Sharon Hinck is an author who seems to have "disappeared" for several years. I've read some of her earlier work, but only remember being mildly impressed or unable to get into it (e.g., the Sword of Lyric series, although to be fair, that might be because I wasn't a mom in her forties then, nor am I now). So I wasn't sure what to expect from Dream of Kings.
Well, WOW. Sharon Hinck is back in a big way, and with this book, I hope she's back to stay in the realm of Christian fantasy. She expertly crafts a story that's part a Genesis Joseph retelling, part an epic fantasy story, with a touch that's all her own. It's not absolutely, 100%, blow-me-away perfect, which would've netted five stars, but Dream of Kings comes pretty darn close.
First off, Jolan is a great protagonist to carry the story. She's multifaceted, relatable, and a wonderful take on the character of Joseph. First of all, she's female, so that flips the expected perspective on its head. But within Jolan, I also got to see some of the personality traits we only extrapolate from the Joseph of the Bible, up close and personal. She's courageous. She's scrappy. She's determined and inspirational and creative. At the same time, she's broken and up front about it, so much as to be confrontational and borderline rude or spoiled at times. She can be childish when she doesn't get her own way. She's reckless, to the point that even when I agreed with her motives and decisions I found myself saying, "Jolan, honey. Would you *please,* for once, shut up and listen?" In other words, Jolan is completely human and thus, worth spending a book with. And yes, I have met her in my mirror, especially spiritually.
Sharon's spiritual threads are spot on, and convicting in ways I admit, I'm not ready to deal with fully yet, at least outside the context of reading the book. That is, I found myself putting my Kindle down to pray for wisdom or forgiveness, although I'm not sure what delving into those implications will be. However, again, I found myself identifying with Jolan. Like her, I have loved my Creator more from duty than love, or in my case, more from fear of punishment. Like her, I have assumed He didn't understand my brokenness, or focused my prayers on one thing, such that I probably came across as demanding (forgive me Father, yet again). I applaud Sharon more than I can say for adding these threads with a gentle but pointed, unapologetic hand.
The secondary characters and plot kept my pages turning at a great clip, too. As noted, Dream of Kings is a Joseph retelling, so I knew a lot of what to expect. But Sharon made some great choices in where she took the plot. It isn't a beat-for-beat retread; in fact, there's at least one great twist I'd love to explore but won't because it's a spoiler. Outside of that, the pacing and events are great, and line up well with character development for Jolan and others. Kamor was an obvious favorite for me, but I quickly found myself fascinated with Queen Lily too, as well as her spiritual journey. I understand why I didn't get more of it, but I would've liked more, especially as Dream of Kings is a Joseph retelling from a female perspective. I also loved the addition of Beja, Cimeran, and Raka, and Sharon's riff on the role of Joseph's brothers. Extra kudos for the name "Raka," which in the Bible translates to "fool" or "wicked fool."
I very much enjoyed Sharon's world building. In fact, I knocked off a star partly because I wanted some more of it, in that it would've answered some questions (see below). But what exists works great. I loved the contrast especially between Norgard and Sabor; given the choice between worlds, I'd be a Norgard girl to the core. (Somebody pass the quoca, please)! I also loved the little details for each nation, from the foods everyone enjoyed to the vibrant colors, from the different resources (who exported or imported what) to the different "looks" and genetics (e.g., the small stature of the Lanalee).
I did occasionally get pulled from the story with questions, mostly about the world building. For instance, it's never explained how or why the Lanalees' eyes change colors with their emotions, or why no one else's eyes do this. It's never explained why Perry and others from his land have multicolored hair and skin, or if this is naturally-occurring or a type of tribal or painted marking. I didn't need a whole history text of course, but things like this would've helped me get to know the characters and their worlds better. This also crossed into some deeper questions, such as spiritual ones. For instance, if Ryderon is the only nation that acknowledges the Creator/Provider as God (I can't remember Norgard's actual stance as a nation, which is another issue), then how did Jesah and Jolan become believers? Why is Ryderon the standout nation? Is Sabor Egypt in this retelling? Is Norgard Caanan? What, exactly?
Additionally, I question some of the smaller elements in the story. For instance, I'm not sure I'm on board with Jolan being a widow. Jesah's presence is explained as, a way to contrast her relationship to the Provider with a loving, close relationship. But, Jolan also has people like Perry and Kamor to help her do that. She has her own experiences and trials. Pair Jesah up with Cimeran, Perry, and Kamor, and it starts to read almost like Jolan is a little boy-crazy or juggling a lot of guys, when that's actually the last thing on her mind.
All that said, Dream of Kings is a strong, engrossing book, and definitely leans more 4.5. If you like fantasy, you'll love it, especially if you enjoy Christian-based fantasy and would like more attention given to the spiritual elements. I hope Sharon Hinck plans to write more books like this.
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This is the first book I've read from Sharon Hinck. It will not be the last!Dream of Kings is filled with love and heartbreak, revenge and forgiveness, seeking and finding, betrayal and loyalty, plus so much more. The plot is full of intrigue, twists and turns that drew me in so I felt like I was a part of the story. There are characters that I truly loved and others that I felt they got what they deserved. A riveting read that I had a hard time putting down.It is such a powerful read with an equally powerful message. One that I will read again.I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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