Kingdom’s Hope

Title: Kingdom’s Hope
Author: Chuck Black
Series: Kingdom, book 2
Major Themes: Biblical Allegory, Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy
Synopsis: Leinad must free the King’s people from slavery—but when all hope fails and the people ridicule his calling, will the King desert His people?

When reading allegories, like Kingdom’s Hope, I always look for specific things in the stories that could be applicable to my life. The little nugget of truth that Kingdom’s Hope held for me on this last reread was that even though everything seems to go haywire, God—the King—is still in control of my life and will deliver me from trouble in His perfect time. I was both strengthened and encouraged through Leinad and Tess’ stories.

The King wants Pyron Mid to fall. As Leinad prepares himself to accomplish the impossible, he knows the King is with him. Fairos, the lord of Pyron Mid, refuses to accept the message from the King—“Let my people go!” Leinad soon has to duel with the captain of Fairos’ guards—Keston, a man he had trained himself. Soon, he gains complete mastery over him, and just as Keston is swearing to raise no sword against Leinad or the King’s people, Fairos kills him. Then both Fairos and Leinad are locked into a fierce duel to the death.

“The King demands the freedom of His people,” Leinad said  . . . “Release them and no one will die.”

After fighting for quite a while, and no one gaining the mastery, Leinad challenges Fairos to another fight the next day. A fight that will determine once and for all whether or not the King’s people will stay slaves forever. Does the King genuinely care for His people? Or will Leinad’s failure today spell the end of their hope for a better life?

Kingdom’s Hope is action-packed from the very first page. I really enjoyed the challenge this gave me to trust in God no matter what. This is book two out of six in the Kingdom series, and covers from the Israelite’s escape out of Egypt through to the end of the Old Testament. I highly recommend the story to all young adults, and especially to boys who love a touch of adventure in their stories.

WARNING: Swear is used in ch. 1 and 2. Someone says “May you be cursed” in ch. 5, and someone curses in ch. 7. There are sword fights throughout the book. People are killed in ch. 1, 3, 7, 11 (a fight with several people killed in this chapter), and 12. Men’s lives are threatened in ch. 1 and 6. People die in ch. 4, people are wounded in ch. 7, and several man-eating animals are killed or wounded in ch. 9 in a dangerous fight. There is a mention of a dead man in ch. 10. Someone is badly injured in ch. 12. An unmarried couple touches in ch. 2, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 12, and spends some time alone together in ch. 2 and 6. People drink wine in ch. 6.