Tahn: A book review of the exciting novel by LA Kelly

I picked Tahn out of the many books my husband owned and sat down to read it. I needed something that promised a good love story, some heart-warming moments, phenomenal action, and faith that meant something.

Tahn delivers on all accounts.

Set in a medieval world, we meet Tahn, a legendary mercenary. As he kidnaps Netta, the sweet lady of the Triletts, we can’t help but wonder what his motives are. Because this is no normal kidnapping. According to Tahn, it’s the only way to save her life.

Netta doesn’t see it that way, understandably. She is a young woman, already has lost a husband, and is holding onto her faith tightly as everything seems to be falling away. Even as we begin to understand who Tahn is and why he is doing what he is, we see Netta grasping at answers and trying to explain the hope she has.

We jump between Netta and Tahn’s perspectives throughout the book, with occasional other characters popping in as well. The most notable include the children Tahn rescues. His former students from the mercenary world are eight young street children who are fighting for a chance to be free.

As the nobles war and the mercenaries cheat, Tahn, Netta, and the children are forced to make difficult and dark choices to survive. But there is hope, as Netta teaches the children, and even Tahn, what faith is.

The first reason I recommend this book is the reveal. The book does a very good job of giving small bits of information and allowing us to piece it all together. Granted, it does make much of it fairly predictable, but not entirely. We also get the beautiful tension of learning things before one of the characters and watching as they put the pieces together as well. It makes for a very engaging read.

Another reason I liked this book is that it did not shy away from it’s Christian ideals and tries to explain those beliefs well. Someone who isn’t familiar with Christianity can read and understand what is happening throughout the whole book. But faith remains at the enter of the story arc and we get to see the changes it has on the characters we care about.

Finally, the relationships between the children, Netta, and Tahn are well written and heart-warming making it a book that I’d happily pick up again. From the romance that buds between two unlikely people to the care and respect the children have for Tahn to the friendships which cannot be broken, this book is jam packed with examples of messy but beautiful relationships. There are also a few examples of terrible relationships and the damage they can cause. These are dynamic and difficult, but give an insight into the minds and hearts of those in harmful relationships.

Overall, Tahn is a great book that will make you smile at the end but still give you a glimpse of the hard and gritty world. This is the first in a series of three. Join my email list to receive the next reviews in your inbox directly!

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