tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60170087880242489212024-03-13T01:45:01.041-07:00Kinyn ChroniclesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-45987075345935679112015-09-22T07:00:00.000-07:002015-09-22T23:56:08.982-07:00Review - The First Principle by Marissa Shrock - CSFF Blog TourThis is Julie with the CSFF Blog tour! <br />
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<b>Book: </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/First-Principle-Novel-Marissa-Shrock/dp/0825443571/"><i>The First Principle</i></a> by <a href="http://www.marissashrock.com/">Marissa Shrock</a><br />
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<b>Ridiculously simplified summary: </b><br />
The United States has collapsed into a totalitarian empire where minors receive mandatory birth control and, should that fail, abortions. When the district governor's daughter finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, she must choose between submitting to the termination of the pregnancy, or going underground with the people who would fight to remake the government...<br />
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<b>Content:</b> Very Evangelical, with several "conversion talks." Several violent deaths, not described in extreme detail. The lead character is a 15-year-old or 16-year-old (depending on if you believe <a href="http://www.amazon.com/First-Principle-Novel-Marissa-Shrock/dp/0825443571/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442973030&sr=8-1&keywords=the+first+principle">Amazon's description</a> or Rebecca LuElla Miller's correction below) who had sex outside of marriage and who gets pregnant. There's talk of abortion, a procedure which all "respectable" people in the society consider appropriate.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b><br />
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<b>Characters - 6 out of 10.</b> Vivica, the main character, was interesting enough--shockingly capable of getting herself out of messy situations and gifted at computer hacking. It's first-person but her emotions aren't made manifest in the writing, and I still don't understand her motivations. I found Ben, the object of her affections, to be rather boring and not particularly likable, while Drake (the final player in a semi-love-triangle) was infuriatingly charming and compelling. Most of the villains were painted with broad strokes, but Vivica's mother, the governor, was somewhat more nuanced. I think the portrayals were appropriate for the genre, but I was hoping for something that might work better for older readers, too.<br />
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(It was another novel where all the women of consequence are mothers and/or pregnant; those who aren't, are not portrayed in a positive light. I don't think that's terribly uncommon for Christian novels at this point.)<br />
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<b>Suspense/stakes - 5 out of 5. </b>I read this over a weekend, rather unusual for me. Finding out about the underground was interesting and seeing how Vivica will get out of her next jam kept the pages turning for me.<br />
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<b>World building - 4 out of 5. </b>The world felt fairly detailed to me, with explanations of how the totalitarian government had developed, slang terms for their equivalent of cell phones, and so forth. Some of the details in the government seem scarily plausible. That said, I would have liked to "see" the physical places more clearly.<br />
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<b>Writing/editing - 4 out of 5. </b> I thought the writing was fine and didn't notice any typographical errors. My main issue was that I felt incredibly distanced from Vivica's feelings and pain. There's some emotional angst, but even when she gets slapped at one point, she (tells us she) literally doesn't feel it when it happens. I tend to write less emotionally myself, but when the subject matter is a character deciding to turn her back on her entire world because there's a baby growing inside her, I expected her to have more emotions. I'd expected her, for instance, to have some kind of turning point when she felt the baby inside her, perhaps, but I saw nothing of the sort. Maybe that's an intentional technique, though.<br />
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<b>Clarity - 4 out of 5.</b> Overall I had no trouble following the action. There were a couple chase scenes where I got a bit lost because the scenery wasn't described in detail so I couldn't follow where they were going.<br />
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<b>Plausibility/believability - 3 out of 5. </b>This is kind of tricky for me. The explanations for how Christianity became illegal struck me as scary-plausible, to the point that I'm wondering if I should start learning more about hacking (although I feel like making the fake identities needed in dystopian worlds might be more fantasy than anything else). But I didn't personally "believe" Vivica's transformation or her progression towards Christianity. In today's political climate, I really wanted to read a compelling account of why a girl decided against abortion when the government mandated it, but she only rarely showed compassion for her unborn child, never seemed to really think of it as a human (referring to it as a "baby" but not anything about its potential). Her decision seemed to me to be initiated mostly from the fact that the boy she has a crush on begs her not to kill "his" baby, despite the fact that he has no ability (and to me, no interest) in actually supporting the baby once it's born. Arguing that a baby has a right to life because the father wants the baby to live, isn't exactly going to appeal to people who consider it a woman's decision. Frankly, I think the baby has an inherent right to life, but when a deadbeat father is making the argument, that really rankles me.<br />
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(I could be wrong, but it also seems to me like ALL of the rebels are Christians, which is good for Christians but I'm not sure if it's realistic...I feel like if freedoms were stripped away like this, it <i>might</i> not be just Christians fighting. Even the very secular <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38447.The_Handmaid_s_Tale"><i>The Handmaid's Tale</i></a> acknowledged that in a world where freedoms are stripped in the name of some twisted version of Christianity, people who want to read the actual Bible will be persecuted, but it seems like some Christian books don't acknowledge the strange bedfellows we just might end up with in bad times...)<br />
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<b>Positive - 4 out of 5. </b>The ending is positive enough, though there's a lot of darkness to get there. While the main character turns to Christianity, she doesn't seem to focus on the hope it gives for the people she lost along the way...it was just kind of disconnected to me.<br />
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<b>Gut reaction - 3 out of 5. </b>Exciting story that I personally think could have benefited from a dose of emotion, particularly given the subject matter.<br />
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<b>Free points: 5 out of 5.</b><br />
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<b>Recommended for: </b>Teen girls who are fans of dystopian fiction.<br />
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<b>Total Rating: 3.8 out of 5 stars</b><br />
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Click below to see what other tour members think!<br />
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<a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/"> </a><br />
<a href="http://www.oerkenleaves.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Clayton Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://keananbrand.wordpress.com/">Keanan Brand</a> <br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/">Carol Gehringer</a> <br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a a="" href="http://hardcoverfeedback.blogspot.com/"> Megan @ Hardcover Feedback<br />
</a><a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="https://myantimatterlife.wordpress.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/"> Jalynn Patterson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.provisionbooks.com/"> Jessica Thomas</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shanewerlinger.com/">Shane Werlinger</a><br />
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*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I was sent a free copy of this book.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-27217814333281698242015-09-21T10:00:00.000-07:002015-09-22T20:20:10.865-07:00Preparing for Dystopia - The First Principle by Marissa Shrock - CSFF Blog TourJulie for the CSFF Blog Tour!<br />
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This month, we're talking about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/First-Principle-Novel-Marissa-Shrock/dp/0825443571/"><i>The First Principle</i></a> by <a href="http://www.marissashrock.com/">Marissa Shrock</a>. The promotional description speaks of government control, mandatory abortions, and so forth. One facet I haven't seen addressed in so many Christian books (in my limited reading), is the government creating an edited, "approved" version of the Bible.<br />
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The way things are right now, it seems almost hard to imagine the government "approving" of Christianity in any way, but certainly various Christian groups change interpretations of the Bible (and sometimes even words) through the years. And as humans, making little tweaks is just something we do. Our Bible Study just got to the fall of man. When the serpent tempted Eve, he twisted God's words...but then, whatever the reason, Eve also quoted God incorrectly!<br />
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I think people are prone to corrupting and adjusting the Bible already, sometimes inadvertently...how much scarier if the government were to get involved.<br />
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Of course, all the dystopian fiction makes me wonder what kind of dystopian world should I be preparing for? The Christian fiction we've been reading for the blog tour lately, such as <i>The Last Principle </i>and <a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/2013/08/review-captives-by-jill-williamson.html">Jill Williamson's Safe Lands series</a>, hint that impressive computer hacking skills are probably the most useful skill. <i>The Hunger Games</i> suggests hunting will come in handy. Out in Arizona in the real world, there have been some preparedness conferences teaching how to farm and such.<br />
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My problem is that hacking and farming are not exactly overlapping skills. So where should I focus?! (Of course, I'm not sure the fun hacking skills we see in various forms of media are terribly realistic, but they sure look like fun, don't they?)<br />
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A sermon series at my church recently emphasized that the best way to prepare not to fall in persecution is to work at having a good relationship with God now. I agree, but <i>The Last Principle</i> reminded me of one of the places where I fall <i>particularly</i> short.<br />
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I'm a leader at <a href="http://www.awana.org/">AWANA</a> at my church, which teaches kids to memorize Bible verses. I was never good at memorizing verbatim, so I didn't like AWANA as a kid (I love it as a leader, since I don't have to recite anything!). I need to remember that memorizing Bible verses--not just the basic gist of them, but the actual words--is a good practice for every Christian, so long as we remember the context.<br />
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My phone has multiple Bible translations on it and I can do a web search for any verse I like right now, so it seems kind of unnecessary. But someday we might not be so blessed to have the Bible so widely available, even in America...<br />
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Check out the other participants on the blog tour!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/"> </a><br />
<a href="http://www.oerkenleaves.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Clayton Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://keananbrand.wordpress.com/">Keanan Brand</a> <br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/">Carol Gehringer</a> <br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a a="" href="http://hardcoverfeedback.blogspot.com/"> Megan @ Hardcover Feedback<br />
</a><a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="https://myantimatterlife.wordpress.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/"> Jalynn Patterson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.provisionbooks.com/"> Jessica Thomas</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shanewerlinger.com/">Shane Werlinger</a><br />
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*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I was sent a free copy of this book.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-88267332427465355732015-04-15T08:00:00.000-07:002015-06-20T17:14:25.819-07:00Storm Siren costume and random thoughts - CSFF Blog TourJulie one more time with the CSFF Blog tour, writing on<b> </b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Siren-Trilogy/dp/1401690343/">Storm Siren</a> </i>by <a href="http://www.maryweber.com/">Mary Weber</a>. I blogged earlier about the costumes, which I can still picture...but drawing them is harder. The "tiny hat" made to look like frog eyes described in the book is lost in a mass of Adora's curls, and I technically should have gotten out the glitter... Ah well.<br />
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I'd suggest any writers/authors/people interested in craft read <a href="https://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/2015/04/14/csff-blog-tour-storm-siren-day-2/">Rebecca LuElla Miller's entry on pacing</a> as it pertains to this book. And <a href="http://www.jlmbewe.com/2015/04/csff-interviews-galore/">J.L. Mbewe has links to several interviews</a>. (Is anyone else surprised that such a bubbly author wrote Nym?)<br />
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That's about all I have, though I was rather surprised that of the CSFF bloggers I read, I seemed to see the <i>most </i>Christian content here. Maybe that's because I have some familiarity with <a href="http://twloha.com/">To Write Love on Her Arms</a>, a movement with a lot of Christian links. From their <a href="http://twloha.com/learn/">"Learn" page</a>:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We believe: </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You were created to love and be loved. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
People need other people. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Your story is important. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Better days are ahead. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hope and help are real. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You are not alone, and this is not the end of your story.</blockquote>
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In <i>Storm Siren</i>, God is only vaguely referenced and Christ doesn't seem present at all, so for me the message of hope rang a touch hollow. On the other hand, many people are in a place where they don't think God cares or they can't believe in Jesus. Those kind of people might be moved by the rather modest proposal that the protagonist, who feels like a monster, is deserving of love, and might have actually been created for a purpose. But a more explicitly Christian story might lose those same people, and maybe the later books will build on that modest foundation to help some broken people look into finding lasting hope...<br />
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One last link to the other bloggers, if you missed anyone.<br />
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<a href="http://lbombardier.wordpress.com/"> Lauren Bombardier</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/"> Vicky DealSharingAunt</a><br />
<a href="http://www.endtimestavern.com/"> George Duncan</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/"> Carol Gehringer</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart</a><br />
<a href="http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com/"> Timothy Hicks</a><br />
<a href="http://janeenippolito.com/blog-2/"> Janeen Ippolito</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://thelastmemzie.blogspot.com/"> Emileigh Latham</a><br />
<a href="http://inspirationsbysimone.blogspot.com/"> Simone Lilly-Egerter</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jlmbewe.com/index.php/blog/"> Jennette Mbewe</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="https://myantimatterlife.wordpress.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/"> Jalynn Patterson</a><br />
<a href="http://theloremistress.blogspot.com/"> Audrey Sauble</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://www.woodmr.net/blog/"> Michelle R. Wood</a><br />
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*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I was sent a free copy of this book.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-86002591304187760422015-04-14T08:00:00.000-07:002015-04-14T08:02:43.487-07:00Review - Storm Siren by Mary Weber - CSFF Blog TourThis is Julie with the CSFF Blog tour! <br />
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<b>Book: </b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Siren-Trilogy/dp/1401690343/">Storm Siren</a> </i>by <a href="http://www.maryweber.com/">Mary Weber </a> (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/marychristineweber">Facebook</a>)<br />
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<b>Ridiculously simplified summary: </b><br />
Nym, a 17-year-old girl with Elemental control over weather, is made slave to a depraved aristocrat. Nym must try to control her powers, overcome her past failings, and save a kingdom that kills Elemental boys at birth.<br />
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<b>Content:</b> This is a dark world, and I think the content might be too much for some readers (or parents!). There are countless deaths (many, though not all, a result of war), with horrific treatment of a young child, apparent abuse of a disabled character later on, and other horrors and threats of horrors.<br />
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The main character has been a slave most of her life and struggles with cutting/self-harm. At the start, she takes comfort in cutting herself, and the immediacy of the viewpoint made me as a reader almost think her actions made sense. While she works to overcome that self-destructive habit, parents may want to know that the attractive tattoo-like marks on the character's arm on the cover are in fact Nym's scars from cutting.<br />
