country. There are others. Which means treaties and border agreements. It turns out that Blade Marshals are really terrible at geograpghy and navigating when the borders aren’t clearly marked. The far deep south of Acktar is a nice place to travel. Depending on your travelling companions. If you want to know what happens, you’ll have to read the book.
We also getting a story dealing with Ranson Harding, and, oh why not give away the spoiler, Michelle Allen, the sheriff’s daughter. Ranson is figuring out life outside of the Blades. Michelle is trying her best not the be the beautiful flirt she was two years before. yet people still keep noticing her. I like Ranson as a character. He’s socially awkward, and has some other issues, anxiety, sensitivity, things that I don’t know enough to put a label on. He never should have been made a Blade (Not that anyone should be). And he needs a hug, though he would also not cope so well with a hug. We learn interesting things about Ranson, time goes by and he has to deal with trouble and be awesome. And Michelle gets things sorted out, and happy endings. Funny and awkward happy endings.
We also get a prequel story, which I had read before when Tricia shared it online as a bonus, but it’s just as good now. All about Renna and Brandi’s parents. Princess Annita is amazing.
Finally there’s a ending story to wrap it it up, and a whole six years have passed. There’s children and they’re not all tiny. There’s plenty of peace. The Blade Marshals know exactly were the border is. All in all, Decree is a fairly relaxing read and perfectly sets the scene for more adventures in Acktar. I’m looking forward to them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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