Howdy!

If you might have been able to tell by the title of the post, I’m a little excited about the subject matter. If you’ve been following this blog for at least the past year, then you know that I consider The Blades of Acktar series to be high on the list of favorite book series. Today I’m reviewing book 3, Defy, which comes out in a matter of days!

This is day 1 of the blog tour. Catch all the other posts HERE

Here’s a little bit about the book before the incoherent rambling begins.

The war for Acktar has begun.

With his betrayal revealed, former Blade Leith Torren flees into the Sheered Rock Hills, pursued by King Respen’s vengeful Blades.

Left behind at Nalgar Castle, Renna Faythe tries to find her purpose, yet that purpose isn’t what she expected.

Brandi Faythe has been torn from her sister, and that isn’t all right. If Leith can’t rescue Renna, Brandi will take matters into her own hands.

War demands sacrifice. Courage falters. Who will find the strength to defy King Respen?

     Acktar rests on one hope:

The Leader is ready.

---

Review

4/5 Stars

Defy picks up right after book 2 ends. Which starts us right back off on an action packed ride. It follows the format of the previous books with plenty of edge-of-your-seat moments.

The characters all go through so much in this book. Brandi faces fear and doubt for perhaps the first time in her life. Leith struggles with the consequences of book 2 and what he must do to fix them. But let’s talk about Renna for a moment. In my mind, this is her book. Her character arc had me fist pumping and I wanted to hug her. She’s not the same person she was in the previous two books. She finally finds her footing and makes a stand. And I absolutely loved it. She was definitely one of my favorite parts of this book.

There were other favorite parts. Leith and Brandi’s relationship will always be one of the best things ever. But I’m loving the friendship between Jamie and Brandi. Even the villainous King Respin had a great story line. We get to see more of him than in the previous books and I’m not sure how Tricia did it, but she got me to sympathize with him.

And Martyn. Can someone please give this guy a hug? If you’ve read the rest of the series, you know a bit of what I’m talking about, but I’m going to need a Leith/Brandi team up to help him out. 🙂

I loved this book. There were some dark moments, but there’s always hope, always the promise that God is in control. It’s a simple message and nicely woven in. Highly recommended, especially for anyone who enjoys Christian fiction, stories of faith and friendship, and some awesome male/female leads.

---

About the Author

Tricia Mingerink is a twenty-something, book-loving, horse-riding country girl. She lives in Michigan with her family and their pack of pets. When she isn’t writing, she can be found pursuing backwoods adventures across the country.

You can connect with her on Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog.

---

Haven’t read the series? Grab the first two books in the series while they’re on sale!

Dare     Deny

---

Join in the fun to celebrate Defy’s release with a Facebook party! There will be plenty of fun giveaways, including books by Jaye L. Knight, as well as Nadine Brandes and Angie Brashear. There’ll also be giveaways for the audiobooks of Dare and Deny, and, of course, paperbacks of the whole series.

To top it all off, there will be a live character chat with the characters of The Blades of Acktar. What does this mean? It means that for 1.5 hours on June 2, several of the characters will have Facebook accounts and know how to use them. They’ll be there to answer questions and chat. Have you ever wanted to ask Leith a question? This will be your chance. Want to have a chat with Brandi? You’ll be able to do that to. It’s going to be grand chaos. RSVP HERE

---

Have you read the series? If not, what interests you most about it?