Mercy's Prince by Katy Huth Jones

Mercy’s Prince is a beautifully written book. It has everything that makes a good fantasy: characters with special powers, a danger that must be faced or human survival is in danger, and traitors that are undermining what needs to be done to satisfy their own ambition. And most important of all, it has dragons.  If that is not enough, Mercy’s Prince is also a story of romance. I particularly liked the character of Mercy, who could touch a plant and discern its medicinal or toxic properties. This book was well written and well edited. The romance went a little too smoothly, without the opposition that might have been expected, but all in all it was a great story and I would highly recommend it as a book that will appeal to all ages. 

Blood Tithe by Glenn Soucy

This book was fast paced and engaging. Blood Tithe was an original story that kept me captivated until the end. Glenn Soucy really impressed me by his ability to move back and forth between two time periods. I loved the author’s description of a family that loves one another, but is torn apart by events beyond their control. There were some things that I felt could have improved the story.  The main character, Jeremy, would have been more believable if he had been eight instead of five when the story starts.  The book could also be improved by a good editor. There were a few too many typos in the edition I read. However, all of this won’t stop me from reading the next book. Blood Tithe, for the most part, was a great story well told.

Sudan

This is the third Ninie Hammon book I have read. The author has become one of my favorite writers ever since I encountered her books on Twitter over a year ago.  I sent the author a Tweet after I read Sudan and learned that the book was inspired by the true story of a Dinka tribal who walked 500 miles north to find a daughter who had been carried off by slave traders.

Ninie Hammon told a story of the devastation experienced by individuals, families and whole communities when violence strikes and rips apart the fabric of their life together. Ninie Hammon has such tremendous skills as a writer that she made the characters come alive. I think Sudan is an important book to read because it helps move us away from statistics to thinking about the real people that are impacted by injustice. The people in this book captured my heart and will live there.  This is an excellent story and I highly recommend it. 

Escape from Camp 14

Escape from Camp 14

The Story of Shin Dong-hyuk as told by Blaine Harden

Shin Dong-hyuk was born in a slave camp in North Korea to a father who had been imprisoned because his brother had fled to South Korea. He never learned why his mother was there. The conditions in the camp were brutal. The guards had ultimate power over life and death. If a guard was too kind they disappeared. Shin and his father were tortured after his mother and brother made a plan to escape. They were brought from the prison to a place of execution where Shin expected to die, but instead was given a front row seat when his mother and brother were executed.

He lived 23 years in an open-air cage run by the men who hanged his mother, shot his brother, crippled his father, murdered pregnant women, beat children to death, taught him to betray his family, and tortured him by roasting him over a fire.

Shin escaped the camp into China where he was lucky not to be captured by Chinese authorities and turned over to North Korea. He remained lucky and found his way to South Korea and eventually travelled on to the United States. "I am evolving from being an animal," Shin says, "But it is going very very slowly. Sometime I try to cry and laugh like other people, just to see if it feels like anything.”

This is a difficult story, but it is a powerful story. As far as the world knows Shin is the only prisoner to ever escape from Camp 14.

Slings and Arrows by Julie Elizabeth Powell

Slings and Arrows is a powerful book which tells the true story of the author’s struggle with grief and guilt and despair after her beautiful two year old daughter suffers brain damage due to a heart problem. Julie Elizabeth Powell takes the reader on an intimate journey with the kind of honesty that makes you feel like you are present in the story.  Julie’s book would be a powerful case study for those going into the medical profession who think they might be working with severely disabled children and their families.

Julie’s story reminds me of a case here in Canada. Tracy Latimer was also a child who suffered brain damaged and whose body became distorted as a result. Tracy needed surgery to deal to deal with some of the distortion. After surgery the doctors sent her home for her family to care for without any pain medication which they said Tracy could not take. Robert and Laura Latimer took turns staying up all night to turn their daughter in an effort to ease her pain. At one point they placed her in a care facility and watched as she lost weight and suffered from painful bed sores. Tracy was clearly not getting the care she needed so they took her back home and carried on.