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The 17-year-old main/point-of-view character spends quite a bit of time detailing her longing/lust for a man who struck me as being substantially older, though I believe it's actually a 5-year difference. Her thoughts about doing things like "drinking him in as fast as (she) can" were more sensual than I'd expected to read.<br />
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I don't recall any actual cursing, but there is lots of made-up cursing that sometimes sounds like real curses. Notably, the word "hulls" is used more than 30 times as a pretty obvious substitution, as in "What in hulls?" "Oh hulls," and "The world is going to hulls."<br />
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I see from other reviews online that some people have said this wasn't intended to be a Christian book. I'd say the Christian content is present but understated. I didn't notice any of it until Chapter 22, more than halfway through. I basically saw mentions of a creator and being created for a purpose, a little talk about good and evil, and an act of self-sacrificing love. CSFF Blog Tour members usually tease out more Christian meaning than I do, though as of about 8 PM PST Monday, I didn't see anyone mentioning anything I haven't.<br />
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<b>Rating: </b>(Due to circumstances beyond my control, I read the Kindle copy, not the printed one, but the formatting was fine and I don't think that will affect the rating.)<br />
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<b>Characters - 6 out of 10.</b> Due to Nym's close first-person narrative, she was an interesting enough character to follow, though more than once I wished I could have seen parts of the story through someone else's eyes. The heroes seemed fairly realistic to me, which isn't really what I like, because with the single exception of Nym's fellow-elemental/friend Colin, I didn't find any of the characters particularly likable. The heroes are imperfect and for the most part don't seem particularly noble, and the villains are completely wicked to the point that their actions often seemed insane to me.<br />
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Perhaps hardest for me was that I didn't care at all for the man Nym completely falls in love with, which made it hard for me to sympathize with her irrational choices involving him. (That said, I am unusually unemotional, so I'm sure others with stronger passions or who liked the man would sympathize more.) Other than a cast of maybe 5 main characters, I thought the others were rather thinly drawn, though that will probably be remedied in the sequel.<br />
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Bonus points because I <i>did</i> like Colin and several of the characters felt realistic...and it did hurt some when harm befell a few characters. One more special point for Breck, a blind servant, not acting particularly nice or kind. (Most people with disabilities in books, particularly blind women, seem to lapse into stereotypes of being perfect people aside from one disability.)<br />
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<b>Suspense/stakes - 3 out of 5. </b>At first, the immediacy of Nym's narration kept me reading. Later, one character notes, "I'm pretty sure the world's not worth being saved...But I love a good challenge." That actually kind of sums up my feelings. I don't like this world and don't really care for most of the characters, so I slowed down reading near the middle. When I picked it up again, with the building stakes and the immediate style, I was still interested to know what happened next. <br />
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<b>World building - 3 out of 5. </b>I appreciate how Weber puts us into the middle of a new world. Some negative reviews I read complained that the world building was weak, and I agree that a lot of things weren't spelled out, but I felt that was mostly a style choice, keeping in the immediacy of Nym's mind. I didn't get the impression that the world wasn't properly built--more like explanation was held back--but I could have benefited from a bit more detail and explanation. There were some interesting touches, like the almost steampunk nature of the warring kingdom Bron.<br />
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<b>Writing/editing - 5 out of 5. </b>This is in first-person present, which might turn off some readers. I thought it overall worked, well enough that I started wondering if that's what I should do for my own work in progress. Nym has a strong voice, and I liked some of the flowery descriptions she put in there, as well as some of the humorous, cynical lines, especially about the bizarre parties thrown by her sadistic master. The only quibble I had with the actual writing was Weber's style choice to make Nym use sentence fragments repeatedly. We're in her head, and even third-person narrators in close third-person are using sentence fragments nowadays, but the sheer number of fragments distracted me a bit.<br />
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I thought Nym was sometimes distanced from her own pain, even reading as a bit cold as she's suffering massive physical pain...that's how I tend to write, so I assumed Weber was a personality type kind of like mine and it spilled over onto Nym. But reading Weber's gushy acknowledgements at the end revealed that no, while Nym and Weber have the same knack for fancy language, their minds look to be in rather different places, so any distance was surely intentional. In light of that, I'm rather impressed by how Weber rendered Nym's voice, since it's got some differences from her own. <br />
<br />
<b>Clarity - 2 out of 5.</b> With all the twists and turns and betrayals and secrets, I got rather lost at the end. A lot of that could have just been bad timing on how I paused a week or so between the first half and the last half. An important character was referenced a fair amount in the first 20 chapters, then once in chapter 23 in passing, and then all over chapters 30-36 (the end). If I'd read straight through, I might not have stumbled. Other points--particularly that Colin is bald and Eogan has black/dark skin--are repeated so often it was annoying, though I know from critique groups that if a character has dark skin, you have to reference it repeatedly or readers will miss it... It's a tricky road to walk, how to be clear enough without being repetitive, and I get the feeling that the second book in the series will handle it better.<br />
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<b>Plausibility/believability - 2 out of 5. </b>I felt like some of the characters behaved unexplainably, especially when a bit of critical thinking or even talking with someone they cared about would have probably revealed a certain problem rather early, before it all came to a head to cause major problems for our characters in the climax. Unfortunately, the characters' outright ignoring what struck me as an obvious peculiarity/problem hindered my enjoyment of the rest of the book. I also had a hard time with Nym's insistence on showing mercy to one villain, even while the rest of that villain's men were left to die. Christian forgiveness and/or forgiveness prompted by the Holy Spirit is one thing, but Nym doesn't seem prompted by anything I could wrap my head around. (Although, now I can see why my writing partner gets irritated when my characters want to go too soft on some bad guys!)<br />
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<b>Positive - 1 out of 5. </b>Anyone who's read my reviews at all should know I like happy endings. The world here is overall dark; even a third of the way through, I found myself frustrated that there was nothing much to like about the world. Yes, Nym starts to get over some of the darkness inside her, but even as she starts to reach towards the light, her world turns so much darker. I saw no mention of heaven or any eternal hope, just love that's in this
world, which left me with kind of a hopeless feeling more than
anything.<br />
<br />
If you've read my other reviews, you may know that I can't stand endings where everything turns horrible at the VERY end, to compel readers to eagerly anticipate the next book, and this is quite a cliffhanger. The more I look into the ending, the more I see that everything <i>might</i> not be <i>completely</i> lost, particularly if you believe believe that one character really <i>does</i> have prophetic powers...but I think one could make a good argument that the ending of the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy is more optimistic than this ending. <br />
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<b>Gut reaction - 2 out of 5. </b>A well-written book that's not written for me.<br />
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<b>Free points: 5 out of 5.</b><br />
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<b>Recommended for: </b>Older young adults (or regular adults) who like fantasy but don't need/want happy endings...? From the reviews I saw online, there are many, many people who adored this book, so there's obviously something to like. But aside from the strong writing and excellent imagery, the immediacy of Nym's point of view, and the suspense nearer to the end, I can't really figure out the appeal. If you like your fantasy on the dark side, this might be a great read for you.<br />
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<b>Total Rating: 2.9 out of 5 stars</b><br />
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<br />
Here are the other participants on the tour, who surely have different opinions than me!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://lbombardier.wordpress.com/"> Lauren Bombardier</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/"> Vicky DealSharingAunt</a><br />
<a href="http://www.endtimestavern.com/"> George Duncan</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/"> Carol Gehringer</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart</a><br />
<a href="http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com/"> Timothy Hicks</a><br />
<a href="http://janeenippolito.com/blog-2/"> Janeen Ippolito</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://thelastmemzie.blogspot.com/"> Emileigh Latham</a><br />
<a href="http://inspirationsbysimone.blogspot.com/"> Simone Lilly-Egerter</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jlmbewe.com/index.php/blog/"> Jennette Mbewe</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="https://myantimatterlife.wordpress.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/"> Jalynn Patterson</a><br />
<a href="http://theloremistress.blogspot.com/"> Audrey Sauble</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://www.woodmr.net/blog/"> Michelle R. Wood</a><br />
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*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I was sent a free copy of this book.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-9613604107042732752015-04-13T08:00:00.000-07:002015-04-13T08:00:03.746-07:00Costumes and Endings - Storm Siren by Mary Weber Julie here with the CSFF Blog Tour, writing about <b> </b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Siren-Trilogy/dp/1401690343/">Storm Siren</a> </i>by <a href="http://www.maryweber.com/">Mary Weber </a> (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/marychristineweber">Facebook</a>).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIP3aZOeCz7itTTvszmYSbQVBJLqfhuONgJIh8855L5JDNeF8yiaWsQXJ0Rx3PUtVx1pESowspZXIcgKjDGUrYHjkmiShVPT7m-R6CNhEWiCT5yFFAS6DOsg8Y7jnUnqLIgBTzwZnis7o/s1600/1bloga.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIP3aZOeCz7itTTvszmYSbQVBJLqfhuONgJIh8855L5JDNeF8yiaWsQXJ0Rx3PUtVx1pESowspZXIcgKjDGUrYHjkmiShVPT7m-R6CNhEWiCT5yFFAS6DOsg8Y7jnUnqLIgBTzwZnis7o/s1600/1bloga.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
Along with the gorgeous cover, one of the things I liked about <i>Storm Siren</i> were the ridiculous costumes worn by Adora, the rather depraved aristocrat who owns the protagonist, Nym. And like a teenage girl, Nym has a lot to say about such costumes. Adora herself dresses as a frog-queen, a male peacock, and a tree nymph (complete with "the carcass of a dead squirrel attached to one shoulder"). I thought the descriptions are excellent--enough to get the point across, but not a ridiculous amount of detail. (Ridiculous costumes, yes!) <br />
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Other guests dress as "rabid ladybugs," bears, sin-eaters, ferns, and mermaids. Why Nym gets away with wearing what seem by comparison to be simple gowns, I'm not sure, but that's one of the few bits of good fortune she has with Adora. Sadly, Weber's <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/maryweberYA/boards/">Pinterest</a> doesn't have any images of inspirations for Adora's gowns...but given how ridiculous they sound, maybe that's for the best.<br />
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As to the inspiration for the party, <a href="http://www.loveisnotatriangle.com/2014/08/interview-with-storm-siren-author-mary.html">Love is not a Triangle</a> has a good interview with Mary Weber that has a couple real costume pictures, and a little info on Book 2. (I was particularly heartened to know that one of Weber's own daughters hated the ending, as I did too.)<br />
<br />
Here are the other participants on the tour!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://lbombardier.wordpress.com/"> Lauren Bombardier</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/"> Vicky DealSharingAunt</a><br />
<a href="http://www.endtimestavern.com/"> George Duncan</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/"> Carol Gehringer</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart</a><br />
<a href="http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com/"> Timothy Hicks</a><br />
<a href="http://janeenippolito.com/blog-2/"> Janeen Ippolito</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://thelastmemzie.blogspot.com/"> Emileigh Latham</a><br />
<a href="http://inspirationsbysimone.blogspot.com/"> Simone Lilly-Egerter</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jlmbewe.com/index.php/blog/"> Jennette Mbewe</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="https://myantimatterlife.wordpress.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/"> Jalynn Patterson</a><br />
<a href="http://theloremistress.blogspot.com/"> Audrey Sauble</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://www.woodmr.net/blog/"> Michelle R. Wood</a><br />
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*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I was sent a free copy of this book.<br />
Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-41764430318970341472014-12-17T07:00:00.000-08:002014-12-17T07:00:04.745-08:00In Which Two Small Birds are DiscussedThis is Julie one more time with the CSFF Blog tour, discussing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Fatal-Tree-Bright-Empires/dp/1595548084/">The Fatal Tree</a> by <a href="http://www.stephenlawhead.com/">Stephen R. Lawhead </a>(<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-R-Lawhead/84503526872">Facebook</a>).<br />
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As I mentioned in <a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/2014/12/in-which-i-review-novel-fatal-tree-by.html">my review of The Fatal Tree</a>, I personally cannot fathom of any series of events that would cause any real threat of God's creation coming undone and being made to have never existed.<br />
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True story--this last Friday, my mom was scheduled for surgery. Not the particularly risky kind, but scary enough. At work that morning, when I walked toward the parking garage stairs, there were two little birds directly on the landing. While occasionally I'll see some little birds downstairs by the cafe or near the condos near our office, I don't recall EVER seeing any on the parking garage landing, let alone a pair of them just sitting there, as if waiting.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span class="text Matt-10-29" id="en-NASB-23447"><span class="woj">Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.</span></span> <span class="text Matt-10-30" id="en-NASB-23448"><span class="woj">But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.</span></span> <span class="text Matt-10-31" id="en-NASB-23449"><span class="woj">So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.</span></span></span> </span> <span class="text Matt-10-32" id="en-NASB-23450"><span class="woj">(<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+10%3A29-31&version=NASB">Matthew 10:29-31</a>, NASB) (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2010&version=NASB">Full chapter for context</a>)</span></span></blockquote>
The simple sight of two unexpected birds, not necessarily sparrows, gave me complete comfort and confidence. Not complete confidence that the surgery would go perfectly--after all, Jesus is worth more than <i>me</i>, and He sure suffered a lot. But I believe in an omnipotent and omniscient God, so anything that happens--whether it seems pleasant or seems dreadful at the time--is all in His hands. It's hard to wrap my head around it, but I believe He will work all things to good.<br />
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And when Adam and Eve sinned, God had a plan to redeem mankind, not to rewind the tape and start again. I don't see how anything any human or humans could <i>ever</i> do could affect Jesus' sacrifice, let alone make it so that it <i>never happened</i>.<br />
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Now, all that said, if the multiverses of Bright Empires were real, I think it's fair to speculate that God might allow people to think that all worlds would be unraveling in that way, while He, being outside of time, knows full well that the threat won't come to pass. (Not sure about the theology about realities falling apart before people's eyes, but that wasn't what bothered me for whatever reason.)<br />
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Oh yes, and by all accounts, my mom's surgery <i>did</i> go very well, and she is currently on the mend. And yes, it's easier to have faith in God's goodness when things are going relatively well for yourself. But I <i>hope</i> that when a tragedy does finally strike, as it strikes everyone at some point, I will still see that God is there and that He will work all things to good for those who love Him.<br />
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Thanks for the tour, all! <br />
Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-81626209784230638832014-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:002014-12-18T23:27:58.215-08:00In Which I Review a Novel - The Fatal Tree by Stephen R. Lawhead - CSFF Blog TourThis is Julie with the CSFF Blog tour! This month's book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Fatal-Tree-Bright-Empires/dp/1595548084/">The Fatal Tree</a> by <a href="http://www.stephenlawhead.com/">Stephen R. Lawhead </a>(<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-R-Lawhead/84503526872">Facebook</a>), the final book in the epic Bright Empires Series.<br />
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<b>Book: </b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Fatal-Tree-Bright-Empires/dp/1595548084/">The Fatal Tree</a> </i>by <a href="http://www.stephenlawhead.com/">Stephen R. Lawhead </a>(<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-R-Lawhead/84503526872">Facebook</a>) <br />
