Title: Palace of the Twelve Pillars
Author: Christina Weigland
Published: 2013
Publisher: Muse it up
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this for review purposes.

Rating:

The Summary:
The Peace Summit was in shambles, the prince kidnapped.

When the rival king realizes he kidnapped the wrong prince, hostilities escalate. Loyalties to each other and country are tested for the twin princes of Crato, Joachim and Brandan.

Joachim, captive of King Waldrom, faces deception and betrayal as he struggles to find his way home. Brandan, at home with a father focused on rescuing Joachim, wrestles with his own demons as he searches for his place in the world and the favor of his father.

Torn from the safety and peace of their childhood, they are thrust into a world where bonds of family, brotherhood and roles as heirs to Crato are tested. Through war, spiritual journeys, death and marriage, will they choose the path of good or evil? Who can be trusted, as the world they know slips into a whirlpool of chaos.

Palace of the Twelve Pillars is the first in a Christian Fantasy trilogy by Christina Weigand. The story is complex and entertaining with heavy a heavy allegorical lean. There’s a story within a story here, presenting the battle between good and evil in a new way–on a fantastical world with twin brothers playing out the roles they’re handed. It’s an interesting read, the first in this genre that I’ve read. It blends fantasy and Christian teachings through story telling and characters. Character’s motives and roles are made clear from the start, save for one who is introduced later on.

It is the first book in a series, therefore it sets up for the stories that come after it. I would have liked a little more world building, but I’m very much a visual person, so the more the world is revealed through setting and prose the happier I am. The plot is multi-layered and full of twists to keep the reader guessing.

Overall: for my first introduction to this genre, I think it served it’s purpose.