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The Minstrel: A Legend's Redemption
What would you do with a second chance?
Levi’s life has been a saga of pain and regret. Forced into his uncle’s band of thieves at the age of eighteen, he spirals down a dark path until he can’t take anymore and flees.
Joining a group of traveling minstrels, Levi must carefully navigate his new double-life and never let on to his dark past—a past which haunts him closely.
With both the law and its enemies pursuing him, will Levi ever be able to find redemption and be at peace?
Levi’s life has been a saga of pain and regret. Forced into his uncle’s band of thieves at the age of eighteen, he spirals down a dark path until he can’t take anymore and flees.
Joining a group of traveling minstrels, Levi must carefully navigate his new double-life and never let on to his dark past—a past which haunts him closely.
With both the law and its enemies pursuing him, will Levi ever be able to find redemption and be at peace?
- GenresHistorical Fiction
555 pages, Paperback
Published June 25, 2021
2 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Malachi Cyr
4 books42 followersI'm an indie Christian author who lives in Arizona with my parents and six siblings. Besides writing, I'm a full time electro-mechanical technician, so basically I build machines. When I get the time I like reading, writing, playing penny whistle, airsofting, swordfighting, hiking, camping, shooting, frisbee, and friends. My life goal is to honor God and be conformed into the image of His Son, and my goal is for my writing to reflect this to the core.
I have published 1 novelette, two novels, and always have another story on my brain. I have no qualms for making my readers cry, so don't get too attached to characters.
I have published 1 novelette, two novels, and always have another story on my brain. I have no qualms for making my readers cry, so don't get too attached to characters.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 31, 2021
My review on this thing is way overdue.
This book basically took everything I love about the medieval time period, movies like Beyond the Mask or The Redemption of Henry Meyers, authors like John Flanagan or G. A. Henty, et cetera, and wove a redemptive powerful story that left me almost in tears (it's hard to make me cry, okay?).
It's hard to even describe what the character development, plot strength, prose quality, and all that was like because this story just sort of swept me along. But I will say the characters...they just grab a hold of you even without the action-packed plot. If there is anything Malachi Cyr does well, it's characters.
While I didn't half even try to guess the plot, it surprised me in so many ways (for the sake of avoiding spoilers I will say no more). When it comes to the themes in this thing, they were so powerful. Redemption, sacrifice, the way our love for God changes everything, courage, love, God's power...so many things. It wasn't preachy in any way, but it did speak the gospel right into my life the way a story is supposed to. By weaving and pulling and speaking into my heart those little bits of groundbreaking truth.
Unlike other books where the genre is fairly specific to certain people's tastes (i.e. suspense, romance, etc.), with this book I think I can confidently say that if you like good books, you'll like this one. You could consider it medieval time period, historical fiction, Christian fiction, maybe even the tiniest subplot of romance here and there, but in the end it's just good. Completely clean and definitely no magic. The only other thing is that for more sensitive, younger readers, there is lots of action, possibly even a bit of violence as I would consider it an amazing book for all but the very youngest members of the family. Probably up in the top five books I've read this year.
This book basically took everything I love about the medieval time period, movies like Beyond the Mask or The Redemption of Henry Meyers, authors like John Flanagan or G. A. Henty, et cetera, and wove a redemptive powerful story that left me almost in tears (it's hard to make me cry, okay?).
It's hard to even describe what the character development, plot strength, prose quality, and all that was like because this story just sort of swept me along. But I will say the characters...they just grab a hold of you even without the action-packed plot. If there is anything Malachi Cyr does well, it's characters.
While I didn't half even try to guess the plot, it surprised me in so many ways (for the sake of avoiding spoilers I will say no more). When it comes to the themes in this thing, they were so powerful. Redemption, sacrifice, the way our love for God changes everything, courage, love, God's power...so many things. It wasn't preachy in any way, but it did speak the gospel right into my life the way a story is supposed to. By weaving and pulling and speaking into my heart those little bits of groundbreaking truth.
Unlike other books where the genre is fairly specific to certain people's tastes (i.e. suspense, romance, etc.), with this book I think I can confidently say that if you like good books, you'll like this one. You could consider it medieval time period, historical fiction, Christian fiction, maybe even the tiniest subplot of romance here and there, but in the end it's just good. Completely clean and definitely no magic. The only other thing is that for more sensitive, younger readers, there is lots of action, possibly even a bit of violence as I would consider it an amazing book for all but the very youngest members of the family. Probably up in the top five books I've read this year.
