The Girl of Fire and Thorns, by Rae Carson

Disclaimer: All reviews are the result of my personal opinion from a Christian stand-point. These reviews are provided for those who share my beliefs and morals, to help guide what fiction a reader may wish to pick up. For those who do not share these beliefs, please refrain from hateful comments. It is due to rude commenting that I must now include this note prior to all reviews. For more information, visit my purpose behind this blog. Thank you for your understanding.

Summary:
Intended Age-Group: 13-17 (I think it's just best to say 13+. I'm 26 and loved it)
Issues of Violence: action violence, murder, mutilation, intense situations, magic violence.
Intimacy Level: questions of intimacy in marriage. Mild kissing.
Language: none that I noticed.

Recommendation: yes, 5 out of 5 stars. Woohoo!

New. Favorite. Author.

Back Cover Blurb:
Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses. THe one who has never done anything remarkable, and can't see how she ever will. 

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king--a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn't die young. Most of the chosen do.

Initial Reaction: *****
The first paragraph instantly intrigued me. Elisa has spent the whole day praying that her future husband--whom she'd be marrying that very day--would be ugly, fat, and old. What girl prays for this? I needed to know. So I read on.

Characters: *****

I love Elisa's character, mainly because she's not afraid to say things. Well, perhaps she was occasionally afraid to speak her mind and ask the tough questions, but she did it anyway, which is even more admirable. I love watching her grow into a queen and how her history of studies and the influence of her sister affected her thinking. Only 100 pages in, I admired her and rooted for her. I understood her desires and her duty.

Plot: *****
The story constantly kept me gasping. I wasn't on the edge of my seat the whole time, though. Sometimes the story started to plod along like the loveable camels in its pages, but just as I started a yawn and thought, "Hm...one more chapter of this and I might be bored," a big shocker or plot turn or action scene would come up. Though I reached the edge a few times, I never actually got bored. That's really the only complaint (if you can call it that) I have. Also, please keep in mind there is also strong and high violence in this book. The plot is centered around a war.

Spiritual Aspect: *****
The spiritual aspect of the book was actually a little confusing. At first, I thought it was Christian, but some things just never connected. Elisa has what's called a Godstone in her belly--something God placed there since birth to show He's called her to a great duty. Sometimes it turns cold to warn her of things and when she prays it often turns warm.

Elisa was privileged to be one to communicate with God, which tells me the other people didn't have direct access to God. That doesn't align with what the Bible says, which led me to think maybe this was just a type of religion created solely for the book's sake.

The "church" of this religion involved sacrament, which meant pricking oneself for blood on the thorn of a rose in order to plead something from God.

All in all, it had similarities to the beliefs I hold from the Bible, but it always felt fictitious. None of it fully aligned, so I would call it a piece of fiction. Still, I took from it a growing urge to pray more. :) Thanks Elisa! 

Overall Recommendation: *****
This book was fantastic. The fictitious world Carson created was so unique and original. It brought a feel of newness and travel that very few other books ever bring me. As the sandy desert land grew on Elisa, it slowly grew on me (and I don't like deserts.)

I would summarize this book in one word: growth.
Growth of leadership, of character, of kings, of plot, of culture...all growth and discovery. This is a great foundation for the first book in a series. I loved this story and (as this is written after I've finished the series), I adore the series as well and highly recommend it with five stars in my eyes.

Nadine Brandes is an adventurer, fusing authentic faith with bold imagination. She writes stories about brave living, finding purpose, and other worlds soaked in imagination. Her debut dystopian novel, A Time to Die, released September 2014 from Enclave Publishing. When Nadine's not taste-testing a new chai or editing fantasy novels, she is out pursuing adventures. She currently lives in Idaho with her husband. You can find out more about Nadine and her books at http://nadinebrandes.com.

Monument 14, by Emmy Laybourne

Disclaimer: All reviews are the result of my personal opinion from a Christian stand-point. These reviews are provided for those who share my beliefs and morals, to help guide what fiction a reader may wish to pick up. For those who do not share these beliefs, please refrain from hateful comments. It is due to rude commenting that I must now include this note prior to all reviews. For more information, visit my purpose behind this blog. Thank you for your understanding.

