Guide to Categories : YA Review – review of books for teens

Links in this post may be affiliate links. Purchases made using these links will not cost you more but may pay me an affiliate fee.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and related sites. Thank you for using my links.

About the Book

Book: Lion Warrior

Author: James R. Hannibal

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: April 23, 2024

The dragon war has breached the barrier.

The forces of the Liberated Land are near to breaking. Without a heavy and rapid shift in the Assembly’s strategy, a dragon invasion will be unstoppable.

Connor and Kara have kept the full knowledge of the Red Dagger’s location secret for almost a year. A chance to destroy Heleyor and end the war is within the Lightraider Order’s grasp. They must now reveal what they know and call for action.

With time running out, Connor, Teegan, and Aaron attempt to recover the dagger, and Kara helps the Airguard train a new corps of soldiers— windfighters—in their own bid to change the war’s tide. Meanwhile, Lee and Zel search for Heleyor’s army of tortured Aladoth. This force, thousands strong, has vanished. They’re heading for a hidden portal, and may emerge at the heart of Keledev at any moment.

Every path that lies before the cadets seems a great risk. The slightest misstep may cost them their lives, their loved ones, and their homeland. But to do nothing means certain failure. To succeed, they must charge ahead into dark uncertainty and trust the Rescuer.

Click here to get your copy!

My YA Review

Hannibal, James R. Lion Warrior. Carol Stream, IL: Enclave Publishing, 2024.

Lightraider Academy book 3

It is evident that James Hannibal put a lot of work into the writing of the Lightraider Academy series. There are many characters, several different locations, and much world building that has taken place.

Unfortunately, I had a difficult time following all of the characters and action. I’m not sure I’ve read the second book in the series and it has been a long time since I read the first book. One thing that would have been very helpful in understanding the story would have been a synopsis of the previous books at the beginning of the story – a “previously in…” section if you will. There is a list of characters, places, terms and more at the end of the book but it wasn’t enough to refresh my memory.

In Lion Warrior the characters continue their fight against evil, all the time looking for new approaches in their fight. The series has the elements of epic fantasy – mythical characters, a quest, a world created by the author, and good vs. evil.

One of the things I really appreciated were the similarities between the Rescuer and God, between their Holy words and the Bible. Readers will be learning Biblical principles as they read the book. 

Lion Warrior and the other books in the Lightraider Academy would be a great addition to a K-12 Christian school library. While it is a young adult fantasy, it is probably appropriate even for mature elementary children.

I received a complimentary copy of Lion Warrior. This is my honest review.

About the Author – James R. Hannibal

As a former fighter pilot, stealth pilot, and tactical deception officer, James R. Hannibal is no stranger to secrets and adventure. He is the award-winning author of thrillers, mysteries, and fantasies for adults and children, and he is the developer of Lightraider Academy games. As a pastor’s kid in Colorado Springs, he guinea-pigged every youth discipleship program of the 1980s, but the one that engaged him and shaped him most as a Christ-follower and Kingdom warrior was DragonRaid, by Dick Wulf—the genesis of the Lightraider world.

More from James R. Hannibal

There and Back Again: A Game?

The transition from book to game and back again is no easy thing. I’ve been on a steep learning curve since the day I started writing Wolf Soldier, the first book in the Lightraider Academy trilogy. Lion Warrior is the third.

I should walk back a step. Lightraiders is a game. Did you know that? It began as DragonRaid, a 1980s fantasy adventure game designed for teaching Biblical learning and discipleship. DragonRaid had a huge influence on my Christian walk in my teens. I now have the honor of carrying the concepts designed by the game’s original creator, Dick Wulf, to a new generation through games and stories. Before he went on to be with the Lord, Dick was kind enough to write a foreword for Wolf Soldier.

The task, when it came to me, was monumental: take a highly allegorical game with isolated location details and expand it into a full-realm book series while also building a new version of the game designed for today’s teens and families. By His grace, God placed men and women in my path who came alongside me to help—fellow believers who are creators from the realms of Tolkien, Star Wars, DC Comics, and Disney. Without them, it could not have been done.

We’ve been building the game in the background for three years. At the same time, the books have served as a transition from the old to the new. Lion Warrior completes that transition, and the book and the new Lightraiders Adventure Bible System game for teens will release almost simultaneously.

If you read through the series starting with Wolf Soldier, you may get a feel for this transition. The first book is more allegorical and tightly focused, much like the original DragonRaid game. Fantasy terms used in that story draw from the original game, with only a few new terms introduced. Bear Knight begins to broaden that perspective. It stretches past allegory and introduces several new ideas that you’ll find in the new Lightraiders game. In Lion Warrior, my hope is that you’ll finally have a picture of the fully developed realm from the Liberated Land in the south to the frozen islands in the far north of the Dragon Lands. And that story is fully steeped in the new game with terms and game mechanics slipped in for astute readers to find.

So, we’ve come full circle. DragonRaid became the story world in Wolf Solder. Then, as I and the team God sent to me rebuilt the game for a new generation, new elements found their way into Bear Knight. And now we have Lion Warrior, fully based on the new Lightraiders discipleship game. If you read the full trilogy and check out the game, I hope you’ll see it all growing together.

I do love the idea of game to story or vice versa. Are there other game/story combinations you love?

Blog Stops

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, April 25

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, April 26

Artistic Nobody, April 27 (Author Interview)

Simple Harvest Reads, April 27 (Guest Review from Mindy)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 28

Texas Book-aholic, April 29

Fiction Book Lover, April 30 (Author Interview)

Where Faith and Books Meet, May 1

Tell Tale Book Reviews, May 2

By the Book, May 3

For the Love of Literature, May 4 (Author Interview)

The Lofty Pages, May 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 5

Blogging With Carol, May 6

By The Book, May 7 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, May 8

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, James is giving away the grand prize package of a signed hardcover copy of the book, three Starlots acrylic gem dice (diamond, sunfire, and ruby), a postcard with character art on the front and a map of Talania on the back, and Amazon $100 gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2b145/lion-warrior-celebration-tour-giveaway

Read more YA Review posts