The Rising King by Shea Berkley. (Keepers of Life #3) Entangled Teen, April 2014.
Dylan Kennedy’s life has more excitement than he ever wanted. Son of the King of Teag, a magical realm, but raised as a human on earth, he finds himself in a battle to protect earth from invading creatures when Teag’s magical defenses begin to fail. Meanwhile, a darkness is threatening Teag itself, an evil his father can’t seem to fight off. Add in a girlfriend who is battling to control the dark magic within herself while fighting alongside Dylan, and you’ve got more complications than anyone should have to face. Luckily Dylan has lots of support. And his girlfriend, Kera, has his back.
When I requested an advanced copy of this title from Netgalley, I didn’t realize it was Book #3. It’s a testament to the skill of Shea Berkley that I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Rising King and had no trouble following the story even though there are no long-winded summaries of the previous books. I could tell that there was back story that I was missing, and that probably would have enhanced by enjoyment of this book. But I didn’t need it.
In The Keepers of Life series, Berkley has created a new mythology and a magical world that has some intriguingly original qualities. There were a few awkward references that had me shaking my head. But I don’t have access to a final copy to compare. It’s possible they have been edited. Even if not, they did also bring a smile to my face. While, on the surface, this is Dylan’s story, Kera is an equally strong character with as much of a voice as Dylan. They are both strong and take care of each other. Both struggle with wanting to protect the other, but accept the need for them to take risks under the circumstances. Kera doesn’t need Dylan to rescue her, but they both need and receive the help and support of their friends.
All in all, a solid fantasy adventure that drew me in. Now I need to get my hands on books 1 and 2 so I can enjoy the rest of this intriguing story. 4 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for access to a free review copy of this book.
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