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.evanangler.com/"> </a></span></span><br />
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<b>Ridiculously simplified summary: </b><br />
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In the concluding book of the Bright Empires series, our world--and all worlds--are spinning into chaos, with strange, unexplainable events and anomalies as the universe undoes itself. Kit, Mina, Cass and the other ley-travelers must travel through different times and universes to try to fix all timelines. Can they prevent the collapse of time and space?<br />
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<b>Content:</b> This was overflowing with Christian content, with inspiring acts of forgiveness, redemption, and even a vision of God. (I still have some problems with the concept that humans could take actions that would cause everything God created to have <i>never existed</i>...but since--spoiler alert!--the multiple array of universes in existence are <i>not </i>destroyed--one could argue that humans can't destroy everything God ever created because God would put in place the people who could prevent it.)<br />
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There is a bit of cursing that surprised me--I can't say it was unwarranted, but it surprised me.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b><br />
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<b>Characters - 7 out of 10. </b>Like many series, mostly the same characters inhabit this final book, without many additions. A fairly large number of scientists came along; they blurred together for me. One character has a very drastic change, which I thought worked well. Most of the others were more or less steady. Lady Haven and Mina, the most strong-willed female characters here, had quite a few similarities, but since I like that kind of woman, it didn't bother me. Characterization wasn't really the focus here, but I had no real problems. If you read the earlier books and liked the characters there, you'll probably like them here.<br />
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<b>Suspense/stakes - 3 out of 5. </b>I'll talk more about this Wednesday and this ties into plausibility, but to me, I thought the stakes were <i>too high</i>, if that's a thing. I just could not believe that the entire world--all worlds--would not only be destroyed, but would be completely undone, so that they <i>never existed.</i> Theology aside, the stakes are so high that you know full well that the worst really <i>can't</i> actually happen.<br />
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To balance this, Lawhead occasionally put beloved characters into peril, which was more exciting, because there's certainly no guarantee that any lead character will survive these newly unstable worlds. And speaking of instability, Lawhead did a very good job of showing the effects of our world falling apart...the thought of a bridge simply vanishing while people are driving across it scares me more than the thought of all of God's creation being undone, because it just feels more plausible.<br />
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<b>World building - 5 out of 5. </b>The entire series shows a high level of detail and realism. I'm continually impressed by the way Lawhead integrates so many different historical and historically-inspired settings and events. This is one of those series I read and realize there's no way I could write such a thing myself...it just plays to things that I enjoy reading but wouldn't be able to pull together.<br />
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<b>Writing/editing - 4 out of 5. </b>Overall, I had no major problems with the writing. I thought that perhaps too much time was spent on one character's change, with two separate lengthy internal monologues that I thought overlapped quite a bit of content. One other nitpick would be when two completely unrelated characters from completely different backgrounds and eras start quoting from what <i>sounds to me</i> to be the same Bible translation. In my Bible Study, no one reads from the same translation, so I don't know why these characters would both be using the same translation, unless it's restrictions from the publishing house needing just one translation.<br />
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(Edited for knowledge--in the comments, there's a good discussion about the appropriateness of using KJV. Upon a closer look, I saw that one of the aforementioned characters quotes a verse in what--edited again--what wasn't at all KJV, and what <a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/2014/12/in-which-i-review-novel-fatal-tree-by.html?showComment=1418871077550#c6198229771983224675">Meagan Myhren-Bennett</a> indicated appears to be at least partly from an English translation of the Knox Bible. I don't see that verbiage anywhere on the entire Internet except for in this book, but the end of the verse appears to be KJV, with different punctuation, though that could again be the Knox Bible. Dr. Young is still a couple hundred years "older" than the other character...but point taken that some churches even today still stick to KJV, though I see no reason why this second character's church would have specifically been using "thees" and "thous".)<br />
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Some of the descriptions felt over-long to me. That's more my preference than a problem, but given that literally the whole world is hanging in the balance, I felt like the descriptions, which were fine and even eloquent in previous books, slowed things down a bit too much.<br />
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<b>Clarity - 4 out of 5.</b>
I felt like things got perhaps a bit muddled by the end, but that <i>does</i> make sense, given the plotline. (And in fairness to Lawhead, I may not have read as closely as I should have everywhere, since I was so eager to find out what happened.<br />
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<b>Plausibility/believability - 3 out of 5. </b>Not everything in this book went along with how I picture the universe and God working, and, fair or not, the idea of God's works being undone didn't really work for me. (Though the scientists here also say that most people don't believe in global
warming despite scientific evidence, so I guess that's the same
reasoning here?) Etzel also remains superhumanly good, but that's not <i>impossible</i>. Maybe implausible, but I've heard of forgiveness similar to his in real life (and he's technically not in our world anyway).<br />
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<b>Positive - 5 out of 5. </b>Overall a happy ending and Etzel's actions continue to amaze.<br />
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<b>Gut reaction - 4 out of 5. </b>Probably my only real disappointment was that I saw the series as being set up as a quest for the Skin Map, more than the Spirit Well itself, but in this last book, the Skin Map is of no significance. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this structure, but I think subconsciously it feels just a touch off because of that. Certainly, this was an enjoyable and satisfying end to the series nonetheless.<br />
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<b>Free points: 5 out of 5.</b><br />
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<b>Recommended for: </b>Anyone who read Books 1 and 2 in the series.<br />
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<b>Total Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars</b><br />
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Please visit my fellow adventurers on this month's tour!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/"> </a><br />
<a href="http://www.oerkenleaves.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Clayton Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Chapman</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kcreviews.blogspot.com/"> Karri Compton</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jasoncjoyner.com/blog/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://thequietpen.wordpress.com/"> Janeen Ippolito</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://thelastmemzie.blogspot.com/"> Emileigh Latham</a><br />
<a href="http://rebekahloper.wordpress.com/"> Rebekah Loper</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://annakindt.wordpress.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/"> Jalynn Patterson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christsbridge.blogspot.com/"> Writer Rani</a><br />
<a href="http://dadscancooktoo.com/"> Nathan Reimer</a><br />
<a href="http://theloremistress.blogspot.com/"> Audrey Sauble</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/"> Rachel Starr Thomson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shanewerlinger.com/"> Shane Werlinger</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<br />
*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book. Also free tattoos. The temporary kind.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-52668655595637095552014-12-15T07:00:00.000-08:002014-12-15T07:00:04.924-08:00In Which I Become an Illustrated Woman - The Fatal Tree - Stephen R. Lawhead - CSFF Blog Tour This is Julie with the CSFF Blog tour! This month's book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Fatal-Tree-Bright-Empires/dp/1595548084/">The Fatal Tree</a> by <a href="http://www.stephenlawhead.com/">Stephen R. Lawhead </a>(<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-R-Lawhead/84503526872">Facebook</a>), the final book in the epic Bright Empires Series.<br />
<br />
When we last left our intrepid heroes, they were desperately searching through all possible timelines to try to prevent the complete unraveling and undoing of all creation.<br />
<br />
But more importantly, members of the CSFF Blog Tour were given the option to be sent tattoos of symbols such as might have been found on the Skin Map, with the provision that recipients would arrange for a display of said tattoos on flesh.<br />
<br />
Hey. Is this thing working?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqIhTT-RhuRYxrILx9-W9ppTcozAVgmNSrnqNhHXLzZ8zaXhR0_ySL94SQ0ecjfN8nAe7P1vyTa-n_TgGnqHVerQ-r1eR_YCxIXJRkNnIjPmFxkbebdMzRvvZZntHFcBTnLcnhTkSrJ8/s1600/1bloga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqIhTT-RhuRYxrILx9-W9ppTcozAVgmNSrnqNhHXLzZ8zaXhR0_ySL94SQ0ecjfN8nAe7P1vyTa-n_TgGnqHVerQ-r1eR_YCxIXJRkNnIjPmFxkbebdMzRvvZZntHFcBTnLcnhTkSrJ8/s1600/1bloga.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
All right! I am ready to travel!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zkcXNgBS7L7jL3YjSsiQaWl_3EtZ1TMnU9AARy8MYIQ1M5Cv5xvp2IoGw0G-G66o5h5W7MhcWDkJkf75Nuo3MtNDtLaACFE4wIPn1SVh5i1XZ-FdjODQZIJMnmUPB9sr64FQK_MiYUg/s1600/1bloga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zkcXNgBS7L7jL3YjSsiQaWl_3EtZ1TMnU9AARy8MYIQ1M5Cv5xvp2IoGw0G-G66o5h5W7MhcWDkJkf75Nuo3MtNDtLaACFE4wIPn1SVh5i1XZ-FdjODQZIJMnmUPB9sr64FQK_MiYUg/s1600/1bloga.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<br />
Now, which way is Sedona...?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNKp9dA_TtXyXWVmxQEZ-L_nlRkhDWgcsqJnBKy0Yse3VKmkp4yzeagtmEWCVvu-3FUaZ7E-xCiCs5m-6vKDACm-_nRxDa2PzETjWoa0MKinQCmDH5tviL4iInaGjrcoFajTLnuFAIzk/s1600/1bloga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirNKp9dA_TtXyXWVmxQEZ-L_nlRkhDWgcsqJnBKy0Yse3VKmkp4yzeagtmEWCVvu-3FUaZ7E-xCiCs5m-6vKDACm-_nRxDa2PzETjWoa0MKinQCmDH5tviL4iInaGjrcoFajTLnuFAIzk/s1600/1bloga.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
<br />
Please visit my fellow adventurers on this month's tour!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.oerkenleaves.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Clayton Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Chapman</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kcreviews.blogspot.com/"> Karri Compton</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jasoncjoyner.com/blog/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://thequietpen.wordpress.com/"> Janeen Ippolito</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://thelastmemzie.blogspot.com/"> Emileigh Latham</a><br />
<a href="http://rebekahloper.wordpress.com/"> Rebekah Loper</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://annakindt.wordpress.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/"> Jalynn Patterson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christsbridge.blogspot.com/"> Writer Rani</a><br />
<a href="http://dadscancooktoo.com/"> Nathan Reimer</a><br />
<a href="http://theloremistress.blogspot.com/"> Audrey Sauble</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/"> Rachel Starr Thomson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shanewerlinger.com/"> Shane Werlinger</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<br />
*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book. Also free tattoos. The temporary kind.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-10090762729718844362014-11-13T22:17:00.003-08:002014-11-13T22:17:37.595-08:00I will be an illustrated womanI KNEW this envelope contained my tattoos! I hope they help me find ley lines.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXhGVYOADQWPWgdvBj0kApLBFQ6kkg7oDpZWA3y_RGB88g-GdJcoDIWCM9uABQczKpwhn1YjVxRwoIL3aso-pFxdbBP4aZnGDPxvH4S4PmMi1j3xzH4YbV9W2OP5rIvb08AMxlRFoh8k/s1600/P1120888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDXhGVYOADQWPWgdvBj0kApLBFQ6kkg7oDpZWA3y_RGB88g-GdJcoDIWCM9uABQczKpwhn1YjVxRwoIL3aso-pFxdbBP4aZnGDPxvH4S4PmMi1j3xzH4YbV9W2OP5rIvb08AMxlRFoh8k/s400/P1120888.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
For <a href="http://t.co/IfVV0eUk5d">The Fatal Tree</a>, Book 5 in Stephen Lawhead's Bright Empires series. Can't wait to read it!Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-66186982576200086372014-10-31T01:06:00.002-07:002014-11-04T22:01:27.285-08:00PROMO ENDED - A Selkie's Prayer is FREE on Kindle!<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>PROMO ENDED</b><br />
<b><i> </i></b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OYSX416"><i>A Selkie's Prayer</i></a> is FREE on Kindle from October 31 - November 3, 2014. </b><br />
<br />
<b> </b>I would be honored if you'd download it. (And more pragmatically, it will also help the visibility of this novella and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Healer-Pirate-Kinyn-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B006D3XOHY"><i>The Healer and the Pirate</i></a>.)<br />
<br />
If you share the news with your friends/followers/dental hygienists (thanks, Dad!), I would be OVER THE MOON. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-ZSUn369ZDoZVCTjCSvv3kkUxXqoiRVNwT47USNrX0HrQoAOZxbuWlMGBYVVwQcEvo3td3mClALbxQI-emxDs4Ur9JESctgMSvB1L7nIeb6U6P1sXo433omWu-xSuZ88hIsmsK8dqJA/s1600/$seal.tiff" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-ZSUn369ZDoZVCTjCSvv3kkUxXqoiRVNwT47USNrX0HrQoAOZxbuWlMGBYVVwQcEvo3td3mClALbxQI-emxDs4Ur9JESctgMSvB1L7nIeb6U6P1sXo433omWu-xSuZ88hIsmsK8dqJA/s1600/$seal.tiff" height="400" width="250" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OYSX416">A Selkie's Prayer</a></i> is a standalone novella in the world of Kinyn.</b> <br />
<br />
When
Jedrey's selkie wife accuses him of stealing her sealskin and leaves
him, his world is shattered. A mysterious goddess puts a magical map in
his head to help him search for his lost love--but his wife may be
closer than he thinks. <br />
<br />
Also contains the first chapter of The Healer and the Pirate, Book 1 in the Kinyn Chronicles.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-78916495554070899842014-10-29T21:44:00.003-07:002014-10-29T21:45:04.512-07:00A Selkie's Prayer is live on Kindle!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OYSX416"><i>A Selkie's Prayer</i></a> is just 99 cents on Kindle, or free to read on Kindle Unlimited. It will also be completely</div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b>FREE!!!</b> </h3>
<div style="text-align: center;">
from October 31 - November 3, 2014</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-ZSUn369ZDoZVCTjCSvv3kkUxXqoiRVNwT47USNrX0HrQoAOZxbuWlMGBYVVwQcEvo3td3mClALbxQI-emxDs4Ur9JESctgMSvB1L7nIeb6U6P1sXo433omWu-xSuZ88hIsmsK8dqJA/s1600/$seal.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-ZSUn369ZDoZVCTjCSvv3kkUxXqoiRVNwT47USNrX0HrQoAOZxbuWlMGBYVVwQcEvo3td3mClALbxQI-emxDs4Ur9JESctgMSvB1L7nIeb6U6P1sXo433omWu-xSuZ88hIsmsK8dqJA/s1600/$seal.tiff" height="400" width="250" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OYSX416">A Selkie's Prayer</a> is a standalone novella in the world of Kinyn.</b> <br />
<br />
When Jedrey's selkie wife accuses him of stealing her sealskin and leaves him, his world is shattered. A mysterious goddess puts a magical map in his head to help him search for his lost love--but his wife may be closer than he thinks. <br />
<br />
Also contains the first chapter of The Healer and the Pirate, Book 1 in the Kinyn Chronicles.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-65804265720054591262014-10-01T21:56:00.003-07:002014-10-01T21:56:37.408-07:00Blink Imprint - Rebels by Jill Williamson - CSFF Blog TourJulie one more time for the CSFF Blog Tour.<br />
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span><br />
I (and some others) observed that the Safe Lands series was rather light on Christian content. But in the comments for <a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-rebels-by-jill-williamson-csff.html?showComment=1412225009310#c6590906307557047102">my review of Rebels</a>, Jill Williamson (love!) wrote:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This was a Blink book, which is an imprint
Zonderkidz began for the general market. So it technically wasn't a
Christian book, though I don't know how well Zonderkidz is doing letting
readers know that. But that is why the Christian content is so low in
this series. </blockquote>
That was all news to me! I would argue that <a href="http://blinkyabooks.com/about/">Blink's "About" page</a> does very little to explain the books are for the general market, either.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h2>
Mission</h2>
Blink brings true stories and fiction to YA readers. The literature
published by Blink is a positive reflection of what is inspiring and
heartening while maintaining a tradition of imaginative and exciting
storytelling that will bring readers to the edge of their seats, immerse
them in a heartrending love story, or engross them in a story of a life
well-lived. Readers will see themselves in all facets of Blink’s
literature and will find new levels of entertainment that enrich and
uplift.<br />
<h2>
Company Overview</h2>
Blink is the brand new home of some of the most engrossing teen publishing anywhere.<br />
We publish some of the best writers we know, including Heather Burch,
Jonathan Friesen, Lisa T. Bergren, Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon.</blockquote>
While their books aren't called Christian, "positive reflection," "inspiring," "enrich," "uplift," and even "life well-lived" read to me as Christian buzzwords, and certainly don't sound like a secular publisher to me. Even if I didn't know they were linked to Zondervan, I would have guessed that there was some sort of Christian (or maybe LDS) background.<br />
<br />
