ReviewsByErin

This book sneaked its way onto my TBR when I heard its premise: A young woman living two lives, crossing time  between 1774 and 1914, with the knowledge that she must choose one path to remain in by her 21st birthday. Being a fan of both historical and speculative fiction, I couldn't pass up the chance to read this.

There's really great history presented in both timelines. Libby in 1774 lives in Williamsburg at the heart of pre-Revolutionary America. Libby in 1914 is at the center of New York society and the Dollar Princess movement.

Much to my dismay, I did not connect with this story, no matter how much I wanted to. The author made one timeline so unlikable that I did not understand why Libby didn't do more to improve her situation there, because she had choices and she had people willing to help her. Libby's inaction led me to dislike her as a character, which I know no author ever intends.

The story really lost me when the off-page marital rape occurred. And it didn't happen just once. Although it wasn't detailed, there was no question about what happened, and it brought the character a great deal of distress, as it did to me as well.

Readers who connect with this character will have a more favorable impression of the novel. If you like the idea of a time-crossing heroine, it might be worth it for you to check this out one.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All thoughts in this review are my own.

The fourth book of the Sword of Lyric series brings a hopeful, inspiring conclusion for the world and characters we've grown to love. Though the author left a few threads dangling with the option of returning to the People of the Verses someday, this is the planned end to the series.

Susan feels strongly that she needs to return to this alternate world, and as she walks her path she confronts all the pain she has faced since her first visit. She's such a strong, relatable character. She's gone through a lot, and it's appropriate that she takes time to address it with The One.

Meanwhile, we finally receive the point of view I've been eagerly anticipating as Linette, the songkeeper, takes center stage. She's been helping Kieran spread the message of The One in the pagan land of Hazor, but he also harbors a dangerous secret that if found will put all their lives in danger. Linette's journey is full of heart-pounding suspense, her gentle but sustained faith, and the undercurrent of romance that we've been picking up on for several books now. 

Has The One sent His promised Deliverer into this world at last? I had wondered how Hinck would tackle the topic, and while it wasn't what I expected, I thought she did a good job with it.

It has been fun to reread this series, and to read The Deliverer for the first time. I will definitely revisit this world in the future! Hinck has a new fantasy series debuting next year, and I will be on the lookout to find a copy as soon as possible!

 


Kieran of Braide Wood never expected to be the next Restorer. He seems the least qualified - he's half Hazorite, he isn't sure he completely believes in The One, and his relationships with his family are complicated. Plus he's just been banished from the clans! Where is The One and what is He thinking?! 

Meanwhile Susan returns to this other world when she discovers that her son Jake has found the portal. As she and her husband frantically track their 18-year-old, they worry that he has fallen into the hands of the Council and is being manipulated for nefarious purposes.

I really relate to much of Kieran's internal struggle. On page 58 Kieran muses: "How did [Susan] contain the horrible anger at being chosen for something she didn't want to do?" Yes indeed. Many times what God calls us to do is so wonderful that it takes our breath away. But sometimes it's so hard that all we can do is fall on Him and trust that He knows what He is doing because we certainly can't see how it is going to work out. Sometimes there's anger and questioning and tears. This is a path I'm familiar with, too.

Kieran is about to have an encounter with The One that will forever change his life and and the shape of his future. The One makes no mistakes. He's not looking for amazing people, he's looking for amazing obedience. Like Kieran in Chapter 29, we may find that "He wouldn't release me from this path, but He understood my struggle. ... It was enough."

It turns out that Kieran is one of my favorite literary heroes. As I said in my review of the first book of this series, I do not read much fantasy, but these have captured my heart in a special way and I know there will be more rereads of them in the future!

What would you tell your younger self if you could travel back in time and change your biggest regrets? In this new release by James L. Rubart, main character Brock Matthews gets that chance. Brock is experimenting with lucid dreaming when he realizes that each encounter with himself in his dreams has changed his reality. Sometimes for the better, but sometimes his choices have far-reaching negative consequences.

Brock's biggest regrets are never bridging the gap in his relationship with his father, allowing competitive natures to come between himself and his brother even though they own a business together, and failing to cherish his wife and help her pursue her dreams. In the present his business is failing and his wife wants a separation. Is it possible he can change these things by convincing his younger self to make different choices?

This is an intriguing story with shades of "It's a Wonderful Life" woven in. The plot is constantly changing, as Brock's dreams affect everything from where he lives, to the woman he is married to, even to what he does for a living. It's quite a ride, and Brock often feels like he's flying blind, awaking to a new reality almost every day. He believes that these dreams are a gift from God to allow healing from this past and give him a second chance in the present, but what about when the changes he's made bring destruction to everyone around him? Maybe the key to living well in the present isn't about changing the past after all.

Several years ago I started a tradition during the Summer Olympic Games of writing a letter to the woman I was during the previous Summer Games. I've already been thinking about the upcoming Rio Olympics and the letter I want to write to the me who watched the 2012 Games in London. Of course I know that writing the letter doesn't change anything, but it is a nice way to think about each four-year period and what I've learned, how I've grown, and things that have changed. In some ways it allows me to release pain that has accrued and accept life as it is. Since "interacting" with myself in the past is something I already do, that made this novel that much more enjoyable and touching.