Click to read my review of book 2 -- Monument 14: Sky on Fire
Click to read my review of book 3 -- Monument 14: Savage Drift

Summary:
Intended Age-Group: 9th grade & up
Issues of Violence: gun fights, deaths from post-apocalyptic disasters, fist fighting, rape
Intimacy Level: kissing, nudity, attempts at sex (both willingly and forced)
Language: Use of "God," "Christ", and "Jesus" for exclamations. Hell, SOB, b****, f*** (blanked out), a**,
Other: Underage drinking/intoxication, drug use, conversations revolving around sex, drugs, "getting high", hallucinations from air toxin, violent animal-like behavior from air toxin, etc.

Recommendation: Neutral. Use caution. 3 out of 5 stars with reservations (see end of entry)

Back-Cover Blurb
Six high-school kids (some popular, some not), two eight-graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world--as they know it--apart.

Initial Reaction: *****
I picked up this book on a whim at the library. It truly was a whim, but once I started it, it replaced the others and became my midnight read until I completed it two days later. There are many things I enjoyed about it, but also many things I didn't.

PROS:

1. Characters: *****

I liked how realistic the kids seem. No one came off as completely cardboard. Sure, there was the jock, but he wasn't a total self-absorbed jerk. Then there was the nerd, but he still had social skills. The pretty popular girl  wasn't an airhead or a flirt. Through the book, I got to know the characters   right off the bat (though I had some trouble keeping the little kids straight.)
2. Realistic. The author captured the terror that might come from these types of events in a very realistic way. She really pegged how I believe thinking would change, hope would change, and leadership would change with a handful of kids trying to survive.

3. Parent Appreciation. One aspect I especially appreciated was how the children missed and worried over their parents--even when we see some parents aren't the greatest of caretakers. I was pleased that this wasn't a "kids-in-charge!" type of book and showed how leadership and loneliness can be very real.

4. Action Packed. Practically every chapter brought a new reason that made me want to turn the page to the next. Small things--realistic things--that, in a situation like this, make them very big. 



CONS: 1. Clean Content: ***** The book got a bit crude on the sexual side of things -- joking, jealousy, some scenes of nudity. I understand that's something that goes on with teenagers and it's still realistic, especially with no adult supervision in this environment. But it's not something I enjoy reading. And it's not content I would want to hand to my 9th grade daughter or son. There is also drug use and underage drinking that, understandably, takes place amongst some of the older kids.

2. Spiritual Content: ***** This 'con' is mainly because I review from a Christian point-of-view, and my reviews are to help those with similar beliefs as me to choose which books they would like to delve into next. This point is not to "sway" readers with different/nonexistent spiritual beliefs. 

There were some strange mixed views of God--mostly whatever-you-believe-is-right type of thinking--but it's the views of confused children raised with differing beliefs, not an expressed view as a theme/message in the book. One younger character does go around pointing his finger and saying, "That's a sin!" over and over. Though it was funny, it made me sad to see the views of a "judgmental God" portrayed in one so innocent--sad because that's how a lot of the world often views God, and that portrayal is not accurate.


Overall Recommendation: (3.5 stars)

This book may be dark and somewhat scary to a teenage reader, depending on his/her reading habits. I certainly recommend caution. But as a post-apocalyptic work of fiction, I thought it was written well. It's gritty, harsh, realistic, and captures the slivers of hope that always exist in dark times. I enjoyed it, despite the mature themes throughout the entire book. 
Story-wise and because of good quality, I found this book to be a good read. I enjoyed it, and I recommend it with caution. As always, I encourage all readers to examine his/her own reading preferences before following my recommendation.

 

Nadine Brandes is an adventurer, fusing authentic faith with bold imagination. She writes stories about brave living, finding purpose, and other worlds soaked in imagination. Her debut dystopian novel, A Time to Die, released September 2014 from Enclave Publishing. When Nadine's not taste-testing a new chai or editing fantasy novels, she is out pursuing adventures. She currently lives in Idaho with her husband. You can find out more about Nadine and her books at http://nadinebrandes.com.

