Book Review: Rose of Admirias by Charis Joy Jackson

by Jeanette O'Hagan

The Book

The Rose of Admirias is a full-sized novel retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in a fascinating and fresh fantasy world.  It is currently available as part of the limited release boxed set On the Horizon (available on Amazon, Kobo, ITunes and other retailers).

Averie Rose has lived the life of a peasant, so when she discovers she’s actually the lost princess of a mythical kingdom - Admirias - she must choose between running from a man who seeks to kill her, or run towards him and claim her rightful throne. 

The Author

Charis Joy Jackson works as a missionary with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) a non-profit organization & is part of The Initiative Production Company as both scriptwriter and actor. She loves creating stories, with stories published in three anthologies - Glimpses of Light, Tall People and other collected stories, and Like a Woman. Her first novel, The Rose Of Admirias, was released this May in a limited release box set called On The Horizon - 22 authors, 22 novels. 

www.charisjoyjackson.com

My Thoughts

When Averie's father doesn't return from a sea-trip, she finds herself in deadly danger from those she trusts. Meanwhile, in his beleaguered kingdom, Brun bewails the curse that has given him a beastly form until such time he fulfils the promise he betrayed. Averie and Brun are destined to meet and must choose whether to acknowledge their faults and fight for what is right and the future of a shattered kingdom.

I was entranced by The Rose of Admirias, which is told as a three braided tale, with hidden secrets and past tragedies weighing heavily on the present and the possibilities for the future. I love the characters --- Averie, as she discovers her secret past, her father Dumont with his dour strength, Brun angry and bitter, Boice wise and faithful in service, and mysterious Ilyria. I also loved the settings, from Averie's simple village life by the sea, Brun's brooding and strange fairy-tale kingdom, to the wonder of Admirias floating on the Ocean. The threads of the story are skilfully woven together with several layers all working together to produce an enthralling tale of secrets, betrayals, broken promises, despair and forgiveness.

This is a wonderful story for lovers of fantasy and fairy-tale retellings with deep Christian allegory.

The Book Bundle On the Horizon contains a range of 22 science-fiction and fantasy novels and, while many are definitely not Christian Fiction, I think it was worth buying (for a couple of dollars) just for Charis Joy Jackson's wonderful debut novel The Rose of Admirias. And I'm looking forward to reading others in the bundle like Aiki Flinthardt's 80AD (since reading her Aurealis Awards finalist science fiction short story A Little Faith in Like a Woman anthology), and I have already enjoyed Connor Sassmannshausen's hard-hitting dystopian thriller, From the Ashes, Judith Rook's fascinating Planet Woman and my own Akrad's Children.)

Jeanette recently published a collection of fantasy and sci-fi Nardvan stories, Ruhanna's Flight and other stories. She started spinning tales in the world of Nardva at the age of eight or nine. She enjoys writing secondary world fiction, poetry, blogging and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, time and cultures. They involve a mixture of courtly intrigue, adventure, romance and/or shapeshifters and magic users. She has published numerous short stories, poems, two novellas and her debut novel, Akrad's Children. Find her on Facebook or at her webpages Jeanette O'Hagan Writes or Jenny's Thread.