Title: Daughter of Rome Author: Tessa Afshar Published by Tyndale House Publishers Year: 2020 Format Read: Kindle Pages: 378 Language: English ASIN: B07T32RZMF Dates Read: 2022, October 22 to October 30
The book was captivating. Every chapter is an adventure. The character, themes, and touching moments really pack a punch, and there is an edifying sermon every chapter. After reading Thief of Corinth, I wanted to read another book by this author. Priscilla and some others make a cameo appearance in Thief of Corinth. Some characters from that novel are mentioned in Daughter of Rome. I like how Afshar’s novels are somewhat linked, but they are not a series so a person can start with any book. At the start of the novel, I knew why Priscilla was trying to see the physician even before the reason was revealed. This was the only predictable part of the book for me, and the rest of the book was more unforeseeable and engaging.
The book gave me the impression that it would mainly be about Priscilla, but Aquila seems to have an equal part. They start out as both outcasts from their world who come to find love and acceptance. I love how the book shows that they are partners in ministry. For some reason, while reading this book, I kept imagining it as an anime. I wish there was an anime like this and relatively clean, popular and made especially for Christians. I especially loved how the story demonstrates Christian characters releasing or overlooking offenses, being able to love, extending hospitality, and showing grace even to some of the most infuriating people. I enjoyed how the story shows both married and single people caring for each other in a community and having deep love, concern, and relationships with each other like adopted siblings.
One scene that I thought that could have been crafted better is when certain characters go to rescue Paul from a kidnapping. The scene reminds me a bit of “TheBeggar’s Opera” by John Gay. Also, when the dog Ferox is introduced, I was given the impression that there would be a mysterious path there that would be eventually unraveled. He’s a mysterious dog that shows up out of nowhere. He saves Priscilla and is a part of the family but there’s no unraveling or discovery of his origins like there is for the orphan Marcus. Sometimes, to me, the romance scenes were very passionate and a bit more descriptive than I anticipated or thought necessary. Also, who gets her brother’s “estate” at the end or does it go to creditors? The book is a great read overall, and I look forward to reading Afshar’s other works.
Title: Demon: A Memoir Author: Tosca Lee Published by Howard Books Year: 2015, first published in 2007 Format Read: Kindle Pages: Approx. 300 Language: English ASIN: ? I couldn’t confirm this info, the Kindle version disappeared from Amazon at the time of posting this blog entry. Dates Read: August 24 to September 20, 2022
Some years ago, I saw one of Tosca Lee’s books in a Christian bookstore, but it was not what I was looking for at the time. I made a note that she was an author whose works I might look into later. Here I am, years later, looking for Christian fiction to read. I found her books on Amazon, and this book’s description immediately captivated me the most. The entire book is narrated in first-person by the protagonist, Clay- and boy, it is some great first-person. The book’s narration is like watching a 1940’s film noir. Additionally, throughout the novel, there is a gloomy, menacing, impending doom feeling. The demon Lucian’s story is written like snippets of “Paradise Lost” in today’s English.
I understand that the story is going to have somewhat of a dark sentiment since it is about a demon; however, there is a bit of despair here as well. I started to feel so sad while reading this. I started to have difficulty motivating myself to finish the story. The demon is condescending and annoying without the wit of the demons in The Screwtape Letters. However, some parts of this story are intriguing. It is interesting how the demon states that he enjoyed watching Adam and Eve and that he was sad when the serpent tempted them. The best part of the story, in my opinion, is when Lucian discussed the Nativity and described it from the demons’ perspective.
Ultimately, to me, the ending was unsatisfying. At the very least, I expected Clay to clearly and distinctly come to Christ after all that he had been through. He just states that he is going to make some decision and that is all that we are told. The Author’s Notes section in the book’s back are extremely helpful. She describes the demon’s story concept, the scripture references, and the scholars/Bible commentaries. I wish that I had read that section before reading the actual story, so that I had more context.
Title: Straight On Till Morning
Author: Liz Braswell
Published by Disney Hyperion
Year: 2020
Series: A Twisted Tale Series
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 349
Language: English
ASIN: B07VW38815
Dates Read: August 11 to 20 2022
I found this book series while scrolling through an overwhelming amount of fairy tale retellings on Amazon. A Twisted Tale series retells Disney movies; the plots seem to offer very intriguing alternative/what-if scenarios. For my first book to read in the series, I decided to randomly go with Straight On Till Morning. Peter Pan (1953) was an enjoyable movie, and I was so captivated by the scenario of this book- Wendy going to Neverland with Captain Hook.
