A friend suggested the Ilyon Chronicles to me last summer, and she was so enthusiastic that I bought them before ever reading them. I do not regret it. I read the whole series in record time, and have read the entire series multiple times since then. It was that good. They are a Christian fantasy series, and though heavy, are clean. The plot and writing style are great, but the characters especially are well rounded, deep, and relatable.

*Minor spoiler warning for books 1-3. Proceed at your own risk.*

And for us Lyme, MCS, and Mold (and other chronic illness) sufferers, one character is especially relatable: Jace.

Jace is a being known as a Ryrik. Or more accurately, he’s a half-Ryrik. From book one, Jace struggles with this apparent curse. His Ryrik influences happen to share a lot of struggles that chronic illness sufferers face.

Because of it, Jace is so often alone. Often those with chronic illness find themselves alone either because they simply don’t have the energy to be with people, or because people don’t want to stick around.

Because of his Ryrik blood, Jace struggles with being quick to get angry or intense. Many Lyme disease fighters have the same struggle to control irrational thoughts or irritability.

Because of it, Jace is extremely sensitive to being around smoke–it makes him sick. Often people with MCS struggle with the same thing.

Jace wrestles with who he is, and how it could be a good thing. He struggles through depression, feeling like he’s alone, and like no one wants him. He feels smothered under a cloud of darkness. He doesn’t feel like he can be a good friend, a good brother, a good son, a good team member, and more.

He has to learn that his Rryrik blood doesn’t define him. That he has the power to overcome some of its undesirable tendencies. That he isn’t as alone as he feels like he is. That he can let someone see his hurt and how theRryrik blood has hurt him or made him hurt others, and that they will still love him.

*end of spoilers*

I cannot recommend these book enough! 🙂 And guess what?! Today, August 11th, Exiles, the fourth book in the series comes out!!! YAY! 😀 😀

Book 4: Exiles Review

I have read it and am pleased to report that even though Samara’s Peril (book 3) still remains my favorite book so far, this was so enjoyable to read. In some subjects it got even heavier than in the past books, I’d probably suggest it for ages 15+. It was so wonderful, though, to return to the characters that we love so much! And even characters I’ve known for books now, have become even more loved. 🙂 In addition to lots more adventures with Jace, Kyrin and the others, I enjoyed getting to know Anne, Prince Daniel, Kyrin’s brother Michael, and Leetra more as well! I laughed, I wanted to cry, and I both wanted to hug characters or set them against each other. A friend and I even began nicknaming some of the bad guys with mean animals to match their personality. It was also so fun to explore several more countries, cultures, and people groups of Ilyon! 🙂 Though the time gap between Exiles and the last book threw me off a bit, it’s needless to say, I enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy it too! And especially that you enjoy the very relatable characters like I have.

Haven’t discovered the world of Ilyon yet? The first three books in the series are also on sale from August 11th to 14th! You can find them on Amazon, here.

And, last but not least, click here to go to the author’s site for a giveaway, and the rest of the blog tour 😀