Books – Page 16 – Leah E. Good

February 28, 2014February 28, 2014

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

Book Review: The Heart of Arcrea

I’ve seen a lot of positive reviews for The Heart of Arcrea, so it’s been on my to-read list for quite a while. The homeschooled author theme for this month seemed a perfect reason to finally get to it, and I had good intentions, but it didn’t quite happen. So starshining4ever saved me by agreeing to do a guest post and review it for me. Enjoy her review!

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This is a great read! No magic but clearly a fantasy because of some fictional names, creatures and plants. I love the strong Christian message! It’s not often you get that in a fantasy.

A boy’s father being taken from him sets off a passionate quest. The strong moral character of Druet faces its tests when he is joined by a series of unlikely companions whom he must mold into a successful traveling band. Jealous lords, spies, a princess bound by fears, and betrayal pose challenges to the achievement of his goal. Can Druet find the heart of Arcrea and become the land’s king? Can he even hold his group together? Or will it be torn apart through internal strife or by outside enemies?

The characters are amazing… Druet is really someone you can sympathize with and Nathaniel is the perfect “mate” (aka friend) for him. Talon and Bracy are hilarious—unlikely companions who learn to get along and become best friends. And can I just say that Renny is really cool?

The medieval setting is well done. The fights are really well written. The mystery is well carried out…I was still guessing through most of the book. There are even sprinkles of humor. It’s a really great, encouraging book all around.

Oh, and:
“We found the heart of Arcrea and all I got was this stupid tunic.”

Best. Line. Ever.

February 14, 2014February 14, 2014

Book Review: Fly Away Home

Happy Valentines Day everyone! In honor of the day, here’s a review of a sweet, newly released love story. Yes. It is a love story and I am reviewing it. Miracles do happen. And, as I said, it’s very sweet. And clean. The giveaway is open to residents of the continental USA. To enter just leave a comment explaining why you’d like to read the book. The winner will be announced on Thursday (or as close to Thursday as my schedule permits).

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Calida Harper has big dreams, a depressing reality, and a pain ridden past. When she’s offered a position as assistant to one of the countries most famous and successful reporters, she knows she’s just had the biggest break of her career. But one false step and she’s out of a job. Matters get further confused as Callie’s emotions begin tying themselves in knots. Her boss, Mr. Burnett, is infuriating and “a darling” all at the same time. His down to earth boyishness and Christian faith remind Callie of things she’s sworn to leave in the past. But when a jealous co-worker presents her with a dreadful either or, Callie must face both her traitorous emotions and her past.

When Rachel Heffington contacted me to ask if I’d like to review her soon-to-be-released book, I was a little skeptical. After all, she presented it as a “christian/historical romance” and I don’t read those! She assured me the romance was clean, and I agreed to give it a try. I’m glad I did. This is as much a story about friendship, trust, and forgiveness as a romance. And the romance aspect is my kind of love story too. Both characters fall for each other’s character and heart instead of lusting over physical characteristics. This isn’t a story I’d hesitate to recommend because of blush factors.

Knowing it was self-published also made me a little wary at first. At the beginning of the book, I occasionally felt the description and historical detail was a bit heavy handed, but I suspect that might have been a result of hyper-awareness more than anything else. Over all the book was well written and well told. Thumbs up.

Note: I received a review copy of this book from the author. I was under no obligation to give a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

February 7, 2014

Book Review: Red Rain

This month’s theme is self-published books by homeschooled authors. It’s a repeat theme from last January, but all new books.

“The real world won’t accept me, ma’am. I won’t sign the file.”

Summary
The pressure on Philadelphia, her father, and the other Christian’s in their tiny compound is growing. In the government school for Christians, the children are offered an opportunity to be adopted into “normal” families. Philadelphia refuses. She is shocked when she returns home and told by her father that she should have accepted. He’s received word that his services are needed on Mars. The summons is not optional, and Philadelphia is not allowed to accompany him. Mars. The same place her brother went and never returned.

My Thoughts
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started this book, but it had me hooked from the very beginning. Sci-fi isn’t usually my thing, but stories of persecuted Christians always intrigue and challenge me. So, persecuted Christians on Mars? Why not? When Christians talk about reclaiming the sci-fi genre from the largely amoral path it has taken, this is the type of book their talking about. Who knows. If more Christians pop up on Mars, I might become a regular reader of sci-fi. 😉

January 31, 2014

Book Review: The Door Within

*Reposted Review: First posted August 10, 2012*

“What can I do?” Aidan pleaded. “I can’t fight. I even had a middle schooler beat me up once.”

Aidan is upset about his family moves. Lonely and restless, he ventures into his Grandfather’s basement in search of adventure. He doesn’t expect scrolls to magically appear, but they do. When Aidan chooses to believe what the scrolls say, he becomes part of an adventure bigger than he ever imagined. He enters the land of Alleble, and joins the Glimpses of the realm in a fight against the evil Lord Paragor. Can a teenager from the Mirror Realm save many from death?

Great book! I highly recommend The Door Within and the other two books in the trilogy. I read all three of them in a week! The Door Within gets off to a little bit of a slow start, but stick with it. It gains momentum through the whole book (you won’t be able to put it down), and the beginning is important in the grand scheme of things. Allegorical components add rather than distract from the story, and there’s no magic to worry about.

