Great plot. I really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to reading more books from this author.

This is a well written Fantasy with a well developed world and characters.
The action comes quick with plenty of fun added in making for a really easy read.
My only complaint was I finished it too quickly.

Thank you to NetGalley and XC Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review. The King's Champion by Xina Marie Uhl is expected to be released October 15, 2017.

This was an interesting read - okay but not what I expected. The material here is good but could be even better.

We have two great main characters - Lance and Kieran - whose adoring friendship I haven't seen much of in YA. The story goes by quick, which, unfortunately, forces the friendship/brotherhood - and other events - to develop quickly. Lance and Kieran are very much alike with their upbringing the only stark differentiation. But I don't feel what we get is enough to truly distinguish them as individuals.

I like the premise and setting but the pacing doesn't help me become fully engrossed in the story. Things "skipped around" or were "cut out" a lot as if I was reading a condensed version of the story. This often made me think that there had to be more than what I was reading.

I liked that what "magic" we see seems to come from the Land in a kind of one-with-nature feel. But it's effect leaves several questions for me and, I would have thought, from the characters.

Post-read I'm not 100% sure I will read the next book because it seems like I'd being going into book 2 still very much in the dark. But a part of me wants to read more of Lance and Kieran's story because I love their friendship. I think the premise of book 2, Trials by Sword, will largely dictate my decision.

A completely acceptable, fun read for a couple of hours, very much a throwback to older fantasy.

The King's Champion takes very basic fantasy elements and uses them to their best, but their best isn't exactly anything mindblowing in 2017, when every author is battling everybody else in creativity and imagination. There is the standard friendship between lowly peasant and noble prince, the one that is the foundation of the whole story, and it does work commendably well, as the young boys seem to get on really well, like actual friends would, and their personalities complement one another in an easy, believable way. There is the everpresent magic, called simply The Power, and the way it's portrayed feels reminiscent of, for example, Mark Lawrence's second trilogy of books. And, most of all, there is a delightfully cliche cackling evil advisor, the king's right-hand man. No doubts are ever cast on his awfulness and the book wastes no time in going "Yeah, he's the token Disney bad guy here".

The plot moves briskly, lingering only in the right spots, and the more I think about the world presented, the more I realize that I actually remember some of the elements, as they are refreshingly down to earth and non-convoluted.
The main problem stems from the fact that this feels like a third of a book, not a whole novel. Without going into too much detail, the book ends at a point, where other novels would just about hit the halfway point of the story at most. And the ending itself has the protagonists make a rather questionable decision in their quest, which may be addressed in the sequel, but for now it seems baffling.
I did find this quite enjoyable, especially owing to the light-hearted scenes of the heroes playing around and being happy to have each other for company. This seems to be a rare feature nowadays, as everything is high-stakes and grim.
All in all, this is fun, if familiar, and easy to read, if not high literature. If you're not averse to fantasy cliches and some weak motivations - give this a shot!

I want these two characters to get together!!! It’s charming and funny! Lance and Kieran’s relationship is- I just love it! Although I do wish there was more setting up of the world so readers could get a better idea of it all, it is action-packed and I enjoyed how fast paced it was.

One thing I want to mention is that there isn’t much or enough world building so it was hard to understand at points. I wanted to know more history of the world or more history on the families and kingdoms.

Halfway through the book you are introduced to new characters and the plot of the book is coming together a bit more and it starts to make sense of how things might turn out.

Through their journey to discovering Kieran’s Mother’s past and blood line, they are also discovering themselves and it was interesting to see how Ulh wrote it. As I mentioned before there were parts in the book I found confusing especially their transformation or transfiguration? I’m not sure what you would call it but I eventually understood it.

Overall, I like the magic aspect of it and I enjoyed the relationship dynamics between Kieran and Lance. I would want more world building is all. I recommend this to 12+

Rating 3/5

I greatly enjoyed this buddy story set in a world of magic. The author makes you invest in the main characters and surprises you with their abilities. I look forward to the next book in this series

The King's Champion is the first book of a new YA fantasy series by Xina Marie Uhl, which centers on Lance, named so after a weapon found next to him when he was but an orphaned baby. He was raised by his adoptive parents, but in order to become a rightful citizen and acquire a last name, the village elders send him on a quest to prove his worth.

This quest isn't defined, it's up to him to decide what to do to earn his rights, so it's a lucky coincidence when he gets in cahoots with the prince himself. Together, they try to find a way out of the royal intrigues, reveal the true faces of court residents, and discover the secrets of the Land.

Although the characters are around seventeen years (summers) old, and the genre is clearly Young Adult, the fast pacing and simplistic descriptions reminded me a lot of middle grade literature. That isn't to say that it's bad - this novel was very refreshing. It just goes to show that a YA fantasy book doesn't have to be obnoxiously long and have ostentatious names for characters and places to be enjoyable (yes, I'm looking at you, Sarah J. Maas).

The book sets the tone for the rest of the series and even though it's relatively short, there is still some considerable character development, mostly in Lance's case. This is also a story about a search for identity, which goes beyond just finding out who your parents were. I really liked Lance's voice - he is a great narrator, honest and amusing. I can't wait to read more about him and his friends in the upcoming sequels!

I actually really enjoyed this book. I'm actually looking forward to reading the second book. I recommend picking this book up for a short adventure that includes sword fighting, royalty, loyalty and friendship!