Book Reviews

Light of the Last by Chuck Black

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My son and I finished the “Wars of the Realm”  trilogy just before our Christmas break. Light of the Last is the final book of this trilogy by Chuck Black, and I found it to be just as good as the first two.

Drew has come to his limit. He just wants his normal life back, but there is a higher plan. Those who have been assigned to keep Drew safe have their hands full as Drew is the target of two different powerful forces.

When it becomes apparent that the United States is also a target, Drew and his friends may be the only ones who can save the day.

The things that Drew goes through in this trilogy really kept me turning pages. Chuck Black did an excellent job of weaving parts of history and believable political issues throughout this series, as well as some spiritual truths.

I was so involved in the story and cared so much about the characters that I spoke out in frustration at some of Drew’s choices, and I cried at some of the sad scenes. I loved the characters in this series and I cheered for them through all three books. There was suspense, intrigue, adventure, danger, and a touch of romance in these books, and I highly recommend them. They are on my list of favorites.

In the Shadow of Your Wings by J.P. Robinson

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Another great historical story from J.P. Robinson! In the Shadow of Your Wings moves between characters in Germany and Great Britain during war time. Leila Durand is  a German spy with a troubled past who falls in love with Malcom, the son of Thomas Steele, a British icon, whose home she is to infiltrate. She struggles between her love for Germany and her love for an enemy of Germany, and trouble seems to follow her wherever she goes.

Eleanor Thompson is a woman of faith, but her faith is pushed to its very limits when her infant daughter is killed in a German air raid after her husband has gone off to fight in the war. However, Eleanor doesn’t give up on life as she remains hopeful to reunite with her husband when the war is over, but he doesn’t answer any of her letters. As she sees the horrors of war, she begins to lose hope, yet stubbornly clings to her faith.

J.P. Robinson weaves a tale of intrigue and history as these characters’ lives intertwine in unexpected ways. There is also a German family that takes center stage in some chapters. This book shows the heartbreak of war and the struggle for faith. It is my favorite of  Mr. Robinson’s book so far.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction that includes intrigue and suspense.

 

Rise of the Fallen by Chuck Black

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Rise of the Fallen is the second book in the “War of the Realm” series by Chuck Black.  In the first book, we met Drew Carter who appeared to be an average teen until there was an accident in a college science lab.

Now, in Rise of the Fallen, Chuck takes us deep into the spiritual realm, where everyone in this realm is wondering “why is Drew Carter so important”? This book takes us way back in history in every other chapter and then back to the present day in every other chapter. It’s a story of history, battles, and wars, as well as looking at the main events of Drew Carter’s life from a different perspective.

This book was a surprise to me. After reading Cloak of the Light, I wasn’t expecting the twist that this story brings to the series, but I was hooked from the first page to the very last. This story is filled with history and suspense. I can’t wait to begin the final book in the series, Light of the Last. I look forward to seeing what twists Mr. Black has for me in this one.

If you enjoy fantasy and suspense stories, you’ll enjoy the first two books of this series. Also, if you wonder about the spiritual realm and like to mentally explore the possibilities, you’ll love Rise of the Fallen. After those two, I’m sure you won’t be able to resist the final book in the “War of the Realm” series.

These are great books for YA boys!

Cloak of the Light by Chuck Black

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Cloak of the Light is the first book of the “Wars of the Realm” series by Chuck Black. Drew Carter is the main character in this book, and an accident in a physics lab leaves Drew blind. However, his sight miraculously returns, and Drew discovers the accident has given him skills and sight beyond that of a normal man.

Drew witnesses things normal humans cannot see — invaders, causing him to question his own sanity. Then he meets Sydney Carlyle, a girl he is attracted to, who offers encouragement through her faith. However, Drew wants nothing to do with that kind of faith in his own life.

Then he begins to notice the actions of the invaders as well as the actions of human beings. Is there a connection between the invaders and the humans?

Drew becomes involved in a battle as he simply tries to help people he sees in need. In so doing, he angers a tough street gang who want him dead. The dark invaders also seem to want to get rid of him. Will Drew find the truth of the invaders in time?