I received my copy of the book from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own. If you would like to read what other people are saying about "The Five Times I Met Myself," click here.

I have been wanting to share my review of this book with you for a very long time. Towards the end of last year I had the opportunity to read the manuscript and was absolutely blown away by the beauty and depth of the story. Now that "Awakening" has been published and I have reread the finished product, I finally get to share my thoughts and encourage you to pick it up for yourself! Incredibly, it's free on Kindle today, but just for a limited time, so hurry on over there.

Kallie Andreas does not know who she is. Seven years ago she woke up in a New York museum with no memories of her life before. She has managed to cope with the help of a few key people, getting through college and procuring a job at the museum where she was for all intents and purposes born. Kallie feels drawn to history, perhaps all the more so because her own is a mystery.

Life changes when museum patron Dimitri Andreas shows up after years spent abroad, and Kallie could not be more surprised when he approaches her about leading a team to retrieve an artifact which could prove crucial to the project she has been working on for years. This is very much outside her comfort zone, but a little bit of desperation helps her decide to leave behind her fears and inadequacy and make a leap into the unknown.

As she starts her adventure, Kallie begins journaling a story of love and danger set in ancient Greece on the island of Kalliste, which is now called Santorini. She feels compelled to write from a place deep inside of her, and her therapist believes her story is helping to uncover her past and help her find who she truly is. We get to read along as she writes and try to discern if she's just paralleling her globe-trotting journey or if there is hidden meaning in her words.

The search for the artifact takes Kallie and team not only to Egypt, but also to Venice and eventually to Santorini itself. This novel is full of Tracy Higley's distinctive eye for details and presents each location so vividly that you feel you are the one getting desert sand in your eyes or enjoying a ride in a gondola. Each step is filled with peril, romance, and hope that Kallie will truly find all that she is searching for, including her memory. When the moment of full remembrance comes, be prepared! As I wrote in my feedback to the author last year, it "sent me over a mental edge." The story suddenly bursts into living color and you realize that there is hidden meaning everywhere.

This novel is part contemporary, part historical, and part speculative, with a dash of allegory thrown in, too. The themes are absolutely amazing, from the long and hard road that inner healing requires, to the fact that Jesus Christ is the thread the goes throughout all history, leading us to our true home. Will Kallie be able to find her home, her people, her family?

I received my copy of the book from the author. All opinions in this review are my own.

When I watched the 2012 film "The Hunger Games" and enjoyed it, I became interested in reading the books which they were based on. It was when I saw "Catching Fire" in the theater and was blown away that I knew that was going to happen. My goal became to read the trilogy before the movie came out of DVD, and I accomplished that. The DVD releases tomorrow, and yes, I have plans to watch it tomorrow night. What was it that I enjoyed so much about these stories? Let's dive into that.

"The Hunger Games" tells the story of a nation divided into 12 deprived districts and one rich, opulent Capitol. The Capitol has been ruling Panem since the districts revolted 74 years ago, and it keeps the districts isolated and impoverished through various means. Each year, to remind the districts that rebellion doesn't pay, one boy and one girl are chosen from each sector to meet in an arena and fight to the death. Only one of the twenty-four tributes will come out alive. Called the Hunger Games, this is the Capitol's triumph every year, and the Games are reality TV at its overly-glorified worst.

On the Reaping Day, when the tributes for the Hunger Games are selected, heroine Katniss Everdeen volunteers as tribute after her 12-year-old sister is originally selected. Katniss has been the breadwinner in her family for several years and is fiercely protective of her sister. The male tribute selected is Peeta Mellark, who, unknown to Katniss, has been drawn to her ever since they were in first grade together. Katniss wants nothing to do with Peeta, knowing that if she is to survive it means she might have to kill him in the arena. They arrive at the Capitol and are shocked at its gaudiness and worldliness compared to their home in District 12. The tributes receive a few days of training and are run through interviews with the media before they are dropped into the arena and the battle for their lives begin.

In the book it is clear just how cunningly Katniss approaches the Games. She knows every moment is televised and she plays that to her advantage. This is unlike the movie, where it almost seems accidental that Katniss handles the experience as well as she does. Her time spent illegally hunting back at home gives her a strong advantage over the rest of the tributes. Always her goal is to avoid Peeta, until the unexpected announcement that if the final two tributes are from the same district they will both be crowned winners. Then her goal becomes finding Peeta and keeping him alive so that they can win together. There are many obstacles she faces, including injury, dehydration, and certainly the other tributes. Then there's the Capitol, who has an agenda which they do not want to see overthrown, especially not by Katniss, who has been nicknamed The Girl Who Was On Fire. Coming from the smallest, poorest district, her showing them up would be a very bad thing indeed.

