Review of A King Amongst Us

[Madiha_]

[Following is a volunteer review of "A King Amongst Us" by A.D. Lewis.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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A King Amongst Us is a short book written by the author A.D Lewis. The story takes place in Sit-Nalta, where Augustus rules thanks to a coup d'etat carried out by himself. In order to become a King, he also killed all the members of the royal family, except one, Titus, the youngest son, who's been enslaved from a young age and when the king grew tired of him he prepared him to fight in the Gauntlet.
The Gauntlet is a gladiatorial tournament that happens once a solstice. The tournament is sort of a punishment for the slaves who have disobeyed the king's orders, and it also serves as an entertainment.

When I initially started reading A King Amongst Us many things made me recall Roman society. However, it's not exactly the way Romans lived, it has some differences that make the story distinct and it makes the book worth reading.
As it is a short book, the characters and the situations are not fully developed like in a full length book. Nevertheless, this doesn't make the reading of the story unappealing.

Titus is a young man whose only purpose in his life is to kill the King in order to avenge his family and do justice by himself. That is what makes him bear all the abuse and suffering. It is not explicitly said in the story, but the author implies that King Augustus takes advantage of young boys in a sexual way.
For readers who are uncomfortable reading sexual content, I have to say that in the book there are mentioned some sexual acts, but there's nothing graphic.

A King Amongst Us could be classified as historical fiction, but it has some fantasy element in it. Approximately half past the story, Lewis surprises us with a fantasy twist. Personally I wasn't expecting it, so I was astonished, in a good way.

To sum up, I give A King Amongst Us, 4 out of 5 stars because even though it is well written, it has some typographical errors.
Despite the lack of character development, the events didn't feel rushed, and I was very intrigued to know if Titus would get his revenge successfully or not.
Overall, I really enjoyed A King Amongst Us.

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A King Amongst Us
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[Priya Murugesan]

I am interested in reading more about Augustus and Titus. It looks like an intriguing story. Thanks for your awesome review!

[Amy Luman]

I’m very torn by this review. On the one hand, I am not a fan of historical fiction or sexual content , but on the other, I really enjoy fantasy elements. I liked reading the review. Thanks!

[Kutloano Makhuvhela]

A good review that I enjoyed reading. I loved how you drew the similarities from this fictitious society to the one of the Romans.

[Benita Ogarekpe]

If the book itself is anything like its review, then I imagine I will have a great time reading it. Thanks for this review!

[Arshadq]

I enjoy reading about roman history, and the struggles back then. And a book that is like ancient Rome, and has fantasy elements is a dream. However, I don't dabble in the sexual content bit, so I might pass on the book for now. Thanks for the review though!