Liberator

“A Starlighter will rise from the dead who will be able to destroy the schemes of all the wicked. The sacrifice presented to her will cause her to suffer more than both of us combined, and if she chooses that path, she will gain nothing for herself, only pain.”

“It will never happen. You prophecy impossibilities to appease my anger. No human would acquiesce.”

“Perhaps you are right. In any case, we will soon learn if a Starlighter will pass the test.”

Book: Liberator (Dragons of Starlight) by Bryan Davis, Zondervan Publishers, 2012

 

Genre: Fantasy

Target Audience: Boys and Girls 14 and up

Subjects: Faith and Doubt, Sacrifice, Love, Loss

Summary: The climax has come. The disease is spreading to all the humans and the dragons are killing those infected in hopes of preventing its spread to the last of those not infected yet. Cassabrie and Koren, the Starlights, know it is time for them to make choices about who to trust and what actions to take. Both girls know of Alaph’s prophecy and since both have risen from the dead, they know a sacrifice is required of them, but what does that sacrifice look like? What will it truly take to save the slaves?

Notes: As with the others in this series, it’s a very confusing plot line to wrestle through. It’s hard to keep track of who everyone is and what all is happening. But also as with the others, there is an honest wrestling with truth. Koren and Cassabrie have very different ideas of what this sacrifice might look like. Both are willing to suffer, but when possible opportunities are presented to them they find it hard to know what to trust. All of the good guys in the story are truly good guys, longing for what’s right, longing to serve the Creator, longing to heal the hurt. But what that means is very difficult to figure out. It means questioning, doubting, checking and double checking their hearts, their motives, even whether or not they’re even in control of their own thoughts or perhaps could have fallen under enchantment. It’s easy to relate to the characters as they struggle to not let doubt gain the upper hand. This is the fourth in the Dragons of Starlight series – I highly recommend not reading this until you have read the first three and perhaps the first in the Master’s and Slayers series as well – the companion series focused on the same situation, but from a different character’s point of view.

Recommendation Scale: 5/5

James 1:2-6 – Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Thank you to Zondervan for providing me with a free review copy of this book.