Elysearyn's Book Journey

"Perhaps prayers weren't answered in showy flashes, in bright signs. Perhaps they were answered in people, in pockets of warmth in cold places."

It is a rare gift to read about characters so raw, so real, that you feel like you could pass them on the street. For the authenticity of a character to be so vivid that watching them rise and fall feels deeply personal. That is Cyrus and Bastian, the heroes of Fates Defiant. Two men who have seen some of the darkest things the world has to offer, and yet refuse to give in. Who break, but continue to believe there's hope. Who hold each other up when they can't stand on their own. Who defy the odds.

I knew very little about this book before picking it up after a year of it sitting on my TBR. I'd seen the rave reviews, had cheered when it won a Realm Award, and was expecting great things. All of my expectations were surpassed by a million.

It has been a while since a book made me FEEL so deeply. I've never felt more self-conscious reading in public, and I can't remember the last time a book took me out of a reading slump only to drop me right back into one after turning the last page.

This book gets heavy. Battles of all kinds are fought, and not all of them are won. But behind the darkness that chases our heroes, there is always a beacon of light. Of hope. And the reminder that sometimes, when the world is at its worst, someone will come alongside you. Someone who gives you a reason to hope that there is future beyond your present circumstances, and promises to fight by your side through the darkness until you see find the light, and are able to grab hold of it.

This is the type of story we need more of. A story of brotherhood. Of faith. And of bravery.

If you've been waiting to pick up this book, don't. Just don't. You can thank me later.