Zein

I received a copy of ZEIN: THE PROPHECY by Graham Wood in exchange for an honest review.  To say the least, I found the book exciting.  To say the most, well, here goes…

It is a science fiction page turner.  Now, I love fantasy, but a lot of times I struggle with science fiction novels because terms and world-building slow down the story.  That is not the case at all with ZEIN.  I look forward to reading more books by Graham Wood to experience more of his smooth writing style.

I don’t want to give any spoilers so I won’t go into details with the plot.  Let’s just say you have to read this for yourself.  You will get some backstory in with the current action.  At first I stumbled with this, but quickly got into the rhythm. 

The Photograph

I received a copy of THE PHOTOGRAPH by Beverly Lewis from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.  This is a standalone novel about the Amish.  As always with a Beverly Lewis book, you know you will fall in love with the characters and need to read it in one sitting to find out what happens next.

Lily Esch disappears after the death of her parents and this weighs upon her sister Eva.  Eva falls in love with Jed.  He has a picture that… well, you’re going to have to read the story to discover what the photograph means to Eva’s family!

I recommend this to fans of Amish and Christian fiction.  I will be passing the book on to my mother.  She and I love to discuss Amish literature.  An Amish community has formed near our home and that has helped to make these books even more real to us.

Something I really liked about this book happened to be the references to LITTLE WOMEN.  That has always been a favorite of mine.  When I was younger, my mother and I read it together.

Note: Despite being a standalone, it is set in Eden Valley – namely THE RIVER – and references characters from that series.  I haven’t read those books yet and it was easy for me to enjoy THE PHOTOGRAPH. 

Nev

I received a copy of NEV by Kristi Ayers in exchange for an honest review.  I read ONE PETAL FLOWER first and I had already fallen in love with the author’s writing style, so I was thrilled to take a dive into this one. 

Kristi Ayers’s has a talent for capturing the persona of a teenage girl in thought-provoking literature. 

Cam is endearing and Nev is one to root for.  I enjoyed how none of the characters were perfect.  Everyone had a flaw that only made the story more raw. 

Easy 5 stars from me!

One Petal Flower

I received a copy of ONE PETAL FLOWER by Kristi Ayers in exchange for an honest review.  I was excited to see this is paranormal romance – one of my favorite genres. 

Realistic dialogue and captivating characters make this an engaging, well-rounded story. 

I loved Darian Moon as a main character.  Kristi Ayers captured the teen girl spirit perfectly.  It took me right back to being a teenager! 

Highly recommended! 

The Hunter King

I received a copy of THE HUNTER KING by Vyzyran in exchange for an honest review.  I met him on Imgur and I was excited to read this book.  Awesome pen name by the way!

I can easily give this 5 stars.  This felt well edited and you can tell the author put a lot of effort into creating an exciting adventure.  I hate to give away spoilers, so I won’t go into too much detail on the plot, but Balor has to go to war in a fantasy land that is one of the most well-developed I have ever read about!

Characters are realistic and well-drawn.   The dialogue never dragged. 

The cover is also quite stellar!

She's Almost a Teenager

I received a copy of SHE’S ALMOST A TEENAGER: ESSENTIAL CONVERSATIONS TO HAVE NOW by Peter and Heather Larson, and David and Claudia Arp, from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. 

I enjoy books like this – a friend calls them parenting guides – because of my education background.  I started reading these during my college years as preparation for becoming a good teacher and strong guide for my students.  Right now I am teaching in a banking world, but I still enjoy reading these.  I also teach writing workshops to adults and I would like to teach them for children as well.

So for this book… I enjoyed reading the authors mention their daughters.  It made it sound very real.  This wasn’t a dull, boring book.  These were people talking to you in an intelligent, honest, conversational tone.  This book is geared toward moms and dads.  I really liked that, as most I read are more geared toward moms. 

SHE’S ALMOST A TEENAGER features eight sections, or “conversations.”  These are the big-talk picture, the friends talk, the academics talk, the body talk, the faith talk, the boys talk, the money talk, and the tech talk.  No section is overly preachy while still maintaining roots in a firm faith. 

A solid 4 stars from me.  I am recommending this to all my friends who have almost teenage daughters.

Only with Blood

I received a copy of ONLY WITH BLOOD: A NOVEL OF IRELAND by Therese Down from Lion Hudson in exchange for an honest review. 

 

I can honestly say this a top-notch book.  Let me start with the cover.  A girl in a white dress stands overlook water, tall grasses swaying in the wind behind her.  Her long dark hair wavers.  This image evokes so many thoughts.  My imagination was instantly sparked.  The novel itself did not let me down.

 

From the first page, the reader is gripped in raw drama.  You get to experience Ireland during World War II right along with the characters.  In the novel, a farmer, Jack Flynn, sells his daughter, Caitlin, in order to make ends meet.  His beautiful daughter is then married to an older man who isn’t well.  She yearns to attend a university.  Without giving away any spoilers, along comes IRA agent Donal Kelly. 

 

The research in the novel is impeccable.  You can tell the author and editor spent a great deal of time on this novel.  I have read a few books that involve similar situations, but I still learned a lot from ONLY WITH BLOOD.

 

I highly recommend this to fans of historical fiction.