Review - The Epic of Marindel: Redemption (SPOILERS)

You and me, here and now, together as One.

I’m not a fantasy reader. And the author of this book is my big brother. So, take my words with a grain of salt.

Critique: Again, fantasy is not typically my genre of choice. Especially fantasy of this caliber. Pronunciation guides, maps, a wildly diverse cast of characters, sprawling realms, and incredibly detailed descriptions of scenes, places, and characters. I, admittedly, struggle with reading this type of literature. I can often feel bogged down by the details and get frustrated when I feel it difficult to recall characters’ names, personalities, motives, and plot points both big and small due to the density of the story. But again, I would say this is more of a me problem than that of Nathan. His writing can feel excruciatingly detailed, but I would argue this both hinders and helps readers like me. The writing forces me to slow down and process the action scenes, descriptions, and dialogue. It frustrates me, but also reveals one major important truth: Nathan’s writing is excellent, because it demands your attention.

Now, the praise.

Let me begin by sharing that my ‘claim to fame’ is a tattoo that I got done a few years ago. It is a scourge. However, instead of the whips ending in spikes or knives, the whips are decorated with flowers. I got this design stuck in my mind during 2020 as I was feverishly working away on writing my own ‘book.’ I had devoured Nathan’s first book, Chosen, in 2019 following its publication, and the story only grew more rooted in my mind and heart as I processed the 614-page blue behemoth. Scourge, the silver-haired Izendoran ray of sunshine, captured my heart the instant my eyes traced the sentence “I was born during a thunderstorm.” For reasons I will not detail here for fear of derailing this review, Scourge’s story deeply resonated with me. Hence, I conjured up my tattoo design. To me, it is a symbol of redemption. And here I am, typing a review for the burnt-orange and azure-blue brick entitled Redemption.

Was it worth the wait?

As I have been dreadfully busy these last three years getting my teaching career off of the ground, I sadly did not have much time to help Nathan alpha or beta read. I was only able to digest the intricate backstories of Khai and Yoko. And let me say…those left me hungry for more. 

Reading those stories once again couched in the parts of the story I didn't even have a hint or spoiler of was exhilarating. 

Redemption has easily made me fall even more in love with Nathan’s writing style, characters, and overall imagination. Again, as previously mentioned, I am not typically the girl to pick up a thicc fantasy book. I never read the Eragon series, never broached The Chronicles of Narnia (my cardinal sin, sorry Nathan), and have said over and over I will read Sarah J. Maas’ infamous series, but alas, I have yet to develop a desire for fantasy literature. But now that I once again have been stretched and challenged as a reader, I feel more inclined to finally give these all a shot. Especially The Chronicles of Narnia. I promise.

SPOILERS AHEAD. AND WARNING. Vulnerability ahead.

PART I: Beginning of the Journey

The book opens with tidings of doom and destruction. The sky is falling, the realm is ending as we know it. Jaedis is working in the background to bring Tyrizah to its end. With that prophetic apocalypse now framing the remaining 532 pages, we catch up with our familiar beloved band of besties practicing combat skills. They are called to adventure following the Oracle’s warning, and Connor wrestles deeply with his own fears and doubts regarding the quest ahead of him and his friends. Meanwhile, Meiling is plotting her own place in the fight against Jaedis’ deadly plans by throwing off the search for Tarento and getting affairs in order to bring a nuke (cannon) to Jaedis’ front door. I don’t want to focus too much on Miss Fire Witch in this review, as her parts of the story were good, but did not captivate me as much as the main gang’s plotline.

Thus, our heroes adventure out on a perfectly idyllic morning. So perfect that it is mentioned that “according to Paladin legend, when adventurers depart from Cloud Summit and see the lake as they cross the bridge, it’s a sign of good luck.”

And man, you better believe their luck runs out quick.

Our heroes are thrust into the thick of battle as their caravan is attacked by undead Champions and massive scorpions. Amidst the din of the fight, we are able to connect and empathize with each individual character’s inner struggles, feelings, and thoughts. I truly love Nathan’s point of views - each character is incredibly distinct in their manners of thought, speech, habit, and personality type. I personally love reading Scourge and Tarento the most. Sadly, Scourge did not get much POV action in this installment, but Nathan has assured me that many much more Scourge content is on the horizon. Thus, I shall not ding him for this insolence.

