5 stars This book What can I say except that it was phenomenal I devoured this entire series and this final installment in the tripling did not disappoint It was full of courage romance and on the edge of your seat nail biting action It was sad to see this series come to end but I m so glad I got to experience it all Thank you to the author for letting me read this in advance and letting me be a part of this world I received an advance reader copy ARC of this book for an honest review All comments and opinions are my own The Ancient Heir Narrow Gate 3 I cannot even begin to describe how much this book pulled at my heartstrings. If you read one series this year let it be this one The dynamic between Emilia and Felix was chefs kiss their love adoration and desire was such a deep and pure emotion that had me tearing up The allegory of this story and its description on the on going persecution of Christians was so wonderfully written The emotion Emilia had toward trusting God but having a very real fear while doing it is such a testimony in itself I laughed I cried and I can t speak highly of a series than this one Note no spice some kissing no language mild non descriptive gore and fightingThank you to the author for allowing me a ARC for review All thought and opinions are my own The Ancient Heir Narrow Gate 3 Can I just say that the dedication alone speaks to me To the girl who has walked through the fire and discovered the beauty in the ashes. I literally have the verse as my email signature Know what else I literally had in the reading of this book Chills Tears Several times for each The one thing I had an issue with is the wedding ceremony that they decided was just between them and God I didn t read the first two books though I had no problem knowing what was going on so maybe that s how wedding ceremonies were there But that did give me pause The Ancient Heir Narrow Gate 3 I marked some sentences and quotes as spoilers but they are in my opinion very minor ones I just finished this book and WOW It even surpassed my expectations based on book 1 and 2 which I already loved so much and would have both given far than 5 stars if I could. We all know that feeling of a book we are totally emerged and invested in only to give us a heartbreaking ending So with all the dreams nightmares Emilia has and all the doom hanging over our heroes heads I had a lot of mixed feelings about finishing the last book dreading an ending that would leave me empty But I can 100% say I loved the ending it didn t leave me devastated even though the book sure made me cry. After Emilia fled Aurora in book 1 she left Borealis too at the end of book two the kingdom where she grew up where she lost her mother and where she was supposed to become queen. In my review for book 2 I wrote that one of the last situations didn t seem completely authentic to me and I stand by that because I m pretty sure at least a levelheaded commander like Felix and a cynical mistrusting rebel like Alara wouldn t have fallen for Cyrus s peace offer even if Emilia and Ronan sure wanted to believe it s true But I get that plot wise this horrible massacre had to take place for all four or five because they took Antioch with them to leave for Solitarius where they know Cyrus will go next and where they hope to find the Gate of Life. There is so much going on on this trip to Solitarius Whereas the most part of book 1 and 2 takes place in one location Aurora Borealis there are a lot of different settings and surroundings in this book with changing characters for nearly every new place New dangers new friends new enemies new interpretations for the prophecies surrounding the Ancient Heir the Princess that was Promised and the ultimate sacrifice kept me on edge and Emilia and her companions don t even have a second to rest before they are thrown into the next situation But gladly there is time to FINALLY explore the romance between Felix and Emilia and it s SO GOOD Their declarations of love were everything and that says a lot coming from me because I hate cheesy love declarations and am far from being a romantic even though I devour well written romance Oh boy these two Their connection their dynamic their attraction and devotion to each other After we waited 2 and about a half books of back and forth we can finally see them as a couple I love you I give him the words I ve withheld for both our sakes But there s no reason to hold them any longer Finally he lifts his head and his eyes glisten with what must be unshed tears though I have a hard time reconciling that with the stoic soldier in front of me I I didn t realize he says slowly but I think I ve been waiting my whole life to hear you say that He huffs a laugh I would not dare disobey my queen I am not your queen You ve ruled over my heart from the moment you recognized me at that ball From that day forward you were my queen I promise to love you with all that strength and much In every mundane task and every adventure In every argument and in every moment of joy I choose you I vow before God to honor and cherish you in every moment through His strength and not my own To love you as wildly and recklessly as I always have but with a commitment that is solid and lasting I guess I have gushed over Felix quite a lot in my previous reviews and also described Emilia s complicated character and her spiritual growth so I rather want to say a bit about other side characters. Like I said in my review for book 1 I hate love triangles and I actually had hoped this topic would have been resolved after book 1 but it resurfaces in book 2 and I hated how Ronan was somehow the consolation prize and I wasn t too happy about how Emilia handled the situation But the author managed to write a really good narrative for Ronan Growing a lot when he finally opens his eyes and sees his father