Lapidius: Book 1 (A Nation Found Series Book #1) by Matthew Runals – Review by Angela Hayes

Lapidius by Matthew Runals
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 Stars

“Story lovers and justice seekers, I present a tale of Lapidius, a school nestled in the valleys and forests of the land of Novum Albion. Once filled with mystery, adventure, and knowledge, Novum Albion was now a sad place of former greatness and forgotten dreams that no longer held the position of power it once had in the world. As its people settled for what they were told they could accomplish, hope and dreams became vacant in Novum Albion.
At one time, the country had been the world’s melting pot, where cultures, intellect, ideas, and even freedom defined the young nation. Yet, many no longer had the hope that once defined Novum Albion. Sadly, inspiration and confidence drained from the land. Hope became nothing more than feeble happiness, and happiness turned to selfish desires. Selfish desires turned into greed, and greed turned into numbness to life. Many citizens of Novum Albion were trapped in their own minds, yet they were still filled with pride, though they accomplished nothing.
Worth of life was held relative, and the meaning of words like honor, morals, and ethics were seldom taught. Even truth was held passively. As the young of the land grew ignorant of their identity and past, the very fiber of the home started to unwind, and uncertainty and ignorance in every aspect of life began to grow.
Lapidius was still a mysterious place, considering it was a military school for children. It was not a school built to train children for war but designed to teach military discipline. Children of all ages would leave their siblings and parents behind and find mysteries upon mysteries at Lapidius, which they would eventually call home.
Yes, though it would be hard for some to think a school could be home for its students, it was just that for many. And the most challenging and formative experience Lapidius had to offer was The Game. The Game was what made Lapidius unique…”

Lapidius is the first book in A Nation Found series by Matt Runals. This is a fabulous YA dystopian adventure story with a coming of age/journey of discovery element, mystery, action, politics, agendas, challenges, high stakes, family/friendship, finding purpose, magic, monsters, courage/bravery, survival, war/battles, intrigue, fantasy, emotion, humour, morality/honour, betrayal, and hope.
I set off on the adventure and found myself engrossed right from the get-go- joining Joey, Kyle, Brian, and Lucas through all the highs and lows of Lapidius- a military school which will bring challenges and experiences that none of them could have predicted.
The characters were really well-developed individuals with their own unique personalities, quirks, and flaws. They were easy to like and invest in. I loved watching them develop and grow over the course of the story.
The story is quite detailed and descriptive, which made it easy to ‘visualise’ the scenes, the world, and all the developments as they unfolded.
This gave me all the Divergent/Hunger Games/ The Maze Runner/ Harry Potter-esque vibes- but with its own unique identity.
The story finishes leaving room for more to come – so I look forward to seeing where we go from here.
Happy Reading…

Thank you, Matt Runals!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

View all my reviews