I like the idea of the book. I feel like it is a contemporary Narnia. The first book loved, this part, i just liked. One thing that did not feel right to me was the hope of salvation that was put on Lily’s shoulders. But overall, it was a good novel

Thank you to Crossway & NetGalley for privileging this ARC of The Prince & the Blight.

While I did enjoy the first book in this Dreamkeeper’s series, this second book fell short for me. The story felt a little flat, with the strong allegory taking up much of the plot. The characters were okay, with little growth, and the world building, while brilliantly outlined in the first book, wasn’t much expounded upon.

I did very much enjoy the creation of unique characters, including the somewhat uncontrollable creations of Lily’s active imagination, and the vast array of personalities given to them.

In all, I found the book to be along the lines of just ok. I’ll likely not continue on with the series at this point.

So many people recommended this book. I think it was just above the age range of my kiddos. Christian fiction without all the garbage.

WOW. What a beautiful continuation to this Christian middle grade fantasy story. The ending has bumped this up to a 5-star read for me with a direct Christian allegorical reference to Jesus and his death on the cross, His resurrection, His ultimate love for us and He is always with us, even when you can’t see Him. Just an amazing second book in the series.

I loved this book even better than book 1. Just something about the ending in this really spoke to me and if I was reading this to my son when he is older, I could see how I could directly correlate Prince Pax and everything said about him to Jesus and His love for us.

Again, we have some major Narnia and Middle Earth vibes and I am so here for it!

In this continuation, we have 12 year old Lily McKinley’s story continuing on as they return to Somnium Realm. Cedric the dragon returns and Lily, Adam and a new friend Keisha go back to the realm after finding out a mysterious “blight” or “sickness” has taken over the Kingdom and threatens to destroy everything in its path. Lily and her friends embark on the journey to save the kingdom, find Prince Pax and all the answers to their questions.

This kept me on the edge of my seat and I can’t wait for another book in the series to come out! Such an adventure story and love the biblical themes and direct parallels. I highly recommend this!

Thank you to Crossway and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy to honestly read and review. I can’t wait to talk about this on my YouTube channel! I plan to purchase a physical copy for my home, I love this so much!

First sentence: This stuff is like ogre slobber. Lily screwed up her face at the paper-mache paste dripping from her brush and cast a doubtful glance at the mess of newsprint that slouched on the art bench before her.

The Prince and the Blight is the sequel to The Dragon and Stone. In the first book, readers met Lily McKinley, our protagonist, and were swept up and away to a fantasy world. A blend of characters--both human and fantastical--teamed up to conquer evil and 'save' the realm. At the end of the first book, the human characters returned to the 'real' world and the others were left to rebuild their world... It's been a month of our time, but several decades in the fantasy world, and the [fantasy] world needs saving once again. This time it seems even more pervasive and deadly dangerous. This evil blight is spreading and spreading fast--soon they'll be nothing left to save. But can Lily and friends (a few new characters are introduced including Keisha and Barth) save the world again????

Pax, the Prince of the land, is a unicorn. He made a few appearances in the first book--enough to be the ultimate hero--but it's been decades since he was last seen. Pax isn't completely and totally forgotten, but, he's not really foremost or first in anyone's thoughts--or hearts or minds. Lily is learning that all things are possible with Pax, but, she has to place all her faith in Pax. In other words, she has to live every moment as if Pax were in the room with her. She has to believe that Pax is still very much a present help in ALL situations no matter how dangerous.

This one is children's fantasy. If it feels super familiar--that's intentional. It is meant to have all the exact same feels as The Chronicles of Narnia and the like. It does read in some ways like fan fiction for Narnia. There's slight differences to be sure. Lions and unicorns are completely different, right?

I am not sure the same-ness is a bad thing however. Not really. If you think of the target audience and how predictability and familiarity and wanting to know what to expect exactly is just an all too real growing stage. Readers do tend to want a book "like" or "exactly like" one they've just read and loved.

For Christian parents, this fantasy novel is along the same lines as the Chronicles of Narnia series. Some spiritual truths--mainly in regards to Pax and Lily--blended into fantasy. There is magic--light and dark.

I liked the first book. I did. I was pleasantly surprised. I was disappointed with the second book. Don't get me wrong there are a few scenes that are definitely the best of the series. (A few scenes with aha significance and grand meaning.) But I couldn't help wishing that there was one book, one story that managed to have it all.

I also did NOT like the ending at all. I thought the ending was just wrong.

This is a great book! It's full of action, excitement, good vs evil and will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. It will keep you on the edge of your seat! Loved it!!
I received a complimentary copy from Crossway via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expresses are my own.

Twelve year old Lily McKinley's story continues. After rescuing her father from the Somnium Realm, Lily longs to return. So when Cedric the dragon reappears, she's anxious to go back. But Cedric carries grave news: a mysterious illness has overtaken the kingdom and is threatening to destroy everything. But what of the powerful Prince Pax? Where has he disappeared to and why is he not stepping in to save everyone? Lily has many questions and must return to Castle Iridyll to find the answers. In this sequel to The Dragon and the Stone, Kathryn Butler takes us back to her beloved characters and mixes fantasy with biblical concepts, creating an exciting middle school read.

After reading the first book in this series, I was so excited to see the author writing a sequel. Butler keeps the story engaging and exciting, for both my 10 year old and for me. We both loved it. The story is sweeping, the characters are a realistic mix of integrity and flaws, and the plot carries the reader in an epic battle of good vs evil. This series is proving to an adventurous journey through magical lands with complex characters and deeply biblical themes. We're loving these books that are reminiscent of the Green Ember series with elements of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Great read!

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.