Book Review | Protectorate Wars: Rise
I reviewed the first book in this series and gave it very high praise for its creativity and individuality. This series is my first experience with a Christian steampunk novel, so I am excited to have the opportunity to read and review it. I also got the chance to interview the author, which you can find here at The Rebel Christian. It isn’t everyday that you come across such a wonderful breath of fresh air with this new and thrilling adventure—and what a joy it is that this gem belongs to the Christian community!
Rise is the second installment in this incredible series, and it does not disappoint at all. I have to say, the book didn’t go as I’d expected but as someone who reads books for a living, it is quite difficult to surprise me so good job Mr. Shaffer!
David is still the character we loved and enjoyed from the first book, but he has grown into a man. In my review of Born Hero, I complained that David was very perfect and left little room for development but this book certainly makes up for that. Much of David’s development happens because it must—he is stuck with a handful of choices and outcomes that do not make me jealous of his predicament at all, but David always holds on to hope and finds a way to push through his circumstances. What I liked about this book is that it somewhat emphasizes that blessings can be found in dark situations.
I think there are a lot of hidden messages in this book and not all of them will be found by each reader—I myself tend to look too deeply into things so I may be reaching with this, haha. But one thing I will say is certainly worth noting is the romance in this book. It is so refreshing to find a sweet love story that doesn’t overtake the series but also finds its place in your heart.
Watching the development unfold between David and Mercy is both entertaining and thrilling but what I really wanted to point out was how clean it was. Clean romance or Christian romance sometimes comes with a little bit of a bad reputation for being too bland, childish, or boring—I, on the other hand, find raunchy romance or love stories with explicit details to be page-skippers, so I don’t mind the cleanliness of Christian relationships, in fact I welcome and appreciate them.
Rise sticks true to the humor, adventure, and imaginative world-building I remember from the first book. I liked seeing this steampunk creation come to life through the unique cast, but I do wish there had been a little more description for the characters. There were many different shades of hair color—red, copper, blonde, and brown, but not much variety, or mention, of skin color. I know some authors purposely leave descriptions of skin tone or race as vague as possible on purpose; this allows readers to more closely imagine themselves or whatever race they want, but as a woman of color, I’m always searching for characters that actually look like me—not like what I want them to look like because fill-in-the-blank is the trend now.
Please don’t think I’m saying there weren’t any minority characters in this book at all. The truth is, I can’t really say whether there were many diverse characters or not because character descriptions didn’t go into those sorts of details very often. There were some allusions to skin tone and culture and heritage but few concrete descriptions. Again, this is a common style of writing in fiction today but I personally dislike vagueness in detail, especially when it comes to race because, in a time where we have finally recognized the total lack of diversity in literature, vague allusions seem more like a copout than a legitimate style of writing. But, again, that isn’t to say Rise is totally void of any tan, brown, or dark-skinned people whatsoever, just that there aren’t many specific details.
All in all, I liked the narration and the storytelling in this book. It seemed a little detached but also intimate at the same time. The lies, secrets, and revelations were interesting, but I think my favorite part will always be following David as he discovers his own strengths and weaknesses in his journeys and adventures. I look forward to a third installation and certainly recommend this to readers of all ages, though it will be most appreciated by Christian audiences and fans of fantasy/steampunk books.
*The Rebel Christian received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*