March 26, 2022
I think it is high time I reviewed this masterpiece and encouraging book by Malachi Cyr. Malachi, you did an INCREDIBLE job with this book and it has certainly encouraged me every time I read it (which is at least once a week!). God and His mercy and love for everyone, no matter what they’ve done, is stamped on every page in a way that readers can fully relate to.
The characters were amazing and you could click with them almost immediately. Their unique personalities were so well written and relatable. It’s hard to pick favourites, but I guess they would probably be Levi, Gabby, Sibyl, Harry, Duncan – well, I guess almost all of them were my favourites!
The story was captivating in every way, and I could not put the book down the first time I read it (I may have cancelled my whole evening and the next day until I finished it *cough*). The fight Levi and his comrades faced is very real, and it can apply indirectly to most people. Levi’s journey is very relatable and the readers will find themselves relating to some of the perils Levi and his friends faced in some way or another, and be encouraged.
Most importantly, this book reflected God’s love and forgiveness on every page. Everyone has a journey as they get to know their Saviour in their own lives, and He is working with each of us in His own special way to bring us closer to Him and purify our lives to be useful, holy vessels for Him. He loves each of us so much and wants us to be with Him forever, and went the longest, hardest way to bring us to Him. Even though Levi had such a dark past, God redeemed him and used him to bless those around him.
My biggest critique for this book would probably be that it ended. I was very, very grateful for Malachi’s thoughtfulness of putting in an epilogue – and he ended it very well! Of course, it could have continued for a long time yet (it’s very hard to say ‘Farewell’ to characters who have become like family!).
I just want to encourage Malachi to keep writing. Writing is hard, but stories like these are priceless. I will recommend this book to everyone who is old enough to manage all the violence without hesitation.
Well done, Malachi. You have succeeded in shining God’s Light through your writing.
The characters were amazing and you could click with them almost immediately. Their unique personalities were so well written and relatable. It’s hard to pick favourites, but I guess they would probably be Levi, Gabby, Sibyl, Harry, Duncan – well, I guess almost all of them were my favourites!
The story was captivating in every way, and I could not put the book down the first time I read it (I may have cancelled my whole evening and the next day until I finished it *cough*). The fight Levi and his comrades faced is very real, and it can apply indirectly to most people. Levi’s journey is very relatable and the readers will find themselves relating to some of the perils Levi and his friends faced in some way or another, and be encouraged.
Most importantly, this book reflected God’s love and forgiveness on every page. Everyone has a journey as they get to know their Saviour in their own lives, and He is working with each of us in His own special way to bring us closer to Him and purify our lives to be useful, holy vessels for Him. He loves each of us so much and wants us to be with Him forever, and went the longest, hardest way to bring us to Him. Even though Levi had such a dark past, God redeemed him and used him to bless those around him.
My biggest critique for this book would probably be that it ended. I was very, very grateful for Malachi’s thoughtfulness of putting in an epilogue – and he ended it very well! Of course, it could have continued for a long time yet (it’s very hard to say ‘Farewell’ to characters who have become like family!).
I just want to encourage Malachi to keep writing. Writing is hard, but stories like these are priceless. I will recommend this book to everyone who is old enough to manage all the violence without hesitation.
Well done, Malachi. You have succeeded in shining God’s Light through your writing.
August 30, 2021
All that comes to mind is wow...
The story telling is vivid and alive, pulling you in with every word. You feel as though you're sitting across from Levi as he recounts his story of redemption. The characters are all relatable in their own right. They lead you through a story of hardships and trials, of grace and peace, and most importantly, God's redemptive work in even the worst of us. Levi's story meant the world to me. It showed me how God uses our failures for His glory, and how I can forgive those who have wronged me.
The story telling is vivid and alive, pulling you in with every word. You feel as though you're sitting across from Levi as he recounts his story of redemption. The characters are all relatable in their own right. They lead you through a story of hardships and trials, of grace and peace, and most importantly, God's redemptive work in even the worst of us. Levi's story meant the world to me. It showed me how God uses our failures for His glory, and how I can forgive those who have wronged me.
