About the book: It was a relationship designed to unite not two young people in love, but two powerful kingdoms. And for Princess Karlinah, eldest daughter of King Lamoni, her marriage to the haughty heir to the throne of Jersusalem has led to a life of fear and abuse. There seems to be no escape—until her husband is murdered and Karlinah is unexpectedly free to return to her father’s kingdom. She can begin again—but no one can ever know of the part she played in the prince’s demise . . . Karlinah’s relief is short-lived, for upon her return to the land of Ishmael, she is once again swept into her father’s plans for a politically powerful marriage. Then the arrival of a young missionary in her father’s court changes everything: her family is converted to a new religion, and Karlinah is free to choose her path. Yet she is not so easily convinced by the words of Ammon—especially when repentance means confessing her crime. But as her faith grows and a young stone artisan captures her heart, Karlinah realizes that she must face the consequences of her past in order to move forward with her future.
My review: I had just a bit of a hard time getting into the story line of this book. It starts out with the death of Karlinah's husband. You know that she has a secret about what has happened to him, but it takes quite a while in the book to actually learn what happened to him.
Karlinah doesn't want to stay with the family of her dead husband, but asks instead to be sent home to her family in the land of Ishmael. This is when the book starts to show it's Book of Mormon influence. It's in the home of her father in the land of Ishmael where Ammon, one of the sons of King Mosiah, comes to be a servant and eventually an amazing missionary to the Lamanites.
I really liked the way that the author showed things through Karlinah's eyes, as well as the eyes of her father, mother and Ammon as well. Karlinah is the main character, but this book shifts through several characters to really give a complete picture of all that is happening throughout the book.
I liked the way there is conflict shown between Karlinah's views and the views of Ammon and all of the people who converted because of him. Her family believes him easily, but Karlinah needs her own desire to gain a witness and she needs her own witness to believe and follow him.
I thought that this book was a bit slow in the beginning, but by the end, I was enjoying the story and didn't want to put it down until I was able to finish. I thought that the characters were well-written and interesting. The plot is well-written and the ending is exciting. Make sure to get your own copy!
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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Labels: Covenant Communications, LDS Historical Fiction, Renae Weight Mackley
About the book: It was a relationship designed to unite not two young people in love, but two powerful kingdoms. And for Princess Karlinah, eldest daughter of King Lamoni, her marriage to the haughty heir to the throne of Jersusalem has led to a life of fear and abuse. There seems to be no escape—until her husband is murdered and Karlinah is unexpectedly free to return to her father’s kingdom. She can begin again—but no one can ever know of the part she played in the prince’s demise . . . Karlinah’s relief is short-lived, for upon her return to the land of Ishmael, she is once again swept into her father’s plans for a politically powerful marriage. Then the arrival of a young missionary in her father’s court changes everything: her family is converted to a new religion, and Karlinah is free to choose her path. Yet she is not so easily convinced by the words of Ammon—especially when repentance means confessing her crime. But as her faith grows and a young stone artisan captures her heart, Karlinah realizes that she must face the consequences of her past in order to move forward with her future.