(Also, they are missing at least one important writer in their list, who wrote an excellent dystopian series that was recently spotlighted in a certain blog tour...)<br />
<br />
I strongly agree that Christian writers can and sometimes should write secular fiction...many people would never dare pick up a "Christian" book, but if done right, a secular book can open a door. I imagine that for some readers, The Safe Lands series may serve as a good Christian witness, even with its subtle presentation on that front. And certainly, if any Christian author can do what Blink's official "mission" promises, I think they're doing well indeed. <br />
<br />
The Safe Lands series was indeed a positive reflection, heartening, imaginative and exciting, enriching, and made me (not the target audience) think about my own life too. So I think Williamson was an excellent fit for the imprint, indeed. I'm so glad she was able to bless us with her series.<br />
<br />
<br />
Here are the other participants in the blog tour!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://tulipdrivenlife.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Fletcher Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Chapman</a><br />
<a href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/"> Vicky DealSharingAunt</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/"> Carol Gehringer</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://backingbooks.blogspot.com/"> Rebekah Gyger</a><br />
<a href="http://christianfictionaddiction.blogspot.com/"> Jeremy Harder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jasoncjoyner.com/blog/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/"> Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="http://annakindt.wordpress.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christsbridge.blogspot.com/"> Writer Rani</a><br />
<a href="http://theloremistress.blogspot.com/"> Audrey Sauble</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://kerani-in-the-world.blogspot.com/"> Elizabeth Williams</a><br />
<br />
<br />
*In
conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this
book Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-40774803285913408872014-09-30T19:04:00.000-07:002014-09-30T19:04:29.960-07:00What's your stim? - Rebels by Jill Williamson - CSFF Blog TourFirst, if you haven't read the Safe Lands series, there's a giveaway of ALL THREE BOOKS right now (September 29, 2014) at <a href="http://jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/csff-tour-giveaway-rebels-by-jill-williamson">http://jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/csff-tour-giveaway-rebels-by-jill-williamson</a>!<br />
<br />
In The Safe Lands series, Omar falls prey to the lures of sex and especially drugs, so much that he would do anything for his drug or "stim" of choice, "brown sugar." <br />
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8Zdxayk4w0ORJkbQRzjJUpJhTmqjREhVcTfUTsCmALa0cRlXaaz51NiGAOwmWotNJHwGsEfuFB5ip8LmfjkzNbmABJQ-aTg2NwrvCaNSAoMZyjoogJILHQ9aH6PBU05MkUJc6RLKQsk/s1600/2bloga.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8Zdxayk4w0ORJkbQRzjJUpJhTmqjREhVcTfUTsCmALa0cRlXaaz51NiGAOwmWotNJHwGsEfuFB5ip8LmfjkzNbmABJQ-aTg2NwrvCaNSAoMZyjoogJILHQ9aH6PBU05MkUJc6RLKQsk/s1600/2bloga.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
As far as I can tell, this story is aimed towards Christian teens. I was a particularly uncool teen (and that was quite a while ago), so I really didn't face any of Omar's temptations back then (and I still don't).<br />
<br />
That's not to say that I don't have any addictions. Later on in the story, I noticed that Strikers (those who had gotten in trouble prior to Liberation) were prohibited from having electronic devices like Wyndos. So basically, if you fought to take down a corrupt system, they'd take away your Internet.<br />
<br />
Wait<i>. What???</i><br />
<br />
The Internet has become such a part of daily life that a lot of people--myself included--are horrified by the idea of living without it. And in fairness, it would be quite an adjustment to live without Internet access...it would be harder to buy things, harder to communicate with people, and in our world, perhaps harder to get your ideas noticed. I guess if you had a good friend who lived nearby who could use their Internet/Wyndo, you could probably manage, in this world and the Safe Lands both. (Or if you had a Zane. I need to befriend a Zane.)<br />
<br />
So I wonder, what if Omar had been addicted to social media or Simcasts instead of drugs? Such addictions would probably be less visible, maybe less destructive...but his addiction would have hit a lot closer to home for me, and maybe made me think even more deeply about what I might be loath to risk, should there be a pressing need to rebel against authority. <br />
<br />
(And even though Mason is quite focused, I could totally imagine him getting caught up in the equivalent of Internet rabbit holes, reading and learning about so many different things. Maybe that's why he has to focus on fixing the thin plague--if he didn't have that sense of purpose, or if a cure were found, he could perhaps get caught up in unfocused pursuits himself. Though knowing him, it very well might circle back to trying to fix some other problem in the world.)<br />
<br />
So...what's your stim? <br />
<br />
<br />
Here are the other participants!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://tulipdrivenlife.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Fletcher Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Chapman</a><br />
<a href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/"> Vicky DealSharingAunt</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/"> Carol Gehringer</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://backingbooks.blogspot.com/"> Rebekah Gyger</a><br />
<a href="http://christianfictionaddiction.blogspot.com/"> Jeremy Harder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jasoncjoyner.com/blog/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/"> Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="http://annakindt.wordpress.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christsbridge.blogspot.com/"> Writer Rani</a><br />
<a href="http://theloremistress.blogspot.com/"> Audrey Sauble</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://kerani-in-the-world.blogspot.com/"> Elizabeth Williams</a><br />
<br />
<br />
*In
conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this
book Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-11684840974530092282014-09-29T09:00:00.000-07:002014-09-29T18:52:29.802-07:00Review - Rebels by Jill Williamson - CSFF Blog TourFinally, a book review by Julie, for the CSFF Blog Tour! Wow; it has been a while.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8Zdxayk4w0ORJkbQRzjJUpJhTmqjREhVcTfUTsCmALa0cRlXaaz51NiGAOwmWotNJHwGsEfuFB5ip8LmfjkzNbmABJQ-aTg2NwrvCaNSAoMZyjoogJILHQ9aH6PBU05MkUJc6RLKQsk/s1600/2bloga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8Zdxayk4w0ORJkbQRzjJUpJhTmqjREhVcTfUTsCmALa0cRlXaaz51NiGAOwmWotNJHwGsEfuFB5ip8LmfjkzNbmABJQ-aTg2NwrvCaNSAoMZyjoogJILHQ9aH6PBU05MkUJc6RLKQsk/s1600/2bloga.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div><b>Book: </b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebels-Safe-Lands-Jill-Williamson/dp/0310735777/">Rebels</a> </i>by <a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/">Jill Williamson</a><br />
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.evanangler.com/"> </a></span></span><br />
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<b>Ridiculously simplified summary: </b><br />
<br />
Third/final book in a series. The so-called "Safe Lands" are a dystopian place where morals are lax, infertility and illness is rampant, pregnant women are celebrities, and rule-breakers--and anyone over 40--face a mysterious, final fate known as liberation. Young adult prodigy Mason and his troubled brother Omar are "liberated." Instead of leading to death (as some had suspected), those who are liberated find themselves little more than slaves. Meanwhile, the people of Glenrock live in hiding underground...until one of their own is captured and turned into the new Safe Lands "queen."<br />
<br />
Can Mason and Omar escape and relay the truth to the people of the Safe Lands? Will the people of Glenrock ever be reunited and make it home?<br />
<br />
<b>Content:</b> I didn't see much Christian content here, even compared to the previous books. I don't remember any Christian content that would have offended any non-believers, and linking much of this to Christianity seemed kind of a stretch to me. (I think that's a legitimate way for a Christian to write a book, but it wasn't what I expected from a Christian novel.)<br />
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There was substantial and somewhat graphic content that read very much as an argument against eating meat/in favor of a vegetarian lifestyle, though technically I believe it was more against factory farming.<br />
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Like the first two books, there is reference to drugs, sex, and even prostitution. I didn't notice any language because in the Safe Lands, new words like "stimming" have come along to replace the ones we know.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b><br />
<br />
<b>Characters - 8 out of 10. </b>It was a pleasure to see Mason, Omar, Shaylinn (and yes, my beloved super-hacker Zane) again. When the people of Glenrock go underground, there are quite a few new people to meet (including a woman who's every bit as unlikable as Levi!). If anything, I feel like there were perhaps too many characters this time around, though I'm not sure that could have been avoided.<br />
<br />
And I still very strongly dislike Levi. I got to almost tolerate him but then by the end of his final point of view chapter, I hated him all the more. I do sometimes have troubles with "growth" story arcs... In this case, Levi had no traits that I liked or could grab on to (OK, aside from a love of ranch dressing) and his growth was overall quite subtle, so I still can't stand him.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, new characters like Medic Cadell and Nash were engaging, and we got to see new sides of some established characters, too.<br />
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<b>Suspense/stakes - 4 out of 5. </b>I thought there were a few slow bits here and there--when I got busy and was maybe 2/3 through the novel, I didn't mind taking a break for a few days--but the last portions of the book flew by.<br />
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<b>World building - 5 out of 5.</b> Even adding yet two new cultures/groups of people to the mix, Williamson did a great job making it feel like every environment was real. I hope I can do so well someday.<br />
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<b>Writing/editing - 4 out of 5.</b> Overall I felt the novel was somewhat rushed; I don't know if it was a rushed publication schedule or just a symptom of having too much content to fit in. I lean towards the latter. Overall everything read fine and I think it was competently edited, but I was very surprised to find two typos in the first paragraph after the section break on page 377, right as the climax was winding down. One of the errors created an incomplete sentence that hung me up for a little while.<br />
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<b>Clarity - 4 out of 5.</b> I felt like this novel was a bit rushed, but there were never any technical issues that completely lost me. (That said, I think it would be difficult for anyone who hadn't read the first two books to get into this one--as in Outcasts, there are precious few concessions to people who hadn't read the first book, although I actually feel like there may have been more explanations here than in Outcasts. That said, I don't even remember Zane's missing ear being mentioned until near the very end!)<br />
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<b>Plausibility/believability - 3 out of 5. </b>Trying to keep from massive spoilers, it was a little hard for me to believe that a world so strictly controlled would let the events transpire that resulted in the truth being revealed. That said, I sure can't think of a better way for it to go down...I guess there were some sympathetic or curious people in high places who weren't mentioned or who I missed. I also thought the climax with Lawten was unnecessarily over the top, but I guess you have to set that kind of thing up if to take care of a villain. (Though to me, the <i>real</i> villain was the society that was built, not one desperate individual.) <br />
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<b>Positive - 4 out of 5. </b>One could actually make a pretty good argument that even the rebels in hiding had created a world as messed-up and dark as ours....but in the end there is hope for improvement.<br />
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<b>Gut reaction - 3 out of 5. </b>This is a tricky rating. Based on Outcasts, I had my expectations so high for this one that I was almost bound to be disappointed. Williamson did a good job with this and things ended as well as I could have hoped for, but I still feel like it was missing something. If I knew there would be a fourth book, or short stories/novellas set in the same world, I'd be a bit happier with the ending.<br />
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<b>Free points: 5 out of 5.</b><br />
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<b>Recommended for: </b>Anyone who read Books 1 and 2 in the series.<br />
<br />
<b>Total Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars</b><br />
<br />
<br />
Here are the other participants!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://tulipdrivenlife.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Fletcher Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Chapman</a><br />
<a href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/"> Vicky DealSharingAunt</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/"> Carol Gehringer</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://backingbooks.blogspot.com/"> Rebekah Gyger</a><br />
<a href="http://christianfictionaddiction.blogspot.com/"> Jeremy Harder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jasoncjoyner.com/blog/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/"> Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="http://annakindt.wordpress.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christsbridge.blogspot.com"> Writer Rani</a><br />
<a href="http://theloremistress.blogspot.com/"> Audrey Sauble</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://kerani-in-the-world.blogspot.com/"> Elizabeth Williams</a><br />
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*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book. Actually, they sent me two for some reason, but I don't think I can do a giveaway since it's not the kind of book you can read without reading the first two in the series.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-19101193627980282872014-04-22T08:00:00.000-07:002014-04-22T08:00:05.068-07:00How Numb is he? - CSFF Blog TourJulie here, still talking about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Numb-John-W-Otte/dp/1935929992/"><i>Numb</i></a> by <a href="http://johnwotte.com/">John W. Otte</a> on the CSFF blog tour.<br />
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The main conceit of the novel is that the protagonist, Crusader, is "numb." Early on, we are told:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
He didn't know pain. He wasn't hindered by emotions.</blockquote>
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This is tricky to pull off; I'm not sure an emotionless character would be an entertaining protagonist, at least not a film.<br />
<br />
But how "numb" is Crusader, really? I'd argue that even in the first chapter, Crusader isn't an unfeeling robot--he's not what I'd expect from someone who isn't hindered by emotions.<br />
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In the first chapter, Crusader:<br />
<ul>
<li>"Hated" having a partner on a job</li>
<li>Made an effort not to be distracted by his thoughts</li>
<li>Felt a void and guilt inside him</li>
<li>Felt two tingles and a tickle when wounded on several different occasions </li>
<li>Wished he could know something</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.evanangler.com/"> </a></span></span><br />
Throughout the novel, he reads to me more like a cold, trained assassin with superhuman endurance and perhaps some sort of pain-deadening nerve block, than someone who I'd think of as "numb." I guess the key word in the description above may be "hindered"--he might feel emotions, but they don't hinder him.<br />
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Of course, as the story develops, Crusader does start to feel more. But my question is, was he always the way we see him in Chapter 1? Ostensibly "numb" but still with longings, concerns, preferences, distractions, that he doesn't let take a foothold? Or did he already start his journey of change before he met Isolda?<br />
<br />
I'm guessing the guilt plagued him throughout his time as a Ministrix agent. But I wonder if some of the other feelings may have been more recent developments. I think the revelations later in the book don't disprove the idea that his "change" started maybe even before we met him. And for me, I'd expected a dramatic transformation upon meeting Isolda, not the gradual transformation we see. But if he'd already started to feel on his own, then her introduction was just one stop--albeit probably the pivotal one--in his journey.<br />
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(That said, I might argue that Balaam was more "numb" than Crusader ever was in the book. Maybe more numb than the other members of the Ministrix.<br />
<br />
Or, maybe I'm mixing up the word "numb" with "hypocritical". Or "of a jerk." :) )<br />
<br />
Here are the other participants on the tour!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/"> Julie Bihn</a><br />
<a href="http://quiverfullfamily.com/"> Jennifer Bogart </a><br />
<a href="http://keananbrand.wordpress.com/"> Keanan Brand</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://paulinecreeden.com/short-stories/"> Pauline Creeden</a><br />
<a href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/"> Vicky DealSharingAunt</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/"> Carol Gehringer</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://backingbooks.blogspot.com/"> Rebekah Gyger</a><br />
<a href="http://thewritelife2.wordpress.com/"> Nikole Hahn</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://thelastmemzie.blogspot.com/"> Emileigh Latham</a><br />
<a href="http://rebekahloper.wordpress.com/"> Rebekah Loper</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jlmbewe.com/index.php/blog/"> Jennette Mbewe</a><br />
<a href="http://thewonderingsofoneperson.wordpress.com/"> Amber McCallister</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://shenandoahdawn.blogspot.com/"> Shannon McNear</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="http://annakindt.wordpress.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://labornotinvain.blogspot.com/"> Faye Oygard</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christsbridge.blogspot.com/"> Writer Rani</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/"> Rachel Starr Thomson</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shanewerlinger.com/"> Shane Werlinger</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://www.theravenquill.blogspot.com/"> Nicole White</a><br />
