Book Review: The Victor by Marlayne Giron

Summary: 
A benevolent King; ...his sword of power; ...a ruthless traitor bent on revenge; ...and the faithful son who stands in his way with the woman destined to share his throne. Who shall emerge as the victor in this epic struggle between good and evil to govern the lives of hapless men?

In the rich tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis,
The Victor is an action packed adventure novel of love, friendship, betrayal and sacrifice set in medieval times. Females will love the romance of rescued love while males will devour the scenes of jousting, knights and battles. Using ancient literature as the template, The Victor teaches lessons of enduring love, loyalty and reward in an exciting drama laced with unforgettable characters.
 
**Win a copy of The Victor!  Click here to enter*** 


Review: 
You know what I just don't understand?

How excellent Christian historical fiction like The Victor can exist, as good as it is, and not get more attention?  I'm thinking about certain New York Times bestsellers that aren't nearly as good, and the unfairness of it makes me mad.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre, with Christian fiction close behind, so this book was a perfect fit for me.  I have to admit that I started it and put it down for about a month (I know, I'm very embarrassed about that, but hey, I was sick) but when I picked it back up I finished the entire book in two sittings. 

The Victor is an allegorical novel.  The book starts with a knight and his followers leading an uprising against the king and being cast out of the kingdom, much like Lucifer being cast out of heaven.  But, the evil knight Lucius is determined to rule the kingdom and does not let his banishment stop his plans for total control.  I'm going to stop here with my plot point summary so I don't give anything away. 

Giron writes with an attention to detail that made the story compelling and emotional.  The romance was so pure and tender---I loved it!  You will feel the emotions the characters feel: hope, despair, love, betrayal, hate, sacrifice...all of it, due to the way this book is written.

I would recommend this book to anyone, but fans of both historical and Christian fiction will especially love it.

Just One Gripe: 
It took me a while to get used to the feel of this book.  The book is set in medieval times, and adjusting to the language patterns took some time.  About 60 pages in, everything clicked and I could not put the book down.

The Best Thing About This Book: 
The sweet romance was perfect, but I think my favorite thing was the allegory and the depiction of the relationships between God, Jesus, and the church.

Appropriate for a younger audience: 
There is some violence.  Parents should read it first and then decide.

Score: 
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Setting/Imagery: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Ending: 5/5
Total Score:  24/25

***Win a copy of The Victor!  Click here to enter.***














*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an impartial review.

8 comments:

  1. Wow, thank you for sharing this review! I'm now adding this to my booklist. I'm a Christian, and I absolutely love Historical Fiction! I can't wait to read this now! :)

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  2. I'm a devout, Orthodox Roman Catholic, and I absolutely love Christian and Historical fiction...it truly is a shame that gems like this are often overlooked. Thank you for bringing this book to my attention! Great review :)

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  3. Not my cup of tea but the cover sure is pretty!

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  4. Hi, just following you from the blog hope.
    These books are not always my thing but after your review I will see if I can get the preview for it on Kindle.

    If you have time pop by my blog, it's not as fully developed with reviews yet, but I am getting there!

    Chazz
    http://chazzhart.blogspot.com

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  5. I've written about the same thing before! ie: the lack of attention for novels with Christian themes. I had some interesting responses from people about whether or not a Christian message or theme would affect whether or not they read the book. The Victor sounds awesome!

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  6. 24 out of 25! Clearly a winner and will note this one down too. I'll let my girlfriend know since she reads a lot of Christian novel and this one seems definitely something she's love.

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  7. Some help on the best seller list: I found out not too long ago that the New York Times best seller list is based not on sales to final buyer, but on books sent by the distributor to bookstores. Many of those books are never sold, depending on the author.

    If for any reason the publisher does not send out copies to bookstores in great numbers, there is no way a book can get on the best seller list.

    Thank you for your review and please visit my blog and leave a comment. Thanks!

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  8. This sounds fantastic. I would love a chance to win it.

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