I thought the story would follow the events of the movie more closely than it did. This retelling was almost completely unrecognizable to the movie; there were several differences. There are a lot of details and narration about Wendy, her life, her family, and acquaintances. It’s almost 100 pages before Wendy even leaves London. She is already 16, moved out of the nursery, and she does not go to Neverland with her brothers. Throughout the novel, there are some variations on characters that are in the movie, new characters, and characters absent from the movie. The narrator’s voice is somewhat wry.
On the Amazon page, the recommended age minimum is 12. Honestly, I thought this was probably because of the reading level; however, this story is actually darker and more serious than the movie. This would definitely be a hard PG. There are some suggestive references, a few minor coarse words, more violence, alcoholic references, and more peril. Also, the author does use a lot of interesting dated British words or rare words; I had to constantly look up words while reading the novel.
This story is very much about Wendy coming of age. The adventure she takes helps her decide what she should do with her life. Also, there seems to be a deeper characterization of her character. Her relationship with Tinker Bell and the jealousy the fairy has when it comes to Peter Pan are explored in depth throughout the plot. The story is a wild ride; by the end, Wendy is tan and in rags. Additionally, to me, in this retelling, it seems that Captain Hook is portrayed as an extremely more pitiful villain than in the movie.
Overall, the novel is alright. It was fun to read and then muse about for a few days. Honestly, it was more like a well-crafted fanfiction for older intellectual teens and young adults than an alternative version to the famous animated film. I may try out some other books in this series.
Title: Lost in Darkness (Of Monsters and Men) Author: Michelle Griep Published by Barbour Books Year: November 2021 Format Read: Kindle Pages: 323 Language: English ASIN: B09FP1WHKN Dates Read: August 1 to August 8 2022
I was enthralled by Gallimore, so I wanted to read another book by this author. Since I absolutely loved reading Frankenstein in school, I decided to go with Lost in Darkness, a Christian novel inspired by the famous assigned reading. Each chapter begins with a quote from Shelley’s famous novel. The story setting is in 1815, England. I thought that it would take a few chapters to build intrigue, but the story immediately starts out dynamic. The entire novel has a pensive and/or ominous mood with just a few funny moments. It was a nice nod of Griep to write Mary Godwin/Shelley into the novel as a character-an eventual neighbor of main character Amelia. The historical notes and bibliography were very helpful in understanding time period elements included in the story.
Several of the characters are Christian. At various times, one will act or say something super devout and full of spiritual wisdom, then at other times, the same character acts like someone new to the faith and full of doubt. Moreover, it’s like everyone, whether antagonist or protagonist, is kind of lost in their own darkness of some sort (unmended relationships, choices, full of regret, unruly emotions, pride).
For me, this story’s ending is bittersweet. I thought that the brother would have had a more satisfying ending. While reading the novel, I was thinking that either the surgery would be successful or that he would not have the surgery at all. I thought that either way, he would be able to go on with his life by the story’s end. He was portrayed as such a comprehensive and good-natured character that I was not expecting such a tragic end. I know that Frankenstein was not exactly a happy ending either, but I thought this novel would be a bit more hopeful. It was actually more realistic here than science fiction and fantastical. I thought that maybe he would actually get to have a normal appearance, but he has to learn not to become arrogant or something. Also, to me, it felt like the ending for the antagonist could have been different-something felt missing-perhaps a trial scene? However, the romance and career aspects among the two leads end rather well.
I realized that The Twilight Saga is the only fantasy series that I have completed so I decided to find others to read. I was searching for a series without a dark setting, lots of details, and tons of pages. I decided to try this Christian fantasy trilogy.