Laura was pregnant when they were told that Tracy would need more surgery and again would not be able to take any medication to relieve her pain. Robert Latimer spent almost eight years in prison for ending Tracy’s life through carbon monoxide poisoning. He placed her in a running vehicle where she quietly died. Robert Latimer could have been out of prison sooner if he had been willing to admit to doing the wrong thing. 

In Slings and Arrows Samantha is placed in a wonderful caring facility which is adequately staffed to meet her needs. Julie knows this is the best place for her daughter, but still feels guilty about turning her child over for strangers to look after. She also finds herself asking if Samantha would be better off dead.   

Split Sense by Barbara E. Brink

Split Sense is the first Christian Fiction of this type that I remember reading.  I have read theology, autobiographical stories of faith and devotional material, but I have not read explicitly Christian fiction. The closest I have come would be allegorical fiction books rooted in the Christian story; for example, the Narnia Series. What struck me as I read this book is that a novel needs to have a very strong story line to carry the “it is important to be saved message” so that it does not hit the non-initiated reader between the eyes and become all they see. Fortunately for readers of Split Sense, Barbara E. Brink is an exceptional story teller.  I can understand why Split Sense won the 2011 Grace Award. 

Split Sense tells the story of twins who are separated at birth. They are part of an experiment by a corrupt Pharmaceutical Company. The girl is presumed dead, but secretly rescued by a doctor who was being blackmailed by representatives of the Pharmaceutical Company. The boy is raised by a company employee who loves Zander like his own son and struggles to protect Zander from his bosses.  Both children develop exceptional abilities that bring them to the attention the corrupt board members who want to use them in their struggle for political power.

I am giving Split Sense five stars, not because I agree 100% with the theology behind it, but because Barbara E. Brink’s story telling is outstanding.  Barbara has written a wonderfully engaging book. 

When Butterflies Cry by Ninie Hammon

When Butterflies Cry is the second book I have read by Ninie Hammon and it will not be the last. Ninie Hammon has an incredible gift with language. For example, a line from the second page says, “But the smile that started on Andy’s face melted like wax beneath a candle flame.”  Can’t you just see that smile disappear?

The book When Butterflies Cry is based in Wales, Vietnam and West Virginia. An event in time pulls them all together.  An unknown girl shows up at the door. She has been badly beaten by someone but no one reports her missing. A few days later a shell-shocked soldier comes home from the war in Vietnam to find his brother making moves on his wife. Meanwhile, above their home the dam built to hold back toxic waste from coal mining is about to let go.

In Ninie’s book she talks about the United States Bureau of Mines, the agency that is supposed to exercise regulatory control over the mining industry. She says that in practice, the USBM was more of an extension of the industry than a watchdog. I found this particularly interesting because in the Canadian province I live in we have recently had a dam give way that contained toxic sludge from the Mount Polley mine.  One of the reasons why this happened was poor government oversight.  The buzz-word here is self-regulating, The Mount Polley mine spill was  an example of where that policy leads. There were no towns beneath the massive spill that happened in BC, but there was a pristine wilderness which up until now has boasted the largest run of sockeye salmon.

I would highly recommend Ninie’s book.  It is not so much a social commentary as a wonderful story of love and loss and what it means to be family. There is enough drama in this book to keep a reader missing sleep to keep on turning pages until they have finished a remarkable book.

The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett

The Edge of Eternity is the third book in the Century Trilogy which begins prior to the 1st World War and takes the reader through to the end of the Cold War. Ken Follett’s characters give readers front row seats into the events that shaped the 20^th century. The books are not only great literature in that they make the reader care about the lives of fictional characters, but the books are also well-researched and serve as an historical overview. While many of us are aware of the events that Ken Follett covers, he takes us in for a closer look and deepens our understanding of the events that have shaped our lives.