Along the way building up to Khai’s backstory, I also fell more in love with how Nathan writes the voice of the Great King. Again, not to derail this review, but I myself have been a believer since July 2010. I was born and raised in a Christian home, and my father was even a pastor. To be brief, I have endured many deep traumas in my life, my deepest scar centering around the dead relationship with my father. I will be honest when I say I have struggled and wrestled hard with my faith due to this particular thorn in my side. But God has been so incredibly patient with me, as He is longstanding and faithful to His children. I teared up at several points reading how the Great King spoke to and revealed His love for each character, especially Khai and Celine. Additionally, Tarento remains at the top of my favorite characters because of his reverence for the Great King and desire to seek and do His will. I will shamelessly admit that I want to be like Tarento when I grow up. Hey, I think I have my next tattoo idea. But seriously, to end my thoughts on this section, Nathan has successfully created the only non-cringy rendition of a key aspect of Christian fiction: depictions of God speaking to His people and their response to Him. The interactions between the Great King and the characters actually pricked my heart in the sense I felt convicted. Which leads me to my next major review point.

PART 2: The ‘Gorls’

Another one of my personal deep traumas centers around women. That sounds so direct. What I specifically mean is that I have been betrayed and backstabbed by many of my female ‘friends’ throughout my life. It has caused me to develop an instant and unhealthy distrust of any woman who comes into my circle. I know this has caused me to develop a frosty attitude and demeanor as a means to ‘protect’ myself, which reminded me so much of Celine and Melody. I saw so much of myself in them (especially Celine’s thoughts towards Melody on page 331). I often found my heart and mind screaming at them: Stop acting like you are! People will hate you for it! You don’t want it or even mean it! You’re not actually cold. You have so much love and light to give, if you could just lower your guard and open your heart to trust those around you…

It was honestly like looking in a mirror.

Celine’s character, to me, is a golden example of Nathan’s mastery in crafting characters and being able to write from their perspective. I find his female characters to not be chafing in the sense of being overly or annoyingly girly or feminine or just eye candy. They have the room to breathe and be loud, assertive, wild, brave, fierce, intelligent, and beautiful.

Yoko is the youngest girl in the group, but man, despite her sometimes slightly grating personality and antics, she has a heart of gold. Her backstory reveals her true intention of showing care and love to all she meets, making her the perfect team medic. Nathan writes her well enough that even the other characters can acknowledge she needs to bring it down a notch from time to time, which I find endearing when it comes to Khai reining her in. She’s brave in the sort of cocky, little kid way that is cute, but is also a whole other kind of boldness that makes her an unstoppable force.

Whitney has also captured my heart. I saw much of myself in her as well, and man, c’mon, if you don’t ship Whitrento, then what are you even doing? Also, Queen Ambra is a literal queen. Even her brief introduction had me on the edge of my seat and totally entranced by her presence and personality.

Melody was beautifully done in this story. One of the absolute highlights of this book was when Eli and Melody 'reunite’ following the defeat of the water ent.

They don’t see him. But she does!

Oh, the absolute joy that alighted in my heart when I read those seven words. 

AND CAN WE TALK about the Melody and Scourge interactions? I was immediately glued to those pages. And I will again be fully honest and I full-on cried when I read what Scourge said to Melody: “Why do you keep trying to hide, when I’ve already found you?” I have this quote highlighted with little hearts all around it. When I read that, I felt God tug on my own heart.

You know, I think this story means so much to me because it has been written by a purehearted man of God. A man I know to be gentle, yet fierce. Kind, yet firm. Peaceful, yet never fully at rest.

I guess, if I had to rectify my earlier statement about Tarento’s example, then I would say that I want to be like Nathan when I grow up. 

A creation is a reflection of its creator. And Nathan’s goodness, faithfulness, zeal for life, and passionate love for God are very much reflected in his writing.

Part 3: Nathan Reflected

Khai. Connor. Tarento. Scourge. Jake. Mr. Franco Fortissimo.

I gave it up for the girls, but can we get some applause for the guys!? Nathan has truly crafted some of the most believable and lovable and ‘manly’ men, both young and old, novice and wise.