What a great read! I could NOT put this book down, and it ramped up my emotions as Drew faced danger in order to help others, and yet, Drew was missing something and I wanted him to find it which also ramped up some frustration. But I could not stop turning pages. I was too invested in these characters and the plot line. I had to see how it would all end.

By the end of the book, Drew is a little closer to finding the truth, but there’s still the problem of the invaders. Therefore, it didn’t take me long to pick up the next book in the War of the Realms series: Rise of the Fallen. There is one more after this: Light of the Last, and I’m sure I won’t be reading much of anything else until I get through this trilogy.

If you like books filled with danger, suspense, action, mystery, with a little sci-fi and romance tossed in, you’ll love Cloak of the Light by Chuck Black.

The Deceit of Darkness by C.S. Wachter

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The third book in “The Seven Words” series by C.S. Wachter is now available on Amazon in both ebook and print forms. If you haven’t read any of the books in this series yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. These stories are filled with lots of action and plenty of good and evil.

In The Deceit of Darkness, Rayne’s trials continue, but as the One’s Light Bringer, he manages to bring light to Veres, even though he is a “Wanted” man–wanted for a crime he did not commit. As his friends help him get from Veres to Amathea, Travis, a man from the dark part of Rayne’s past, joins them as Rayne’s quest for the scrolls continues.

Throughout the journey, the relationship between Rayne and Lexi grows. Also, new foes, as well as a very dark old one threatens. Will Rayne be able to bring the Light to all of Ochen or will the dark threat of evil stop him?

C.S. Wachter leaves a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this book–one that, once again, breaks my heart for Rayne. Will he be able to convince his friends to help him now that this new challenge has arisen? I certainly hope so, but I’ll have to wait for the next book to find out!

This series by C.S. Wachter is quite the roller coaster ride. It keeps me turning pages and cheering for Rayne from beginning to end of each of the books. I do not grow bored or weary of the characters or the plot line as C.S. Wachter has definitely learned how to set conflict in motion in her stories to create huge mountains for her main character to struggle to climb.

If you’re a fan of fantasy/speculative fiction, I highly recommend these books to you if you are a young adult or adult, but I will warn you: if you choose to read these books, you will most likely lose sleep until you reach the end of each book because you won’t be able to put it down.

A Most Peculiar Circumstance by Jen Turano

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A Most Peculiar Circumstance (Ladies of Distinction Book #2) by [Turano, Jen]

I have heard others speak of Jen Turano several times, so when I saw this book in a gift shop, I just had to buy it.

A Most Peculiar Circumstance was a delightful read. Arabella Becket is a young lady who has a knack for getting into trouble, but all she wants is to support the women’s suffrage movement. When Mr. Theodore Wilder, a private investigator hired by his friend Hamilton Beckett to locate Hamilton’s sister, finds Miss Beckett in jail, she exhibits a fiercely independent streak, bringing him to his wit’s end. However, as their paths continue to cross when they return to New York, Theodore finds himself intrigued by Arabella.

Ms. Turano does a wonderful job of creating well-developed characters that sometimes made me laugh out loud. Ms. Turano is also very adept at drawing her readers into the story with clear descriptions and clearly showing the thoughts and feelings of her characters through their actions and reactions as well as their dialogue. She had me cheering for Miss Beckett and Mr. Wilder as Miss Beckett went from one spot of trouble to the next. Miss Beckett became quite endearing as she realized some things about herself and determined to help those less fortunate than herself.

As a writer, I appreciate quality writing, and I found myself noting the way Ms. Turano worded things in a way that drew me into the story and the character’s minds–something I hope to accomplish with my own writing because it not only makes reading a story an adventure, but an experience.

This may have been my first Jen Turano book, but it will not be my last. I look forward to reading more of her books very soon.

Gods They Had Never Known by J. S. Helms

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gods ebook FINAL

This is J.S. Helms’s debut novel, but she already writes like a pro. Gods They Had Never Known grabbed my attention right from the start and the book kept me turning page after page.

