About the Book

Book: Hidden Rebel
Author: Michelle Janene
Genre: Christian medieval fantasy
Release Date: August 17, 2017

A disguised warrior on a mission to save a dying kingdom,

but God has more planned. Aria has left home with one goal. Find the weapon used to defeat the horde of the Black Knight and save what remains of her kingdom.

But things are not going as planned.

Disguised as a male knight, she saves the young prince of the neighboring kingdom, and tales of her fighting prowess spread like a raging fire. Now, within the castle walls of a foreign kingdom, a young girl masquerading as her page serves as her only confidant. But the widower king and his enemies are taking notice of her. The legendary weapon, however, is nowhere to be found.

What is God doing?

Aria needs to save her home without losing her heart.

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My Thoughts:

I am always interested when I hear about a new medieval author that I have not read before, as that is my favorite time period. So I was quite delighted to pick up Hidden Rebel.

Hidden Rebel is the third in a series (which I didn't know), but that was ok as it stood on it's own. I am not sure if any of the characters are linked.

This was about a woman warrior who is on a mission to find a weapon that will stop the wipeout of her kingdom. It started off with a bang as she enters the story quite heroically especially as she is dressed to look like a man and everyone believes her to be. King Edmund asks her to stay at his kingdom so that he and his men can help her look for this weapon that is supposed to be there.

The story takes a turn that I was not expecting and like Aria, I felt trapped and restless as she is basically held prisoner it seems for her own good. She seemed to go from this warrior knight to a woman who is helpless to leave. During this time of struggle for her she is given a "page" who is a young girl whom she develops a strong bond with. A lot of the story is about their growing relationship and their growth as characters, especially lessons about trusting God.

This was an easy read and I felt pulled into the story. The story does pick up again and there is a trace of romance within.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Michelle Janene lives and works in Northern California, though most days she blissfully exists in the medieval creations of her mind. She is a devoted teacher, a dysfunctional housekeeper, and a dedicated writer. She released her first novella Mission: Mistaken Identity in the fall of 2015, God’s Rebel in 2016, Rebel’s Son in 2017, and has been published in several anthologies. She leads two critique groups and is the founder of Strong Tower Press—Indie solutions for indie authors.

More from Michelle

The main character of Hidden Rebel is a princess who is also a warrior. She needed to move between court and the battlefield with minimal issues. Aria also took the verse that women should not dress as men seriously. I wrote about a fighting skirt for her. It appeared to be a pleated skirt with several long panels. Those panels weren’t sewn together other than at her hips. When Aria moved it was clear the skirt panels where over tight trousers and tall boots. I thought about the skirt so much I created my own. I have worn it to local Renaissance Faires.