There’s this glow that hums in my chest whenever I read from the perspective of these characters. It’s like a feeling of protection. When these guys are on the page, you just know good things are going to happen. Safety will be enforced. Wisdom will be given. Love will be shown. These characters are true men after the Great King’s own heart. They are flawed, but that makes them even more real, believable, and relatable.

“Do not embark on this mission to satisfy an emotional void within your soul. Embark on this mission to put an end to the darkness that steals, enslaves, and destroys. Embark on this mission to save those who cannot save themselves.”

Khai’s conversations with the Great King rival Tarento’s. Khai’s distrust of people, like Melody’s, is a reason why I deeply bonded with his character. Watching him wrestle and even fight back against the Great King’s guidance, once again, mirrored my own experience as of late. Another golden moment that stood out to me is when Khai is riding back to help Yoko and the magical creatures in Yoko’s backstory. The Great King instructs Khai that Yoko and the others need his help, and his response is: “There are too many mages out there. I can’t defeat them all.”

The Great King’s response?

“That isn’t what I asked you to do. Trust me, and I will show you.”

I have that quote highlighted and the page number, 412, circled. Because that moment in the book was a God moment for me in real life. 

Once again, in order to not derail this review, I have been facing an incredibly tough and terrifying decision in recent months. In wrestling with this decision and begging God for guidance, it has occurred to me that I have not been doing a very good job of listening for God’s voice, nor following His direction. I am so hung up and heartbroken over things that He did not ask me to do. I have been trying to figure it out myself, take too much of the responsibility and burden of this choice on myself. Meanwhile, God is there, waiting patiently, as I struggle under the weight of a task He did not ask me to do. He is ready and willing to receive my burden and anxiety, but out of doubt and fear, I clutch it. And it crushes me.

Khai’s journey throughout his story is awe-inspiring. Especially Nathan’s ‘twist’ of his wife being alive and now remarried to their mutual friend…with their own daughter they had together. This makes the sting of Qara’s loss resurface, but again, there is a theme of redemption. In reuniting with his wife and friend and meeting their daughter, Kahi stands with his own ‘new’ daughter, Yoko, who he adopted following their encounter and battle against the Crimson Fellowship. This was just an incredibly written scene and sequence. It parallels my admiration for Nathan’s twist of Melody being not only the mysterious rider in the Golden Sun Grand Prix alongside Khai, but his detail drop of her being tolerant to poison becoming relevant at the very end of the book. Well played.

Part 4: Loose Ends

I am not here to summarize or even touch on every single plot point that I loved or enjoyed. That would be insanely long to fully write.

But, I will proceed to drop some of my other ‘golden lines.’

• The entirety of page 179-180

• Celine’s ‘trust’ rant to Melody (pg. 201)

• “It was Prince Eli’s pardon, not Oliver’s, that cleared me of my past and released me to embrace the hope of new life.”

• “And the Great King is pleased by our commitment, not our performance,” Tarento adds. “You’re right. He won’t disown me, or any of us, for making mistakes. Just like he still won’t disown Melody even though she’s made…how many mistakes?” → THIS ONE HITS HARD.

• The conversation about pain between Connor and Melody (pg. 275)

• “But the Great King can help us heal through it, if we let him. One day, he will redeem all things. He will turn all darkness into light.” 

• “I was no longer a stranger to the cruelty of life, the whims of adversity, or the unfair challenges facing those who sought to rise above it all. I expected them. I embraced them. By the strength of my hands, the wit of my mind, the zeal of my heart, and the compassion of my spirit, I will overcome!"

• “Watch and marvel as my beautiful daughter begins to bloom.”

• Eli’s words to Celine (pg. 473)

To tie it all up:

I loved this book. I truly did. I started it soon after it came out in November, but got swept up into the craziness of life. But, I have finished it.

To conclude, I am incredibly eager for the next book because, of course, CLIFFHANGER. Several of them, in fact. And gliding orb weavers. Lots of gliding orb weavers.

All in all, well done Nathan. You are using your gift to spread God’s goodness, love, and peace to many, including me. So, thank you. Keep writing, onward and upward.

You’re one of my favorite authors :)

-Amanda