Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Review - The Frankincense Trail by Jody Kihara


TITLE:    The Frankincense Trail
AUTHOR:    Jody Kihara
INFO:    Paperback, Fiction, 253 pages
PUBLISHED:   Star Magnolia Publishing, 2011
SOURCE:   Received from Author for Review and Blog Tour



FROM GOODREADS:   In 200BC, frankincense was worth its weight in gold, making Arabia was the envy of the world. But wealth comes at a cost: the precious resin had to be transported along the Frankincense Road, a dangerous route through rocky mountains and barren desert. 


Alia is a princess in a dwindling kingdom that lies on the Frankincense Road. Having grown up hearing tales of Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba, she dreams of finding a way to restore her kingdom’s former might. When a caravan journeying to the mysterious incense lands stops to take on travellers, she sees her chance.

She soon realises, however, that her trust in the caravan leaders has been misguided. They are not mere incense merchants, but traitors and mercenaries. Alia’s journey soon turns from dangerous to life-threatening. 


The Frankincense Trail is a story that transports the reader to a time and place reminiscent of the Arabian Nights tales.


MY TAKE:    Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read.  While I tend to lean towards a lot of the English and Scottish history, this story was a very refreshing change.  Arabia's past is a completely new area for me to explore and enjoy.


Jody Kihara has created two fascinating characters in Alia and Kardal.  Their chemistry and interaction keeps the reader engrossed in the story.  Alia's naivete was annoying at times, but I think if you keep in mind that she was a young, sheltered Princess before she ventured out into the world, it explains a lot of her behavior.  I liked that Kardal was strong and commanding, yet showed a weakness towards Alia.  


The story was entertaining yet educational as I learned many things about Arabian culture and history.  The plot moves along quickly and had me completely hooked. The tale truly did remind me of some of the Arabian Nights adventures. I read the book in one afternoon as I couldn't put it down.  


I highly recommend The Frankincense Tour for readers who enjoy YA, historical fiction, adventure and a little mystery sprinkled in for good measure.  
  
Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:

You can snag your own copy here:  
You can read the first two chapters and check out the cool trailer.  
There are a lot of fun things being planned along with this blog tour including a Twitter-view (Twitter interview):


@JodyKihara
@ladystorm33 
@onebookshy  

Join us!

November Tour Schedule:
        2nd:   Freda's Voice
        3rd:   In between Writing and Reading
        4th:   Fictitious Musing
        5th:   The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia
        6th:   Books, Movies, Reviews. Oh my!
        7th:   Sweeping Me
        8th:   Can't Put It Down
        9th:   Library of Clean Reads
       10th:   The Book Addicted Girl




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~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.
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6 comments:

  1. StormiNovember 1, 2011 at 2:22 AM

    Great review, thanks for being a part of this tour!

    ReplyDelete
  2. JodyKiharaNovember 1, 2011 at 11:26 AM

    Ooh, a jewel rating, how very appropriate to the book's plot! ;)
    Thanks so much for the great review, Julie!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNovember 1, 2011 at 5:14 PM

    I saw the jacket for this novel posted on another site and was intrigued to know what it was about. It is serendipity to now see a review on it.
    I like the idea of exploring world history that is outside of Western Civilization. This adventure style romance looks good.

    Thanks for posting!
    sundee94@comcast.net

    ReplyDelete
  4. jkrowynNovember 1, 2011 at 5:33 PM

    This sounds good. I also tend to lean toward the scottish history, so it would be nice to read about something a little different that I know nothing about. Thanks for the giveaway!!

    Artesia at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mary PrestonNovember 5, 2011 at 4:41 AM

    I have been following the tour & "The Frankincense Trail " is my kind of book. I can't wait to read it.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rainy KayeMarch 23, 2012 at 2:22 PM

    I don't read a lot of historical fiction but this one looks intriguing. I added it to my TBR on Goodreads. Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete

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