The Pinnacle of Power (The Keeper of the Balance) (Volume 1)

Is anybody good? Ever? That’s what I found myself asking while reading this book full of richly crafter characters- that are mostly evil. The world of Akaladia is harsh. The rulers or “selected” control everything with an iron fist. This includes the “intangible” world that most of the lower classes don’t even know about. They protect their power and their wealth by keeping the unseen world secret at all costs. They will do anything to keep that secret.

Amidst all of this evil, we have our hero and our heroine. Earlyann and Keriel provide the “breath of fresh air”. They are both young and strive for the same thing. Freedom. Keriel seeks the freedom to “live, laugh, and love” that isn’t available to the upper class, only the commoners. Earlyann seeks freedom from ridicule. At his center, he really just wants to have a purpose and to be worth something. These two are the heart of the story and I couldn’t help but fall in love with them. The crazy thing is that there storylines never even cross- yet. I’m looking forward to future books where these two could possibly have their purposes intertwine.

The reason this wasn’t a straight five stars for me is the over description I find in many similar books and that it started pretty slow and took me a while to get into it. I am so glad I kept going, though, because I found a story that is rich and beautifully penned. The author has a knack for finding the perfect words to say just about anything. That isn’t something that can be said about a lot of authors these days. He is able to teach valuable lessons without sounding preachy. This story teaches us about loss and overcoming it. We learn about the costs of too much power and the costs of class warfare. There’s so much more I could say about this book but you’ll just have to read it for yourself.

Warning: The book ends on a cliffhanger that will leave you on the edge of your seat- anxious for book 2!