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Son of the Shield
A kingdom at war. A diplomat desperate for peace. A defector who holds both in his hands.
Diplomat Orienne Verasi has spent the last five years trying to help her homeland of Farindel end the war with its neighbor, Cytharoc, so she can finally have a life of peace. But when negotiations go badly, she despairs of the war ending. A chance encounter with her childhood friend Sorek restores her hope for a new life...or it might pull her even deeper into the war and force her to choose between everything she wants, and everything she believes.
Sorek Ronarres only wanted a cause to fight for and a country to serve. Leaving Farindel to join Cytharoc was simply a quest for the purposeful life his homeland denied him. But his failed plan to end the war brands him a traitor and costs him the woman he loves, leaving him caught between a life of deadly conspiracy and court intrigue, and a kingdom where everyone wants him dead.
Farindel's greatest natural defense has been breached, their enemies driven by a terrifying magical madness. As the kingdom braces for siege, the loyal and the traitorous have one last chance to choose sides...though either choice could cost them everything.
Diplomat Orienne Verasi has spent the last five years trying to help her homeland of Farindel end the war with its neighbor, Cytharoc, so she can finally have a life of peace. But when negotiations go badly, she despairs of the war ending. A chance encounter with her childhood friend Sorek restores her hope for a new life...or it might pull her even deeper into the war and force her to choose between everything she wants, and everything she believes.
Sorek Ronarres only wanted a cause to fight for and a country to serve. Leaving Farindel to join Cytharoc was simply a quest for the purposeful life his homeland denied him. But his failed plan to end the war brands him a traitor and costs him the woman he loves, leaving him caught between a life of deadly conspiracy and court intrigue, and a kingdom where everyone wants him dead.
Farindel's greatest natural defense has been breached, their enemies driven by a terrifying magical madness. As the kingdom braces for siege, the loyal and the traitorous have one last chance to choose sides...though either choice could cost them everything.
- GenresFantasy
340 pages, Paperback
Published March 30, 2022
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 1, 2022
I am very picky when it comes to fantasy that isn't Tolkien or Lewis. So much of it is cheesy or shallow. But not only did I thoroughly enjoy Son of the Shield, I loved it.
A few things could have been better (really minor things, like I think Orienne's eyes could have been worked in more subtly, especially early on and one line of theological disagreement), but overall there is nothing to critique. The plot twists are fantastic, the characters intriguing, and I never expected to find such a beautiful doctrine of God in a fantasy novel.
Do yourself a favor and go read it!
(And yes, I devoured it in 2 days. This is why I don't read more fiction!)
A few things could have been better (really minor things, like I think Orienne's eyes could have been worked in more subtly, especially early on and one line of theological disagreement), but overall there is nothing to critique. The plot twists are fantastic, the characters intriguing, and I never expected to find such a beautiful doctrine of God in a fantasy novel.
Do yourself a favor and go read it!
(And yes, I devoured it in 2 days. This is why I don't read more fiction!)
March 7, 2023
Despite some issues, I enjoyed this story.
What I liked:
I loved how the story explored the themes of faith, and trusting the Divine, even when we don't understand why It does what it does or asks what It asks.
The two main characters Orienne and Sorek are both well written and constructed.
The world building is strong, especially the economy.
The violence / gore level was perfect. It let you appreciate what was going on without being gratuitous.
The plot twists were well executed. I didn't see them coming, but once they did, I kicked myself because I really should have seen them coming.
What I didn't like:
That said, one twist/surprise in the final act didn't feel like it was setup well enough.
I loved Orienne but I felt like she got lost sometimes and could have used a greater focus and emphasis.
I know epic fantasy is known for its large cast, but this one could have used some pruning. It was often difficult early on to keep all the names straight.
The prologue robbed the story of some of its tension since it was set after the story. The Epilogue didn't add much. Both could have probably been removed with little impact.
The book had a much stronger romance focus than I anticipated. It really should be marketed as a Fantasy Romance. The final battle felt far too short. I think this is because the author was far more interested in the romance than the battle.
The pace was a bit slower than I prefer.
Overall, I would recommend picking this up if you're a fan of Fantasy Romance.
What I liked:
I loved how the story explored the themes of faith, and trusting the Divine, even when we don't understand why It does what it does or asks what It asks.
The two main characters Orienne and Sorek are both well written and constructed.
The world building is strong, especially the economy.
The violence / gore level was perfect. It let you appreciate what was going on without being gratuitous.
The plot twists were well executed. I didn't see them coming, but once they did, I kicked myself because I really should have seen them coming.
What I didn't like:
That said, one twist/surprise in the final act didn't feel like it was setup well enough.