One of the streams that Ken Follett follows is the impact of racism in the United States and the Civil Rights movement that fought to change that. I found this helpful in understanding the racism that I see at work in the United States today.

Ken Follett ends his book with a prologue on the election of Barak Obama as if to say look how far we have come in this century. Unfortunately, the election of Barak Obama did not mark the beginning of a new age of tolerance, but has brought the racism of many Americans to the surface. No other president has been treated so disrespectfully and shamefully as Barak Obama has been. Americans up to now have always treated their president with more respect than we Canadians often show our prime minister. In the past, even if Americans disagreed with their President they have been respectful of the office of President. 

I would love for Ken Follett to write a sequel to this century trilogy sometime in the future.  I would love to see the time we now live in through his eyes.  

Alora by Tamie Dearen

Alora by Tamie Dearen is a book that is both well written and captivating. There is some great world building in this book and some strong character development.  There is much about the story and world-building that is unique. The book showcased strong loving relationships between family and friends, not including Alora’s dad who is determined to kill her if he can’t control her.

I really loved the fantasy elements of the book. I was not so taken with the romance elements, but that is partly because I am not typically a reader of romance. From my perspective there was far too much kissing going on. However, I think this book will really appeal to female YA readers, especially those who like their fantasy missed together with romance. 

The King's Curse

I received The King’s Curse by Philippa Gregory from Simon and Schuster Canada through a Giveaway on Goodreads.

The King’s Curse is an exceptionally well-writing and in some places brilliant historical novel which tells the story of Margaret Pole, the Countess of Salisbury. Actually it tells more than Margaret’s story, it tells the story of King Henry VIII and five of his wives as well as the story of Margaret’s close and extended family and freinds.  The book left me wanting to know more and I often did extra research on the lives of the people mentioned in this book.

My major complaint with the story was that I felt that Philippa Gregory was not always faithful to history in an attempt to create Margaret as a character that modern day readers would have sympathy for.  For example there is the story of how her son Reginald was left at the monastery because Margaret had no other choice. We are told that she did not have enough money to feed all her children. While some of this might be true, what little I know of the times suggests that second or third sons were often expected to serve the church. There was little question as to whether they were suitable or not. The second place where I felt that Philippa Gregory was not faithful to history was where the widow of one of her sons demands to go into a nunnery after her husband dies. It is much more likely that Margaret Pole and her surviving sons forced this daughter-in-law into the nunnery against her will so that they could keep control of her fortune.  This said, I think that Philippa Gregory understands modern day readers enough to know that most readers want to have a sympathetic character more than one that is historically accurate.  

In spite of my questions as to the book’s historical accuracy it was an engaging read that brought this time in British history to life. I certainly gained a new perspective as to how unbalanced and ruthless King Henry VIII was.  This story made me think of the words of Martin Niemöller: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me. The message that comes to me from reading The King’s Curse is the importance of standing against injustice when it touches others if we do not want to be its next victim.

The Time Sphere by A. E. Albert

In the Time Sphere we meet Billy who lives in a group home as a foster child.  Billy is a prickly kid who just does not seem to fit. Billy is a magnet for bullies and seems to be the kid that other kids like to pick on. He has no close friends. He has given up trying to have friends. It takes too much effort as he moves from one family to another, from one group home to another. There is a deep ball of anger at the world deep inside of him.  There is one bright light in Billy’s school; a girl named Jeanie who continues to be his friend even as he pushes her away. 

When we first meet Billy he seems like an unlikely character to save the future of the world by first going back to the past. As Billy travels in the past he begins a journey of self-discovery and change that prepares him to travel into the future and learn the truth about himself and his family.  

The Time Sphere is a very engaging book that is well written.  Readers meet some memorable characters who actually appear in our history books.  They also meet some very imaginative creatures and persons as they travel to the future. And in both the past and future they learn some valuable lessons on how to live in the present.  

I loved the last line of The Time Sphere, but of course I am not going to tell you what it is. You will need to read the book for yourself.

