The Restorer - Expanded Edition by Sharon Hinck

Early in 2009 I read Sharon Hinck's "The Restorer" and absolutely fell in love with the characters. Susan Mitchell, an ordinary and slightly burnt-out soccer mom, unknowingly steps through a portal in her attic and is transported into another world and onto an incredible journey. When I received the opportunity to review an advanced copy of this Expanded Edition I was very thrilled to accept and see what Sharon had added to the story.

"The Restorer" and both of its sequels are really unique and interesting tales. The world that Susan steps into is different than ours in many ways, and although some people there worship the One God, creator of the universe, their Redeemer has not yet come. They are still waiting. I'm so thankful we already have Jesus and we can put our faith in Him. Yet it is fascinating that their One God and our One God are the same! This plays an important part in Susan's journey.

The plot of "The Restorer" is rich, with lots of unexpected turns. You'll make new friends and learn with Susan that God has not forgotten about any one of us and He does indeed have a plan for our lives, even though they may seem foreign and unusual to us. If we're willing to follow Him, He'll give us more of an adventure than we ever dreamed possible.

In this Expanded Edition, Sharon brings us new scenes, a detailed devotional guide, and much more. While "The Restorer" is given to us entirely from the first-person account of Susan, the new additional scenes come from the perspective of other characters, adding depth, insight, and interest to the story. I found the devotional guide to be really neat and far more than a list of discussion questions. All ten devotionals are very thought-provoking and Scripture-based. My favorites were #6, #7 and #8.

I would highly recommend "The Restorer - Expanded Edition" and hope that we'll soon see an Expanded Edition for each book in this trilogy. Many thanks to Jamie from Sharon Hinck's office for my copy of the ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.