As a Book Reviewer, this is my honest review of Kiera by Kate Willis. I was not required to write a positive review nor any review. This is the first book or story that I have read by Kate Willis, though it is not her first nor her only publication.

Kiera by Kate Willis is a novel about a young woman who is facing the military draft during a war as soon as she reaches her eighteenth birthday. She has no desire to leave her family and friends and have her life change so completely. She and her parents and brothers pray that God will provide a resolution to this problem.

Though I liked the story and it held my interest and kept me turning pages, I found it difficult to determine a time period for the book. The lifestyles of the characters could very well take place in the present day. However, the mention of checking the weather daily to see what the level of radiation is before going outdoors makes it seem as though it could be in the not-too-distant future. Ms. Willis also mentions her main characters using “devices”, which are clearly electronic technological devices, to access information and contact friends and family. No specific name was given to any device, though they didn’t seem like anything other than today’s laptops, tablets, and cell phones. Each was always referred to as “the device”. Nor was there ever any clear description or information regarding the war that is taking place in the story.

However, Ms. Willis did a great job creating well-developed characters that the reader can relate to, like, and care about. The internal and external struggles of the characters are what keep the reader engaged and turning pages. The reader walks through the struggles with Kiera and her family and with Brennan Stewart, both empathizing and sympathizing with them, and hoping they will have a happy ending.

There isn’t really a romance in this novel, but there is definitely a love story in this book. By that, I mean, it is a very slow developing deep love between two of the characters. It isn’t sensual. It is a deep, pure love, unlike what the modern world views as love.

The ending of the story is a bit confusing. The words “The End” appear at the bottom of page 279, but there is one page following that, where a scene involving a minor character takes place, and it isn’t clear why the scene is there. It almost seems like a set up for a second book, but there is no mention of an upcoming book or that Kiera is part of any series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, as I fell in love with the characters and I cared about them. Ms. Willis really did a wonderful job writing her characters, and they are definitely the heart and soul of this story, making it worth reading.

If you like character driven stories and like getting attached to and involved in the lives of a novel’s characters, you will definitely like Kiera by Kate Willlis.

Kiera is a Christian Fiction book and is a clean story – no profanity, no explicit violence, and no explicit intimate scenes. This novel is acceptable for both Young Adult and Adult Readers.

I do recommend Kiera by Kate Willis to readers who prefer character driven stories, and I give Kiera by Kate Willis 4 stars.