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Truth from Taerna #3
Surrender's Strength
Her only ambition is keeping her old familiar identity.
But she isn’t given that choice.
Ever since her mother’s death, all Laelara wants is to keep doing what she’s good at: managing the household. She definitely isn’t interested in higher education. When she’s sent to the city to further her schooling, Laelara finds herself caught up in a case of mistaken identity that seems like the perfect opportunity to avoid the despised Academy. Amid the whirlwind of new friends, new jobs, and the glitzy social life of the Palace District—particularly the trivia contests—her double life becomes more and more precarious. For the first time in her twenty years, everything spirals out of her careful control: her family’s security, her job, her friendships, and her very identity. With her lifelong purpose and identity stripped away, to what will Laelara surrender, and where will she find the strength to persevere?
But she isn’t given that choice.
Ever since her mother’s death, all Laelara wants is to keep doing what she’s good at: managing the household. She definitely isn’t interested in higher education. When she’s sent to the city to further her schooling, Laelara finds herself caught up in a case of mistaken identity that seems like the perfect opportunity to avoid the despised Academy. Amid the whirlwind of new friends, new jobs, and the glitzy social life of the Palace District—particularly the trivia contests—her double life becomes more and more precarious. For the first time in her twenty years, everything spirals out of her careful control: her family’s security, her job, her friendships, and her very identity. With her lifelong purpose and identity stripped away, to what will Laelara surrender, and where will she find the strength to persevere?
- GenresFantasy
Kindle Edition
Published July 19, 2021
2 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 5, 2024
5+ stars & 8/10 hearts. Wow. God has been arranging these books to come out exactly when I needed them. This book was so, so good. I related so much to Laelara. The whole struggle with laziness/spending time in entertainment instead of working or studying is me. Her struggles with identity and control are me. Her journey to surrender was so convicting. And the final thoughts on marriage were so good. Besides Laelara, I really liked a certain man . The old characters returned and were nice; the new characters were okay, except Rafael—I abhorred that creature. The plot was fascinating and I could hardly put the book down until a certain point 53% in where I was too anxious/nervous to continue but was told everything would be okay… so I started reading again and it was. ;P As always, the spiritual lessons were on point. The story was clean, but I admit there were a couple times where, if I didn’t know and trust this author very well, I’d have been afraid of something bad happening. There’s also the whole issue of Laelara travelling with a man alone. Overall, I’d say 16+ for this one.
A Favourite Quote: “Never for one moment had she imagined such a rich life—but this wasn’t her life, not a bit of it. It was Adon Olam’s. Through complete surrender in spite of herself, she’d truly found her strength in Him. And in Him, she’d discovered an identity more real, more true, and more blissful than she’d ever dreamed.”
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.*
A Favourite Quote: “Never for one moment had she imagined such a rich life—but this wasn’t her life, not a bit of it. It was Adon Olam’s. Through complete surrender in spite of herself, she’d truly found her strength in Him. And in Him, she’d discovered an identity more real, more true, and more blissful than she’d ever dreamed.”
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.*
July 19, 2021
The last half of this book - I can't wait until you read it. So much here that has been a blessing to me as the author. <3
It’s now available! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093B9K3XX
It’s now available! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093B9K3XX
May 24, 2021
I beta read this. Looking forward to reading the finished version as it's a great continuation of the series!
September 26, 2021
My Summary:
Laelara Ellith loves her family and life back home, but Father says she must get an education. She loves trivia, but could care less about school and books. When she gets sent to Academy, she gets picked up and mistaken for another Ms. Ellith, who was coming for an important position in the palace. She decides to go along with the mistake, and becomes this other woman. But when her habits and friends put her position in jeopardy, what is she to do? What if her friends are not all they seem? And what to do when her family finds her?
Main Characters: Laelara, her family, Ellrick, and Dontae.
Setting: The world of Taerna
Order: I read it as a standalone. But some of the other family get POVs in other books, and I'm looking forward to read them when I can.
Content: This is very clean. I'm happy with that. There is one section where Lae travels alone with a man, but it is clear that they travel as friends, and she knows she shouldn't have gone.
My thoughts: I loved seeing Lae's journey. She starts out by controlling everything, but eventually surrenders everything to the God figure in this world. It rings so true, and I learned a lot from her lessons. This dove deep into lessons of God's sovereignty, ownership, will, and purpose in suffering. I was hooked by her double life at the beginning, and then seeing her life after that. Erika did a good job with Dontae, I was definitely surprised but it did make sense. I loved her interactions with your family. And I loved Ellrick, and I'm so glad that she got to spend time learning from him. I love the ending, it was unexpected but good. :)
Quotes to come!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.*
Laelara Ellith loves her family and life back home, but Father says she must get an education. She loves trivia, but could care less about school and books. When she gets sent to Academy, she gets picked up and mistaken for another Ms. Ellith, who was coming for an important position in the palace. She decides to go along with the mistake, and becomes this other woman. But when her habits and friends put her position in jeopardy, what is she to do? What if her friends are not all they seem? And what to do when her family finds her?