I believe it is natural to wonder about some of the things mentioned in Biblical history that are simply that — mentioned — not much detail, explanation or completion of what is mentioned, and J. S. Helms writes in Gods They Had Never Known about such a mentioned item, expanding upon it. Though this is a fiction piece, it is obvious J.S. Helms did her research to make the story as realistic to the time period as possible. Her descriptions are vivid, painting the places and characters in my mind.

The story begins in a peaceful little village. A village where Haven lives and listens to the Teller who brings the message of Shalliyt to the villagers. Many of the villagers begin to question why they should listen to the Teller. Then some of the immortal Guardians come into the village. They teach many of the villagers how to make more money, all the while desiring to take the daughters of the villagers as their wives.

Soon the village is faced with violence, death, and destruction, and many of the villagers have turned a deaf ear to the Teller. The woman Haven loves is desired by one of the immortal Guardians.

Will Haven be able to win the heart of the woman he loves and save the village? Like me, you’ll have to read the book to find out. You won’t be disappointed.

Kingdom’s Dawn by Chuck Black

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So, after attending our local homeschool convention and meeting author, Chuck Black, I decided to read the books our youngest son loves, and it all begins with Kingdom’s Dawn. This is a series of books written for elementary and middle grade readers, but after reading the first book of “The Kingdom Series”, I have to say that I am hooked and looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

Kingdom’s Dawn is very well written and it is a Fantasy story with knights, the world of Arrethtrae, and unusual creatures. The story included plenty of action and adventure, conflicts and battles. I came to love the characters quickly and my interest was held throughout the entire book. I forgot I was reading an elementary/middle grade book and just got caught up in the story.

In addition to being a great Fantasy story, I love the fact that it’s also an allegorical story that, as a Christian, pointed me to many of the truths of the Bible. However, if you aren’t a Christian or you don’t like to read Christian books, those things may not be evident to you, and the book is not preachy in any way. Therefore I believe these books would appeal to all Fantasy readers, most especially to those Fantasy readers who enjoy tales of knights, castles, and kingdoms.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series and following Leinad’s journey, with the hope of meeting Cedric, who tells Leinad’s tale, in a future book. Also, these books do not take long to read. I finished this first book in about six hours and our son, who is a middle grade student but reads above his grade level, finished each of these books in about a week (that’s reading about two hours a day).

So if you’re looking for a good summer read for your children, I highly recommend this book. Our son recommends all of Chuck Black’s books to ALL of his friends!

 

Dare from Deep Within by D. L. Sleiman

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Dare from Deep Within by D. L. Sleiman is the sequel to Dance from Deep Within which I read some time ago.

Dance from Deep Within is the story of three young women in the same college, who work together on a class project. The three women are quite different and come from different backgrounds: a white American girl who has been raised in a Christian home, a biracial young woman who has been raised by parents from the “hippy” generation who are free thinkers, and a Muslim woman whose parents have given her permission to attend college to earn an engineering degree, something way out of the norm for the Muslim culture.

Dance from Deep Within captured my attention from the first page and I was intrigued with the three young women. Their class project led them in a Dance with the Spirit and started them thinking and searching their hearts and minds. I enjoyed following their journey so much and by the end of the story, I felt like these three young women were friends of mine. I was disappointed when I found that not everything was completely wrapped up at the end of the book and that there was to be a sequel that wasn’t yet available.

So, when Dare from Deep Within became available in November, 2017, I couldn’t wait to get a copy! It took a while for me to get my copy and to have the time to read it, but I finished reading it last night. This book added two more young women and a few men to the original three women from the first book. One of the additional young women was the sister to the white American Christian girl from the first book and the other was a young Muslim woman, a close friend of the young Muslim woman from the first book. However, the situation for this new Muslim character was quite different from the first one and her friends were all concerned for her safety.