Title: Seeker’s Call Series: Seeker’s Trilogy Serial: Book 1 Author: Cassandra Boyson Published by Kingdom House Press Year: 2014 Format Read: Kindle Pages: 334 Language: English ASIN: B00RDGG30U Dates Read May 4 to May 12 2022
The protagonist is a young girl named Iviana who lived with her guardian until she passed. They lived as outcasts, and now, she has left the village to discover the world. She meets a dragon and her destiny ensues. She meets several intriguing characters throughout the novel. When the dragon takes her to another realm, a breathtakingly beautiful place full of islands, several mysteries are eventually revealed. The way her questions are initially ignored by the islanders builds suspense; the readers keep trying to figure out the mystery surrounding her, other characters, and the newfound realm. In the novel, a big backstory is revealed about her ancestors, the sorceress, and a war with great dragons. Honestly, this tale of the past was so interesting to read and full of action that I wished it was a book of its own. For the “magic system” the Great One anoints individuals with certain gifts such as super strength, breathing underwater, speaking things into being, healing, etc. The novel has a very Old Testament feel and Charismatic perspective. To me, Iviana is a “Moses” or “prophet” figure. Most people have one gift but Iviana discovers she has three by the end of this novel.
Title: Seeker’s Quest Series: Seeker’s Trilogy Serial: Book 2 Author: Cassandra Boyson Published by Kingdom House Press Year: 2015 Format Read: Kindle Pages: 302 Language: English ASIN: B012BJ9QZM Dates Read May 13 to May 21 2022
The next book starts near the end of the first book. Iviana returns to the islands and is tasked with seeking a mysterious parchment. Her newfound friends decide to go with her on this quest. Eventually she discovers the lost city of Atlantyss which is a city thriving under the ocean where knowledge flourishes. It was sunk by the Great One years ago and its people are waiting for the Chosen One to return. This is such an innovative spin on the Atlantis legend. There, she makes new friends. She finds herself reading an untitled book about a cool guy performing miracles. Later, she has a “dream-otherworldly journey” about this same guy who she learns is the Anointed One and the Great One’s friend. It takes place at his crucifixion; Iviana is distraught that the Great One allows this to happen, and she really struggles with her trust in Him awhile. Although this series is considered Christian fantasy, and it definitely has strong biblical themes, I did not know that the author was going to put the actual the Christian story into the novel, especially since the setting is so fantastical with dragons, etc. By the end of the novel, the gospel message is revealed, and it actually works well with the fantasy setting.
Title: Seeker’s Revolution
Series: Seeker’s Trilogy
Serial: Book 3
Author: Cassandra Boyson
Published by Kingdom House Press
Year: 2016
Format Read: Kindle
Pages: 336
Language: English
ASIN: B012BJ9QZM
Dates Read May 21 to 28 2022
This book continues after the events of the previous one. Iviana and her friends carried the gospel message to the islands and of course, the reaction is similar to the tribes of Israel during Christ’s day. While the realms of islands are absolutely stunning with natural beauty, there are dirty things going on with the leadership. A lot of other gifts are discovered. Apparently, Iviana is given several more by the end of the novel. There’s a new character who shares the main stage with Iviana…The ending of the trilogy is good, yet you know Iviana and friends still have a lot of work to do.
Overall Impressions with Mild Spoilers
The books are likable and positive. If someone were looking for Christian fantasy or clean fantasy for the age range of 11 to 18, I would recommend it. I had difficulty discerning the ages of some of the characters. Iviana and company would seem around 14 at times, 18 at others. It was hard to believe that Leilyn was of marriageable age considering how immature and silly she acted. I kept forgetting that Marquen was under 30 because usually, wise hermits with powers are portrayed as 50 or older so kudos to the author for breaking this stereotype. I thought that the side character Laurel’s betrothal in the first book was kind of random, but she and her husband end up playing a bigger role in the second book. I love how Iviana finds love and acceptance from the Great One and also others by the end of the series. The major characters have nice endings. Sometimes, to me, the dialogue was a bit silly. Also, I wanted more action scenes and less talking and pondering. There were a few typos. The series is inundated with romance. Her various friends date, get engaged, marry but she does not. She has no interest right now and she is busy living her best life for the Great One and doing adventures, etc. At one point, she actually considers trying to force an interest in this rich lord only because other people are pushing her towards him. However, he ends up being a villain so she’s glad she didn’t fall for him. It is actually pretty cool to have a strong female main character without a romantic element. However, her future daughter visits her in the final novel so you know she probably does marry eventually. It is never said whether Flynn restores his engagement with the other island girl at the end of the novel, so I wonder if the author is hinting that he and Iviana will become a couple. It’s not alluded to whether she romantically likes any of her single friends at the end of the book. Anyway, If this is the author’s debut trilogy, she will only improve. Moreover, I enjoyed the author’s note about operating in God’s gifts.
A Love So Wordy 