Book Review: Rise of the Dibor

Summary: What if Adam and Eve never sinned? Would Satan be back?
   A perfect world untouched by evil and ignorant of death is secretly invaded by an ancient enemy that threatens to destroy their way of life forever. At first any signs of Morgui's vile presence are subtle, but slowly even Creation itself heralds the impending doom that awaits as the summers grow cold and certain of Dionia's inhabitants go missing.
   As more and more people are strangely taken, the Kings of Dionia decide take precautionary measures. Luik son of Lair is summoned to join an elite group of warriors known as the Dibor, sworn to protect their Kingdom against invading foes. But when a sinister plot to dethrone the Kings and flatten the capital city of Adriel is discovered, the Dibor are summoned along with the rest of the men of Dionia to defend her walls. It is here that Luik and his army face Morgui's Prince as well as the unending ranks of the demon war-host known as the Dairne-Reih, engaging in an epic saga to keep their world from following the same fate of one that has gone before it; earth.
   What some think will destroy them all, others believe will be the birth of a legend. Join a stunning cast of characters as they rally together in an inspiring story of courage, brotherhood, and sacrifice as Dionia becomes the epicenter for a war of historic proportions.
    With this first installment of The White Lion Chronicles, The Rise of The Dibor spans issues of friendship, love, loyalty and dives into some of the most essential questions of faith, including humanity’s struggle to resist temptation and mankind's ultimate need for a Deliverer.
   Will Adriel fall to the Dairne-Reih? Will Luik ever see find his family again? Will Morgui succeed in deceiving yet another world?
   Read the story that turned children into warriors, and warriors into heroes.


Thoughts: Well, I came in looking for an interesting cast of characters and didn't get it so I sort of dragged myself through the first two thirds of this book, but I'm glad I did.  While the characters may not have been the most fascinating, the story itself is so unique it pulls you in and begs you to understand. Hopper's descriptions of what pain might feel to someone who has never felt it, of the crushing of innocence and the blemishes of a perfect world, actually brought tears to my eyes. The cast as a whole struggles to defend and protect life as they know it and the last chapter was one of the most epic (and longest!) I have ever read. I fully intend to get my hands on the rest of this series at one point because the end of this book definitely calls for a sequel!

Content: This book is perfectly clean aside from the violence and I highly suggest making this a read aloud though some children may not be able to comprehend some of the main points due to the story being intended for an older audience.