Aranya (Shapeshifter Dragons Book 1) by Marc Secchia

Aranya (Shapeshifter Dragons Book 1) was a very enjoyable read.  Aranya is the Princess of Immadia. As the story begins she is taken as a hostage by the Sylakians who have conquered most of the known world.  Right from the beginning you know that there is something special about this Princess. Aranya is not a sit in the castle and wait to be rescued by Prince Charming kind of Princess.  Aranya is a Princess more than willing to fight her own battles, but more than that she is willing to fight on behalf of the oppressed and those that the Sylakians plan to crush and destroy. When the Sylarkians attempt to execute Aranya all they do is provide the key that unlocks some of the mystery of who she really is.

The world building in this book is very good. The characters and creatures you meet along the way are great.  The plot is excellent. I loved some of the deeper themes like the importance of knowing who you really are and the value of living a life you can be proud of. I was also very taken by a dialogue around the scars that we carry and the value they can have in making us who we are.

One of my favorite things about this book was that it was complete in itself while laying some good groundwork for a sequel which I look forward to reading sometime in the future.   

http://www.amazon.com/Aranya-Shapeshifter-Dragons-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00KYQR4NG

Night by Elie Wiesel

The book Night by Elie Wiesel has been on my to-read list for a very long time. Elie Wiesel tells of a desperate struggle for survival and how far people will go to keep on living for another day.  Elie Wiesel writes from his own experience as a 15 year old boy who survives the brutality of a Nazi concentration camp.  What makes this story so powerful is that Elie does not just talk about what happened, but tells you how it felt to be there with such raw intensity that you stand appalled in the midst of the story. 

A theme throughout the book is relationships between fathers and sons. Elie enters the concentration camp with a grim determination to stay near his father on whom he feels his life depends.  Near the end of the book he struggles with a sense of wanting to distance himself from his father who has become a detriment to his own survival. In spite of these feelings he continues to fight for his father's life.  One very stark story that Elie shares  which is particularly gut wrenching is of an old man clutching a crust of bread to his chest. The man’s son comes and violently rips it away.  The old man says, “Don’t you remember me. I am your father.”  Others come and violently take the bread away from the son. Both father and son end up dead.   

A very haunting part of the story for me as a person of faith is the death of God.  When an angelic looking boy is hanged someone asks, “Where is God?”  Elie responds by saying, “Where is he? Here he is – he is hanging on the gallows.  What I think Elie means is that his faith in a God of love dies on the gallows with that boy.  This question resonates for me as a Christian. We all ask ourselves where God is in the face of suffering. I too would say that God was hanging on the gallows, but when I say that I would mean that God suffers with everyone who is a victim of the world’s brokenness.  I am reminded of a prayer, “Crucified savior, naked God, you hang disgraced and powerless.  Grieving, we dare to hope, as we wait at the cross with your mother and your friend.”   

There is an important question that arises when we read a book like this.  The question being what we would do to survive.  The history of the world suggests most of us would let go of our humanity in a bid for survival.  The studies done by Milgram on obedience suggest that there may not be as much separating us from the Nazi prison guards as we like to think.  We need to ponder this question.   There are some things worse than death.  Becoming a person you detest is one of those things.  

The Appeal

In The Appeal John Grisham tells a powerful story built around the election of a judge in Mississippi. Rich and powerful people with an agenda pour money into electing a judge who will give them the decisions they want.  A good part of the money comes from a man whose chemical company has dumped toxic waste and polluted a town's drinking waste. Many people in the community have cancer or have lost family members to cancer. A lower court gives the victims a huge settlement and the case is on its way to the Supreme Court.  The chemical company owner Carl Trudeau pours millions of dollars into the election of a new judge.

I came  to care about the characters more than I would normally  in a piece of fiction.  I was rooting for those impacted by the dumping of toxic waste to win their law suite.  I wanted the lawyers who had sacrificed so very much to be vindicated. The story felt very real to me.

