Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue

Title: Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue
Author: Chuck Black
Genre: Christian YA Fantasy
Page Count: 163
Why I read it: blog tour for publisher
Grade: B

Synopsis:
Determined, smart and a master of both the sword and the bow, Lady Carliss has proven herself as a veteran Knight of the Prince. Returning from a mission of aid, Carliss is plunged into adventure once again as she searches for the marauders responsible for kidnapping a friends’ family. Along the way she is reunited with Sir Dalton and discovers that the struggle in her heart is far from over. When Dalton falls to the vicious attack of a mysterious, poisonous creature, Carliss finds herself in a race against time. As Dalton clings perilously to life, she must find the antidote in the distant and strange city of Moorue.

While there, Carliss uncovers the master plot of a powerful Shadow Warrior that will soon overtake the entire Kingdom. Her faith in the Prince and her courage as a knight are tested as she faces evil Shadow Warriors and a swamp full of dreadful creatures. The lives of many, including Dalton’s, depend on Carliss. But she cannot save them all, for time is running out.  She faces an impossible choice: save Dalton, or let him die so that others may live.


My review:
I really enjoyed this book.  It was quite short, and that is probably the biggest fault I can find in it.  I would have liked to see the story expanded more, and more details given about what's going on.  But, for such a small book there was a lot of stuff going on, and it was action packed.

This is the fourth book in the Knights of Arrethtrae, but I didn't feel lost having not read the first three.  The book stands on it's own, but I think it would have been a fuller experience if I had read the previous books, and I will probably go back and read them at some point.

Lady Carliss is a likable character, but she is almost too perfect.  Sometimes it's difficult to relate to her, because she seems to do nothing wrong.  I do like books with strong female leads, and she was definitely strong.  The supporting characters aren't very fleshed out, but that's to be expected from a book of this size.  I think if I were to read all of the four books in the series so far it would equal a regular size fantasy novel.

I would recommend this to fans of Christian fantasy, especially if you're looking for a really quick read.  It's a Christian allegory, and it's one of those that isn't very subtle, so if you're not a fan of that, you may want to skip this one.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.  To find out more information about this book, click here.