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*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-26997445146940985742014-04-21T08:00:00.000-07:002014-04-24T19:25:11.973-07:00Review - Numb - John W. Otte - CSFF Blog TourAnother book review by Julie, for the CSFF Blog Tour!<br />
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQjyNyTfWdCvPiprn71ZAOfLXaFasGYguIH7lWYpyhlv34F-cQ-truSmuNnK8Ras1ChGEfdT7WI_A5bMhQFzyqkiXKxv5T6LPZnhpw_0VqD2n42Aa7gqbwFmf266pEiqvKxrGxbvsOL4/s1600/1bloga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQjyNyTfWdCvPiprn71ZAOfLXaFasGYguIH7lWYpyhlv34F-cQ-truSmuNnK8Ras1ChGEfdT7WI_A5bMhQFzyqkiXKxv5T6LPZnhpw_0VqD2n42Aa7gqbwFmf266pEiqvKxrGxbvsOL4/s1600/1bloga.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
<b>Book: </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Numb-John-W-Otte/dp/1935929992/"><i>Numb</i></a> by <a href="http://johnwotte.com/">John W. Otte</a><br />
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.evanangler.com/"> </a></span></span><br />
<br />
<b>Ridiculously simplified summary: </b><br />
<br />
"Not that the prospect of killing more people worried him; all fell
short of the glory of God and deserved whatever they received. But it
was a logistical nightmare."<br />
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Crusader, an assassin gifted by the Almighty with the inability to feel pain and emotion, does the work of the Ministrix. But when he's sent on a mission to kill Isolda Westin, seeing her face makes him start to feel...and he can't pull the trigger. Will Crusader and Isolda be able to outwit the Ministrix?<br />
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<b>Content:</b> Christian references throughout; I'm not sure how they'd read to a non-believer; they seemed more geared to the Christian set. (And fair enough; the vast majority of readers of Christian books are Christians, so why not?) I found the idea of new believers being discipled for <i>years</i> is an especially-welcome addition to speculative fiction, where many characters who are effectively Christians don't even attend church or have any formal training at all.<br />
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I do wonder if the Christian characters might have been referencing the Bible just a <i>little</i> out of context to emphasize their pacifism (whereas the Ministrix twist it <i>massively</i>). I didn't care for the phrase (about God) "but that's not the way He works anymore", the phrasing of which implied to me that she was saying God is not <a href="http://www.openbible.info/topics/god_is_unchanging">unchanging</a>. <br />
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On the other hand, <a href="http://johnwotte.com/bio/">I am not a pastor like Otte is</a>. Either way, by the end I was actually looking up Matthew 28:19 at <a href="http://www.blueletterbible.org/bible.cfm?b=mat&c=28#s=t_conc_957019">Blue Letter Bible</a> to try to prove a point against the bad guys. Whether or not my quibbles have any legitimacy, it's hard to find fault with a legitimately Christian book that made me actually think a little about my faith and check in the Bible.<br />
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Crusader is an assassin, but I was still surprised and a little nauseated by the level of gore and detail in the early parts of the book (like the "wet sound" of a knife during a stabbing). Even near the end, Crusader seemed to take life kind of casually, although that belief is certainly not glorified.<br />
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With a little tweaking, I think this could have actually doubled as a Christian romance; the romantic arc sort of mirrors those, and the only point of view characters are Crusader and Isolda. (I've read enough Christian romances that I don't feel like the romance here quite matches up to that, but it was interesting to see, given the genre.)<br />
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<b>Rating:</b><br />
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<b>Characters - 7 out of 10. </b>The characters were interesting overall. I felt like some of them blurred together (that could be the sheer volume, as there are 3 distinct groups of people here, and also the twists of alliances that happen throughout). Aside from Crusader, I didn't get a deep sense of any of their interests and so forth. Isolda was likable enough and Crusader was fairly sympathetic, though I'm not sure "like" is the word I'd use to describe him. It was nice to see female characters in more modern roles (Isolda is an engineer and Elata is a gruff commander who I couldn't help but see as related to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQkt7_Gq4k4">Captain Amelia in Treasure Planet</a>). I found the more minor characters, like Krestyanov and Elata, to be a bit more entertaining than the point of view characters, but that could just be because we see less of them than we do the others.<br />
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<b>Suspense/stakes - 5 out of 5. </b>To me, this was a page-turner full of twists and danger. I did (kind of) guess Isolda's significance the moment we saw how many credits she was worth, and I got suitably irritated when I as a reader was purposely left in the dark for several chapters about what was in a certain file. But I was blindsided by most of the other surprises, most of which made sense when you go back and look at them.<br />
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<b>World building - 5 out of 5.</b> Three different societies and each society had its own rules and ideas. There were even groups within groups, like the Engineering Guild, and enough time to describe (seemingly) extraneous technology like holographic simulators that allow teddy bears to chase children and "glomp" them.<br />
<br />
The space travel ideas were fantastical but interesting and the technologies "sounded" plausible to me. Otte shows a talent for painting a world with just the right level of detail--not too much to get bogged down in it, but not so little that it's dull. A search shows the phrase "Toleration Act" coming up just 6 times, and I don't see it explained in detail anywhere, but there's enough context to understand some of the issues with it.<br />
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<b>Writing/editing - 4 out of 5.</b> I found more typos than I was expecting, including an outright misspelling. That said, I only saw several typos; the book was not rife with them. I also read an electronic copy; perhaps the print version didn't have those problems. Early on there were some phrasings I found awkward, like using the same word twice in one sentence, but as the story progressed either the editing got better or I got more absorbed. For the most part, the writing was just how I like it; not too fancy but got the job done, and highly readable, with a few poetic bits thrown in for good measure. There were some witty turns of phrase and a light touch of humor here, which I appreciated.<br />
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(I would have liked to see Isolda react to a certain Twist, but maybe that would be addressed in a sequel...?) <br />
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<b>Clarity - 3 out of 5.</b> As exciting as the ride was, there were so many twists and so many characters, I did find myself getting lost here and there. Not a dealbreaker by any means...I think it got tricky because you get these exciting scenes where you want to know what happens and read quickly, while there may be blink-and-you-miss-it references contained in there. I also didn't quite follow Crusader's Numbness, which seemed to ebb and flow, sometimes without explanation. Even early on, I couldn't necessarily see what classified his emotions/etc. as "numb" and once he met Isolda, almost all the didn't seem to me like he was numb at all.<br />
<br />
<b>Plausibility/believability - 2 out of 5.</b> To reiterate, I thought the worldbuilding was believable and excellent. My top issue with plausibility is the romance element. Given what Isolda goes through early in the book, I'm frankly shocked that she would ever think of her would-be assassin in any sort of romantic light, let alone as quickly as she did. I didn't feel like she even acknowledged her earlier poor judgment and her further lack of judgment in falling for him, and I don't see why she <i>did</i>.<br />
<br />
By the end, there have been several things that happened which were either massive coincidences (secular view) or else providence (Christian view). I didn't feel like those elements were acknowledged as being put in place by God. I'm pretty sure that in the world of this novel, God DID put those things together, but I would've loved to see that expressly mentioned. <br />
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<b>Positive - 4 out of 5. </b>Given all the characters go through, this ends as happily as could be expected, and it gets me wondering how they may help better their world. <br />
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<b>Gut reaction - 4 out of 5. </b>Coming away from this book, I feel like the official descriptions were kind of misleading and didn't really point to the story I expected. I'd thought Crusader would make his choice when he saw Isolda and then immediately save her and go on the run with her. Instead, Crusader struggles repeatedly, torn between wanting to kill Isolda and not (which might be part of why the romance didn't work for me). And there are twists and betrayals and intrigue and issues to deal with in the Ministrix and rescues and separations... It's still a good story, but it's much more complicated than what I'd expected from the blurbs.<br />
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I found it an enjoyable read overall, and was left with some things to think about.<br />
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<b>Free points: 5 out of 5.</b><br />
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<b>Recommended for: </b>Fans of science fiction set in space.<br />
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<b>Total Rating: 3.9 out of 5 stars</b><br />
<br />
Here are the other participants on the tour!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/"> Julie Bihn</a><br />
<a href="http://quiverfullfamily.com/"> Jennifer Bogart </a><br />
<a href="http://keananbrand.wordpress.com/"> Keanan Brand</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://paulinecreeden.com/short-stories/"> Pauline Creeden</a><br />
<a href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/"> Vicky DealSharingAunt</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/"> Carol Gehringer</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://backingbooks.blogspot.com/"> Rebekah Gyger</a><br />
<a href="http://thewritelife2.wordpress.com/"> Nikole Hahn</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://thelastmemzie.blogspot.com/"> Emileigh Latham</a><br />
<a href="http://rebekahloper.wordpress.com/"> Rebekah Loper</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jlmbewe.com/index.php/blog/"> Jennette Mbewe</a><br />
<a href="http://thewonderingsofoneperson.wordpress.com/"> Amber McCallister</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://shenandoahdawn.blogspot.com/"> Shannon McNear</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="http://annakindt.wordpress.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://labornotinvain.blogspot.com/"> Faye Oygard</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christsbridge.blogspot.com/"> Writer Rani</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/"> Rachel Starr Thomson</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shanewerlinger.com/"> Shane Werlinger</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://www.theravenquill.blogspot.com/"> Nicole White</a><br />
<br />
*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-77629540788655139562014-02-19T08:00:00.000-08:002014-02-19T08:00:04.888-08:00Five Things I Learned from Bixby's Pinterest - CSFF Blog TourJulie one more time for the <span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://csffblogtour.com/">CSFF Blog Tour</a>!</span></span><br />
<br />
So one tidbit I came across is that Donita K. Paul mentioned on her page that <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/donitakpaul/bixby-styling/">Bixby had a board on Pinterest</a>. OK, more accurately, she had a board for Bixby, but still. The pages and pages of clothing and tiaras that Bixby might wear seem every bit as exhaustive as the magical hampers of clothing she keeps stowed on her person. No wonder her clothing felt so "real"!<br />
<br />
Here are 5 things that surprised me about Bixby's "collection":<br />
<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/20477373277508428/">Bixby likes cloche hats</a>! (I do too.) It actually makes sense; some of her hats were described as being almost helmet-like, if I recall correctly (being the only things that could tame her hair). </li>
<li><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/20477373279803147/">Doily vests</a> exist. (Bixby's board has quite a few "upcycled" doily garments and bags, which struck me as exactly what she would love.) </li>
<li>Bixby's hair <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/20477373276544264/">looks like Merida's</a>, only blonde. (Or <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/20477373277241885/">exactly like this</a>!)</li>
<li>Bixby <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/20477373277225582/">may or may not paint her toenails</a>.</li>
<li>Bixby's <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/20477373276674133/">high heels are HIGH</a>. (And she can run in them!)</li>
</ol>
<br />What a great use of Pinterest. I like Bixby even more now.<br />
<br />
Here are the other blog tour participants!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://keananbrand.wordpress.com/"> Keanan Brand</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://mikecoville.wordpress.com/"> Mike Coville</a><br />
<a href="http://paulinecreeden.com/"> Pauline Creeden</a><br />
<a href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/"> Vicky DealSharingAunt</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/"> Carol Gehringer</a><br />
<a href="http://backingbooks.blogspot.com/"> Rebekah Gyger</a><br />
<a href="http://thequietpen.wordpress.com/"> Janeen Ippolito</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://krystinekercher.com/"> Krystine Kercher</a><br />
<a href="http://thelastmemzie.blogspot.com/"> Emileigh Latham</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jlmbewe.com/index.php/blog/"> Jennette Mbewe</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/"> Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul</a><br />
<a href="http://theloremistress.blogspot.com/"> Audrey Sauble</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://www.provisionbooks.com/"> Jessica Thomas</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shanewerlinger.com/"> Shane Werlinger</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/"> Jill Williamson</a><br />
<a href="http://booksreviewedbydeb.blogspot.com/"> Deborah Wilson</a><br />
<br />
*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-81909640139232484472014-02-18T08:00:00.000-08:002014-02-18T17:36:34.126-08:00Book Review - One Realm Beyond by Donita K. Paul - CSFF Blog TourAnother book review by Julie, for the CSFF Blog Tour!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_kffFmepDsSz6hP9b62BmN1aKzbch9yKom5cDpG-z0FHk1D9xoFQceuh7SkggxZVDThL5JmupieuP2PZFO3zLyzDmZpQJhu4g5ad6hXeAD66dMkNWAQhcLsE1iwjLpigS69ZrFzf-cI/s1600/1blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL_kffFmepDsSz6hP9b62BmN1aKzbch9yKom5cDpG-z0FHk1D9xoFQceuh7SkggxZVDThL5JmupieuP2PZFO3zLyzDmZpQJhu4g5ad6hXeAD66dMkNWAQhcLsE1iwjLpigS69ZrFzf-cI/s1600/1blog.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>Book:</b><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Realm-Beyond-Walkers/dp/0310735807/"><i>One Realm Beyond</i></a><i> </i>by <a href="http://www.donitakpaul.com/">Donita K. Paul</a>. </span></span><br />
<a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/"></a><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.evanangler.com/"> </a></span></span><br />
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<b>Ridiculously simplified summary: </b>Cantor D'Ahma starts his journey to become a realm-walker, someone who can travel through portals between the stack of realms in his universe. When attempting to find a mor dragon "constant" to accompany him on his journeys, he meets Bridger, a clumsy dragon who insists the two are destined to be partners. As he attempts to evade his would-be constant, Cantor finds other companions, such as Bixby, a diminutive, multi-talented girl with a love of fashion. <br />
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Unfortunately, the Realm Walkers Guild has become corrupt and treacherous. Will Cantor and his friends be able to overcome?<br />
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<b>Content:</b> Substantial references to God ("Primen") and even what is in effect an angel (and maybe my favorite fantasy presentation of one yet). Spiritual threads throughout, and I thought they were handled very well. There is some violence, though it's never glorified, and very minor hints of romance.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b><br />
<br />
<b>Characters - 8 out of 10.</b> I didn't find Cantor to be particularly interesting, perhaps because he is a novice surrounded by a cast of such entertaining characters who are (for the most part) capable. Bridger the dragon quickly grew on me and the precocious Bixby is delightful. Another dragon, Totobee-Rodolow, entertained me quite a bit, no matter how many times she said "darling." I am not particularly girly and I don't think that girls (or boys) need to fit neatly into traditional roles, but it's strangely refreshing to see capable women who have a couple stereotypically "feminine" traits like a love of shopping and fashion.<br />
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I also felt like Cantor's level of annoyance with Bridger was well out of proportion with Bridger's actions, which made it hard for me to like him. I know it's a completely legitimate technique to have a character start out with bad traits and then grow, but I never liked it. (He does get a super-cool talent later in the book though, and I'm hoping to see him grow.)<br />
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<b>Suspense/stakes - 3 out of 5. </b>It was page 63 before the story grabbed me (that's when Bixby appears, if you were keeping count). It's very, very difficult for me to get into a story where the main character isn't having meaningful interactions with others, so Bixby was definitely a welcome addition.<br />
