Enclave Escape Round-up: YA Fantasy & Dystopia

Two series end and one begins in this round-up from Enclave Publishing, a Christian publishing house. Enclave’s mission is “to get Christian speculative fiction directly into the hands of the fans who love and devour great stories.” We’re excited to follow and review their work.

*Torch by R. J. Anderson, Enclave Escape, 2021. 211 pages.

Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 15-18

Recommended For: Ages 15-18

R. J. Anderson’s Flight and Flame Trilogy comes to an end with this excellent series closer. (See our starred reviews of Swift and Nomad, if you haven’t already.) Ivy finds herself the de facto (but rather unwilling) leader of a group Cornish piskies who have fled the poisoned delve. Ivy seeks to lead well, but her growing love for Martin, a spriggan and traditional enemy of piskies, leads to complications. Add her evil aunt, who maintains control of the delve, and a long-sealed Cornish cave with a secret, and this series closer stands alone as an excellent fantasy adventure. However, readers won’t want to miss the actions and characters that lead up to Torch. (And R. J. Anderson readers will love appearances in Torch from characters of her earlier No Ordinary Fairytale series.)

Overall Rating: (5) out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: 4.75
• Literary/Artistic Rating: 5

Apprentice: Collective Underground Series, Book One by Kristen Young, Enclave Escape, 2020. 288 pages.

Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 14-18

Recommended For: Ages 12-15

Welcome to the Love Collective, a sterile world of classrooms, hallways, and instructors. It is the only world Apprentice Kerr Flick has ever known. That is, until she tests into the exclusive Elite Academy and leaves Nursery Dorm 492. But why is Flick suddenly having memories that she can’t explain? And is there anyone she can trust enough to confide in at Elite Academy? Apprentice is told with a series of flashbacks —Flick has perfect memory which makes her new memories even more disconcerting. Savvy readers will instantly suspect the motives of Supreme Lover Midgate and the “truths” that are hammered into apprentices. Frankly, it’s hard to tell the age of most of the characters, and the audience seems to be reaching for early teens, just out of MG fiction. For teens who want to read dystopia, but who aren’t ready for the violence of The Hunger Games or Divergent, this series starter seems to have potential. Note, there is some violence implied (the children watch a televised Hunger Games-type show) as well as bullying, and the disturbing atmosphere of Flick’s world —all to say, this is definitely a dystopian novel. It will be interesting to see where Young takes this dystopian series.

Overall Rating: (4) out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: (4) out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: (3.5) out of 5

Realms of Light by Sandra Fernandez Rhoads, Enclave Escape, 2021. 320 pages.

Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 15-18

Recommended For: Ages 15 and up

Coming out on April 13, 2021, this sequel to Mortal Sight is brimming full of swirling adventure, angst, and art. Cera is a blight, her parents sworn to opposing allies. Now the evil Sage threatens to capture the Well, a source of goodness and creativity. (Or so its guardians claim.) Yet for some of these guardians, Cera’s very existence is a threat. With dashes of romance as well as a lot of soul-searching, violence, and death, this is a darker fantasy. As one character says, “You don’t change anything by avoiding it. You stand in the face of that terrifying reality and then find a way to overcome” So Cera strives to stand, aided by her link with Milton and his work. Readers will be glad that the terrifying reality of the evil Sage is only one that exists within the pages of this story. (Considerations: fantasy violence, plus some sensuality and implied drug consumption linked with Sage.)

Overall Rating: (4) out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: (4) out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: (3.5) out of 5

Note: This reviewer received advance reading copies of these books in exchange for a fair review. 

Related Reading From Redeemed Reader

• A Review: *100 Cupboards series review —an excellent fantasy trilogy
• A Resource: Rapid Fire: YA Fantasy, July 2020 (two starred reviews!)
• A Reflection: Looking For Love: The Paranormal Teen Romance

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