I loved Orienne but I felt like she got lost sometimes and could have used a greater focus and emphasis.
I know epic fantasy is known for its large cast, but this one could have used some pruning. It was often difficult early on to keep all the names straight.
The prologue robbed the story of some of its tension since it was set after the story. The Epilogue didn't add much. Both could have probably been removed with little impact.
The book had a much stronger romance focus than I anticipated. It really should be marketed as a Fantasy Romance. The final battle felt far too short. I think this is because the author was far more interested in the romance than the battle.
The pace was a bit slower than I prefer.
Overall, I would recommend picking this up if you're a fan of Fantasy Romance.
October 17, 2022
This story wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it.
It’s a relatively self-contained story, introducing fascinating worldbuilding, characters, and concepts wonderfully. The main focus is on a war between two countries, with glimpses of the world outside the war, and some tantalizing bits of worldbuilding that I’m still dying to know the answers to. (What’s going on with Orienne’s eyes? Who actually are Velkenar and his sister?) There’s a lot going on in this relatively short fantasy story—at times I found myself thinking it could be expanded into a longer series, but it also worked within the bounds of a single book.
And it did what some Christian fantasy struggles to do—it set up a mythology that, while very much influenced by Christianity, works very well on its own outside of the allegorical influences. In fact, I almost found myself wishing I wasn’t aware of the allegory, because the mythology of the Shield and the Avelin and the city of Farin worked so well within the structure of the story that knowing the outside influences almost distracted from it.
And though there wasn’t any gratuitous graphic-ness, the story didn’t shy away from the horror of war and all the feelings that come with it. Also, Ivan broke my heart.
(But I will admit one thing—I still kind of ship Orienne and Velkenar.)
It’s a relatively self-contained story, introducing fascinating worldbuilding, characters, and concepts wonderfully. The main focus is on a war between two countries, with glimpses of the world outside the war, and some tantalizing bits of worldbuilding that I’m still dying to know the answers to. (What’s going on with Orienne’s eyes? Who actually are Velkenar and his sister?) There’s a lot going on in this relatively short fantasy story—at times I found myself thinking it could be expanded into a longer series, but it also worked within the bounds of a single book.
And it did what some Christian fantasy struggles to do—it set up a mythology that, while very much influenced by Christianity, works very well on its own outside of the allegorical influences. In fact, I almost found myself wishing I wasn’t aware of the allegory, because the mythology of the Shield and the Avelin and the city of Farin worked so well within the structure of the story that knowing the outside influences almost distracted from it.
And though there wasn’t any gratuitous graphic-ness, the story didn’t shy away from the horror of war and all the feelings that come with it. Also, Ivan broke my heart.
(But I will admit one thing—I still kind of ship Orienne and Velkenar.)
March 28, 2022
Son of the shield is the first book in the Ransom trilogy and follows the journey of Orienne Seritan, a translator and diplomat for the kingdom of Farindel. With her kingdom on the brink of war with Cytharoc, Orienne longs only for peace.
I personally enjoyed getting to know Orienne. Her choices and desires were relatable and she felt like a person I could be friends with in real life. The author has a good grasp of writing a realistic woman. Orienne is a wonderful balance of realistic emotions, while still possessing a quiet inner strength. Her male characters were not lacking either. A diverse casting of strong males leave much room for growth and direction in the next two books.
As far as plot was concerned, I truly enjoyed the elements brought to the table. I enjoy reading fantasy books, but often the plots can leave much to be desired. Typically this is because the resolution is “too easy” or you can see the answer from a mile away. Within this book, every character is used to great effect to bring about a promising resolution.
I personally enjoyed getting to know Orienne. Her choices and desires were relatable and she felt like a person I could be friends with in real life. The author has a good grasp of writing a realistic woman. Orienne is a wonderful balance of realistic emotions, while still possessing a quiet inner strength. Her male characters were not lacking either. A diverse casting of strong males leave much room for growth and direction in the next two books.
As far as plot was concerned, I truly enjoyed the elements brought to the table. I enjoy reading fantasy books, but often the plots can leave much to be desired. Typically this is because the resolution is “too easy” or you can see the answer from a mile away. Within this book, every character is used to great effect to bring about a promising resolution.
February 11, 2024
Christian fantasy with great pacing, twists, characters, and several moral parallels to life situations, most of which are described in such a way as to invoke empathetic emotion as I have never experienced.
I can’t wait for book 2!
I can’t wait for book 2!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2024
I was intrigued by this book when I heard there were wyverns. But then I found it also had betrayal, second chances, crush to romance, good vs. evil, and a very special Shield - all the best ingredients for a very good read! I can hardly wait for the sequel!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews