Book Review: Strayborn: Draev Guardians Book I
This is an interesting book! Let me get this plug out of the way and say that The Rebel Christian is always on the lookout for amazing Christian fiction, so I was very pleased to add this wonderful piece to my collection!
When I was first approached for a review I felt a little leery because this book was a bit long but it turned out to be such an adventure! What I liked most about this story was that it was most certainly a fantasy novel in every sense of the word. I loved the concept behind the magic and the “second” earth. Having all the magical and mythological creatures you’ve heard of packed together in one incredible superhuman planet makes for one mind-blowing setting. Rawls does a wonderful job at painting a background for her unique characters; I think the descriptive language was probably one of the strongest points in this book.
The protagonist, Cyrus, is such a lovely girl. She’s someone who is easy to like and incredibly easy to cheer for as she draws you in and shows you every bright and beautiful, and dark and menacing part of the world Rawls has created. It was incredibly cool that the tables were turned in this book; we were given a main character who was a mythological creature being mistreated by humans rather than magical beings ousting a mortal. I loved that little twist—especially in a Christian book. It was neat to see a girl with supernatural powers and abilities praying to Jesus Christ for strength.
Speaking of praying … the inclusion of faith was done so cleverly! Earlier I praised this book because of all the fantasy elements it pieced together throughout the story, but there was also an incredible story of faith and self-discovery woven into the pages. Cyrus is a young girl but she is also someone I was able to learn from and someone who inspired me to lay down my worries and trust God more! She’s so brave!
One of my favorite parts of the story happened in the very beginning when Cyrus finds herself in a sticky situation where she ends up running off. Her companion apologizes for making her leave but her response is that it was simply time to go. As Believers, how many of us have felt God nudging us in another direction but we ignored all the flags? I was so impressed by Cyrus and her willingness to trust Jesus and follow Him wherever He called her. When the time came, she didn’t hesitate to shake the dust off her feet and go.
If there is one thing I learned from this book, its that we were all made for greater things.
There’s so much that I liked about this fantasy but if I had to pick a complaint, it would be the writing. The beginning of the story was a little faster paced than I would have liked. It didn’t seem as fleshed out as it could have been and I felt I really didn’t get to spend much time with the characters. Because of this, I felt detached from Cyrus’s family which was disappointing because they played such a vital role in the beginning of the story.
The editing was not bad at all, but I wish character development had gone a little deeper. Altogether, the book was well written, but the beginning was a little difficult to get through. I got the feeling that the story was written at a middle grade fiction level, instead of YA—then again, that might have been because of Cyrus’s age.
Despite my complaints, I enjoyed this fantasy and would certainly recommend it to middle grade and YA readers. Anyone who likes magic, adventure, and imaginative world building will love this but I think it will be most appreciated by Christian readers with a love of fantasy and faith.
*The Rebel Christian received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*