What if the nine Fruit of the Spirit and the Seven Deadly Sins were locked in a battle for control?
Abandoned as infants, Tovi and her twin brother were raised by an eclectic tribe of warm, kind people in a treehouse village in the valley. After her brother’s sudden disappearance Tovi questions her life and her faith in an invisible King. Ignoring her best friend Silas’ advice, she decides to search for her brother in the kingdom on top of the mountain.
Above the cloud, the Council of Masters receive their orders. Tovi and her brother are the objectives. King Damien has a plan and Tovi is the key. The Council of Masters want her, but will she remain unscathed? Amidst the glamour of the kingdom above the cloud Tovi is torn between her own dark desires and unanswered questions.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Review: Kingdom above the cloud is categorized as a Christian fiction story but I did not feel it to have any influence on my reading experience. Perhaps the story has some references to old tales from the Bible but as a non-christian reader, I read this book as a fantasy fiction and I enjoyed it.
The story starts with King Damien, ruling the kingdom from above the clouds (Mount Damien), trying to avoid a prophecy of his downfall be seeking a person from the world below the cloud (Adia) . His intention is to find his mentor turned enemy Adwin who is worshipped as a God in Adia and in the lower ring of Mount Damien too. There are old legends, stories, and rumors about Adwin but no one seems to know the true person or reasons for his disappearance from Mount Damien. There are places where you can draw the parallels between Adwin & God(s) you believe in, irrespective of your religion. This flexibility to interpret the story and to be able to like it was one of the unique things about this book.
The story pushes forward as we follow a lost young woman Tovi who has felt a lot of unhappiness in life and with no one to lean on, she has a lot of resentment towards Adwin. It does not help that in her stubbornness and naivety, she does not recognize the love and care she had received in Adia after being abandoned by her parents along with her twin brother. When she falls for the trap set by King Damien's council of masters and leaves Adia for seeking answers from Mount Damien, she will have to learn on her own whether to fall for the stories & lessons imparted to her by Damien or to seek strength from the stories taught to her by her adoptive parents and best friend.
As pieces start falling in place for the prophecy to come true and King Damien trying to change it , we see changes in people's loyalty and how it is reflected in their appearance and thoughts.
The world-building , the writing, the characters, and the various mysteries are all done beautifully in the book. I was able to finish the book in less than a day as the story was too intriguing from the beginning. I could relate to the thoughts on faith, pain & suffering and in unconditional love as it aligns with my personal beliefs but it is not too hard to ignore that and read it as a normal fiction. I am eagerly looking forward to meeting Tovi & Adwin again in next book.
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