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Overall, I was kind of fuzzy on what the stakes were. Cantor wanted to be a realm walker, but he can already go through portals, so I didn't get a sense on what he "needed" to do until his training actually starts, and there are a lot of obstacles before he gets there. It was only in the last 100 pages or so when an acute, urgent problem (more than "corruption") came up to be solved. I would have preferred if the tension could have been stretched farther.<br />
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<b>World building - 4 out of 5.</b> There are some really interesting ideas here, including the idea of several flat "realms" in one stack, with people being able to travel between them through portals. (<a href="http://brockeastman.wordpress.com/2013/10/24/realm-walkers-interview-with-donita-k-paul-newest-book-one-realm-beyond/">Brock Eastman has a good interview with Mrs. Paul</a> about the world building.) The technologies such as "hampers" were delightful--I don't think a fantasy is much fun if it doesn't have <i>something </i>in it that a reader thinks would be fun to do or to have.<br />
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<b>Writing/editing - 4 out of 5.</b> I noticed what struck me as a few typos, mostly about midway through, like "eves of the house" and at one point a character says "What" with no punctuation anywhere at the end of the sentence/paragraph. Of course, any errors that slipped through the editor were balanced by some great turns of phrases.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Cantor led the way through the maze of corridors, alleys, and streets inside the barracks. It reminded him of a rabbit warren. Right. A rabbit warren with evil bunnies. (p. 126)</blockquote>
(Actually, did you know <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/51364/time-napoleon-was-attacked-rabbits">Napoleon was once attacked by rabbits</a>? Not evil ones, but still.)<br />
<br />
There are some excellent descriptions when Important Dramatic Happen at the end, too. You'll know them when you get there.<br />
<br />
<b>Clarity - 3 out of 5.</b>
There were good details about food and some architecture, but for
whatever reason, I never got a great sense of the realms' technology levels or social structures. That could be a problem of how many realms exist, or maybe even "spillover" that realm walkers would cause by traveling between realms, perhaps bringing technologies and fashions. There are details that are excellent, but for whatever reason I struggled with the big picture. And actually, I couldn't even easily picture how large the mor dragons were. (Although in my defense, they are not only shape-shifters, but size-shifters. Maybe the reader was meant to come up with their own picture.) <br />
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<b>Plausibility/believability - 3 out of 5.</b> This is tricky because it's fantasy. OK, I don't think the idea of stacks of realms holds up to physics, but I don't think it's meant to. I believe it for this world, and that's fine.<br />
<br />
Other aspects strained my belief a little, though. For instance, I don't feel like it was explained why a human needed a mor dragon constant (as opposed to some other creature, another human, etc.). I know that the heroes of old did it, and of course Mrs. Paul (and many others) love dragons, so fair enough, but to me, it didn't feel like it was an organic choice. Likewise, there was a scene where a character is put into peril of being crushed
by a mor dragon, because they expand when they are asleep--but I don't
recall being told about them expanding beforehand, so it seemed kind of
out of the blue to me, that the dragons would get bigger as they slept. <br />
<br />
<b>Positive - 3 out of 5. </b>I don't think I can say much about this without going into spoiler territory. Though I can say that I like my books to end with all the characters happy and since this is a series, that doesn't happen. But the characters also keep their faith in Primen. <br />
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<b>Gut reaction - 4 out of 5. </b>To me, the characters carry the story, and there was some delightful whimsy. I read that Mrs. Paul had some serious challenges with writing Book 2 (<a href="http://brockeastman.wordpress.com/2013/10/24/realm-walkers-interview-with-donita-k-paul-newest-book-one-realm-beyond/">see the aforementioned interview by Brock Eastman</a>); I pray that her works come together well. There's a lot of potential in this series. <br />
<br />
<b>Free points: 5 out of 5.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Recommended for: </b>Fans of fantasy, dragons and light political intrigue.<br />
<br />
<b>Total Rating: 3.7 out of 5 stars</b><br />
<br />
Here are the other participants on the tour!<br />
<br />
Here are the other blog tour participants!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://keananbrand.wordpress.com/"> Keanan Brand</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://mikecoville.wordpress.com/"> Mike Coville</a><br />
<a href="http://paulinecreeden.com/"> Pauline Creeden</a><br />
<a href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/"> Vicky DealSharingAunt</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/"> Carol Gehringer</a><br />
<a href="http://backingbooks.blogspot.com/"> Rebekah Gyger</a><br />
<a href="http://thequietpen.wordpress.com/"> Janeen Ippolito</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://krystinekercher.com/"> Krystine Kercher</a><br />
<a href="http://thelastmemzie.blogspot.com/"> Emileigh Latham</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jlmbewe.com/index.php/blog/"> Jennette Mbewe</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/"> Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul</a><br />
<a href="http://theloremistress.blogspot.com/"> Audrey Sauble</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://www.provisionbooks.com/"> Jessica Thomas</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shanewerlinger.com/"> Shane Werlinger</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/"> Jill Williamson</a><br />
<a href="http://booksreviewedbydeb.blogspot.com/"> Deborah Wilson</a><br />
<br />
*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-33994329825171583212014-02-17T08:00:00.000-08:002014-02-17T08:00:04.663-08:00Secret Confessions about Fantasy - One Realm Beyond by Donita K. PaulJulie here for the <span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://csffblogtour.com/">CSFF Blog Tour</a>!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">This month's book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/One-Realm-Beyond-Walkers/dp/0310735807/"><i>One Realm Beyond</i></a><i> </i>by <a href="http://www.donitakpaul.com/">Donita K. Paul</a>. (</span></span>I got a late start reading, so the review is coming Tuesday or Wednesday.)<br />
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I've read several books by Mrs. Paul (see my review of <i><a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/2012/12/two-tickets-to-christmas-ball-by-donita.html">Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball</a></i>). I enjoyed them all, in spite of two biases I have. Now, given this is the Christian Science Fiction and <i><b>FANTASY</b></i> tour, these biases are a deep dark secret...but I thought it was fair to share them, in light of the subject matter of Mrs. Paul's works.<br />
<ol>
<li><b>I'm not a fan of dragons.</b> That doesn't mean I <i>hate</i> dragons or think they're inappropriate in Christian fiction. (And I can't see why ANYONE would think dragons shouldn't be featured in <i>any</i> form in Christian fiction, given <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=dragon&version=NIV&searchtype=all">Revelation</a>.) I don't even mind them being portrayed as positive figures in Christian fiction. Wolves are generally portrayed as negative in the Bible, but I take that language figuratively. But personally, I just don't see any special appeal to dragons in particular. </li>
<li><b>I'm even less of a fan of wizards.</b> I read the first 5 books of the Harry Potter series and I enjoyed them, but I never really loved the idea of wizardry, even in a fantasy world. Characters with mutant powers? Love them. Characters casting spells? I can read it and I'm not horrified, but I don't love it. I agree with <a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/vampires-and-angels-2/">Rebecca LuElla Miller</a> and others in there can be spellcasters in Christian fiction, but I still get a gut reaction against <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=witch&qs_version=NIV">witches/wizards</a> and <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=sorcerer&qs_version=NIV">sorcerers</a>. <br /><br />(That said, in the modern world, we are at the point where many people can simply say a few words to their phone or television and it will give them directions to a restaurant, connect them with a person, or display moving, <i>talking</i> images--all of which is every bit as impressive as quite a bit of "wizardry" portrayed in books. Can you imagine showing that technology to people who lived a couple hundred years ago? I imagine you'd be called a wizard for sure.)</li>
</ol>
I probably got these biases against those fantasy mainstays from my mom, who doesn't like or "get" fantasy (she hasn't even read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006D3XOHY">my novel</a>). In high school, she also forbid me from reading a secular fantasy series, Piers Anthony's <i>Xanth</i> series, which my then-best friend adored. This was before the Internet was the resource it is now, so to the best of my knowledge my mom wasn't basing the ban on anything she knew about the particular series, except that it was "fantasy" and she thought "fantasy" was bad. (I eventually argued her into allowing me to read them, but afterwards I never read a single one; I just didn't like the idea of a blanket ban on reading a series. Though the more I hear about Xanth, the more I'm glad I never read it.)<br />
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I know from reading several other books by Mrs. Paul that her wizards tend to be using science/etc. and of course her dragons aren't evil. In some ways, she reminds me of C.S. Lewis, taking mythology and redeeming it for Christ.<br />
<br />
(<i>One Realm Beyond</i> also features a large group of characters in a line, each touching the person ahead of them, and going through a portal, just like in <i>Prince Caspian</i> from Lewis' Narnia series<i>. </i>That<i> </i>was either a homage or else an unbelievable coincidence.)<br />
<br />
Do <i>you</i> have any speculative mainstays that you're biased against?<br />
<br />
<br />
Here are the other blog tour participants!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://keananbrand.wordpress.com/"> Keanan Brand</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://mikecoville.wordpress.com/"> Mike Coville</a><br />
<a href="http://paulinecreeden.com/"> Pauline Creeden</a><br />
<a href="http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/"> Vicky DealSharingAunt</a><br />
<a href="http://worthy2read.wordpress.com/"> Carol Gehringer</a><br />
<a href="http://backingbooks.blogspot.com/"> Rebekah Gyger</a><br />
<a href="http://thequietpen.wordpress.com/"> Janeen Ippolito</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://krystinekercher.com/"> Krystine Kercher</a><br />
<a href="http://thelastmemzie.blogspot.com/"> Emileigh Latham</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jlmbewe.com/index.php/blog/"> Jennette Mbewe</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/"> Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://dragonbloggin.blogspot.com/"> Donita K. Paul</a><br />
<a href="http://theloremistress.blogspot.com/"> Audrey Sauble</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://www.provisionbooks.com/"> Jessica Thomas</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shanewerlinger.com/"> Shane Werlinger</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/"> Jill Williamson</a><br />
<a href="http://booksreviewedbydeb.blogspot.com/"> Deborah Wilson</a><br />
<br />
*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-46252712851826983802014-01-22T07:00:00.000-08:002014-01-22T07:00:08.482-08:00Spoilers and Speculation for Book 3 in the Safe Lands Series - CSFF Blog Tour<br />
Usually when books end with a cliffhanger (especially when the next book hasn't released yet), I get so angry at the marketing ploy that it makes me not want to read the next book. At the least, I'm more angry with the author than I am excited to read what happens next.<br />
<br />
Not this time. I'm still not a fan of cliffhangers, but in <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Outcasts-Safe-Lands-Jill-Williamson/dp/0310724244/">Outcasts (The Safe Lands Book 2)</a>,</i> <a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/">Jill Williamson</a> caught me, because I still care what happens. What will become of our heroes?! What is Liberation, anyway???<br />
<br />
Well, if you're extremely impatient (like I am, as evidenced by the over use of punctuation), <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18940732-rebels">Goodreads already has a page for Rebels, book 3 in the Safe Lands Series!</a><br />
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If you don't want to read the summary of Book 3 (or you don't want to speculate about what's to come), go ahead and navigate away now, and I'll see you next time!<br />
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But if you <i>do</i>...<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span id="freeText9895740565584006311"><strong>In this third
book in the series of fantasy/dystopian novels from award-winning author
Jill Williamson, three teens must try to hold on to their values amidst
the subjugation and lies of the government.</strong><br /><br />In this
final novel of the Safe Lands series by Jill Williamson, Mason and Omar
discover the true meaning of Liberation-a secret the Safe Lands have
long kept from their people-but find they are trapped in the low lands
with this crucial information. Meanwhile, Levi is forced to turn his
attention elsewhere when his new wife, Jemma, is captured and becomes
the Safe Land's new queen. His only choice to save her may be to take up
the role of undercover vigilante that Omar began, leading the rebels in
their quest to overthrow the government. But will that be enough to
expose the Safe Land's lies and bring freedom to the people? And will
they even want it if it comes?</span></blockquote>
<br />
Interesting stuff there. First, we see that no, (spoiler alert!) Williamson was NOT intending to kill off two of her point-of-view characters. :) <br />
<br />
And now I am going to engage in truly <i>wild</i> speculation.<br />
<br />
Really, if you don't want a mix of some combination of red herrings and spoilers (and I don't know which is which) stop reading. <br />
<br />
I wonder if Liberation is more like a labor camp, especially given the cover and the fact that it would make sense. (Why else would you <i>reduce</i> the Liberation age when the population is shrinking? Unless you needed more slaves...) As to Jemma being kidnapped, I guess I'm a bad person to be excited to see some torture for Levi; oh dear. If I had to guess, I'd say she'll be having Levi's baby. (Even though she's ridiculously cheerful and I don't know what she sees in Levi, I don't wish her harm; I actually found her fairly likable. Hopefully she won't spend this book simply insisting that her Westley will come, though.)<br />
<br />
I find the talk of "freedom" particularly interesting, because it seems like a good deal of the Safe Lands' appeal is the promise of freedom. And in many ways, the Safe Landers have more freedom than the people of Glenrock ever had--they're not going to be pressured into unwanted marriages, for instance. I guess the Safe Lands "femmes" don't have the freedom the menfolk have, but then again, their plight wasn't awesome in Glenrock, either. Sure, in the Safe Lands your life ends at 40, but besides that looming deadline, and besides holding down a job, the men seem to be free to do almost anything they like.<br />
<br />
I would guess our heroes will find some measure of success in freeing the Safe Landers from their sinful ways. It will be interesting to see if any of the technological trappings make it through. It's hard to imagine going back to the old-fashioned farming ways of the very small villages around the Safe Lands...but if the Liberated people are laboring over-hard for the sake of the rest, it might be necessary. Of course, modern technology has made it possible for most people in the industrialized world to live without performing any farm work, contrary to much of history. Actually, that raises more questions, as to why the Safe Landers would need many menial laborers at all, given their technology level. So maybe I'm on the wrong track after all. Or maybe technology could actually help <i>solve</i> their problems.<br />
<br />
I don't believe technology is inherently evil, and as much as many Christians rail against "science," technological developments have saved countless lives. Some people (Christians and others) long for a simpler time, but the reality is that without so many of our technological advances, many people I know (including my father!) would no doubt be dead. <br />
<br />
I know there is a bias against Christians in much of academia, but it sure would be wonderful if young Christians could get interested in bettering our world through science. <br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm excited to read the conclusion of the Safe Lands series! (And as excited as I am to read what happens, part of me wishes the series would continue more than just one more book.)<br />
<br />
Here are the other CSFF Blog Tour bloggers:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://tessbissell.wordpress.com/"> Red Bissell</a><br />
<a href="http://tulipdrivenlife.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Fletcher Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://paulinecreeden.com/"> Pauline Creeden</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart</a><br />
<a href="http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com/"> Timothy Hicks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/"> Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/"> Jalynn Patterson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christsbridge.blogspot.com/"> Writer Rani</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://familyreads.blogspot.com/"> Jacque Stengl</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://booksreviewedbydeb.blogspot.com/"> Deborah Wilson</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free Advance Readers Copy of this book.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-45821941558984554522014-01-21T18:16:00.000-08:002014-01-21T18:16:39.779-08:00Dystopian Disney - Disney's SimTag--er--MagicBand - Outcasts by Jill Williamson - CSFF Blog TourJulie again, still writing about <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Outcasts-Safe-Lands-Jill-Williamson/dp/0310724244/">Outcasts (The Safe Lands Book 2)</a> </i>by <a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/">Jill Williamson</a> <br />
<br />
No, really, I am. Bear with me.<br />
<br />
So I'm planning a trip to Disney World and lucky me, Disney sent me my very own SimTag to use on my trip!<br />