July 4, 2022
i cant believe i haven’t reviewed this book yet!!! This being one of my all time favorite historical fiction books to date. 100% i love the immersive setting, the dynamic characters, and how deliciously thick the book is 😍😍 Truly can not recommend this book enough. The threads of forgiveness and redemption are strong and true while still feeling natural and necessary. This review is reminding me that i should definitely re-read this book soon!! 10/10 recommend!!
March 10, 2022
This book is so amazing! The story drew me in right from the very beginning, and kept me extremely interested all the way to the end. I laughed and cried along with Levi as I read through his amazing journey. The author did a great job at making the reader feel like they're actually there!
The characters were all well developed and very relatable - my favorites were Levi, Sybil, Gabby, Duncan, and Harry. I loved seeing each of the characters grow and mature as the book progressed.
I really appreciated the gospel message throughout the book, and Levi's story of redemption in Christ really encouraged me. Don't hesitate to buy and read this book- it's incredible!
The characters were all well developed and very relatable - my favorites were Levi, Sybil, Gabby, Duncan, and Harry. I loved seeing each of the characters grow and mature as the book progressed.
I really appreciated the gospel message throughout the book, and Levi's story of redemption in Christ really encouraged me. Don't hesitate to buy and read this book- it's incredible!
February 6, 2022
The Minstrel is an amazing book!! Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. It is action packed and though there were some bits that might be a bit violent for younger readers I really enjoyed the story. Malachi has done an incredible job of creating an exciting, action packed novel while weaving the Gospel message in as well. The redemption story was encouraging and it is definitely one of my favourite books.
March 4, 2024
Wow, where to start? I forgot how good the author is at ratcheting up the tension, so every time I started to think the book had climaxed much too early, of course I was wrong--there were more ways left for things to go badly that I hadn't even begun to consider. :P That tension definitely kept me going and helped me finish in pretty good time for such a long book!
There were some elements that I had a harder time with--I never felt fully connected with the characters' thoughts and feelings, which is probably more a personal style mismatch than anything, but it did make it harder for me to follow their changes and decisions. I appreciated the inclusion of the historical Lollards, although I did find it a little jarring when they started talking more like modern evangelicals. (Not that I mind modern evangelicals...I mean, I am one, but I just had a hard time believing a former priest turned Lollard preacher would just suddenly start talking like he'd taken a page from Ray Comfort. (: Also, there was some talk about how dangerous these beliefs were, but we never really saw any proof of that, and none of the characters seemed to act like there was any danger at all to just sharing these new beliefs and ideas with every random stranger they came across, and no one was ever turned in to the authorities, or arrested for heresy, or anything like that. I would have expected Levi especially to at least maybe feel out a new random acquaintance, or introduce the topic gradually, rather than just blurt out ideas that contradicted the accepted church teaching at the time to, say, random laborers he'd just met. There were also some instances where timelines bugged me a little or things didn't feel probable--usually not enough for me to say something couldn't happen, just enough to feel slightly off. But the overall message of redemption was very good, and I appreciated certain aspects of the ending much more than certain other books I could name . XD
There were some elements that I had a harder time with--I never felt fully connected with the characters' thoughts and feelings, which is probably more a personal style mismatch than anything, but it did make it harder for me to follow their changes and decisions. I appreciated the inclusion of the historical Lollards, although I did find it a little jarring when they started talking more like modern evangelicals. (Not that I mind modern evangelicals...I mean, I am one, but I just had a hard time believing a former priest turned Lollard preacher would just suddenly start talking like he'd taken a page from Ray Comfort. (: Also, there was some talk about how dangerous these beliefs were, but we never really saw any proof of that, and none of the characters seemed to act like there was any danger at all to just sharing these new beliefs and ideas with every random stranger they came across, and no one was ever turned in to the authorities, or arrested for heresy, or anything like that. I would have expected Levi especially to at least maybe feel out a new random acquaintance, or introduce the topic gradually, rather than just blurt out ideas that contradicted the accepted church teaching at the time to, say, random laborers he'd just met. There were also some instances where timelines bugged me a little or things didn't feel probable--usually not enough for me to say something couldn't happen, just enough to feel slightly off. But the overall message of redemption was very good, and I appreciated certain aspects of the ending much more than certain other books I could name . XD
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews