Name: Resistance
ISBN: 9780983774044

Jaye L. Knight

When a cunning emperor threatens the lives of any who refuse to worship his false gods, a half-blood haunted by his bloodstained past and a young woman who remembers everything must overcome their own fears and struggles as they become part of the resistance.

Resistance

Mary Horton

EXCUSE ME WHILE I GO AND SCREAM FOR 1,369 YEARS.

This book was pretty darn awesome. 


  Lovely Things:


- The characters. Um, let's talk about these fantastic peeps for a second. They. Are. Epic. All of them are extremely fleshed-out and realistic; even "minor" characters jump off the page. (Reading this book can be dangerous...you have been warned. :P)

Jace: He's the one basically everybody and their pet hamster fangirls over. I have to say, I don't exactly love him, but I can see why people do. His fears and struggles make me want to just HUG HIM FOREVER and keep him safe. He's just so freaking protective of everyone, too, and it's the sweetest thing. I really, really liked him. Not a favorite but he grew on me a lot over the course of the book.

Kyrin: She's the other main character and I mostly like her? To be honest...she's a little bland, in my opinion. I admire her strength and faith, but I didn't really connect with her a ton. I don't know...I liked her, but again, not my favorite.

Kaden: If pressed to choose, I would say Kaden is my favorite. Because HELLO, adorably protective brother alert! HE IS EVERYTHING I WANT IN A FRIEND. Like pleaseeeee can I have him?? 

Liam: He's so precious and I just want to put him in a safe hobbit hole with blankets and books. <3 I will be VERY disappointed if Liam doesn't play a bigger role in the series - I NEEDS HIM, PRECIOUS.
 
Trask: YESSSSSSS. I loved him so much! I just want him and Lady Anne to be OFFICIAL. PLEASE AND THANK YOU. I love his sarcasm (#yes) and his easygoing nature. I feel like he would be a fun person to get to know.

Trev: I NEED MORE OF THIS GUY. He was so quiet, yet confident and strong. I loved what little I saw of him...and again, will be bitterly disappointed if he doesn't show up more. ;)

Others: I also really liked Rayad and Lady Anne, and I want to know more about Daniel. He was mentioned somewhat, but I feel like he could be a pretty pivotal character in the series. Maybe?? I'm just really curious about him. 

- The themes. There were very strong faith elements that really hit close to home for me. They just felt so right and natural. I don't know how to explain it.

- The setting. I felt like this was rather underdeveloped in this book, but it's a six-book series so there's obviously room for growth. Honestly, it felt more like a historical, Old-Testament setting at times, with a few mentions of dragons to keep it "fantasy." Not sure if that's what the author was going for but y'know. xD

- The writing style. Just have to say: the writing is very solid in this book. The descriptions were never over-the-top or lacking, the perfect balance. The writing seemed to flow really well overall.


  Not So Lovely Things:


- The plot. Okay, so let's talk about something here: this ENTIRE book is basically about people getting imprisoned and miraculously escaping execution. THAT'S IT. And while I was invested enough in the characters to keep reading, I felt that there should have been a more-engaging plotline...preferably with fewer people being imprisoned. :P Not to mention the fact that all the escapes felt pretty convenient. I was happy that the characters survived, obviously, but if the Emperor's security is so good, WHY THE HECK DID EVERYONE GET OUT?? So yeah, I had some issues with the plot, but I'm hoping the rest of the series gets a more solid plotline with fewer convenient plot devices. (It looks like the next book involves a quest so that should hopefully be more interesting.)

- The length. This book was almost like one big "introduction" to the real plot of the series. I get that it's necessary to establish things in the first book. I do. But 500+ pages?? It felt like it could have been cut down to about 350 pages (maybe cut out some of those imprisonments/escapes? xD) and still been great. Anyway, not a major issue; just something that bothered me a little.

CONTENT: the only concern I would mention is the violence. It gets pretty intense sometimes during torture scenes, and it may be too much for sensitive readers. I was fine with it for the most part...but some of the torture made me cringe. Probably okay for anyone 13 or 14+, in my opinion. 

Overall, I DID really like this! The characters were phenomenal, the faith themes poignant, and the writing top-notch. I'm looking forward to reading the next book! (And crossing my fingers that my favorite characters have a bigger role in the rest of the series. ;))

4 stars!

Resistance

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