Dawn of Vengeance – Ronie Kendig

Dawn of Vengeance Ronie Kendig
Dawn of Vengeance by Ronie Kendig
Also by this author: Storm Rising, Kings Falling, Brand of Light, Storm Rising, Kings Falling, Soul Raging
Series: Droseran Saga #2
Published by Enclave Publishing on December 8, 2020
Genres: Fiction, Christian, Speculative, Fantasy
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four-stars

A haunting prophecy upended his identity. Now it demands his life.
Once a formidable bounty hunter, Marco Dusan is plagued by insecurity as he tours the realm he now rules. This quiet, backwater planet is not as untouched as he'd once thought. Evidence of collusion between Droseran factions and the powerful Symmachians with their forbidden technology litters his encounters. Worse, all signs indicate Xisya, the alien who tortured him, is still snatching Kynigos Brethren-but to what end?
Corporal Eija Zacdari works hard to win a coveted place on the Symmachian hyperjump program, but instinct tells her their intel is flawed. Despite nearly failing the tests, she is assigned to the team-and lands in the middle of a bewildering conspiracy.
Haunted by a prophecy that promises pain and war, Marco forges alliances to protect the primitive world against Symmachia's devastating influence. But one truth becomes painfully clear: the biggest threat to their world may be much, much closer to home.

Any new book by Ronie Kendig is an automatic “must read” for me. And…in spite of the fact that space opera is not my favorite genre, this series is one that I absolutely love! Brand of Light (the first one) was exceptional, and this second book, Dawn of Vengeance is just more of this fabulous saga of Marco, Kersei, and other unique characters.

Marco is my favorite. I love him. I love his uniqueness. I love his ability to smell things. Well, I really love almost all the details I read about him.

Especially since the other book ended on such a cliff hanger, I eagerly dug in and READ this one!

But, more about Marco, because this really is his story. In this book, you really get to know him in a new way. His character grows and changes lots. I felt like I understood him a lot more. I am struggling with knowing how much to say here in this review, because I really do not want to give any spoilers. Just know that Marco is an extremely enigmatic person.

In addition to Marco, and some of the characters you will be familiar with if you read Brand, there are also many new ones to get to know and love. Ixion, who is Marco’s first, is quite the character. And then there’s Isa. And Eija. And many others. As in all books by Ronie Kendig, it is quite a challenge to keep track of all the characters and their comings and goings!

In the first book, Brand of Light (which really does have to be read first, if you haven’t yet), Kendig introduced lots of space flight, intergalactic stuff, etc. While this book is it’s sequel, it does feel a bit different. In this one, Marco is on a journey, but it mostly happens on one planet, Drosero.  There are lots of struggles going on between characters. In addition to these, there are also lots of inner struggles happening in some of the main characters.

Another thing of note, especially if you are not familiar with this series. Ronie Kendig has taken some license with the words she throws at you as you read these. This happens in another galaxy, and there are quite a few unfamiliar words scattered in. Most of these I could guess at the meanings, but some I wasn’t quite sure of. While this is a teeny bit distracting, I found it to add quite nicely to the overall otherworldly effect of the storyline.

There is so much going on. Lots of action. There are hunters, stalkers, raiders, and royals. And they have various unique abilities that we are not familiar with here on our own planet.

Ronie Kendig totally kept me guessing as I read. So many twists and turns. I never saw what was coming on the next page….I’m still debating which book in this series is my favorite. It’s such a hard decision.

If you are a fan of the unexpected, sci-fi, or anything unusual, be sure and read this one!

four-stars