Book Review: Never*

“Listen to me, kid. It don’t matter what happens. It don’t matter what anybody thinks or does. All that matters is that you keep fightin’ and never, you hear me? never give up.”

I think this is the first time I’ve given a self-published book a five star rating. I found “Never” through a blog scavenger hunt the author did to celebrate the book release. When I downloaded the free sample, I didn’t know what to expect. The sample definitely hooked me.

Travis Hamilton, a scholarly young man, is an unlikely suspect for murder. When he is convicted and sentenced ten years labor in Dead Mines, his brother Ross is determined to clear Travis. Ross knows his brother cannot survive the sentence, and he knows Travis is not the murderer. But the web of deception is more tangled than either brother imagined. As their journeys increase in difficulty, both brothers turn to moral convictions that must “never” be abandoned, no matter what the cost. Can Travis survive the evil rule of the mine boss? Can Ross reach the bottom of an ever deepening mystery before it’s too late to rescue his brother?

Some of Travis’s experiences in the mine might make this book unsuitable for young children. If it was a movie I’d give it a PG rating. That said, this story was refreshing. Even in Christian fiction, it’s rare to see heroes sticking to what they believe as tenaciously as Ross and Travis. The author did a wonderful job showing principled good winning over unprincipled evil. I’ll be looking forward to reading more from this author.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Author: J Grace Pennington
Audience: Tween–YA
Genre: Historical Adventure
Pages: 318
Publisher: Self-Published