Tag: Friendship

A Review of The Seeker’s Trilogy

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.

An Appraisal of the Christian Novel, Steal Away Home

Title: Steal Away Home: Charles Spurgeon and Thomas Johnson, Unlikely Friends on the Passage to Freedom

Author(s): Matt Carter and Aaron Ivey

Published by B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee

Year: 2017

Pages: 272

Format Read: Kindle 

Language: English

ISBN: 978-1-4336-9065-5

I enjoyed reading this! In the introduction, the authors discuss their inspiration and research. They explain that the book has a high degree of historical accuracy with some liberties taken where necessary to fill in the blanks. This is a very moving Christian historical fiction novel. 

The book begins with the two main characters’ youthful days in the 1840s and progresses through to their mid to later life in the early 1890s. Growing up in England, Spurgeon has a loving and devout Christian family. However, at times, he struggles with depression and unwanted sinful thoughts. Johnson grows up as a slave on a plantation in Richmond, Virginia. He is separated from his family at an early age, and he deals with mistreatment. The book describes how they find Jesus who helps them overcome issues in life. Throughout the novel, God mightily puts people around them to encourage their spiritual growth and comfort them during struggles. The authors alternate back and forth conveying both characters’ progression and key events in their life, how they meet, and their perceptions. The authors are able to convey God’s sovereignty and faithfulness. Spiritual warfare in a believer’s life is clearly demonstrated.

I only knew that Spurgeon was a famous British preacher and that a lot of evangelicals in the USA admired his life and sermons. One of the many things that this book displays is how he is aware of the social ills in society (Victorian era) and the actions he takes to help downtrodden, poor people. A key event that is discussed is the tragedy at Surrey Hill which I have heard of or read about in a Christian publication. 

I had never heard of Thomas Johnson until I picked up this novel. He is super interesting as well. The writers express how he is tormented by fear, grief, loneliness as a slave and how he hates being in bondage; however he hears the gospel when his friend is secretly preaching in a cabin one night. Although Thomas still wants to be freed from slavery, he finds peace and comfort in Jesus. His thoughts are no longer full of hatred. I didn’t realize that “Steal Away” is a real hymn. The slaves whisper sing this the night that Thomas visits that cabin and hears the gospel. Later on, he sings this with the Spurgeons.

Spurgeon constantly preaches against slavery. An intriguing event that this novel covers is how Spurgeon’s writings were burned in book burnings in the American South due to his strong abolitionist stance. Johnson first hears of Spurgeon from his plantation owner and a Baptist preacher angrily discussing him and making Johnson drive them to one of the book burnings. This was fascinating to read in the novel, and I looked up this information later online.

After Johnson’s emancipation after the Civil War, the historical novel discusses how he meets his wife Henrietta, that he becomes a pastor, and has a desire to improve in his knowledge of the Word in order to take the gospel to his homeland Africa. He befriends a British businessman who makes a way for him and his wife to go to England and study at the college that Spurgeon established.

Thomas and Henrietta finally get to meet Charles and Susannah in the Spurgeon home, and they are able to fellowship together; they become friends. Henrietta and Thomas are finally able to go to a country in Africa, but he returns to the United States and England after she passes. Charles and Susannah deal with bouts of ill health. They continue to encourage each other. Thomas is one of Charles’ friends at his deathbed in France.

Although I liked this novel a lot, I wish that there was more interaction with Spurgeon’s twin boys Charles and Thomas. They are mentioned a few times but there is barely, if any, dialogue or description of them. Anyway, this was a beautifully written Christian historical fiction novel.

Dates Read August 15 to August 28 2021

A good, comprehensive article with more details about Johnson and Spurgeon’s life:

“Let the Dear Man Come”: C. H. Spurgeon’s Influence on Thomas Lewis Johnson (1836–1921), a Freed Slave, Former Student and Forgotten Missionary