Book Review: Sir Rowan

3:00 AM




From the back cover.
A knight left for dead. A country on the verge of ruin. And an evil lord rising to conquer.
Sir Rowan is the most decorated tournament knight in Cameria, but when he is attacked and left for dead, his world collapses. Betrayed and lingering at death’s door, only a bizarre vision of his Prince and the help of a woman dedicated to the King keeps him alive. As Rowan heals, he finds new purpose in life through service to his King.
But his beloved land of Cameria has fallen victim to the tyranny of the Dark Knight.
Rowan’s countrymen need his help taking their cities back from the enemy, but all is not as it appears. The mysterious Sir Lijah insists Rowan’s purpose lies elsewhere—far away from Cameria, in an ancient city and for an ancient cause.
Rowan’s destiny is greater than he ever imagined. The final battle with the Dark Knight approaches, and he must choose where he will fight. Will he discover his true identity and purpose as a Knight of the Prince, or will the Dark Knight claim victory for eternity?

I have to confess, I was disappointed in this book.  I have loved all of Chuck Black’s books; I am a huge fan, but this one just was hard to get into.  It spans too many years for a book this small without enough connecting it.  It was okay for a one-time read, but, unlike his other books, I can’t see myself rereading this one.

What I liked about it.
It did show well that pride can ruin you, but God can take the broken pieces of your life and make something amazing out if it.  Mr. Black does have a wonderful ability to teach lessons through his books.

As always, I loved the adventure!  Chuck Black has filled a great need in YA fiction in my mind; fiction that is message driven, adventure filled, without too much romance.  These may be ‘boys books’, but I love his style.

What I didn’t like.
This story was too broken up.  I felt like the phrase “a few weeks/months/years later” was used, far too many times.  Okay, those exact words weren’t used but the meaning was there.  If the time frame had been condensed, this would have made a much better novel.

In previous books, he has killed off a lover or wife or hurt them to the point of almost dying.  I don’t know why, but when it happened in this book I rolled my eyes.  Is he running out of ideas and reusing old ones?  Using that tactic in two or three books was enough, making it a regular thing is getting old.


If you liked his other books, this is a good one time read, but I would put it low on your list.

You Might Also Like

1 comments

  1. I'll have to remember that when I look into purchasing those books. I love all Chuck Black books (at least, the ones I've read--all of the kingdom series plus a couple others). Great book review!

    ReplyDelete