Enclave Book Releases!

This year I have had the privilege of being an ARC reader (Advance reader copy reader) for Enclave Publishing. Enclave only publishes speculative fiction which means fantasy, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, or anything that falls between those categories. They are a Christian publisher so all their books are clean but still have exciting twists and killer stories. Today I’m going to share with you the books that I have been able to have early access to and their new releases!

We are going to start with dessert first, my favorite way to begin. Lumen is the sequel to Calor ( you can read my review here) and it accepts the challenge of living up to its predecessor with elegance and style.

Lumen:

The second installment of the Nightingale Trilogy begins on a beach of broken glass and Sephone Winter slowly dying. On her quest with the war-weary ex-ruler, Dorian, and the mysterious but sassy former slave, Cass, Sephone must decide her fate. The only problem is, without a cure, all paths end in her death.

Her heart burns with deep affection for the broken man who saved her life and actively avoids the boyish wanderer who seeks her, but the nation’s fate is more important than the desires of her heart. With a gifted fire wheeler behind them and a persuasive enemy beside them, saving the world is more difficult than they realize. Sephone will have to decide between family and love as war boils beneath the surface of the foggy land.

Lumen is just as fantastic as its predecessor, Calor! I enjoyed the mutable twists and turns our quests take us on, the inner struggle of each character, and the magic that flows from the page. Action-packed pages pulled me through to the surprising ending and I’m ready for the conclusion of the trilogy.           

         J. J. Fischer you have done it again!

Score sheet:

Spice/ Romance: No spice, mild kissing and hugging.

Violence: Mild. Blood and death mentioned. A character off-screen as their throat cut.

Morals/Worldview: Christian/good morals, Parts have an allegorical Jesus.

Recommended reading age: 17+

Steal Fire from the Gods:

Gunner Graves despises his life in the human village run by androids. As a former soldier, every inch of the settlement reminds him of how he lost the war against machines. Every day he sneaks into the forest to practice magic, hoping one day he can weld the androids’ powers against them.

After an encounter with an outcast woman, Gunner wonders if he at last found a friend who understands him. Like her, he holds his own secrets; he has a cybernetic heart, technically making him a cyborg.  

His world changes forever when an android attempts to remove a human child from its parents and Gunner is finally able to conger his magic to save them. Gunner and the outcast woman are forced to flee the settlement but are saved by two unusual magic welders. They represent a larger group willing to take a stand against the machines in hope of finding freedom.

Gunner must decide if he is willing to risk everything, even his life, to find freedom.

This dystopian, post-apocalyptic novel gives an interesting fantasy twist to this sci-fi-style narrative. The multi-genre tale will keep you on the edge of your seat as this small band of misfits takes on the impossible at a shot for freedom. Though not preachy in nature the plot leans heavily on Gunner’s belief that God has failed him, and he grapples with his emotions wondering if he can trust Him again in this new quest.

Score sheet:

Spice/Romance: Low. Mild kiss(s) no making out.

Violence: Low/mild. No gore or excessive blood. There are some descriptions of burns and lost limbs.

Morals/Worldview: Christian/good morals

Recommended reading age: 17+

Though Recorder is not a new release the final book of its trilogy is coming out soon so I figured it had a place in our reviews this week!

Recorder:

She’s never had a name, but she had a friend once. The Recorder is a member of the consortium, and her sole purpose is to record everything around her through her brain implants and drones. Taught to live without emotions or friendship, the Recorder hopes to fulfill her first solo mission with absolute precision…. but everything goes horribly wrong.

Her implants are removed to save her life, but now she doesn’t know who she is, and her emotions are spiraling out of control. She forms opinions and friendships with those around her, something she could never do before. Lies from the consortium become apparent to her, and she discovers a virus that could kill most of the inhabited worlds. Without her implants she is a danger to the Consortium, but an ally to those threatened by it. She must make the choice. Does she flee and start her new life with a name? Or does she save her friends?

I enjoyed this new take on a strong sci-fi principle. Can you live well without emotions? The answer we know is no. We lose so much of life’s meaning without it. Even if we advance in knowledge and invent millions of new technologies, the foundation of life is still friendship and love. I enjoyed the nameless Recorder, her profound empathy for those struggling around her, her intelligence, and her fighting spirit. My favorite quirk of hers is how she counts seconds between human responses. He waited thirteen seconds before responding or She paused for three seconds. It was the perfect way of reminding us that even though she is human she was still forced to live like a robot. I am excited to read the next installment of this series!

Score sheet:

Spice/Romance: No spice, mild kissing and embracing.

Violence: Mild. Blood and vomit mentioned. Dead bodies are seen.

Morals/Worldview: Christian/good morals.

Recommended reading age: 16+

The last book on the list is not my normal cup of tea but has its own unique twists!

Water’s Break:

What if you were snatched from the world you knew and loved? What if you were forced to breathe air instead of familiar seawater? What if there was a chance you would live with your brutal captors forever?

This is the reality for Nica, daughter of a prominent Guardian of the Olomi, a race of sea-living humanoids. With emotions and complex speech like humans, they live their entire lives underwater. That is, until The Breaking when their world comes crashing down. Nica, and many others, are kidnapped from the sea and forced into slavery on dry land. Their captors are harsh experts at manipulation. When every Olomi is set against each other, how can Nica hope to unite them and find freedom?

If you like unique reads about other worlds, this book is for you! This book was unlike any other I have read and surprised me with its experimental twist. The story, though brutal and heart-wrenching, keeps hope and fellowship at its center. It reminds us that even though the world may seem hopeless, there is still light ahead.

Though this book dealt with some adult themes like *spoiler* forced pregnancy by artificial insemination, it remained a clean read. Here is the score sheet.  

Score sheet:

Spice/Romance: Low. Mild kiss(s) no making out.

Violence: Mild. No gore but mentions blood and wounds often. *Spoiler* There is an electrocution that does not end in death.

Morals/Worldview: Christian/good morals

Recommended reading age: 17+

I hope you enjoyed this weeks book review and will check out Enclave’s vast library of books! If you want more reviews and scores of upcoming books remember to follow me on @julias.writing.journey on Instagram or subscribe to my newsletter.