Crown of Embers, by Rae Carson (Girl of Fire & Thorns #2)

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.

This is the second book in a series. Click to read my review of book 1, The Girl of Fire and Thorns.

Summary:
Intended Age-Group: 13+
Issues of Violence: action violence, murder, mutilation, intense situations, magic violence.
Intimacy Level: Focus on sex. Occasional heavy kissing. Elisa questions her attractiveness. Some nakedness (still remains appropriate)
Language: none that I noticed.

Recommendation: yes, 5 out of 5 stars.

Back Cover Blurb:
She does not know what awaits her at the enemy's gate.

Elisa is a hero. She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country's ruler should be secure. But it isn't.

Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from both foreign realms and within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has yet been fulfilled.

To conquer the power she bears once and for all, Elisa must follow the trail of long-forgotten--and forbidden--clues from the deep, undiscovered catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her goes a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man who--despite everything--she is falling in love with.

If she's lucky, she will return from this journey. But there will be a cost.

Initial Reaction: *****
The Crown of Embers takes Elisa into a completely new level of rule. Instead of leading desert mercenaries, she is now queen with death threats and murder attempts at ever turn. Amidst this chaos and dangerous love possibilities, she is discovering more about her purpose as the carrier of the Godstone.

This book was just as good, if not better, than book one. While The Girl of Fire and Thorns really laid a great foundation, this built with firm action, decision, and growth. I loved seeing the strengths and weaknesses Elisa discovered in herself as queen. The plot and twists kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't wait to get my hands on book three.

Characters: *****
As always, I admired the characters and found myself surprised more than once. That's something specific I love about Carson's writing, is that it's unpredictable. It's not always a pretty story, but a more real one. There were so many times where I just let the book drop and I'd sit until my mental, "NOOOOOO!" finally faded away enough to let me keep reading.

Qualms:
Only one thing made me stop in this book, and that came from when Elisa started focusing on sex with the man she realizes she loves. I understand she's young and that was something totally new to her, but when she started thinking about it -- worrying, fretting, and planning over it -- I felt her character change. Her leadership seemed to disintegrate. She came off as childish, needy, a little whiny, and distracted. Maybe this is realistic and, it may in fact be a pretty accurate picture of how love and intimacy may distract a young queen of sixteen.

No matter whether it was realistic or not, it diminished my respect and admiration for Elisa. I kept wanting to scream, "You're focusing on that now? When you're about to die and the lives of hundreds of people are in your hands, you're focusing on sex and birth control?"

That was the only thing that stood out to me--a taste of character inconsistency, but I haven't fully decided if it was inconsistent or just a little flare of bad-timing and childishness in Elisa's character.

Spiritual Elements: *****
The understanding of the Godstone and God both increased in this book--stepping to new depths of hidden tomes and secret places of power. Yet, the spiritual aspect of this religion remained fictitious to me--not fully connecting with symbolism of the Bible (that I could see). This is fine because her very intent may have been to have a fictitious religion. But, as a reviewer who focuses on reviewing with a Christian standpoint, I couldn't help but try to look for the similarities. While many things are the same, the relationship aspect with God is very different and much more distant in the novel than in real life.

Still, I greatly appreciate a strong read that remains clean and has a strong faith aspect to it. :) That would be the Fire and Thorns series.

Overall Recommendation: *****
The plot was brilliant, fast paced, and never left me bored. I am absolutely amazed by the writing and the story. I give it an easy five star, and that's saying a lot because five stars are not common in my rating category. [grin]

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.

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.

The Host, by Stephanie Meyer

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.

Mini-Summary:

Intended Age-Group: 16+

Issues of Violence:  action violence, topic of suicide, euthanasia, dissection, knife wounds

Intimacy Level: a lot of kissing, talk of sex, passionate kissing (did I mention kissing?)

Swearing: h**l, d**n, bl**dy, b*gg*r, j*ck**s

Recommendation: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Blurb:
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away.

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.


Initial Reaction: *****
 I picked up Stephanie Meyer's The Host on a whim. I'd seen the movie trailer and I was curious about the opening line. You can tell a lot about a book by its opening line. I had two flights that evening and the book was thick. I bought it. Two days and 800+ pages later, I finished it.

Plot: *****
It has a love story. I'm not a love-story type of gal. I read books for premise and world-building. The Host drew me in with its premise...and kept me there with the writing. Gone is Meyer's simple prose of a vampire love story. She enters a new level of eloquence and allure with The Host and I loved it. It is nothing like the Twilight series and I found the female protagonist strong and a much more appropriate role model for younger readers than Bella Swan.