Main Characters: Laelara, her family, Ellrick, and Dontae.
Setting: The world of Taerna
Order: I read it as a standalone. But some of the other family get POVs in other books, and I'm looking forward to read them when I can.
Content: This is very clean. I'm happy with that. There is one section where Lae travels alone with a man, but it is clear that they travel as friends, and she knows she shouldn't have gone.
My thoughts: I loved seeing Lae's journey. She starts out by controlling everything, but eventually surrenders everything to the God figure in this world. It rings so true, and I learned a lot from her lessons. This dove deep into lessons of God's sovereignty, ownership, will, and purpose in suffering. I was hooked by her double life at the beginning, and then seeing her life after that. Erika did a good job with Dontae, I was definitely surprised but it did make sense. I loved her interactions with your family. And I loved Ellrick, and I'm so glad that she got to spend time learning from him. I love the ending, it was unexpected but good. :)
Quotes to come!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.*
February 2, 2022
4.5 stars
The first half of the book was a little slow for me, but the last half…wow! Originally, I had a hard time sympathizing with Laelara, but as things progressed, she really grew on me. :) Also Laelara’s struggles with identity and surrender were so relatable as they are things I have struggled with myself. (Plus, bossy, in charge, big sister vibes…oops, *smirks*) Such a beautiful message and yet so hard to live out!
As always, Ellrick was wonderful! It was great to learn more of his story. <3
Dontae…oooh, I never saw THAT coming. Without, getting into spoilers, I really, REALLY don’t like this guy.
Another great family-friendly story!
The first half of the book was a little slow for me, but the last half…wow! Originally, I had a hard time sympathizing with Laelara, but as things progressed, she really grew on me. :) Also Laelara’s struggles with identity and surrender were so relatable as they are things I have struggled with myself. (Plus, bossy, in charge, big sister vibes…oops, *smirks*) Such a beautiful message and yet so hard to live out!
As always, Ellrick was wonderful! It was great to learn more of his story. <3
Dontae…oooh, I never saw THAT coming. Without, getting into spoilers, I really, REALLY don’t like this guy.
Another great family-friendly story!
May 29, 2023
4.5 stars
Surrender’s Strength was another excellent Truth From Taerna novel. I didn’t quite like it as much as Victory’s Voice, but that was probably because I liked Ellisia better than Laelara.
Laelara was a realistic character with a well-written character arc. Some of her decisions irked me, but not all protagonists can or should be exactly like Rhys Whitnell. The side characters were good as well. As I had read several reviews before starting this book, I knew enough to be suspicious of a certain character, so I wasn’t shocked by his depravity. I loved getting to see the Ellith family at home together, and Ellrick was another amazing character.
The theme of surrendering to and trusting in the Lord was wonderful as well. I loved getting to hear Ellrick’s life story and the lessons it portrayed.
However, there was a part at the end that irked me. That spiel was probably longer than it needed to be, but I simply had to get it out.
Surrender’s Strength was another excellent Truth From Taerna novel. I didn’t quite like it as much as Victory’s Voice, but that was probably because I liked Ellisia better than Laelara.
Laelara was a realistic character with a well-written character arc. Some of her decisions irked me, but not all protagonists can or should be exactly like Rhys Whitnell. The side characters were good as well. As I had read several reviews before starting this book, I knew enough to be suspicious of a certain character, so I wasn’t shocked by his depravity. I loved getting to see the Ellith family at home together, and Ellrick was another amazing character.
The theme of surrendering to and trusting in the Lord was wonderful as well. I loved getting to hear Ellrick’s life story and the lessons it portrayed.
However, there was a part at the end that irked me. That spiel was probably longer than it needed to be, but I simply had to get it out.
April 13, 2024
a slow but thought provoking read
It took me about 50% to really get into the book, but I do think it was worth it. It’s slow and steady and quite deep. While not a book I would reread frequently, I do think it is worth a reread in the future. Definitely will be mulling over this one for days to come!
It took me about 50% to really get into the book, but I do think it was worth it. It’s slow and steady and quite deep. While not a book I would reread frequently, I do think it is worth a reread in the future. Definitely will be mulling over this one for days to come!
August 24, 2022
I read it in one sitting ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews