The Worth of a Blog Tour: Book Review

Hey'a, everyone! As promised, I'm here with the blog tour for one of my most anticipated books of the summer: The Worth of a King by Kendra E. Ardnek! I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am that this book is releasing, or how much I love it — well, scratch that; I actually can, and I will in a moment when I review the book. But first, a little about Worth and Kendra.

About Worth of a King

Princess Obsidia’s father was killed the night she was born. Since there was no male heir, the crown went to the man who killed him, by Dialcian law. This never bothered her, growing up, and when it comes time for Obsidia to choose her husband, she chooses Prince Delaney, the son of that man, with little hesitation. Only then does her life start crumbling around her.
Adrian expected to live a normal life, taking his father’s place at the print shop when his father retired. But, on his eighteenth birthday, when the princess’ engagement is announced, his world is ripped out from under him when he learns that his life was a ruse, and he is the twin brother to the princess – and expected to take back his father’s throne.
Delaney knows that his country is hovering on the brink of war – and that his father may harbor murderous intentions towards his intended bride due to her Zovordian blood. He wants nothing more than to protect Obsidia and his people, but as merely prince, he has little power against his father.
The ancient war between the Dragons and the Immortal King and Queen is nearing its climax, and the three are already caught in it.
Read the first chapter here.
Find it on: Amazon || Goodreads

About Kendra E. Ardnek

Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairytales and twisting them in new and exciting ways. She's been or acting them on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years. "Finish your story, Kendra," is frequently heard at family gatherings. Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children's tales that glorify God and His Word.

Find her online at: Website || Blog || Goodreads || Facebook || Twitter || Amazon

The Worth of a King Review

THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK, Y'ALL. If you haven't read, or at least bought, The Worth of a King, you need to change that right this minute. Go ahead. You can pick it up on Kindle here. If you really want to the paperback . . . well, you'll have to wait a little for that, but still.

Ok. I should probably try to be serious, 'cause this book is seriously amazing. I didn't really think Kendra would top Lady Dragon, Tela Du anytime soon — eventually, sure, but not with the very next full-length novel she releases. And, ok, to be fair, I'm not sure if Worth absolutely tops LDTD . . . but it comes pretty storming close, let me tell you.

So. What makes this book so awesome? For starters, the characters are wonderful. We've got pre-scale Amber and Granite, who I was definitely most excited for — and they don't disappoint, trust me. It's so nice to see them both happy and working as a team, especially Granite. And, I mean, they're still in love after 2,000-ish years and it's adorable. I love them inordinately much. And Laura's there too, which is fun, though also a little sad — I think this is one of the books where you really see the toll that being the Doorkeeper takes on Laura, and it makes your heart hurt for her. Plus she occasionally drops references to things that happen in the Rizkaland Legends or the time between, which range from squeal-over Easter eggs to storm you, Kendra, why'd you have to remind me of that, that was not ok.

Oh. Speaking of things that aren't ok: that epilogue. I mean, I appreciate the symmetry and artistry and all that, but it makes me sad. You'll understand why when you read the book. Trust me.

Anyway! Back to the characters! Besides old friends, we have new ones, and the best of those is Delaney. Delaney is a wonderful human being. He's not without flaws, but he's still an astonishingly good person. The poor boy has as much stacked against him as Obsidia or Adrian, perhaps even more in some ways, but he still manages to persevere and remain strong and even encourage the others. And he has every opportunity to become a villain or a betrayer, but he doesn't. And he and Obsidia are wonderful together — they balance each other splendidly, and they're just so sweet and lovely.

That's not to say that the characters who aren't Delaney aren't excellent, though. Obsidia and Adrian are both interesting in their own way, and their character development is magnificent. Nadilynn, I didn't expect to like as much as she did. She has hidden depths, that girl. Again, excellent character development. Ossian was a compelling villain — not evil for evil's sake, and quite intelligent in how he goes about his villainy— and I approved of how Kendra ended his story. Actually, I really liked the ending in general. Not saying much because spoilers, but Kendra didn't take the obvious solutions.

The worldbuilding is also excellent. The world itself is another interesting concept: a place where the world is on the inside of a sphere instead of the outside. The different cultures in the world were interesting, though only two were really expanded much. And I quite liked all the different little details Kendra used to flesh out those two cultures. (Super random and small example that I really liked for some reason: she doesn't use the standard names for seasons, months, and so on.) I will admit that certain things seem kind of crazy, but then again, certain things about real-world political systems also sometimes seem kind of crazy.

Plot-wise, the story flows well. It's not a fast-paced or action-packed read by any means, but it doesn't need to be. Between character development and actual plot events, there was plenty of tension to keep me interested and turning the pages. And, as I said before, I think the ending is excellent.

The book does have a couple flaws. Action scenes aren't Kendra's strong point, and it shows. (That said, I can see improvement between this and her previous books.) Wording is occasionally a little odd as well, mostly when characters speak in a way that's more modern than I expect. Still, these are small issues, and I'm more than willing to overlook them.

So, yes. The Worth of a King is an excellent book, and you all need to read it immediately. Or, at least, very soon. Trust me, you won't regret it.

I hope you enjoyed that and that you're excited to read Worth! Don't forget to check out the rest of today's tour stops and comment on them for a chance to win a special prize! Kendra is also hosting a giveaway for a paperback edition of Worth on her blog, so make sure you take a look at that as well! And check this space again on Friday for a special interview with one of my favorite characters!
Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)

Tour Stop: Wednesday, August 29

Knitted By God’s Plan: A Young Amber and Granite
Reviews:
Dreams and Dragons
Keturah’s Korner
Interviews:
Laterose Doll Clothes and Doll Repair – Kendra E. Ardnek
H.S.J. Williams – Kendra E. Ardnek
Light and Shadows – Amber

Or find the full tour schedule here.