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OK, they call it a <a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/plan/my-disney-experience/bands-cards/">MagicBand</a> (which, like "SimTag, is a one run-together nonsense word). And it's not implantable (yet, anyway). It doesn't give you the ability to add virtual tattoos to your body.<br />
<br />
But it contains short-range RFID technology and a small battery that broadcasts your location while you're on Disney World property. You have the option to link it to your credit card and use it to make purchases. It also serves as your room key (and stores Fastpasses you book in advance), so you can't easily leave it behind in your room and enjoy your day. And <i>technically</i> you are supposed to be permitted to get a room
key and maybe a hard copy ticket instead of a MagicBand, but I hear some people
have been denied that opportunity.<br />
<br />
YES! Finally! End of the world fiction and Disney come together at last!<br />
<br />
Actually, I'm not personally upset by the idea of using a MagicBand on a one-time vacation. And almost everyone in the Disney communities I've been following is more annoyed by the idea of being restricted to just three Fastpasses per day, than any idea of Disney tracking your movements. I figure between cell phones, voluntary information provided on Facebook, and other interaction, most people, including me, could probably be tracked fairly easily if the right people wanted to.<br />
<br />
It's kind of scary to think of how little privacy people have today...although a couple hundred years ago, if you lived in a small town, the folks in your town probably knew everything about you anyway. I'm so introverted, I'd rather it were strangers looking at my data in aggregate, than people I know finding out things about me.<br />
<br />
The SimTags reminded me a bit of the Mark of the Beast, though I don't know how allegorical the Safe Lands series is.<span class="text Rev-13-16" id="en-NASB-30926"> </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="text Rev-13-16" id="en-NASB-30926">And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, <sup class="footnote" value="[<a href="#fen-NASB-30926m" title="See footnote m">m</a>]"></sup>to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,</span> <span class="text Rev-13-17" id="en-NASB-30927">and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. - <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+13%3A16-17&version=NASB">Revelation 13:16-18 (NASB)</a></span> </blockquote>
At least it
doesn't matter which wrist you wear your MagicBand is on, and Disney will be happy to take your cash, credit cards, Disney Dollars, or gift cards. So that's a happy thought, I guess!<br />
<br />
One thing Williamson got right in the Safe Lands series is people's inherent desire to customize things. I'm not at the level of wanting tattoos on my body a la SimArt, but I'm not above using a bit of glitter nail polish. Even if it doesn't photograph well.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Here are the other CSFF Blog Tour bloggers:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://tessbissell.wordpress.com/"> Red Bissell</a><br />
<a href="http://tulipdrivenlife.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Fletcher Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://paulinecreeden.com/"> Pauline Creeden</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart</a><br />
<a href="http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com/"> Timothy Hicks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/"> Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/"> Jalynn Patterson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christsbridge.blogspot.com/"> Writer Rani</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://familyreads.blogspot.com/"> Jacque Stengl</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://booksreviewedbydeb.blogspot.com/"> Deborah Wilson</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free Advance Readers Copy of this book.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-7152384779062739342014-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:002014-01-20T07:00:06.610-08:00Review - Outcasts (The Safe Lands Book 2) by Jill Williamson - CSFF Blog TourAnother book review by Julie! For 2014, I've updated the rating system.<br />
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<b>Book:</b><i> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Outcasts-Safe-Lands-Jill-Williamson/dp/0310724244/">Outcasts (The Safe Lands Book 2)</a> </i>by <a href="http://www.jillwilliamson.com/">Jill Williamson</a><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.evanangler.com/"> </a></span></span><br />
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<b>Ridiculously simplified summary: </b>Second in a series. Levi, Omar, and Mason are brothers whose entire village, Glenrock, was captured by the Safelanders. The Safelanders live for pleasure, force women into pregnancy, and are "liberated" at forty to be born into their next life. Previously, Levi and the other male survivors of Glenrock managed to free their women from the Safelanders' "harem," a place where the pregnant women are imprisoned/pampered. But their children remain imprisoned in boarding schools. With a group of rebels, the people of Glenrock make a daring rescue plan. Meanwhile, Omar and Mason--who are still "on the grid"--try their best to navigate the Safelands, hiding their rebel identities. Mason has doubts about Ciddah, the doctor he loves, while Omar has doubts about his own self-worth.<br />
<br />
<b>Content:</b> Not very heavy on Christian content, though one character uses Bible references as encouragement--these would probably go over the heads of those who aren't familiar with the Bible. Overall, the religious content is probably on the borderline of what might make a vehement non-believer squirm.<br />
<br />
As to other content, there is reference to sex and forced pregnancy and drug use, and not a small amount of violence. I'm sure it's nothing teens haven't been exposed to--certainly nothing as bad as the first couple chapters of a more famous dystopian book, <i>1984</i>, which I found shelved in Young Adult at my library--but if I were a parent, I'm still not sure how I would feel if my young teen wanted to read it.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating:</b><br />
<br />
<b>Characters - 9 out of 10. </b>This gets a high rating because I actually really like Mason, Shaylinn, and even Omar, as well as the rebel Zane--so much that I actually very much care what happens to them, something I don't feel at all in maybe half the books I read. (Although about halfway through I felt like Mason was channeling Sheldon Cooper a bit--was he <i>that</i> robotic in the first book? I still love him anyway.) Even Levi serves a place in the story, though he's still patronizing and controlling and rather sexist, and I still don't care for him at all as a person. This gets dinged just a little because there are just so many characters brought in that not every personality can be clear. For every well-visualized character there's another minor character that Williamson may have had clearly in her head, but that doesn't stand out for me.<br />
<br />
I'm not particularly fond of the fact that by my count, every single female who does anything remotely interesting in the book (aside from one child) is a wife, mother, and/or love interest. That's not to say that there aren't memorable female characters, and <i>some</i> of the problem is the society of the Safelands altogether. But even in the rebel group--a group of which one member hints that Levi is being too patriarchal--there's not a woman of consequence to be seen. I'd love to see that remedied in Book 3.<br />
<br />
<b>Suspense/stakes - 4 out of 5. </b>Much of the book was suspenseful and I read it over the course of several nights, without any lengthy pauses like I sometimes have for books that don't grab me. I did feel there were too many scenes of explaining plans (and that was generally in a council of men because yes, Levi thinks the women are too emotional for such discussions). In a couple of the rescue adventures, I felt like the action slowed to a crawl in places--I'm not sure if that was intentional or not, but I would've preferred if it had been just a bit faster-paced throughout. But overall I very much cared what happened.<br />
<br />
<b>World building - 5 out of 5.</b> I think this is the series' greatest strength. I still don't get a true sense of Glenrock's society, but I don't think that's even necessary or helpful at this point. I found the slang and new words in the Safe Lands to be incredibly immersive--almost instantly I was pulled back into the world I remembered from the first book. "Hey-o, valentine. I've got to stop at the GIN, but then maybe we can vape and trade some paint. I'll tap you" is a semi-plausible paragraph that I concocted from memory. (Note that it is not my fault that some of the most memorable words had to do with illicit activity.) The technology is again very interesting, and I love reading about other societies.<br />
<br />
<b>Writing/editing - 5 out of 5*. </b>This is tentative; I had an advance reader copy and actually spotted about 4 typos. I'm assuming that at least half of those will be weeded out for the final copy. Given it <i>was</i> an advance copy, I was a bit surprised those were the only problems I saw.<br />
<br />
<b>Clarity - 3 out of 5.</b> First off, I have no idea how anyone who didn't read Book 1 would be able to keep track of the people here. I did read Book 1, not even six months ago, but I was still a bit lost at certain points. I didn't notice any concessions to the reader who didn't start at Book 1, though of course some information repeated from Book 1 would have made its way into this book. And even having read Book 1, I got confused with who some of the bad guys were and what their motivations were. Adding to the trouble is that two male characters have either a son or a father--everyone uses first names as far as I can see, except Zane once says something like his dad would kill him. So while these characters' personalities aren't the same, it takes some thinking to remember the familial relationships. (In fact, I forgot about a character being Bender's son for a very long stretch.)<br />
<br />
Likewise, there is some confusion because the Safelander culture is to act young and yet to grow up quickly, so you certainly can't take cues from how people are acting to figure out if they're young, old, or what. Ciddah seemed to generally act like maybe a 25-year-old (and much older when it came to two people close to her). With his gender biases, I feel like Glenrock elder Levi could at times be mistaken for someone much older. Mason, the youngest in the family we focus on, is arguably the most mature of the brothers. Omar is the only one who stands out to me as acting "like" a teenager/young adult.<br />
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<b>Plausibility/believability - 3 out of 5.</b> I thought there were some aspects that could be considered either plot holes or mysteries, mostly concerning the tracking "Sim" chips that every Safelander has in his or her hand, but which the rebels take out (and apparently they can get away with wearing gloves containing "ghoulie"/dummy chips). If I were a Safelander, I'd give special scrutiny to anyone who wore gloves, personally... But there could be an explanation for all that which we haven't been shown yet. I just plain don't understand some of the bad guys' motivations; as far as I could tell, one's main motivation was that he's snapped and wants something that isn't at all normal in the Safe Lands.<br />
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<b>Positive - 3 out of 5. </b>One word. CLIFFHANGER! I really don't like cliffhangers, and this one ends on a pretty big one. But that said, I'm not sure how it could've ended any other way. There are still some potential doubts as to loyalties by the end, and characters with problems haven't magically recovered by the end. But that's pretty common for Book 2 in a series, and probably what should happen anyway.<br />
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<b>Gut reaction - 5 out of 5. </b>This book had kind of sexist undertones (yes, Levi is gently called to task for his sexism a couple times, but I still feel there's a distinct gender imbalance in both raw numbers and the significance and power of women versus men). And I felt like the second half or so was basically a series of rescue attempts, which got a bit old. But all that said...I still really enjoyed this book. Some engaging characters and a detailed world drew me in. I'm eager to read the conclusion.<br />
<br />
<b>Free points: 5 out of 5.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Recommended for: </b>Fans of edgy dystopian science fiction who read Book 1.<br />
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<b>Total Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars</b><br />
<br />
Here are the other participants on the tour!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://tessbissell.wordpress.com/"> Red Bissell</a><br />
<a href="http://tulipdrivenlife.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Fletcher Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://paulinecreeden.com/"> Pauline Creeden</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://vicsmediaroom.wordpress.com/"> Victor Gentile</a><br />
<a href="http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart</a><br />
<a href="http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com/"> Timothy Hicks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://christianbookshelfreviews.blogspot.com/"> Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookwomanjoan.blogspot.com/"> Joan Nienhuis</a><br />
<a href="http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa</a><br />
<a href="http://asimplelifereally.blogspot.com/"> Jalynn Patterson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christsbridge.blogspot.com/"> Writer Rani</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://familyreads.blogspot.com/"> Jacque Stengl</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://booksreviewedbydeb.blogspot.com/"> Deborah Wilson</a> <br />
<br />
*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free Advance Readers Copy of this book. Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-53016439527462430532013-12-10T12:00:00.000-08:002014-02-16T23:48:13.076-08:00Review: Waterfall (River of Time #1) by Lisa Tawn BergrenAnother book review by Julie! This one's interesting because it reminds me quite a bit of my near-forever-work-in-progress <i><a href="http://blog.juliebihn.com/p/about-me-and-my-writing.html">Chosen: Bonnie of Sheshack</a>. </i>I guess every teenager secretly wants to get sucked into another world and find her own knight?<br />
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<b>Book:</b><i> Waterfall (River of Time #1) </i>by Lisa Tawn Bergren<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.evanangler.com/"> </a></span></span><br />
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<b>Ridiculously simplified summary: </b>In modern-day Italy, an archaeologist's teenage daughter is drawn back to medieval times, where she is rescued by a handsome lord...who just happens to be betrothed. Taken into the castle, our heroine searches for her sister, hoping to get back home.<br />
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<b>Content:</b> Extremely light Christian content--I expect it might ramp up as the series progresses, but at the moment, though the people talk about praying to God and such every so often, Gabi isn't especially caught up in it. I don't think being a Christian would have any bearing on one's enjoyment of this book.<br />
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There is some violence, but given the medieval setting that seems reasonable enough. The torture is more upsetting, though if the story is to be believed, it was normal for the era (and that seems plausible to me). The main character, Gabi, is very physically attracted to a man who is betrothed.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b><br />
<br />
<b>Compelling: 7 out of 10. </b>I found the beginning dragged, but once Gabi achieved a particular goal (somewhere more than midway through if I recall correctly) I thought things got interesting and the story flew by. As the first in a series, I didn't find the ending completely satisfying, but that's typical.<br />
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<b>Characters: 6 out of 10. </b>I did not care for Gabi much at the beginning, though she did grow on me. The other of the characters were fine, but aside from Lady Rossi, Lia, and maybe Fortino, I didn't find anything particularly memorable about them. <span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer255578858"><span id="freeText1126572397645573096">Marcello</span></span> and Luca, the two lead men from medieval Italy, didn't feel SO much different than modern-day men to me, though Gabi makes a point of noticing how manly and different from modern men <span class="readable" id="reviewTextContainer255578858"><span id="freeText1126572397645573096">Marcello was, and Luca's a bit of a charmer. Lady Rossi, Marcello's betrothed, is interesting, though we are seeing her through jealous Gabi's eyes, so I have no idea if she is really a jerk (as Gabi thinks through most of the book) or if she's better/fiercer than expected (as Gabi thinks during part of the middle).</span></span><br />
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<b>Writing/editing: 8 out of 10. </b>I only noticed one minor typo ("I turned obediently and took a <u>look</u> swig, then another, ignoring how the liquid burned all the way down my throat and inside my gut."). I thought the style didn't <i>quite</i> feel like a teenager all the time, but it wasn't bad in that regard. There were a few good lines; my favorite was, in regards to a character with severe respiratory problems, "He still sounded like a sick seal..."<br />
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<b>Plausibility/believability: 3 out of 5.</b> This one's hard. I felt like the overall historical place-setting was very good--to me, it felt more real than most historical romances I've read. (Even though it's not always a <i>romantic</i> setting...chamber pots are referenced more than once.)<br />
<br />
On the other hand, these people in medieval Italy discovered Gabi coming out of a tomb, in clothing more revealing than undergarments, and she's spirited, has little respect for her social "betters", and even insists on wielding a sword. And they like and even love her for it! It's an interesting conceit, but the fact that Gabi can fight off bad guys with a sword, in addition to her many other talents, felt like a bit much to me.<br />
<br />
Conveniently, she is able to speak/pick up medieval Italian--if I recall correctly, she picked up some Italian from her parents' archaeological vacations. I don't find it exactly plausible that she could speak to these people as easily as she did--though there were some slip-ups. But it is tricky to get people in other worlds to be able to talk to each other, so I'm okay with it. Then again, she also knows some Latin and French, which puts her <i>well</i> ahead of the curve for most Americans...<br />
