Fortified by V. Romas Burton: Book Review

Fortified by V. Romas Burton, the first installment of The Legacy Chapters, is a beautiful coming of age young adult fantasy novel with poignant lessons for readers. Devora’s story teaches the importance of letting go of our own plans to pursue God’s greater plan for our lives. It also shows that through God’s grace and love we can always strive to become better versions of ourselves.

Book cover of Fortified by V. Romas Burton. Black and purple background with white text and gold crown.

Book Summary of Fortified by V. Romas Burton

Devora can only categorize her stones in one order. She believes this is undeniable proof that she is meant to attend Vlacklear Academy and become a scholar. However, Devora’s perfect future shatters when the king changes the color orders the day of her Categorization Call. Instead of attending Vlacklear Academy, she is sent to the Fortress to train among criminals to become a soldier in the king’s army. Her life plans uprooted paired with no more access to herbal tea to suppress her secret abilities as a Seer, Devora wonders if Tunri has forsaken her.

When Devora’s Seeing abilities are inevitably exposed, she’s thrown into a tournament to win her right to live. She must turn to Captain Blake, the right-hand man of the ruthless warden of the Fortress, for help or be slaughtered like all the other Seers before her.

My Thoughts on Fortified by V. Romas Burton

In short, this book is phenomenal. Fortified follows Devora as she comes into her own on her unexpected journey. She learns that Tunri’s plan was better and that without it she wouldn’t have found several blessings. Likewise, we can apply Devora’s lesson to our own lives. It is important to trust in God’s plan even when it goes against our own vision.

In addition to the book’s themes, the world-building is unique. The tournament Devora participates in to win her life is reminiscent of some popular series but stands on its own. Fans of both Divergent and Hunger Games will enjoy this fantasy story with the addition of the tournament. Readers who enjoy fantasy worlds with positive female friendships, enemies to lovers romance tropes, and a good balance between a character-driven plot and high-stakes action will love Fortified by V. Romas Burton. Plus, the clean romance sub-plot brings all the swoon!

Final Remarks

In closing, I readily give Fortified by V. Romas Burton 5-stars. Young readers and adult readers alike will fall in love with Devora, Captain Blake, and the rest of the cast. You can order your copy of Fortified today from your favorite book retailer including Amazon. Be sure to also request a copy at your local library, too.

Learn more about author V. Romas Burton by checking out this blog post in which she was interviewed by The Unicorn Writer.

Happy Reading!


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Published by Kayla E. Green

Kayla E. Green is a school librarian, speculative fiction author, and poet. When she isn’t writing, reading, or going on adventures with her husband, she loves singing loudly and off-key to KLove Radio, snuggling her dogs, and pretending she’s a unicorn. Her award-winning YA fantasy novella, Aivan: The One Truth, and her inspirational poetry collection, Metamorphosis, are now available through book retailers. Kayla also has stories and poems featured in various anthologies. Follow The Unicorn Writer's blog for book reviews, author interviews, writing advice, and more bookish fun!

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