book review – Page 17

February 8, 2013February 7, 2013

Book Review: Before You Meet Prince Charming

Pure and Bright in a World of Darkness.

As you are beginning this book, commit yourself to wanting God’s best in your life–God’s best in your future marriage. Maybe this seems obvious to you. Maybe you’re thinking, “Of course I desire the best in my marriage.” But when it comes right down to it, are you truly willing to make the required sacrifices and to wait for the best?

Many, if not most, girls dream of romance; of meeting their prince charming, being wooed and won, and walking down the aisle. All too often, however, those dreams occupy a disproportionate amount of a young woman’s thought life and distract her from enjoying God’s plan for her before marriage. Before You Meet Prince Charming offers practical and scriptural advice for serving God as a single young woman and preparing for marriage without living in a fantasy world concocted in our dreams.

When I realized that my non-fiction theme would overlap with Valentines Day, I knew I wanted to celebrate with this book. Before You Meet Prince Charming holds a firm place on my favorites list. It is my go-to book (after the Bible!) for encouragement and wisdom in the areas of serving God and delighting in Him during my single years and honoring my future husband now, before I even know him. I also appreciate Sarah’s discretion in avoiding topics that would not be beneficial for young readers. For both tween girls who are just maturing into this season of life and older teens like me, this book is one to treasure and re-read many times over.

Author: Sarah Mally
Audience: Tween to Young Adult
Genre: Inspiration Non-Fiction/Christian Purity
Pages: 259
Publisher: Tomorrow’s Forefathers

February 6, 2013February 7, 2013

Book Review: Beautiful Girlhood

Thanks to Aubrey Hansen’s suggestion I will be reviewing an extra book in at least two of our free Wednesdays. Today, I picked Beautiful Girlhood.

Girlhood is the opening flower of womanhood. It has charms all its own. The wonderful blossoming of young, healthy girlhood, will ever be God’s great miracle in life’s garden. Girlhood is like a half-open rose. We are charmed, both by the beauty of the bud and by the wonderful coloring of the rose. We behold the familiar traits of childhood that have always charmed us and held our affections, but blended with these in ever changing variety are the graces and powers of womanhood.

This book offers good, old-fashioned advice based on the Bible. It emphasizes lessons like the importance of being careful about what we say, how to behave like a lady, and the joy of being cheerful. As the back cover says, “What can be more beautiful than the budding and blossoming of girlhood? Those years of transition from childhood to womanhood are filled with wonderful interest and promise. But young feet that travel this way may be unsteady and unsure. Each could use guidance, a helping hand along the way. To encourage our girls to a nobler life and truer ideals is the task of this book.”

This book is admittedly old-fashioned, yet it was one of the shaping forces of my tween years. I could never bring myself to sit down and read the book cover-to-cover, but I returned to it many times over. When I was little, my parents teasingly called me a ragamuffin because I loved my old clothes and hated brushing my hair. This book is what made me start caring about the way my hair and clothes looked. Every time I opened it, I would put it down determined to work on my home-keeping skills or be a better friend. A very few of the minor points expressed in Beautiful Girlhood are too old-fashioned to be carried out today, but most of the content is timeless advice that every girl should be aware of as she grows up.

Author: Mabel Hale, revised and expanded by Karen Andreola
Audience: Middle-Grade to Teen Girls
Genre: Inspirational Non-Fiction
Pages: 205
Publisher: Great Expectations Book Co.

Book Review & Giveaway: Peter’s Angel

*Giveaway Closed*
I’m still savoring this book by reading it out loud to my mom and brother. After finding the title on Homeschool Authors and reading the sample on my kindle, I asked for Peter’s Angel for Christmas and got it! I was blown away by how interesting and well written it was. But, before we get to the review, let me do my spiel about the giveaway. Author Aubrey Hansen has kindly agreed to give a copy of Peter’s Angel to one lucky blog reader. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment below.* As I mentioned, the book is really good, so you might as well go do that now. 😉 The winner will be announced Thursday, January 31st. Okay, now for the review.

The rain drowned out the sounds of battle. Peter had heard cannon fire that morning, he was sure of it. His mother hoped it was just thunder signaling the oncoming storm, but Peter knew it was battle approaching. The Redcoats were close, and getting closer.

At the beginning of this book, political relations are tense. Gold has been discovered in the patriot state of Rhode Island and the ruler of New Britain wants it. His decisions have a radical impact on both the political and personal level. Peter Jameson, son of Rhode Island’s governor, wants nothing more than to protect his nation state. Mark Barrett, an outwardly cold man, struggles to protect those he cares for. Nathan, born Kennard William Conrad Beonred II, is rightful heir to the throne of New Britain but is desperate to remain incognito in Rhode Island. Edwin Kearney, son of a poor farmer, clings to what little hope is left him well all that is familiar is yanked away. How will these young men weather the coming storms life will bring them?

When I came to the last page of this book, I was rather sad to find it over. Many story lines remain open, ready to be picked up in book two, Peter’s Ally. I’ll be first in line for a copy when the author publishes it. Because of a few references to a romance gone bad, I wouldn’t recommend this for younger children, but teens and adults will definitely enjoy this book. It is important to know that Peter’s Angel an alternate history. The book explores the question “what would have happened if Britain won the War for Independence.” If you’re puzzling over my references to New Britain and Rhode Island, that’s the explanation. Anyway, I definitely recommend this story and I’m looking forward to seeing who wins the giveaway.

Author: Aubrey Hansen
Audience: YA and Adults
Genre: Alternative History
Pages: 333
Publisher: Self-Published

New Parent Guide!

This has certainly been a busy week on this blog! As a grand finale, I spent a couple hours tonight making a new parent guide and making the guides available as FREE downloadable PDF files. The new guide is for Speculative Fiction Series. For those of you who don’t know, speculative fiction encompasses fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian and other “weird” fiction. Most (if not all) of the series included in the guide are fantasy, but that may change at some point. If you are interested in the downloadable PDF files, you can find those on the main Parent Guides page. Hope this is helpful to you.

January 18, 2013January 17, 2013

Book Review: Plague of Darkness

When his parents die in a plague, eleven year old Teague is determined to care for his three younger siblings. But when raiders sweep through the village and kidnap the surviving residents for the illegal slave trade, Teague can do nothing to protect them. Separated from his remaining family, Teague is sold as a farm laborer. Forced to work under cruel overseers, he loses the will to live. He only starts eating again when Quinn, an older boy, promises that they will someday escape. Will the right time ever come? Will it come too late?

I must warn you that I am rather biased towards this book. Teague is a character rivaled in my heart only by my own character, Zaid. The author, Hannah Mills and I laughingly refer to Teague and Zaid as “our boys.” My biased opinion aside, this is a good book. Teague is a young man laden with guilt and searching for an escape. Though he’s not ready to accept yet, Quinn is gently pushing him towards Christ. Plague of Darkness is the second book in the Arridraen, but the story takes place before Called. It’s well worth checking Plague of Darkness out. Who knows. Maybe you’ll fall in love with Teague too.

January 11, 2013November 28, 2017

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 & Giveaway: The Pirate Daughter’s Promise

*giveaway closed*
You all ready for another giveaway? This time the book is The Pirate Daughter’s Promise. I hope you’ll take the time to read the review and leave a comment. Commenting will automatically enter you for a chance to win the book*. The winner will be announced this coming Thursday, January 10.

The little girl nodded but did not speak. Her wide eyes darted around the dank cell and finally fell on Daniel’s face, seeking reassurance. Daniel offered her a smile and glanced at the guards who stood stoically beside the closed cell door. He knew this would be the last time he would see Skye before his execution at dawn. This would have to be goodbye, and he didn’t know how long the guards would allow his daughter to stay.

Skye McHenry has led a difficult life cheered only by her faith and her two friends, Will and Matthew. Most people despise her because she is the daughter of a pirate. When pirates kidnap Skye, she knows they are hunting for her father’s treasure. She is determined to keep her promise to never reveal its location. Can Will and Matthew rescue her before it’s too late?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and read the entire book the same day I got it. The writing style is a bit unpolished at times, but this does little to detract from the story. Skye’s faith and determination are admirable, and I love Will’s chivalry. I also like the fact that the entire family can read this book. The action and clean romance will keep older readers engaged while there is nothing inappropriate for a younger audience. I am looking forward to reading more of Molly Evangeline’s work.

Author: Molly Evangeline
Audience: All Ages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Adventure
Pages: 226
Publisher: Self-published

Starting The New Year

Hello everyone! I just want to update you on the schedule for this month. Last month I focused my book reviews on Christmas stories. This month I’m going to be reviewing books written by homeschooled authors. Four young ladies will be joining me here to talk about their books. Even better, two of them have agreed to offer a free copy of their book for a giveaway. Here’s the list.

Week One: Molly Evangeline, author of The Pirate Daughter’s Promise
(with book giveaway)
Week Two: J. Grace Pennington, author of Never
Week Three: Hannah Mills, author of Called and Plague of Darkness
(I haven’t decided which one to review)
Week Four: Aubrey Hansen, author of Peter’s Angel
(with book giveaway)

I am really excited about this lineup. I hope you’ll join me in enjoying these girl’s books. We’ll kick off with a review giveaway of The Pirate Daughter’s Promise tomorrow.