The premise is the invasion of an unseen enemy into earth, called "souls". The souls use human bodies as "hosts". Melanie Stryder, one of the few remaining humans on earth is caught by the Seekers. Her body is used as a host to the foreign "soul", Wanderer, but Melanie's no wimp. She fights Wanderer's presence and control out of desperation to return to her brother...and her love, Jared.

Characters: *****

The book was slow moving, yet concretely suspenseful the entire time. I felt an instant connection with the main characters, Melanie and Wanderer, which kept me rooting for them. Many people called this story a unique love triangle, but I found it more of a love square, which is much more to my liking.

The science fiction culture mixed with Wanderer's "alien" mind fascinated me. They were beautifully delivered and thoughtfully developed. I found Wanderer's inner growth  distinctly deep, heart-wrenching, and realistic (for an alien). Her character grew and grew until she went from "the enemy" (in my mind) to my heroine.

Likes:

Coming from a reader who doesn't like romance novels, I knew, judging by Meyer's history, that I'd probably encounter flaming goosebumps and deep gazes. Sure enough, Melanie's obsession over Jared had me rolling my eyes, especially because I didn't like Jared very much and I couldn't see why Melanie did. A lot of Meyer's basis for attraction between couples is based on chemistry. Did the physical touch create goosebumps or not? Heart flutter or not? Flaming mindless emotional drowning or not? 

That just doesn't do it for me. But Ian was so much more realistic, gentlemanly,  and a great example of a good man.

He was so...understanding, it made him instantly likeable in my book. A woman wants to be understood and, even though Wanderer is an alien, he manages to understand her the best way a human can. He is patient, respectful, sweet, but still with faults--a wonderful mix that won me over far more than Jared's brooding stubbornness.

Dislikes:
At many points in the book, we enter Melanie's memories of being with Jared. In one instance, she expresses wanting to share a bed with him. She says when he touches her, she doesn't want him to stop. His drawback is that she's nine years younger than he is and underage. He also doesn't want to run the risk of bringing babies into their invaded, dying, war-torn world. Sex is implied and marriage is not.

On a side note for the book's sake, everyone is suspected of being an invader. This makes it hard to find anyone to perform a marriage, so two people in a serious relationship are called "partners". It implies faithfulness and something akin to marriage.

Overall Recommendation:
Overall, I enjoyed the book on many more levels than I thought I would. Even though there are supposed to be continuations, I thought this single novel wrapped itself up very nicely and I'm content leaving it where it is. Even with the romance side of things, everything stays appropriate. I loved this book.

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.

Freelance Editing Launch Week!

Launch Week hit my editorial website last Sunday and God's blowing the trumpets of celebration. A tiny budded flower emerges from my inner shadows, blooming for the first time into the light of purpose. I've never felt this way before. I've dived into a world filled with my greatest passions: writing and editing. Who thought I'd actually have the opportunity to do this full-time? I never did.

So, in celebration and to spread the word, I'm posting my Launch Week announcement and special on this blog and my book review blog. You may not be a writer, but you may know one. You may not even enjoy writing, but you're witnessing a hopeful writer entering into a dream. I can't believe God picked me.

The Announcement:

It's Launch Week at last!

This means you can get a substantive edit for a $150 flat fee if your manuscript is 80,000 words or less and for $200 if it's between 80,000 and 120,000 words.

This is a HUGE bargain, both in the freelance editing world and on my personal site. After this week, my prices will settle to 0.0035/wd (ex. 80,000 wd manuscript = $280). Please see my Editorial Services page for more details on what your edit will entail.

Important to Know:

• The Launch Week Special begins Sunday, March 17th and goes through Saturday, March 23rd.
• Your manuscript must be fiction (thumbs-up if it's speculative...my favorite!). I do not edit non-fiction or poetry.
• Priority is given on a first-pay, first-serve basis
• I accept Paypal to this email address - nadine.r.shea@gmail.com (this is not a contact e-mail!).
• If you don't have your manuscript quite ready, go ahead and schedule it with me to get your discount. I'm happy to help you and happy to wait! If you need a critique ASAP, please mark your payment as such.

Please understand that, though I will be as speedy (and thorough) as possible, depending on your place in line, it may take several weeks for you to receive your edited manuscript. You may schedule your edit anytime between now and August 31st.