In Dare from Deep Within, all of the young women are still wrestling with their spiritual beliefs while still encouraging one another and building a strong bond of friendship between them. I did feel like this book had a slow start compared to the first one and I struggled to keep reading at first because it didn’t capture my interest as well. I also felt that  Ms. Sleiman had introduced one of the characters early in the book but kept her on the fringes until about the midway point. But when she introduced her, I really wanted to know more about her, so I was a bit frustrated that she wasn’t mentioned much more until later in the book.

However, once I reached the middle of the book, Ms. Sleiman didn’t disappoint me with the second half of the book. The danger one of the women was in reached beyond her and caused tension and suspense in the story. The internal struggles of many of the characters was something I believe anyone can relate to. Also, the struggle with choices that another character experienced was also completely relatable. These things kept me turning pages and cheering for these characters until the very end.

D. L. Sleiman obviously knows a lot about the Muslim culture and told this story in a gentle, caring way that helped me to understand the Muslim culture a little better. I always enjoy learning about other cultures and people groups. Learning about people different from ourselves is the only way to understand their lives and struggles and to be able to accept them for who they are. I wish more people would be willing to do this. I believe being open to learning about the differences in different cultures can build a bridge between us and lessen the “hate” that seems to flow too strongly and too frequently in today’s society.

I encourage anyone who has ever had a friend or relative from another culture or who would like to get to know someone from another culture to read this book. It clearly shows how difficult that can be, as well as how rewarding it can be. I know I said the book seemed to have a slow start, but it was well worth sticking with to the very end. Thank you, D. L. Sleiman for this two book set. I will treasure them and what they taught me for years to come.

The Light Arises by C.S. Wachter

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C.S. Wachter isn’t letting any grass grow under her feet (cliche, I know). But it was just a few short months ago on February 16, 2018 that her first book, The Sorcerer’s Bane was published and got rave reviews. The Sorcerer’s Bane introduced us to Prince Rayne, or the slave boy, Wren, and his story wrenched my heart and made me love him and want him to survive. This first book also gave us hope as it introduced the One and his work in Wren’s life.

Now, in Book 2 of “The Seven Words” series, The Light Arises, releases on May 29, 2018, C.S. Wachter does not disappoint. As a matter of fact, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked The Light Arises even better than The Sorcerer’s Bane. This, to me, seems an unlikely feat from a debut author, but C.S. Wachter has nailed it. She has proven that she can definitely write a story that will hold my interest, make me love the characters and cheer for them; make me laugh with them and cry with or for them. An author who can evoke that much emotion within me while I read his or her words is an author with longevity as far as I’m concerned.

In The Light Arises, Rayne struggles with relationships in his home on the world of Ochen. Though he is the Prince, he has been gone for many years and has recently returned. While he was gone, his parents, King Theodor and and Queen Rowena, have devoted themselves to Rayne’s cousin, Brayden. There have been problems between Brayden and Rayne since they were young boys, but now Brayden is insufferable. He is the cause of a strain between Rayne and his parents, so Rayne feels the need to leave his home.

He is not happy to leave the parents he has just been reunited with, but the One has called him for a higher purpose. He is to be the Light Bringer who is to find the seven words hidden on the seven worlds in order to defeat the darkness. He is to begin by bringing light to Veres, a world one can only enter if involved in the brutal games arranged by the Sorial merchants. Rayne is forced to become slave Wren once again to infiltrate the games to skip to the isolated world.

Still more trouble awaits in the form of a golden-haired girl who has vivid memories of the day an assassin came and destroyed her world and disabled her father. She plans to kidnap the prince in order to get King Theodor to help her people.

As I said, this book doesn’t disappoint. There is still lots of action and battling the forces of evil, as well as a promised hope. The Light Arises kept me turning pages to the very end and I eagerly await Book 3 of “The Seven Words” series by C.S. Wachter.

My only question is: will Book 3 be even better than Book 2?

If you like Christian Fantasy stories, I highly recommend these first two books in “The Seven Words” series by C. S. Wachter. If you’ve already read The Sorcerer’s Bane, you don’t want to miss The Light Arises. If you haven’t read The Sorcerer’s Bane, what are you waiting for? Read it and then grab The Light Arises and keep reading!