Of Captivity and Kings by E.Y. Laster

Of Captivity and Kings by E.Y. Laster is an Adult Fantasy story inspired by the 4th century African Kingdoms.

“The laws are different in the Kushite ruled Kingdom of Nabara. The penalty for involvement in the slave trade is death, and if the King fails to provide justice and order under ma’at, the High Priests can order him to commit suicide. When a Roman slave ship wrecks off the coast of Nabara, peace is shattered. Ancient caravan routes, pastoralists, and nomadic hunters are threatened by kidnappings, robbery, and murder, forcing Nabaran High King Amkar Kashta to invoke the power of the six-kingdom alliance that is Nudolla. Each member of the ruling families finds themselves thrust into the rising slave trade, and the corruption of everything and everyone it touches.

It is an adventure told from the secret sanctuaries of the desert fathers in the Scetes Desert, and the massive pyramids of Meroë, to the Skeleton Coast, and over the Great Barrier Mountains of Apedemak. Here, kings and queens, princes and princesses, slave traders and gladiators, high priests and slaves, scribes and warriors, caravan robbers, and hermits collide under the thread that links them all – Captivity and Kings.”

This book was written with history in the spotlight. Right away, I was swept into this fantasy world that completely made me see the African culture. From the society to the ideals, I think the world-building was done very well.

But, I have to say that the multiple POVs made this book a little hard to keep straight. There were a few times that I had to reread to try to figure out who was speaking, but it wasn’t as distracting to the point of DNF-ing.

Other than that, I enjoyed this book. There are so many strong characters coupled with the rich culture which brings a story that is enjoyable and captive.

It did take a chunk of the book to get fully engaged and to where I wasn’t confused in getting all the characters straighten so I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars.

I put the rating a little lower just because keeping everything together was a little difficult at first, but once I got over the hump, I ended up enjoying the story. The other aspects such as the plot and setting were done very well.

Published: 25 May 2017

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Pages: 404

How I Read It: eBook from Author

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the Author in exchange for an honest review. All of my reviews contain my honest opinions only and are not influenced in any way.*

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