Fire Prophet

I received a copy of FIRE PROPHET by Jerel Law.  It’s the second book in the Sons of Angels: Jonah Stone series.  I haven’t read the first book yet (but will when I run across it).  I was attracted by the fact it is a fantasy series – you know me, total fantasy lover.   

The books are geared toward middle grade readers.  Jonah is in eighth grade.  The other main characters are his siblings, Eliza and Jeremiah.  Their mother is a nephilim, which means she’s the child of a human and a fallen angel.  It makes Jonah and his siblings quarterlings, meaning one-quarter angel.  Cool, huh?  I haven’t seen many middle grade novels about angels, so this will definitely fill in that gap.  In this, the second book, quarterlings are being attacked so the children learn how to better use their abilities.  The religious aspects are strong – prayer can conquer evil. 

This book left me feeling invigorated and uplifting.  I highly recommend it for classrooms, middle grade readers, and family read-aloud time.  My only issues with the story was the simplistic writing style.  I couldn’t always picture everything well, and the author used a lot of adjectives and Telling phrases.  However, it should work fine for a younger audience.  I approve of the strong family dynamic.  I didn’t see much of that in the middle grade novels I read when I was substitute teaching in sixth grade classrooms.  

Starflower

I received a copy of STARFLOWER by Anne Elisabeth Stengl from Bethany House.  This is the fourth novel in the Tales of Goldstone Wood series, but its set before the first book.  I have read all of the books except for the first, but it was a while ago and I did not remember much.  With that said, STARFLOWER works fine as a standalone novel.  There are references to characters from other books, but it only adds to the depth of the series without making this book confusing.

Like the others in the series, it has an intriguing, picturesque cover, very eye-catching.  The chapters move along quickly, with relatable dialogue and realistic characters.  There is plenty of magic, too.  You might not realize it from look at the cover, but it’s about dragons – I love dragons.  Anne Elisabeth Stengl adds her own twist to the dragon myth that is very refreshing and entertaining.  To put it simply, a dragon kidnaps the princess.  Two men must fight for her hand in marriage.  STARFLOWER is anything but simple, though.

I recommend this to fantasy and romance fans, especially those who love Christian fiction.  Although this is an adult book, it will easily appeal to teenagers and could work with middle school children.