"Catching Fire" tells the story of the consequences Katniss faces for having won the Games and unknowingly given the districts a spark of hope that freedom from the Capitol might be possible. Threatened with having her family and closest friends killed if she refuses to be a pawn for the Capitol, Katniss pretends to be a rule-follower and in love with the man of the Capitol's choosing. But it isn't enough, and to further punish her, the Capitol announces that for the 75th Hunger Games, the male and female tributes will be selected from the pool of previous victors. As the only female victor from District 12, Katniss has no choice but to face the arena again. This time she knows the Capitol will stop at nothing to kill her. But behind her back, a rebellion has been forming, an alliance of inside players whose goal is to keep The Girl Who Was On Fire alive. These Games play out very differently from the previous ones, and come to an unexpected and shocking end when the rebellion inside and outside the arena reaches full scale.

In "Mockingjay," very few know for sure whether The Girl Who Was On Fire is alive or dead, but she has unwittingly become the face of a revolution. The remaining tributes from the 75th Games who were whisked by the rebels to their new seat of military force, District 13, deal with heavy PTSD, while the ones who remain the clutches of the Capitol are tortured and forced to make pleading television appearances begging for the uprising to come to an end. This book is a tale of two halves: the first of coming to grips with the horrible things in the past and becoming resolute on what needs to happen in the future, and the second holds a military campaign to overthrow the Capitol once and for all. I actually preferred the first half of the book, because it was very real for what our characters had gone through. Their tragedies were not carelessly overlooked. Plus reading about military assaults isn't my cup of tea. As the battles unfold, who is really trustworthy? Does the rebellion leadership have a better agenda than that of the Capitol? More sacrifices will be made, more lives will be lost, more surprising decisions will happen. The conclusion, however, is satisfying, even if it didn't include all the characters I wanted to still be alive at the end.

This trilogy is a departure from what I normally read, but I was glad to go on this journey. I like being challenged to think about liberty and freedom, and the very high price it can require. Would I risk everything if it was asked of me? What would I do if forced to make some of the decisions that Katniss and others face? I would hope to have the strength and faith to, as Peeta put it in the first book, not let it change who I really am.

Krista McGee's "Anomaly" was one of my favorite books of 2013, and I had been looking forward to this sequel since the moment I turned that final page. Let's recap quickly: Thalli was born in an underground State run by scientists after most of the world destroyed itself in nuclear war. Humans are now genetically engineered for specific career fields, and their emotions have been eliminated. It's a sterile and perfunctory enviroment. But Thalli is an anomaly. She feels emotions, and knows if the scientists found out they would annihilate her. As the pod musician, Thalli has a great outlet for processing her feelings, but it's only a matter of time before her differences are discovered. Go read my review for more details, but trust me: it's amazing!

"Luminary" opens after Thalli, Berk, Rhen, and John have made an escape from the State. They know their search for pockets of nuclear war survivors will take weeks, and John's age is a factor they must take into consideration. Thalli does not act like herself at all through the first portion of this book, and that was disappointing to me. Berk explains later in the book that the drugs pumped into her system at her attempted annihilation were likely affecting her judgment, but it was off-putting to me. It seemed that Thalli been replaced by Katniss Everdeen, who is an outstanding heroine in her own right, but she's not the Thalli I had grown to love. Thankfully Thalli did recover her spunk, although the storyline continued to have "Catching Fire" undertones which had me scratching my head.

When our group reaches the village of New Hope, they are welcomed with open arms. It's a new experience for Berk, Rhen, and Thalli to meet people who have always lived above ground. John is rapturous. Our foursome make friends and begin to settle in, but all is not peaceful in New Hope. The neighboring village, Athens, is technologically advanced but land-poor and unable to grow their own food. Their frequent attacks on the farming settlement are growing more and more violent, especially when New Hope begins harboring refugees who have sought protection from King Jason's ruthless dictatorship. A major conflict between the two groups is imminent, and Thalli and the other newcomers want to do whatever they can to help. Thalli volunteers to infiltrate Athens as a spy, and over loud protests by some in the group, it's agreed that she do so.

Pretending she is just then fleeing the State, Thalli is welcomed into Athens and even into the palace, where King Jason wants to get to know her and find out everything she can tell him about the distant underground entity. Prince Alex, who is near Thalli's age, becomes a fast friend and he is able to show her all around their factories and businesses. Athens seems so peaceful, but why are they resisting all talks of peace with New Hope and growing more brutal with each attack? Will Thalli be able to be the ambassador she hopes to be, or will she be a casualty of the mind control that King Jason wields over all his subjects?

My favorite part of this story was seeing Thalli learn and grow in her relationship with God, whom she calls the Designer. She comes to depend on Him, pray more fervently to Him, and even meditate on His Word in this story. John continues shepherding her young faith, which was very touching. Since she had never known anything about the Bible before, it was neat to see her really thinking and studying the verses John shared with her. I also loved the few scenes where Thalli was able to play a violin and work through her emotions in that familiar way. Those are beautifully written.

"Luminary" ends on quite a cliffhanger. The good news is that the final book in this series comes out in just a few months, so we won't have to wait too long for it. Thalli is going to be tested beyond anything she's endured before... and I will be there to see where she finds herself in the end!




I received my copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.