Book Review: The Prince Warriors and the Unseen Invasion by Priscilla Shirer and Gina Detwiler

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Armor of God, B&H Kids, Book Review, Christian Fantasy, Ephesians 6:10-18, Gina Detwiler, Middle Grade, Priscilla Shirer, The Prince Warriors, Unseen Invasion

I’m celebrating my chance to review a second book off the list I posted two months ago about books I was excited for still in 2016. The first book, Kingdom Prayer by Tony Evans, delivered. How did this book, the second book in a series that I had already enjoyed, turn out? Check out below!

 

Title: The Prince Warriors and the Unseen Invasion

Book Two in the Prince Warriors Series

Authors: Priscilla Shirer and Gina Detwiler

Published by: B&H Kids (October 15, 2016)

288 Pages (Hardcover)

Blurb: In this second book in The Prince Warriors trilogy, the Prince Warriors face new challenges on earth and in the unseen realm of Ahoratos. The enemy, angry about his last defeat, is targeting them with weapons and tactics they had never imagined, including the flaming Olethron. The kids must turn to Ruwach and the Source, who can give them more pieces of armor to help them stand strong against this deadly threat.

My Take: Wow, what a trip this second book turned out to be. The feel of this book was very different from the first in the series, and in a good way. Internal conflicts take the center stage for almost all of the main Prince and Princess Warriors. There are some new warriors introduced over the course of the book, some of them being a welcome surprise.

Perhaps the iconic scene in this book was the early encounter with the Olethrons. It was great to see which of the warriors stepped up, how others followed that lead once the bold decision was made. The different personalities of the warriors provide for extremely unique circumstances that they are being placed in. Some have struggles early in the book, whereas others run into problems later in the book due to their own actions, or in some cases their inactions. I loved the dynamics that each person, and situation, provided as they worked through similar, yet distinctly unique, situations that came up over the course of the book.

It was awesome, of course, to see them gain two new pieces of the Armor of God in this book. The shield, in particular, was executed in an interesting and unique manner. Like Evan, I cannot wait until the Swords come out (I assume in Book 3) but they always have exactly what they need. These warriors are a strong core team, and I am confident that children (and adults) reading this book will find at least one boy or girl in the book that they identify with more than the others. It is a diverse cast that I will be sad to leave behind after the third book because, I believe, that is the final planned book in the series.

The unseen invasion is the last thing I wanted to mention, if only briefly, because it demonstrates the idea that the spiritual war is being waged in our physical world. Most of the people in the world at the time of that unseen invasion were oblivious to what was happening around them, and even were confused by the orders, and actions, of those who could see that invasion. When living out our spiritual walks today, there are often decisions and actions that we will be called to make that will make no sense to those who are living in the world. They might question our choices, perhaps even mock or scorn us for them, yet we are to still engage in that spiritual warfare using the complete Armor of God. It was a nice touch, and something that would lead into some great discussions with the children reading the book.

Like the first book, I highly encourage children and adults to read this. It is engaging for audiences of all ages, from middle grade readers on up. It contains so much scriptural truth in there that are bound to lead into some wonderful discussions and discipleship moments in the home. This series should be on everyone’s radar, and with the final book coming out next year this will be a trilogy that deserves a place in every family’s bookshelf.

**Note: I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Fourteen Books I’m Excited About That Are Coming Out in 2016

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B&H Kids, Bloomsbury USA Childrens, Concordia Publishing House, Disney-Hyperion, Feiwel & Friends, Gene A. Getz, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jamie Blosser, Jeffrey Hammer, Marissa Meyer, Michael Clary, Moody Publishers, Our Sunday Visitor, Penguin Books, Permuted Platinum, Priscilla Shirer, R. Southern, Revell, Rick Riordan, Roger Patterson, Sarah J. Maas, Tim Keller, Tim Tebow, Tony Evans, Tyndale House Publishers, Waterbrook

It is September already, and just because we’re on the tail end of the calendar year doesn’t mean that the great new books are already on the shelves. Here are some of the books I’m looking forward to reading that are coming out later this year:

• Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas, Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens on September 6, 2016
  • Okay, so this book came out ten days ago. So what? This one deserves to make the list because the Throne of Glass series is a wonderful YA Fantasy series and I’m hooked on it. So is my wife, which a testament to how excellent this series is. The hardest thing will be choosing when to read this one, knowing it’ll be some time before the next book might come out…
• Positively Medieval: The Surprising, Dynamic, Heroic Church of the Middle Ages by Jamie Blosser, Published by Our Sunday Visitor, Releases on September 22, 2016
  • I love all things Medieval, and the history of the church in the Middle Ages is certainly something right up my alley for interest. The title really makes me want to find out what the church did that was so dynamic and heroic!
• The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan, Published by Disney-Hyperion, Releases on October 4, 2016
  • This is probably the #2 book that I am excited about on this list. I absolutely loved the first Magnus Chase book when I listened to it last year, and I have no doubt that Riordan will deliver once again with this book. Now that I am more familiar with the Norse mythology, I’ll be able to delightedly pick up on the many references steeped throughout the text.
• Camelot Rising by Michael Clary, Published by Permuted Platinum, Releases on October 4, 2016
  • Okay, so I didn’t even know this series existed and I have not read the first book yet. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be excited about the second book in a King Arthur series coming out, right? After all, I have a weakness for Arthurian fiction…

