BOOK REVIEW: - "Once I Knew" by Victoria Lynn

I had the pleasure of meeting Victoria Lynn at the 2025 YWW retreat this past August (you guys, she offered me advice about my WIP!!! *fangirl squealing*) and let me tell you, she is such a lovely person! When I met her, I hadn't read any of her books, so I was like "Ooh, new author!!" (I'm a book nerd if you can't tell haha), but anyway, I bought her fantasy novel, Once I Knew, and she shipped me a copy since she had sold out. As soon as it arrived, I settled down and had it read in a few days. And honestly? . . .

THIS BOOK.

OH. MY. GOODNESS.

*obsessive screaming*

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About the book:

Violet lives her quiet life in her sleepy village, trying to remain as dead to the politics that are threatening their world as possible. She follows the rules, stays out of trouble and does her best to remain out of sight from the dreaded and overbearing Kingsmen.

With the new regent on the throne till the prince comes of age, the country has been thrown into a turmoil. Unlike the kindly king before him, the new ruler is overbearing, frightening, and tyrannical in his rule. Taxes are bleeding the people dry and without the money or goods to pay, they have been forced into penal servitude and imprisonment by the Kingsmen, who show no mercy. The despair and fear that has taken over their lives had ruled out any level of hope.

When Violet stumbles upon an unconscious and inured Kingsman in the woods, despite the consequences, she is compelled to take care of the injured man. When he wakes and has no memory of his identity or past,, she takes the only precaution that will keep her and her grandmother safe; she destroys the evidence of his past life.

If Violet's lowly Kingsman regains his memory, will she survive the consequences? And will the Kingsman be able to live with his past life? Who will fight to free Elira?

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My review:

Honestly, can I applaud the author enough? This book was so good. And it definitely kept me on my toes! The romance, writing style, and worldbuilding were gorgeous. And that cover? Stunning. I must say, the cover itself was what first had me sold.

Victoria Lynn does an amazing job immersing readers into her worlds, and even though this book was written in 3rd person, I could really get a feel for what was going on in the main character's head. It's a pretty deep book, but Christian, and I'm in love with every one of the characters (yes, including the horse. I need a horse like that. *nods*).

I would recommend this book for ages 15+ (I'm sorry, my little sister who's probably reading this, but just give it a few years. It'll be worth the wait!). It's more mature content and deals with some deeper themes, plus the romance (which is 100% clean, by the way), and the violence, which are the main reasons why I set my age rating as that. But for those of you who are eager for a new read (and are above 13 XD), I highly urge you to read this!! It's such a beautiful, well-written book, and I applaud the author a million times over!

My favorite part about it, you may ask? Well, the Christian themes for sure. They are displayed throughout the book in a non-preachy way, and it touched my heart for sure. But other than that, the prose and writing style are so gorgeous!

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Conclusion

Who here had read Once I Knew? Anyone inspired to read the book? Do you prefer 1st person or 3rd person? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Maya :)