Contact:

If you are interested in the Launch Week Special, please e-mail me with your name and "Launch Week" in the subject line. In the body of the e-mail, please include:

• Your name
• The genre and current length of your manuscript
• The intended age group of your manuscript
• A small description of your manuscript
• Whether or not you consider your manuscript "Christian"
• Any questions about my services
• How you heard about this special

Please share this special with fellow writers so they may all have an opportunity to take advantage of this special. Thank you!



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, releases 2014 from Marcher Lord Press, the premier publisher of Christian speculative fiction. 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.

Black, by Ted Dekker

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.

Mini-Summary:
Intended Age-Group: adult
Issues of Violence: fantasy violence, "gun" fights, knife violence, assassination, kidnapping
Intimacy Level: kissing, emotional connections
Swearing: none
Recommendation: 4 out of 5 stars

Back-Cover Blurb:

Fleeing assailants through deserted alleyways, Thomas Hunter narrowly escapes to the roof of a building. Then a silent bullet from the night clips his head . . . and his world goes black.

From the blackness comes an amazing reality of another world where evil is contained. A world where Thomas Hunter is in love with a beautiful woman.

But then he remembers the dream of being chased through an alleyway as he reaches to touch the blood on his head. Where does the dream end and reality begin?

Every time he falls asleep in one world, he awakes in the other. Yet in both, catastrophic disaster awaits him . . . may even be caused by him.

Some say the world hangs in the balance of every choice we make. Now the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance of one man's choices

Initial Reaction: *****
Black,  by Ted Dekker, is the first book of the Circle Trilogy. I included the back cover blurb because I can't possibly know where to start summarizing. It's a wonderful blend of fantasy and apocalyptic world politics. Try that on for size.

Ted Dekker is a Christian speculative fiction author for adults. Some of his writing is a little too intense for me, but not this series. It's intense, just not too intense. In one reality, Tom Hunter is trying to stop the spread of a world-obliterating virus. He doesn't believe in God or anything spiritual for that matter. In the other reality (The Colored Forest), he discovers a land where God's presence is visible everywhere, encouraging romance and creativity.

I was affected most by the "Colored Forest" side of Tom's reality--the one with physical presence of good and evil and a daily Gathering to delight in God. Some of the interactions of the people with God unnerved me. It bordered on 'weird', but that's because all the people in the Colored Forest fully engaged in God. Unmarred by evil, they delved into vulnerability and expressed themselves through song, dance, tears, etc.

Spiritual Content: *****

When Thomas Hunter enters The Colored Forest , it's thick with spiritual significance. It's similar to a futuristic garden of Eden focused around The Great Romance. The topic of romance, both between us and God and us and each other strikes chords of truth and beauty inside me. 

When Rachelle first sees Tom, she goes through an internal thought process of wanting to "choose" him as her man. There's a small paragraph of her thoughts that strongly captivated the shalom (the way God intended things to be) behind romance:

"Was he a good man? Of course. ALL men were good. Would he pursue her? What man would not romance a woman who has invited him? What what woman would not romance a man who had chosen her? It was the nature of the Great Romance. They all knew it. Thrived on it." (pg. 36)

People choose each other by bringing "wholeness". Such a neat picture of marriage and relationship.

The highlights for me in Black were the imagination and spiritual undertones. I'm growing more and more in love with good Christian speculative fiction novels because I feel like I'm growing spiritually while I'm adventuring. 

Characters: *****

The characters had a lot of adventure and growing, but I didn't feel like they reached a truly human depth. I couldn't see specific character flaws or internal struggles except for the time when the devil is literally sweet-talking a character.

Dislikes:

My only negatives come from my own reading preferences. The writing switches points-of-view to new characters throughout the book in order to fill in the reader enough. It was a little disorienting and I felt like the POVs were just snowballing. I wanted to stay in Tom's head, or at least Tom's and one or two other heads.

Overall Recommendation:
This book is action and discovery driven. I still enjoyed the different depths it brought to my thinking. And, even though it's addressing the end of the world, I found the writing incessantly funny. 

The ending is a definite cliff-hanger that doesn't conclude much, but sets the scene for a thick sequel (Red, in case you're wondering).

I definitely recommend this book to adults and maybe even older teens. It encourages deeper thinking and questions about life. It introduces the very personal side of God through His interaction with His people. And it stretches your brain cells.

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.

Replication: The Jason Experiment, by Jill Williamson

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.