 

• Kingdom Prayer: Touching Heaven to Change Earth by Tony Evans, Published by Moody Publishers, Releases on October 4, 2016
  • I loved his book, Kingdom Man, and it is a book I plan to reread again in the near future. Prayer is an area where I need to improve, and I have a feeling that this book might be exactly what I need to spark an improved prayer life.

 

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  The Prince Warriors and the Unseen Invasion / Unseen: The Prince Warriors 365 Devotional by Priscilla Shirer, Published by B&H Kids, Releases on October 15, 2016

  • Last weekend I was in the local Family Christian store and saw the first book of this series. I was intrigued and made a mental note that I wanted to pick it up eventually and read it. Imagine my surprise when I was able to get a digital copy of the first book to read this week. While I haven’t started in on it yet, I feel confident placing the second book on this list. And a companion devotional for Middle Graders? I’ll be taking notes on how I could do the same thing with my own writing!
• Shaken by Tim Tebow, Published by Waterbrook, Releases on October 25, 2016
  • I still haven’t read Tebow’s first book, but I have it on good authority from a wonderful book blogger that it was an excellent read. I’ve been a fan of Tebow for a while now, and this book promises to deliver a very interesting read.

 

• The Penguin History of the Church: Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages by R. Southern, Published by Penguin, Releases on October 27, 2016
  • This is a Kindle release of a book that has been out in paperback for some time, but I am still excited about this one. Two books on the Medieval Church history? The Medievalist in me approves!

 

• The Measure of a Man: Twenty Attributes of a Godly Man by Gene A. Getz, Published by Revell, Releases on November 1, 2016
  • This is an updated rerelease of a bestselling book, and one that I didn’t know existed until now. You’ll see the pattern repeated with a few more books further down the list, but I love reading books relating to Biblical Manhood. It is a topic that just doesn’t get discussed enough yet is so critical to the future of this nation and the church.
• The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun by J.R.R Tolkien, Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, Releases on November 3, 2016
  • Two new Tolkien books in one year? While I still need to pick up a copy of Kullervo (I had won a copy on Twitter that never arrived…I’m not bitter at all about that…) this book has me interested enough to have it claim the top spot over the Magnus Chase book. They can keep on publishing anything and everything Tolkien and I will keep on buying
• Heartless by Marissa Meyer, Published by Feiwel & Friends, Releases on November 8, 2014
  • Confession: I haven’t read Meyer’s bestselling Lunar Chronicles series. Not a word of it. It is still on my exhaustive TBR list, but maybe I can redeem myself by keeping up with this new book which takes place in Wonderland. I’m a huge fan of Carroll’s books, so this one probably has a greater personal appeal than fairy tale retellings and I am eager to see how this turns out.
• Man Up!: The Quest for Masculinity by Jeffrey Hammer, Published by Concordia Publishing House, Releases on November 22, 2016
  • As mentioned above, I am a huge proponent for Biblical Manhood and so any Christian books written on manhood are going to be on my radar. I already love the book from some of the description on the blurb, such as describing manhood as being counter-cultural (which real manhood certainly is right now) and to gain the standard from manhood by looking at Jesus as an example. Words can’t describe my eagerness to dive into this one.
• Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller, Published by Penguin Books, Releases on December 6, 2016
  • I love Tim Keller’s work, and I’m guessing this book is a must-read for every Christian. Being able to explain your faith in a way that can reach the people of this world today is a critical thing to be able to do. And he should know how to do this effectively, having led a church in the heart of New York for many, many years.
• A Minute of Vision for Men: 365 Motivational Moments to Kick-Start Your Day by Roger Patterson, Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Releases on December 6, 2016
  • I’ll be on the look-out for a new men’s devotional soon, and this one sounds like it might just be what I’m needing. I’ve had mixed success with devotionals for men, but this shows real promise. With this to start my day, I hope to finally fulfill the words in Tony Evans’ Kingdom Man: “A kingdom man is the kind of man that when his feet hit the floor each morning the devil says, ‘Oh crap, he’s up!’”

 

So there are the fourteen (well, fifteen if you count the Prince Warriors devotional) books that are coming out between now and the new year that I am excited about. What books are you looking forward to reading?