Author: Wayne Thomas Batson
Audience: All Ages
Genre: Christian Fantasy
Pages: 311
Publisher: Tommy Nelson

Book Review: Raising Dragons

Summary
Arthurian legend meets contemporary fantasy and ties together with an allegorical twist. Billy, the main character, doesn’t know what to do. His struggle with bad breath is getting out of control. It doesn’t just stink, his breath is hot enough to set off the fire detector and sprinkler system in the school bathroom. Billy’s about to learn a secret about his past, make a new friend, and discover an old enemy.

The fact is, Billy is half-dragon. His father is a dragon from the day’s of King Arthur, and took human form to escape renegade dragon hunters that killed good dragons along with the bad. Billy’s new friend, Bonny, is also half dragon. Instead of scalding breath, she has wings she hides in a backpack. Their school principle, a descendant of the dragon hunters, is hunting for them. Billy finds himself struggling to learn to trust God as he tries to stay a step in front of the dragon hunter and come to terms with his father’s identity.

Thoughts
The writing in this story (and subsequent books) is amazing. Bryan Davis keeps the story moving at rip-roaring speed and you never want to put it down. At the end of book one, you can’t get to book two fast enough. That said, books that combine ‘other worldliness’ (i.e. Dragon’s that can turn into humans) with real world (God and salvation) always make me a little uncomfortable. I feel more doctrinally safe in worlds like Narnia that are separate from ours and allow our world’s rules to stay the same while allowing the allegorical stuff to work beautifully in the other world. Maybe that’s just me. In any case, that overlapping of worlds is the only concern I have with these books. On the other hand, dragons, half-dragons, and dragon hunters running around in modern day US and England is kinda fun! 🙂 Also, if you read it, try thinking of the sword Excalibur as a picture of the Bible. I totally missed that parallel my first time through the series and it gives the books a whole new depth.

P.S. Scary content might make this book/series unsuitable for kids under 13.

What do you think of combining real life faith with fantasy elements like dragons?

January 17, 2014

Book Review: The Royal Ranger

“I’ve been telling you, Maddie. You are no longer a princess. And you can no longer behave as if you are. You are my apprentice. You are no better than anyone else here in Redmont–Not Jenny, not the stable boy at the castle, not the youngest of the Battleschool apprentices.

“On the other hand, you are no worse than any of those people either. You’re an equal among equals.”

Story Synopsis
Will Treaty, now a grown man in possession of just as much fame as Halt, is consumed with a need for revenge. With the person closest to his heart dead because of the actions of an outlaw band, he is determined to hunt down every responsible person and kill them. He doesn’t care what he has to sacrifice to reach this objective. His worried friend and the current ranger commander, Gilan, is on the brink of being forced to expel Will from the ranger corps.

Gilan isn’t the only one with someone to worry about either. Horace and Cassandra (aka Evenlyn) are frustrated and worried about their daughter, Madelyn. Headstrong, spoiled, and a little too full of herself, Maddie seems determined to defy her parents wishes. It’s only a matter of time before she gets herself into significant trouble. Something must be done.

And so it’s decided. It’s time for Will to take an apprentice and for the ranger corps to accept it’s very first female apprentice. Only time will tell the wisdom and effectiveness of the decision.

My Thoughts
From the first rumors about a female ranger’s apprentice, I was apprehensive about this book. The last thing I wanted to see was the well loved characters in this well loved series used to promote a feminist agenda. Or even just to tell a story with feminist overtones. I was pleasantly surprised. The overall concept could be considered feminist, but even if a message of this type was intended, it didn’t take precedence over good story telling. Yay!

The whole story was great. Maddie’s journey from spoiled princess to thoughtful, self-sacrificing ranger was delightful. It reminded me a little of Hugh’s similar journey in Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince. The rest of the story was typical John Flanagan adventure and humor. Fans of the series won’t be disappointed!

Any other Ranger’s Apprentice fans out there?

January 10, 2014

Book Review: By Darkness Hid

“Come to the stables an hour before sunrise tomorrow. Your training mustn’t interfere with your duties to the manor. Tell no one of this for now. If I decide you’re worthy, I’ll talk to Lord Nathak about reassignment to me.”

Young Achan Cham’s life is worse than that of a slaves. As a stray, he’s the lowest of the low, destined for a life of servitude and degradation. Despite his unpromising future, Achan’s a fighter. When a famous but enigmatic knight shows an interest in training Achan, the young man jumps for the opportunity. Maybe someday he can make something of himself after all. If the strange voices in his head don’t make him insane first.

I read this book early in 2013 and didn’t have any complaints when my brother purchased the other two books in the trilogy. The beginning is admittedly cliched–a slave with dreams of bettering himself and a girl posing as a boy (she’s the other main character). Starts like that never bother me. Especially the slave one. And By Darkness Hid soon leaves any such complaints in the dust. You’ll be drawn into the characters struggle to protect the people they love and tell friends from enemies. And by the end of the book…well, don’t blame me if you can’t wait to buy the next one.