Mini-Summary:
Intended Age-Group: recommend 13+
Issues of Violence:  fist-fights, action violence, topic of suicide, scientific experimentation
Intimacy Level: kissing, emotional connections
Swearing: none
Recommendation: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Picking up a book by a favorite author in a different genre has its risks. Since I can only read Jill Williamson's Blood of Kings trilogy so many times (I may or may not be reading it again right now...*guilty face*), I eventually had to move on to her semi-recent release, Replication.

Blurb:
What if everything you knew was a lie? Martyr---otherwise known as Jason 3:3---is one of hundreds of clones kept in a remote facility called Jason Farms. Told that he has been created to save humanity, Martyr has just one wish before he is scheduled to 'expire' in less than a month. To see the sky. Abby Goyer may have just moved to Alaska, but she has a feeling something strange is going on at the farm where her father works. But even this smart, confident girl could never have imagined what lies beneath a simple barn. Or what would happen when a mysterious boy shows up at her door, asking about the stars. As the reality of the Jason Experiment comes to light, Martyr is caught between two futures---the one for which he was produced and the one Abby believes God created him to have. Time is running out, and Martyr must decide if a life with Abby is worth leaving everything he's ever known.
  
Initial Reaction: *****
When I read the back of the book, it intrigued me, but didn't quite make me salivate. It's considered science-fiction and I'm always a little wary with that genre (I'm more of a fantasy fan). When I finally started the book, I devoured it the next day.

The first pleasant surprise was the terrific characters. I laughed out loud multiple times (read this in seclusion if you're uncomfortable with other people hearing you, because you really can't avoid it) and couldn't help but be a nerd and read chunks  aloud to my husband. He laughed out of courtesy since he couldn't laugh from context.

Characters: *****

Abby Goyer is a spunky redhead with a strong likeable personality who cares about her dad with the usual teen frustration of poor communication. Suffering from the recent death of her mother and a surprise move to Alaska, Abby steps into a new small-town high school mid-junior year and meets JD -- the jock with a brain. Their interactions are hilarious. I looked forward to every encounter solely for the fact I knew I'd be laughing at some point and admiring Abby's (or should I say Jill's) sense of humor.

Martyr is one experiment in a lab of fifty-five identical Jason clones. His only wish is to see the sky before his expiration date in a couple weeks. A new doctor arrives and makes it possible for Martyr's wish to be granted. The lab-constrained, systematic life meant for Martyr is completely altered when he starts questioning his purpose in life.

Plot: *****
The plot is thick with tension as Abby's and Martyr's worlds collide. What I love most is how believable and realistic the story is. If someone really did have a lab of human clones, how would an outsider react? How would the lab be conducted? How would police react? Jill hit the speculative nail on the head.

I repeat: believable, which means I was sucked in like the victim of a black hole. 

Something Jill Williamson does with her books is to include a discussion guide at the end. This makes it a great read for family or to children (especially as class reading) because it has intentional messages to discuss. 

Mature Content:

The romance in this book remains at a very tentative teen level. Abby is the object of two boy's affection: one is forceful and actually forces Abby to kiss him at one point. The other is gentle and sweet and she kisses him first. The differences between affection are nice to see to help other young readers see what is an unhealthy attraction (JD Kane) and what is closer to healthy and right (albiet, very very new) with Martyr.

There's another story told by a character about a woman who was "broken until she died" by a mob of the clone boys who wanted to touch her. Though the conclusion is never blatantly stated, it sounds a lot like rape. It's very sad, but makes sense with the story and the group of psychologically and physically abused by the lab.

Lastly is some fist-fighting, gun-shooting, and attempted suicide. The story deals with action-violence in a very realistic way, touching on the issues teens today often face. Yes, suicide and fist-fights are some of them.

Spiritual Content: *****

The Christian themes in the book are strong and well-explained. Abby has a growing faith in God. Martyr has never heard of God. I love how Abby tackles his tough questions with her own hesitancy. I also love how the questions from other non-believing characters don't beat around the bush. They ask the hard questions, too. They point out what seem like obvious flaws. Jill Williamson doesn't spoon feed Christianity like it's vanilla ice cream. The fact is, relationship with Jesus is intricate, and this book captures that without trying to answer every question.

Other issues addressed have to do with ethics. Abby's stance and view on stem-cell research is stated clearly and strongly throughout the book, partially from an ethics level and partially from a personal belief level. I like how integrated the ethics are in a story-like manner, especially from a high-schooler's point of view.

