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.

Shark Girl, by Kelly Bingham

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: 12+ (recommended 15+)
Issues of Violence: none
Intimacy Level: none
Swearing: Oh my G*d, d**n, b***h, b**t**d, s**t, and what the h**l.
Recommendation: 3 out of 5 stars  (see end of entry)

Blurb:

Fifteen-year-old Jane Arrowood is in the unlucky percentage of shark victims. The story begins with a blurry memory of her family going to the beach. Now they're in a hospital and she's missing her dominant arm. Soon, we re-enter her previously normal life of art, high-school, and cooking with new challenges of depression, hindrances, and stares from classmates.

Shark Girl, by Kelly Bingham, does not fall under my usual "speculative fiction" review genre. Actually, it's a simple fiction novel for early teens. After being contacted from a concerned parent with a list of mysterious books, I took it upon myself to check some out from the library. Shark Girl is one of them.

Initial Reaction: *****
This debut novel was interesting. As a reader, I followed the thought process of a fifteen-year-old struggling with self-identity and teenage desires. Her inner battle between clinging to her hold life and being forced into the new one-armed life did, at times, tug on my heart strings. The rest of the time, however, I found myself fighting the urge to skim.

Plot: *****
The story had very little plot until the very end when a guy-interest enters the scene and drama arises between friends. Almost the entire book is devoted to Jane's reaction to her shark attack--a decent life-changing event, but not enough to drive a story, mainly because a shark-attacked teen is not relatable for most of us. Pushing past the struggle to relate, a reader can enter into empathy with Jane, but for a younger reader I see this as difficult.

Writing: *****
Most of the novel is well-written, though in a unique style, which looks like poetry, but isn't. It's a mixture of journal entries, personal thoughts, letters, newspaper clippings, and dialogue-streams all from Jane's eyes. Her growing process through the year of upheaval is very realistic and eye-opening to those not often exposed to lives touched by tragedy or disability.  Some of the newspaper clippings didn't read as if a professional journalist wrote them.

Positives:
Shark Girl was very good at addressing teenage issues with girls, like sibling and parent relationships--learning to appreciate what they do and how they see the teenage. Another is friend relationships--dealing with that one friend who's a little snotty and mean, but means well. It also delves into the first vestiges of deciding what she really wants to be when she goes to college--looking into the mixture of her talents and her interests.

Negatives: 

A disappointment in this book is the language. I was raised in a profanity-free family and hope to raise my children in the same. Even though reading negative language doesn't really faze me and I know it's often realistic, I question its place in young teen literature. I know language is frequently used in schools and out of schools by all ages, but it's not something to which I would willingly expose my child, especially as "every-day language". God's name was often used as an exclamation along with d**n, b***h, b**t**d, s**t, and what the h**l.

Spiritual Content: *****

Jane receives a letter from a stranger sharing how God can comfort her and all she needs is to turn to Him. The letter holds an air of genuine concern and hope for Jane. Unfortunately, as with the entire novel, we don't see Jane's response to most of the letters she receives. They don't seem to impact her at all (except one) or enter her thought process again unless it's with an angry, "I didn't ask for letters." I don't know if this is something that will appear in the continuation book, Formerly Shark Girl.

Overall Recommendation:

Aside from swearing, this book was a clean read. A little slow moving, but I finished it very quickly and gained a new (albeit limited) perspective. From a Christian point of view, I think the content can be educational and a little eye-opening to a world with disabilities. The rest of the decision depends on your personal standards with swearing.

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.