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<b>Positive: 3 out of 5. </b>While the ending left certain things unresolved, everything ended as well as could be expected. I have to ding it a little on "positive" due to the substantial threats of torture, occasional actual torture, and lines like:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But he was untying his trousers. He did not intend to kill me.<br />
<br />
He had darker intentions still.</blockquote>
I wish Bergren would have added a word: "He did not <i>only</i> intend to kill me." Then it would have avoided the cliche that to a woman, being raped is (supposedly) even worse than being killed.<br />
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<b>Gut reaction: 4 out of 5. </b>I'm not the target audience, and I hate to say I'm not even that interested in whether or not Gabi and Marcello get together. But Gabi's sister Lia and the knight who likes her, Luca, are likable enough, and the ideas interesting enough, I have some interest in reading some more.<br />
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<b>Bonus points: 5 out of 5.</b><br />
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<b>Recommended for: </b>Fans of slightly mushy young-adult time-travel fiction.<br />
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<b>Total Rating: 3.6 out of 5 stars</b><br />
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*I downloaded this book for free, I believe on Amazon.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-36995631789807355602013-11-13T05:00:00.000-08:002013-11-13T05:00:09.674-08:00Pointing back to God and Narnia - The Shadow Lamp - CSFF Blog TourJulie one more time for the <a href="http://csffblogtour.com/">CSFF Blog Tour</a>! <br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">Still talking about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Lamp-Bright-Empires-Quest/dp/1595548076/">The Shadow Lamp</a> by <a href="http://www.stephenlawhead.com/">Stephen R. Lawhead</a> (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-R-Lawhead/84503526872">Facebook</a>). </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">Several of the tour members have expressed concerns about the theology in <i>The Shadow Lamp</i>, namely one character's lengthy explanation about God and our place in the universe. I do share those concerns. But even with those issues, I felt like God's presence and Christianity were SHOWN better in the book than they were TOLD by a Gianni in a long speech near the end of the book.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">All the points can be seen through the lens of Etzel and Mina (two of my favorite characters). Thomas Clayton Booher had <a href="http://www.oerkenleaves.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-shadow-lamp-day-one-of-october-2012.html">an excellent write-up of some of Etzel's more memorable moments</a> if you need caught up. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Point 1: </b>One concern is that Gianni's speech in The Shadow Lamp could be interpreted as supporting a more deist philosophy, where God does not get involved in shaping the future, as that would interfere in free will.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">But I'd argue that throughout the book, the opposite is <i>shown</i>. What in the world are the odds that Mina would happen to land in Prague and be picked up by one of the nicer men in all of fiction, a man who speaks German, a language she just <i>happens</i> to have some memory of due to her grandmother. Personally, I think that's the sort of writing that only makes sense if you're coming from a world view that some higher power put things together to work out for the best. If there's no higher power or some sort of plan to the world itself, then it's just author laziness.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">Point 2:</span></span></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="display-passages passages-single">
<div class="content-wrapper">
<div class="content-col">
Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV)<br />
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“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.</div>
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</blockquote>
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<u><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Spoilers ahead; I suggest you stop reading now if you haven't read <i>The Shadow Lamp.</i></b></span></span></u><br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">So speaking of dear Etzel! In the epilogue, Etzel is literally, and to my eyes gladly, loving his enemies. It was touching and I thought in-character, given what a kind man he is. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">Regardless of the debate about theology and God's involvement in our lives, I'd argue that the way Etzel acts throughout these books thus far is for the most part keeping in the way a follower of Christ should live.<b><i> </i></b>Gianni? He may say some interesting things, he may be considered a genius by the other characters, but I don't see that he's particularly a character to be admired above any others, at least not on a spiritual level.<b><i><br />
</i></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;">In other words, there's a great Christian testimony in the series, and the character shines by his actions and making gentle mentions of God. Quite a contrast to the speech given by a character (and an essay by the author!) proclaiming their viewpoints on how science and religion intersect.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>
<b>Point 3:</b><br />
<br />
And speaking of Christian testimony, during Etzel's kind acts during the epilogue, am I the only one thought of the sad fate of the dwarfs in C.S. Lewis' "The Last Battle?"<br />
<b> </b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Aslan," said Lucy through her tears, "could you--will you--do something for these poor Dwarfs?"<br />
<br />
"Dearest," said Aslan, "I will show you both what I can, and what I cannot, do." He came close tot he Dwarfs and gave a long growl: low, but it set all the air shaking. But the Dwarfs said to one another, "Hear that? That's the gang at the other end of the Stable. Trying to frighten us. They do it with a machine of some kind. Don't take any notice. They won't take <i>us</i> in again!"<br />
<br />
Aslan raised his head and shook his mane. Instantly a glorious feast appeared on the Dwarfs' knees: pies and tongues and pigeons and trifles and ices, and each Dwarf had a goblet of good wine in his right hand. But it wasn't much use. They began eating and drinking greedily enough, but it was clear they couldn't taste it properly. They thought they were eating and drinking only the sort of things you might find in a Stable..." </blockquote>
<br />I hope Lord Burleigh will not track me down through the Multiverse and hurt me for revenge, but he's so suspicious of Etzel's motives, don't you think he comes off quite a bit like a Dwarf?<br />
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As C.S. Lewis (and Lord Burleigh) illustrated, you can't force someone to accept Christ's gift. It remains to be seen of Burleigh might someday change for the better, or if Etzel's just <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+12%3A20&version=NIV">putting hot coals on his enemy's head</a>. I guess either option is good, come to think of it.<br />
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So no, I certainly wouldn't point to <i>The Shadow Lamp</i> as a beacon of theology--at this point there are doubts about God's sovereignty and an old-time Egyptian priest (the servant of one of their gods) who's very much looking forward to going to heaven (!). It remains to be seen how everything comes together in the end and what it all means--what we see now is actually characters' opinions and theories, though those opinions are often portrayed as truth.<br />
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Regardless, despite the (in my opinion, justified) concerns, there are still enough glimmers of light that I'll be reading Book 5. (Well, that and it's just an interesting story.) <br />
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Thanks for the tour, all! One more time, the participants:<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/"> Julie Bihn</a><br />
<a href="http://tessbissell.wordpress.com/"> Red Bissell</a><br />
<a href="http://www.oerkenleaves.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Clayton Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://tulipdrivenlife.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Fletcher Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Chapman</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kcreviews.blogspot.com/"> Karri Compton</a><br />
<a href="http://tweezlereads.blogspot.com/"> Theresa Dunlap</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com/"> Timothy Hicks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christopherhopper.com/"> Christopher Hopper</a><br />
<a href="http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://thewriterssword.blogspot.com/"> Becca Johnson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://rebekahloper.wordpress.com/"> Rebekah Loper</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://peicbooks.tumblr.com/"> Mirriam Neal</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christsbridge.blogspot.com/"> Writer Rani</a><br />
<a href="http://dadscancooktoo.com/"> Nathan Reimer</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/inklings/"> Rachel Starr Thomson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://finishedthebook.blogspot.com/"> Rachel Wyant</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://booksreviewedbydeb.blogspot.com/"> Deborah Wilson</a><br />
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*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6017008788024248921.post-53498172076529875822013-11-12T05:00:00.000-08:002013-11-12T05:00:13.913-08:00The Shadow Lamp by Stephen R. Lawhead - Review - CSFF Blog Tour Julie again for the <a href="http://csffblogtour.com/">CSFF Blog Tour</a>! Yes, I made it through The Shadow Lamp in time to get a review out! The remaining 100 pages or so moved much better for me, except...well, we'll get into that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdJlDa82RuQFYVlX1PH3jllxQ6dfLpxWqWCwtlAXkgbdXkak3SCNZPEIXeqQUpsBn1dZiZMaQeU4crc7ybhK4wDdyo234dBiRoHznunrgK7NATcgk4Sn-HF5e89wqjFNxKmNOpLjAV4Y/s1600/1blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdJlDa82RuQFYVlX1PH3jllxQ6dfLpxWqWCwtlAXkgbdXkak3SCNZPEIXeqQUpsBn1dZiZMaQeU4crc7ybhK4wDdyo234dBiRoHznunrgK7NATcgk4Sn-HF5e89wqjFNxKmNOpLjAV4Y/s320/1blog.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><b>Book:</b><i> </i><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Lamp-Bright-Empires-Quest/dp/1595548076/">The Shadow Lamp</a></i> by <a href="http://www.stephenlawhead.com/">Stephen R. Lawhead</a> (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-R-Lawhead/84503526872">Facebook</a>)</span></span><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.evanangler.com/"> </a></span></span><br />
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<b>Ridiculously simplified summary: </b>Fourth in a series. A group of adventurers seeks to use magical ley lines--portals between times, places, and dimensions--to prevent the world's destruction.<br />
<br />
<b>Content:</b> To shamelessly steal from <a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/2013/11/11/the-shadow-lamp-by-stephen-lawhead-csff-blog-tour-day-1/comment-page-1/#comment-38589">Rebecca LuElla Miller</a>, "Of the four Bright Empires books I’ve read, this is the only one that has what I consider didactic sections. Interestingly the “preachiness” has less to do with God than it does science."<br />
<br />
That said there is some reference to Christianity at last here...including some ideas about God and Jesus that, unless I am misunderstanding, seem to me to be rather controversial for a Christian book. <a href="http://tulipdrivenlife.blogspot.com/2013/11/csff-blog-tour-shadow-lamp.html?_escaped_fragment_=/2013/11/csff-blog-tour-shadow-lamp.html#!/2013/11/csff-blog-tour-shadow-lamp.html">Thomas Fletcher Booher </a>both articulated my concerns better than I could have, and took the issues seriously enough that it reassures me that my concerns are valid.<br />
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There is some violence, but nothing that overly disturbed me. (Though I haven't yet tried sleeping after reading the brunt of the violence, so...)<br />
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<b>Rating:</b><br />
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<b>Compelling: 6 out of 10. </b>This book didn't grab my interest like the earlier ones did, but <a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-shadow-lamp-by-stephen-lawhead-csff.html">as I mentioned yesterday</a>, that could be because of it being less of a mystery. That said, still I felt like there was a lack of action overall for the first big chunk of the book. Things picked up for me about midway through, and there were some really good dramatic scenes closer to the end, though I thought parts of the end also felt almost rushed, after the slower pace of the beginning. Or maybe it's the fact that it's only in the last 100 pages or so of the 4th book in a 5-book series that the main problem is actually revealed. Book 5 should be pretty darned interesting, dealing with all that.<br />
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<b>Characters: 8 out of 10. </b>For the most part, the characters were the same as they'd been in the previous books, with plenty of spunky women and sweet, chivalrous men, which is a combination I find hard to turn down. I almost feel like there's a little coasting on the goodwill established in previous books, but that's probably because there are a lot of events that have to transpire in this book and the characters are established, not any actual flaws.<br />
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<b>Writing/editing: 6 out of 10. </b>There were some excellent and elegant descriptions, and some nice lines, such as "with the calm acceptance of the condemned who at last understand that time is short and life fleeting and that nothing matters except that which is eternal." The dialogue tags again drove me completely batty during long strings of dialogue. Over the span of two pages are both "'Fair enough,' allowed Kit" and "'Partly,' allowed Kit." I realize that's Lawhead's style in this series--he's been nothing if not consistent in using them through all these books! But during parts when the action isn't rolling along, I get completely derailed by these kinds of tags.<br />
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<b>Plausibility/believability: 3 out of 5.</b> I felt like the science became less plausible here--I have trouble with the scientific insistence that (minor spoiler) if the universe isn't expanding as quickly as it always did, that it definitely must be doomed to contract into nothingness.<br />
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<b>Positive: 3 out of 5. </b>This one is darker than books 2 and 3, I thought. <br />
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<div id="spoiler" style="display: none;">
I found the implications about Christianity rather disturbing, particularly the possible implication about Jesus' relation to the Spirit Well (which isn't certainly wrong) and even worse, the idea that anything humans could do could undo all of God's creation.</div>
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Of course, these are all speculation by scientists that could very well prove to be wrong. The epilogue was an incredible way to show Christian love.<br />
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<b>Gut reaction: 4 out of 5. </b>I'd call the ending a twist ending. (Though to me, the descriptions at the end read almost like literary fiction, describing a scene in incredible detail with a deeper meaning--they reminded me of my English classes in college, which I didn't enjoy.) The epilogue helped salvage any lingering ill will overall.<br />
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At any rate, I'm looking forward to reading the end of the series for sure. I'm just hoping that book starts quicker than this one.<br />
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<b>Bonus points: 5 out of 5.</b><br />
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<b>Recommended for: </b>Fans of Christian science fantasy that doesn't mind point of view shifts.<br />
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<b>Total Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars</b><br />
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Here are the tour participants!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kinynchronicles.blogspot.com/"> Julie Bihn</a><br />
<a href="http://tessbissell.wordpress.com/"> Red Bissell</a><br />
<a href="http://www.oerkenleaves.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Clayton Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://tulipdrivenlife.blogspot.com/"> Thomas Fletcher Booher</a><br />
<a href="http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com/"> Beckie Burnham</a><br />
<a href="http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Chapman</a><br />
<a href="http://www.kcreviews.blogspot.com/"> Karri Compton</a><br />
<a href="http://tweezlereads.blogspot.com/"> Theresa Dunlap</a><br />
<a href="http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin</a><br />
<a href="http://fantasythyme.blogspot.com/"> Timothy Hicks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christopherhopper.com/"> Christopher Hopper</a><br />
<a href="http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse</a><br />
<a href="http://thewriterssword.blogspot.com/"> Becca Johnson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner</a><br />
<a href="http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen</a><br />
<a href="http://rebekahloper.wordpress.com/"> Rebekah Loper</a><br />
<a href="http://www.shannonmcdermott.com/?page_id=189"> Shannon McDermott</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bloomingwithbooks.blogspot.com/"> Meagan @ Blooming with Books</a><br />
<a href="http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller</a><br />
<a href="http://peicbooks.tumblr.com/"> Mirriam Neal</a><br />
<a href="http://www.christsbridge.blogspot.com/"> Writer Rani</a><br />
<a href="http://dadscancooktoo.com/"> Nathan Reimer</a><br />
<a href="http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder</a><br />
<a href="http://www.jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/"> Jojo Sutis</a><br />
<a href="http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/inklings/"> Rachel Starr Thomson</a><br />
<a href="http://www.epictales.org/blog/robertblog.php"> Robert Treskillard</a><br />
<a href="http://stevetrower.com/blog/"> Steve Trower</a><br />
<a href="http://finishedthebook.blogspot.com/"> Rachel Wyant</a><br />
<a href="http://christian-fantasy-book-reviews.com/blog/"> Phyllis Wheeler</a><br />
<a href="http://booksreviewedbydeb.blogspot.com/"> Deborah Wilson</a><br />
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*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book.Julie Bihnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16694252260205949341noreply@blogger.com6