I did not like the ending of this book, but then again I don't always like reality.  My preferred ending, the one where the little guy wins, rarely happens in the real world.

As a person of faith I appreciate that John Grisham treats people of faith with respect - he does not turn them into hypocrites as many writers seem too, but he does point out that with a few key phrases and promises they can be manipulated into supporting politicians who do more harm than good. Christians sometimes end up supporting politicians  whose leadership is diametrically opposed to the teachings of the Jesus who fed the hungry, healed the sick, and cared passionately about the poor because said politician seems to stand for "family values."

 Thank you John Grisham for having the courage to tell this story. It is not a story that will make all your readers and fans happy. I honor you for being brave.

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Flight of the Griffin by C.M. Gray

Flight of the Griffin by C.M. Gray is an exceptionally good book.  It is the sort of book that stands out from the crowd and makes me wish I could go beyond 5 stars in the rating system.  Flight of the Griffin compares favorably to series by two of my favorite authors: Terry Brooks (Sword of Shannara) and Stephen Lawhead (Warlords of Nin).  I give this book high praise in spite of the fact that I disagree with the basic premise; the premise that good and evil need to be kept in balance.  Who needs evil? The only purpose it serves is to bring the good into sharper focus.

There was so much to love in this book which begins with four orphans living on an abandoned boat restored to usefulness.  One of them is followed home by a cat after a night of thievery.  The cat turns out to be a shape shifting girl who often reveals the cat she becomes when she is in her human form.  One of the items bought home that night is a magical book which invites the boys to join a quest.  They are invited to stand with the Source in a battle against Chaos. They are called to be heroes who will save the world in its time of dire need.

This book was in no way a clone, but was imaginative and unique.  There was an attention to detail that brought the characters to life and made them very real. The world building was excellent.  I also appreciated that this book did not have the glaring grammatical errors that can get in the way of enjoying a good book.  

There was some lines in Flight of the Griffin worth taking away. “Sometimes it is more important to make a stand against evil, then to worry about beating it. That’s all that matters to the Source. It only matters that I give my best, the Source sees to all else.”  

C.M. Gray has found a place among my favorite authors of epic fantasy.  I will be reading his other titles as soon as time permits.  Flight of the Griffin was absolutely excellent.

Leandra's Enchanted Flute

Leandra’s Enchanted Flute is one of the most unique stories I have read for some time.  It is the kind of story that could be turned into an enchanting BBC special for older children or any young of heart lover of sweet fantasy.  Leandra and her flute are chosen to join a prince and some talking birds in a quest to heal a world that has been blighted.  Leandra is specially chosen to journey to Finian Jahndra because she has fought and won a battle with cancer on earth. Leandra has a spiritual connection with the world of Finian Jahndra that causes her to rejoice in its places of beauty and feel a deep sense of grief when the world is impacted by the canker that is blighting it.  

There was one place in the book where I wondered if I had skipped some pages.  The raven Eyepecker goes too quickly from being a suspected enemy to a friend.  I was left with the feeling that there was dialogue missing. 

However, all in all the book was very well written. Katy Huth Jones is a gifted writer.  I think this book would be widely acclaimed if it were not for the great many books being published at this moment in time.  

Andy Smithson, Blast of Dragon's Fury by L.R.W. Lee

Andy Smithson, Blast of Dragon's Fury is a book that has it all. Well almost all. There is a vengeful ghost, dragons, an ancient curse to break, a magic sword, a trip through space and time, as well as a hero's quest. There are some very fun and imaginative elements in this story which tickle the funny bone.

 

I found there was a little too much background and side information that did not add to the story.  That said, it was still a good story. I enjoyed reading about the quest to break the curse that plagues the land of Oomaldee and would recommend this book to others, particularly to MG readers.  I really liked how the story ended, but of course I am not going to tell you. You will need to read Blast of Dragons Fury for yourself.

Mudbound

Mudbound is an incredibly good book which deals with difficult subjects: racism, sexism and the struggle to put into words those things that scar us and leave us limping through life.

