The Callenlas Chronicles by H.R. Hess

The Callenlas Chronicles by H.R. Hess is a four-book Christian fantasy series, plus a short spinoff novella, set on the island of Callenlas. The books were not written in the order the story unfolds chronologically, and reading them in publication order rather than timeline order is recommended for a first read, since the final book written is actually first chronologically and gives away context better discovered later.

Book 1, The Dark Star, follows Zaphreth, a boy from the desert country of tSardia who is recruited by the fallen star Lord Lur and sent to spy on the kingdom of Callenlas, and Runa, a princess who would rather train dragons than sit through lessons. Their paths cross when both are taken captive, and the story builds to a battle between Lord Lur and King Elior, the true ruler of Callenlas. The novella, The Water Maiden of Lealos, picks up Runa’s story ten years later, when Elior sends her to tSardia to search for a lost document that could prevent a new war between the two nations.

Book 2, The First Skyrider, takes place many years before The Dark Star and tells the story of Cairn, a farm boy accepted into a school that trains servants of the king. Alongside his friends, he discovers and secretly raises an orphaned baby dragon, which becomes central to a battle against an invading nation and to Cairn’s own journey of learning why he wants to serve the king in the first place.

Books 3 and 4 move further back in the timeline. The Lost Prince follows Rael, the surviving heir to a slaughtered royal line, as he is trained in secret and eventually leads a rebellion against the queen who has been ruling Callenlas as a principality of tSardia. The Poet of the Leawold, the darkest book in the series, is set generations earlier still and tells the origin story of how the stars, including Elior, first came to the island, following twins Aleifir and Aderyn as their homeland is invaded and Elior arrives among them as a shepherd.

Reading Level: Ages 14-18
Read-aloud Age: 14+

Magical themes run through this entire series, so it’s worth naming up front. Dragons, telepathic “sending,” and mind arts are treated as normal parts of this world, and several books also include darker elements: sorcery, a demon figure, and in one book a queen who practices literal child sacrifice for youth and strength. None of it is played for shock value, and in every case the darkness is defeated, but parents of sensitive readers will want to know it’s there before handing these over.

This is a Christian allegory through and through, and a genuinely good one. Elior functions as a clear Christ figure, most obviously in The Dark Star. There’s no Scripture quoted or taken out of context anywhere in the series, but the theology underneath it holds up. Every major character, when they stand in Elior’s presence, is forced to confront the pride or self-interest hiding underneath whatever noble reason they gave themselves for their actions. It’s a pattern that repeats book after book, and it’s one of the strongest things about this series.

This is a strong pick for readers who love fantasy with real stakes and real growth, especially kids who gravitate toward Narnia or Wingfeather Saga style stories. The friendships are well drawn, the world building is layered without being overwhelming, and the humility theme gives parents a lot to talk about afterward.

The one structural note worth passing on to your reader: start with The Dark Star, not with The Poet of the Leawold even though it comes first chronologically. Starting with the darkest, earliest book first would give a skewed first impression of a series that is, on the whole, hopeful.

Language:
No profanity. In two of the books, a character makes a rude hand gesture toward another character. The gesture itself isn’t described.

Questionable Behaviors:
Bullying shows up in more than one book. Battle violence and some gore appear in nearly every book, with the most graphic violence in The Poet of the Leawold, which includes a beheading. The Lost Prince includes a queen practicing child sacrifice in exchange for youth and strength, shown only through implication, not detail. Dark magic, sorcery, and a demon character are present across the series. Kidnapping occurs in multiple books, including children being taken from families under the guise of being “gifted” to a queen. Flesh trading, referenced as an outlawed but still-occurring practice, comes up in more than one book. Betrayal, or the accusation of betrayal, is a recurring plot element across nearly every book. Political marriages arranged for alliance rather than love are mentioned as background world detail.

Sexual Content:
Romance is present but stays mild throughout. Most of it is characters resisting or fighting their feelings for another character rather than acting on them. Two of the books include kissing scenes, described without detail. Jealousy over another character’s romantic interest appears in more than one book.

Other Things to Know:
The Poet of the Leawold introduces the idea of multiple wives early in the book as background world detail. Death of a parent or parent figure is a recurring element across the series. Illegitimacy is a plot point in The Dark Star, where the main character is told a false story about his parentage. Superstition, spirits of wood and water, and other pre-Christian-feeling folklore elements appear heavily in some books before being resolved by Elior’s arrival.

This review was written by Good Book Mom contributor, Kelli. To find out more about Kelli, click HERE.

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