"From the Dark to the Dawn" book review

  From the Dark to the Dawn by Alicia A. Willis is an intriguing novel that follows a well-used premise. It avoids clichés and delivers crisp life-like characters. And it stands as a sparkling fresh take on Roman history.
The story opens with a young Britain—Phillip—being captured by the Roman Empire. Phillip becomes a slave and is sold to a Roman named Marcus. This story follows these two men as they endeavor to survive a turbulent time in brutal Rome.
   For all its merit, the novel had some weaknesses. It lacked a lot of action considering the period. But it almost compensated with its dramatic and emotional plot.
There are some intense Christianity lessons in this novel which could be thought of as preachy. And unfortunately some of the premise has been used before (see Beric the Britain by G. A. Henty). But the novel keeps to itself enough to retain the sense of discovery and freshness that it wields.
   Miss Willis crafts the characters well—even the evil ones. You can’t help but sympathize with the good and bad, hoping that it will turn out okay in the end. The plot has some good twists that are very original.
   In other words, I liked it. I couldn’t help but cry at parts, smile at others, and love the characters by the end. I couldn’t stop reading and stayed up late a lot while reading this book.

8 stars out of 10!