Two soldiers come back from the war. Ronsel, the black son of a sharecropper, comes home with a sense of pride in who he is and what he has accomplished.  This pride makes it hard for him to fit into the deeply racist Mississippi Delta. Jamie, the brother of the farm owner comes home deeply wounded by the things that he has seen and done during the war.  There is no one he can talk to so he tries to forget by drinking far too much.  Jamie and Ronsel develop something of a friendship. Their time as soldiers give some common understanding. Although Jamie still carries the prejudice he was born into. 

There is a bit of a prodigal son theme in this story in that the older brother is responsible and tries to do what is right – although he is blind to the racism and the sexism that are a part of the fabric of his life. Jamie on the other hand seems to throw away all that he has. In real life we often see this when people live with a lot of self-hatred and don’t feel worthy of good things. Which brings me to another point: The characters in this story were believable and took on flesh.  The father in this story does not represent love, but is a vicious mean spirited man who cuts down his son, makes his daughter-in-laws life miserable and instigates the  conflict that is at the heart of this story. 

I highly recommend this first book by Hillary Jordan. It is worthy of the prizes it has won.  

Nocturne, Opus 1, Sea Foam

Nocturne, Opus 1, Sea Form led me to ask the more scientifically knowable folks of my acquaintance whether the things Dr. Norene Moskalski wrote about were possible. Unfortunately they are. This book is well researched and comes from a writer with a strong science background. Dr. Molkalski has a good understanding of the environmental issues that are facing our planet.  She tells the story of a mentally ill eco-terrorist who genetically modifies bacteria. The bacteria is lethal to humans.

Nocturne starts out exceptionally well.  The writing style is well suited to the thriller genre.  As I began to read I found it hard to put down.  The last half of the book was not as intensely gripping as the first part, but it was still very good. One of the things that did not work for me was the number of people who were related to one another either as front line workers or victims.  On the whole this was a well written book that I have no reservations recommending to other readers. 

This book is very timely. As I write this review beaches in Vancouver, BC are closed for swimming because of E-coli.  This book puts a spot light on the important issues of water safety.  It shames me when I think of how British Columbia's capital city, Victoria, dumps its raw sewage straight into the ocean. 

You may want to take a look at Dr. Norene Moskalski's blog. There is a page on the environment. 
http://www.norenemoskalski.com/

Amish Bloodsuckers

Amish Bloodsuckers by Barbara E. Brink

When Amish Bloodsuckers first came up on my Twitter feed I laughed and said to myself, “Now there is a book I am not interested in reading.” Normally, I would rather read about dragons than vampires and the whole idea of Amish vampires was a big stretch.  However, Barbara Brink is a very gifted tweeter and she drew me in as she promoted “Chosen” in 140 characters or less.  

This book reminded me of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series in that it involved a teenage girl slaying vampires with the help of her friends.  There was also a little romance for those romantically inclined.   

The first book lays the groundwork for the second and third.  The story starts off with Jael as a misfit in a regular high school located in Sunburn, Nevada.  She discovers just before her sixteenth birthday that she is the chosen one. Her father, mother and an uncle are aware of this and have been training Jael to fight vampires from a very early age. Jael’s parents are from the Amish community of Loon Lake, Minnesota where vampires have taken over the leadership.   I don’t want to reveal any more of the plot, but have no doubt this is a unique and engaging read. 

I liked the writing style.  I liked the characters. The story was action packed. There was enough detail to paint a picture, but not so much that the story bogged down in it. One thing I appreciated was the respectful way Barbara  Brink treated people who live and express their faith in a way far from mainstream.  Important life lessons were shared without being clunky and getting in the way of telling a good story.  

The only real complaint I have is that the author’s writing is so captivating that it was impossible to stop at one book.  Housework and other non-essential work waited until I finished all three books.   I am going to make sure there is nothing super important on my calendar before I start another book by Barbara  Brink.