Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

In Risen: The Battle for Darracia Book III, Michael Phillip Cash creates a complex and sophisticated setting in a planet that is almost devastated by war, and weaves a gritty tale of a people fighting impossible challenges to return to a life of normalcy. With the king and everyone in power missing, the land is ruled by ruthless leaders who abuse the people in many ways. Can V’sair outwit his captors and return to offer his people the leadership they need in these troubled times? Cash has created a story with a conflict of magnificent proportions and this conflict is so skillfully managed. From the social ills resulting from war, to the corruption of power, to the long conflict between the Darracians and the Quyroos, the author builds the tension, and he does it quickly, immersing the reader in the story.

This satisfying conclusion to the saga is a thrilling mix of suspense, thriller, and fantasy, a story that follows a cast of compelling characters — the young king V'sair, the Quyroos high priestess Tulani, and the king’s brother and warrior Zayden. The characters are well-crafted and their backstory adds to the richness of their three-dimensional nature. The writing itself is crisp and has a magic of its own, highly imaginative and evocative, with excellent world-building. I was pulled in from the very beginning of the story with the descriptive power of the prose. Risen: The Battle for Darracia Book III is written to an electrifying speed, a page-turner that is filled with action and twists that make the plot unpredictable. It’s hard to love everything in a book, but I did with this one.