Overall Recommendation:

I definitely recommend this book. Some people recommend it only to Christian teens or Christian readers, but I believe it's a great read for anyone and everyone. But it's not just a good read from a Christian standpoint, it's also a fabulous book with deep characters, a catching sci-fi plot line, and action, action, action! I love Jill Williamson's writing.

Enjoy! I'd like to hear your thoughts if you read this book.

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.

Firebird, by Kathy Tyers

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.

Mini-Summary:
Intended Age-Group: not specified (recommend 13+)
Issues of Violence: battle violence, "gun" battle, suicide
Intimacy Level: kissing, emotional connections
Swearing: none
Recommendation: 4 out of 5 stars 

Blurb

Firebird is a wastling--the fourth-born child to a royal family with almost no chance of inheriting her family's throne. Wastlings are given courageous missions after training with orders to die heroically. It's morbid. It's their culture. It's Firebird's future.

When Firebird is given her mission, instead of honorable suicide, she is captured by the enemy and taken as a prisoner for questioning and leverage.

I've heard the name, Firebird, more times than I can count in the Christian writing world. As far as I know, it's one of the first Christian science fiction novels outside of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. I read the new annotated three-in-one volume recently printed by Marcher Lord Press. It had a lot of interesting facts from the author on why she changed things or changed names, but this was a little distracting for a first-time reader because I'd never read the original and some of the notes gave away things in the future that I wasn't ready to know yet. I learned to ignore them (with plans to return once I finished each book for a tasty dessert). Still, it's nice knowing I'm reading the newest, freshest version.

Characters: *****
One thing I particularly loved about Firebird was the depth of characters. Firebird Angelo was so believably loyal to her planet and yet so deceived about what is "right". I loved the struggle she went through between loyalty and justice. Her internal process of guilt, hope, and curiosity drove her home in my mind. 

The male lead, whom we meet later on, is an excellent leader who wants to maintain justice and mercy while still leading battles and being fiercely protective of the innocent. He's not free from the struggle of pride and temptations, though. 

Plot: *****
The love that developed between Firebird and the male-lead happened a little quick for me, but a lot of emotional connection is bade with connaturality--a new mystery presented in the novel. I'm also not a huge fan of reading romance so, trying to remain unbiased, the romantic interest actually remained gradually believable and mature.

This was my first experience with deep science fiction and it was...new. I've concluded I do not have the special brain or understanding to fully grasp space novels. The writing confused me with an overload of names, terms, places, and space talk. I give it the benefit of the doubt, though, because I've never read Star Wars or watched Star Trek. Thick science-fiction usually stays on the shelf with me, but, as a determined reader, I impressed myself by at least keeping the general plot and main characters straight.

The end of the novel was delivered with a lot of heightened tension and stretched hopes. I love being on the edge of my seat and Kathy Tyres wrote beautifully. I admire her imagination and skill as an author. 

Spiritual Content: *****

Firebird prays to "The Powers", known as the supernatural guides over her planet. These powers judge a person by his or her actions with no ounce of grace. It's a legalistic belief system based in obedience, not faith, and Firebird questions it more and more the closer she gets to her death. What life comes after death? Did she earn it? She can't picture it and that frightens her.

The representation of relationship with God was clear, but not blatant. He's seen as "The Speaker" or "The Singer". The belief system is a mixture of Old and New Testament theology. The Sentinels (mind-readers of sorts) are waiting for the "Word to Come", (the equivalent of the Messiah), yet Brennen interacts with the Eternal One (God) on a  very personal Jesus-like level. God seems both high and distant, yet merciful and personal. Strange rules (like Sentinels not allowed to share their faith unless asked) and prophecies surround the belief in The Speaker. I look forward to deeper explanations in the next novels of how He interacts with His people.

Overall Recommendation:
For the most part, it was fascinating to see the questions Firebird tackled when she was introduced to the idea of a merciful God. Her discovery of Him and view of those who believe in Him is a wonderful point of view.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction. The science and spacey side of things was a bit to deep and confusing for me. But it's in-depth, fun (albeit a little slow moving), creative, and filled with unforgettable characters. If you've got the stamina, give it a go!

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.

Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin

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.

Mini-Summary:
Intended Age-Group: 12+ (I recommend 15+)
Issues of Violence: none
Intimacy Level: kissing, thoughts of sex, observation of sex
Swearing: b**t**d, mention of the F-word, what the h**l, usage of Lord, Jesus Christ, and God as exclamations of surprise/anger/disgust/etc.
Recommendation: 2 out of 5 stars

Blurb:

Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous. It’s quiet and peaceful. You can’t get sick or any older. Curious to see new paintings by Picasso? Swing by one of Elsewhere’s museums. Need to talk to someone about your problems? Stop by Marilyn Monroe’s psychiatric practice.

     Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth. But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driver’s license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. And now that she’s dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn’t want with a grandmother she has only just met. And it is not going well. How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?

Initial Reaction: *****

I found this book  also on the to-read list for a public school's 8th graders. Wanting to put out a christian-based review, especially because the premise deals with "life-after-death", I picked it up. The book started off good: a humorous prologue from the point of view of a dog, a mysterious cruise ship, and a teenage girl asking all the deep questions about life. Then we meet another recently deceased person who died from heroine overdose--the marks on his arm are a little grotesque and the concept may (or may not) be a little serious for younger readers.

Plot/Writing: *****
The book lost steam as it went, sinking into drab writing and a lot of incomplete scenes. The writing in general was emotionless most of the time, not following-up on character's reactions to something shocking or emotionally disrupting. Dialogue felt unrealistic and the reader was told a lot of information instead of being drawn into the story through showing.

A lot of situations had gaps in it (like, why couldn't Liz get her driver's license in Elsewhere just because she's 15 when 7-year-olds are driving?) or just simple roll-your-eyes surprises (like messages in bottles arriving in Elsewhere with a wedding invitation).

Characters: *****
Liz's reaction to finding out she's dead is a disappointing plop. She doesn't seem fazed and gets bored watching her funeral after only a few minutes. Granted, later on she gets obsessed watching them from afar, mostly to see how her best friend is coping with her death and whether or not people are still mentioning her.

The romance in the book was, unfortunately, utterly unbelievable. Owen, an eighteen-year-old with a 34-year-old-brain falls in love with fifteen-year-old angsty, whiny, Liz. Even after he's watched his wife every single week of his death and a surprise situation forces him to choose between the two. Not only that, but the book calls it "love" and they say "I love you", yet Liz doesn't want to get married and remains living with her grandmother.

Dislikes:

This book has a bit of language in it (listed at top of post.) Also, Liz observes the act of sex twice through the observation decks set at random points in Elsewhere.  The first one, she watches her parents have sex, which took me by surprise and I certainly didn't want to know. Nothing really comes from this action--no further thoughts or reactions. Why was it necessary? She also watches her best friend lose her virginity on prom night--a step which is, unfortunately, frequently encouraged in high-schoolers.

Spiritual Content: *****

The main issue in this book for a reader who believes in a single, sovereign, loving, God is that Elsewhere "answers" the question of "life-after-death". The answer to that question is that everyone dies and then lives their lives backward until they're babies again, then sent back to earth. Not only does this support the view of reincarnation, but it sounds exhausting! Why would anyone want to live and live and live and live, reliving all the learning processes and never finally resting in God's peace?

The author, Zevin, doesn't deliver this viewpoint as her own solid afterlife beliefs. It's just a "what if" type of answer to the question, but, inevitably the topic of God rises briefly during Liz's early days on Elsewhere. The answer?

"God's there in the same way He, She, or It was before to you. Nothing has changed."

This makes God completely unattached from His creation. It also leaves Him up to any one person's translation of "God". This is incredibly saddening because it reminds me how many people don't understand or accept how deeply He desires relationship for us with Him. He wants to give us peace and rest. 

The only other issue is that everyone on Elsewhere chooses an "avocation" (a job matching their likes and loves), which is supposed to "complete their soul". I don't really know what that was supposed to mean (and the author doesn't go any further in explanation), but this implies one's soul is incomplete when on earth. It also implies that a soul can find full satisfaction in a job. No thank you.  

Overall Recommendation:

Aside from profanities, the skewed view of afterlife and God, and the visions of sex, this book was mostly boring and slow moving. I don't recommend it from many point-of views:

• As a reader: I don't recommend it because it's slow-moving and not as thought-provoking or developed as the premise could be. Emotion and characters are shallow and disappointing, and the plot is mostly reactive and inconclusive.
• As a daughter of Christ: I don't recommend it because it minimizes the relationship and power of my all-loving and merciful God. It also turns the afterlife into an exhausting repeat-life absent of all established relationships. It takes away the hope for something greater, satisfying, restful, and permanent. It also takes away the threat of Hell (I know this can be a touchy subject), but if we start telling people it doesn't really matter what you do in life or what you believe, no one will understand the importance of fully surrendering, following, and knowing God. No one will understand the danger wanting to pull their soul into darkness.

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.