Christian fantasy featuring magic, mystery, and romance

Perplexity

Chawna Schroeder
Enclave Escape, 352 pages

In the second novel in Chawna Schroeder’s The Scepter & the Stylus trilogy, Yosi Patican excels academically but suffers socially when she begins classes at a prestigious art school in Indeli, a southern land inspired by the rich tapestry of Indian culture. Yosi receives devastating news and discovers she’s saddled with a massive debt, but she looks forward to visiting with her friend Xander in the northern realm of Egdon, which is more advanced with steampunk technology. Meanwhile, Xander is soon to be crowned king after his father’s death. But assassins threaten his life as he faces new pressures from Parliament. The plot thickens when his friend Yosi goes missing, never 0arriving in Egdon. Separated as they are, Yosi and Xander simultaneously work to solve the puzzles surrounding their entwined lives.

The characters, although flawed, are steeped in biblical truth, and the worldbuilding is rich and varied. Schroeder’s writing is equally as rich and lyrical, and would appeal to fans of classic literature.

Winter’s Dawn

Morgan L. Busse
Enclave publishing, 320 pages

In this third installment in Morgan L. Busse’s The Nordic Wars Series, Brighid and Kaeden return to the Nordic people and a war held under the curse of the Shadonae. As Brighid battles an internal connection to death, she is drawn to Kaeden as well as the Word (God) he serves. As spiritual darkness and enemy forces close in, Brighid must decide whom to worship and whom to love. Only with the power of Kaeden’s God, the Word, can they overcome the evil consuming the souls of the troops and put an end to the Nordic war.

Busse, known for her depth of world-building, biblically-grounded magic systems, and flawed but lovable characters, has penned yet another page-turning Christian epic fantasy series. Winter’s Dawn contains clean and compelling romance, themes of overcoming loneliness and poverty, and a balanced approach to the warrior-woman trope. Readers who enjoy epic Christian fantasy with a romance subplot will love The Nordic War series.

Song of the Khan

J.J. Fischer
Whitecrown, 304 pages

In earlier installments of the Painted Wind series, a prophet names grave­digger Rigan North as the future bride to the heir of Jardia and the downfall of the reign of Calidore, and the threatened king sends soldier Aureus Corcoran to retrieve her. The two unexpectedly fall in love and quickly wed. In Song of the Khan, Corcoran is imprisoned by Jardia’s king, leaving a vulnerable Rigan without his protection and wondering if they will ever see each other again. Meanwhile Calidore’s Prince Soren hides the Rigan-look-a-like, Isel, from those hunting her. As Isel and Soren grow closer, the monstrous Khan are doing everything in their power to keep them apart and destroy everything they hold dear. In this novel, relationships are tested nearly to their breaking point. The demon-like Khan are at their worst as their actions threaten the lives of royalty as well as the citizens under their protection. In this epic fantasy romance for adults, Fischer weaves themes of reconciliation within marriage, learning to love with an uncertain future, and growing to trust God when it seems Satan has already won.

Karabos

Lyndsey Lewellen
Enclave Escape, 368 pages

Author Lyndsey Lewellen steps up her world-building in Karabos, Book 1 in The Timebound Duology. Sixteen-year-old homeschooler and entomologist Winslet Nubek is determined to save her family’s business. After accidentally touching a scarab that marks her for time travel, she enters the Tournament of Scarabs. If she wins, she’ll be able to secure her family’s finances. Yet before the tournament can begin, she mistakenly marks fellow contender Rafe Stormholt with the same time traveling spot. Like Winslet, Rafe also needs to win the tournament in order to save his grandfather’s company. Although they both secure a coveted place on a team, their already perilous journey through the game is fraught by uncontrollable timeslips. Yet the past they’ve stumbled upon may hold more answers for their present than either of them realizes.

Drawing inspiration from Egyptian and Amazonian archaeology, Lewellen subtly responds to paganism in a modern context. She explores themes of loyalty to friends and family, holding tightly to your spiritual convictions under pressure to conform, and the motivation behind pagan rituals such as blood sacrifice. Young adult readers of historically inspired fantasy worlds will find a new favorite in Karabos.

Endling

Elicia Johnson
Descendant Publishing, 228 pages

Nico will do anything it takes to escape the wilderness and enter the protection of the steam-powered Sanctius City. Once he succeeds, he works harder than any other citizen to uphold the values of the city council. Nico is cerebral, shunning the whims of human passions, which provides the foundation for his rejection of his family’s faith in the Wilderman. Yet when resources run dry, Nico and two others find themselves alone in the world. Soon Nico is left entirely alone in his fight against the Wilderman. He must choose to either believe this mysterious entity is who he says he is or use the resources of the monsters that want the Wilderman dead.

Elicia Johnson’s novel is a genre-blended exploration of being pursued by God after deconstruction. Johnson uses biblically inspired mythology, an urban steampunk setting, and a postapocalyptic plot to steer Nico back toward his family’s faith after he rejects it. He initially finds confidence in secular materialism only to be met by the desperation of losing the safety and protection of what he thought was a solid foundation. Readers of mildly allegorical Christian fiction with unique world-building will enjoy Endling.

—Marian A. Jacobs enjoys writing about Christian story ethics and composing speculative fiction, and she is also the author of the nonfiction book On Magic & Miracles which explores a theology of magic