for the monster he is I loved Ronan in this book I always liked him empathized with him But he evolved so much in book 3 and I loved that the author didn t leave him behind but instead explored his redemption arc and his strong friendship with Felix They had such a strong bond and after it was cold and strained after the events of the previous books I enjoyed seeing them as brothers again always having each other s back understanding each other in a way like no one else really could. Alara was a really great addition to the characters in the last book and she remained the one who made me laugh the most with her sarcastic and snappy responses I would love to read about her obviously troubled past and her complex character She also added to the story by being the only one on Emilia s side who told her very harshly what she thought and Emilia definitely needed it sometimes. Of course I have to mention Hannah again and how much I want to read her story I was sad that Emilia left her behind in Borealis but she is not a fighter like Emilia and Alara She is despite all the hardships in her past a gentle soul loving caring kind and even surpassing Felix in her patience. The faith messages stay strong as ever and Emilia has some struggles with her faith not seeing the path she expected but ultimately always remaining loyal to her God But our God does not He became the sacrifice according to our scriptures He conquered death and bridged the chasm between us and His holiness It is because of that sacrifice that we can freely pray to Him I have to ground myself in something and prayer and God are apparently a useless option Oh God forgive me for the times I doubted for the times I questioned You Keep my eyes on You instead of the waves Your plan is all that matters There are also so many Bible stories woven into the story so many lessons learned for the believers in this book that we read about in our Scriptures And like when we read about Israel there is always a lesson to apply to our own life as believers This is not just history not just a story And it didn t feel forced or anything It s definitely a whole new story Maybe it s sort of comparable with similarities between the lives of different people from the Bible They all have their own story but we see patterns and foreshadows I loved every detail I recognized from stories I read about so many times and they reminded me of the lessons that God wants me to learn Felix does give me that but that s because he also believes in God We would not be capable of loving each other the way we do without being shown such an example And we do it imperfectly but God does not And I know He is what I have come here for Nothing else matters Not Felix not Ronan not Cyrus s army Nothing matters but this flame this fire and this voice I could add so many quotes because it feels like I marked half the book but I think you should just read the book I m sad to say goodbye to the characters but I seriously ended the book feeling somehow light and happy and I am thrilled to have learned Amory has planned at least two companion novels Yay Seriously can t wait for them This trilogy is definitely my favorite read of the year so far 1000% recommend it Thank you to the author for letting me read an advanced copy of this book I leave this review voluntarily and the expressed opinions are my own The Ancient Heir Narrow Gate 3 The 3rd book in this incredible series it was the perfect bow on this beautiful story and the journey of these characters I ve grown to love I loved the new bonds and relationships that formed and grew as well as old ones that became stronger The character development was wonderful The snippits of scripture and truth of God throughout were beautiful and well placed and often great reminders for me right when I needed them Amory s writing is absolutely lovely and I was sad to say goodbye to Felix Emilia Ronan and Alara The Ancient Heir Narrow Gate 3
| The Ancient Heir (Narrow Gate, #3) By Amory Cannon |
| English |
| 450 |
| Kindle Edition |
Unbelievably Awesome I love how the ending builds up to such incredible faith and honor to God and to each other This book and truly increased my faith and for our King of Kings I recommend this series to EVERYONE God Bless you richly Miss Amory Continue with of this The Ancient Heir Narrow Gate 3 This is a beautiful love story not just for the romantic arc but also for Emilia s growing love for God and love for herself It s a story of loss and hurt and hope It s the story I ve been waiting for through this series It is a rollercoaster of emotions It is truly a telling of rejoice with those who rejoice weep with those who weep. I ll be honest I wasn t hooked from the beginning Some of the subplots in the book seem like incomplete ideas because there s so many of them It was hard to get a clear picture of the central story There was a turning point though where the Gate became the clear center and the book thrived from there It was a great wrap up to the story Relationships were completed characters were developed and there was a clear endpoint to the plot Overall I enjoyed this book the most out of the three The Ancient Heir Narrow Gate 3 Amory Cannon is an author of Young Adult and Romantic Suspense novels Her favorite things include autumn anything pumpkin spice Harry Potter proud Ravenclaw and Sherlock Holmes She published her first book under the name Amryn Cross while working as a forensic scientist Her non writing time is filled with running crafting and snuggling her two dogs Luna and Argo She currently resides in Tennessee, This book really had everything danger mysteries adventure battle friendship romance faith: A forgotten kingdom and bloodline stands in her way and Felix holds the key to unlocking it But opening this door will divide the loyalties of those she came to save..