Harry Potter and the Order of the phoenix (book 5), by J. K. Rowling

Disclaimer: All reviews are the result of my personal opinion from a Christian stand-point. These reviews are provided for those who share my beliefs and morals, to help guide what fiction a reader may wish to pick up. For those who do not share these beliefs, please refrain from hateful comments. It is due to rude commenting that I must now include this note prior to all reviews. For more information, visit my purpose behind this blog. Thank you for your understanding.

Summary:
Intended Age-Group: 9+ (recommended 13+)
Issues of Violence: action violence, torture, murder, mutilation, intense situations, snake attack, cruel punishments from evil teachers.
Intimacy Level: mild attraction, mention of kissing (or "snogging"), and one character kiss.
Language: some instances of d***, nicknames for disliked teachers 
Other: Mention of drunkenness regarding some characters, a scene inside a bar (nothing questionable) 

Recommendation: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Book Description:
The Order of the Phoenix is the first book in the series after Voldemort has returned. Naturally, Harry is on the watch for any murders, disappearances, and odd happenings in the wizarding world, but Voldemort's playing it smart and keeping low. Meanwhile, the Ministry interferes at Hogwarts with a new member of staff, partly to keep an eye on the "unstable Harry Potter" and partly to keep Dumbledore from spreading fear about Voldemort.

Characters: *****
Harry's main character trait in this book is angst. He's hit the dramatic teenage years where he questions himself, questions others, and can't seem to see past the mirror. We all went through it and, now reading this book outside of my teen years, I see how impeccably accurate Harry's hormonal upheaval is.

Loyalty of friends is a big theme in this book, especially since Harry seems estranged from his peers--they're frightened of him after what happened the last school year during the Triwizard Tournament. Harry and Hermione are as faithful as they come, standing up for him and encouraging him to be the leader he needs to be, which brings me to my next positive: Leadership.

Harry steps up to lead his peers, even against his own misgivings, to ensure they can protect themselves against a dark wizard attack. When he steps into these shoes, it's with genuine humility and the feeling he's unworthy to lead, which is one reason he's so good at it.

Unity is strong between those who believe the Dark Lord has returned. It creates a sense of family, safety, and trust. Harry's kinship with his new role models--Sirius, Lupin, the Weasleys, draws him even deeper into the sense of family outside of actual blood relatives. It shows the readers it's possible to have such unity solely through love of one another.

Plot: *****
Well, Voldemort is back, what do you expect? He's conniving and vindictive against those who didn't come to his aid during his years of hiding. Most of all, he wants to kill Harry and he uses mind tricks to do it. He draws Harry in and then uses his minions to torture, kill, and injure those who fight against him.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron, find themselves in a new type of mystery. How do they prove Voldemort is out to destroy the world when Voldemort's not showing himself? Harry deals with taunting from peers as he's labeled "mentally unstable". His strange dreams and visions don't help matters, but he's determined to keep people safe, even if they won't help him. In the end, Harry and his faithful friends face Voldemort's followers in battle. Inevitably, deaths and injuries take place that are a bit intense for the younger reader.

Spiritual Aspect: *****
There is no spiritual or Christian focus in these books, but there are a lot of good themes and messages. 

Other:

The unlikable side of adults comes out in this book. Harry's admiration of his father is brought back down to earth, he sees the maniacal side of a professor determined to do anything for her misguided beliefs. Harry sees what solitude and captivity can do to a grown man and what affect that can have on mental stability. All this time, while Harry is looking to an adult to lead him, he's seeing their faults and it's discouraging. Even Dumbledore is being distant. This pushes Harry to take a lot of matters into his own hands.

Overall Recommendation: (4.5 stars)
The entire Harry Potter series carries wonderful themes of good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, love vs. hate. These themes only grow in this book and, though the characters encounter violence and dark opposition, they learn to rise above with the right beliefs, values, and morals. I highly recommend this book. The only reason I give it four stars instead of five is because I believe the intended age group of 9-years-old is too young. I would stick to 13 and up.

Nadine Brandes is an adventurer, fusing authentic faith with bold imagination. She writes stories about brave living, finding purpose, and other worlds soaked in imagination. Her debut dystopian novel, A Time to Die, released September 2014 from Enclave Publishing. When Nadine's not taste-testing a new chai or editing fantasy novels, she is out pursuing adventures. She currently lives in Idaho with her husband. You can find out more about Nadine and her books at http://nadinebrandes.com.