This month's CSFF Blog Tour Book:Offworld by: Robin Parrish

(Giveaway details below)

Christopher Burke and his crew of NASA astronauts are the first human beings to walk on the surface of Mars. Their return to Earth was supposed to be a momentous day. But a surprise is waiting for them there that's beyond imagining.

Safe after a treacherous landing in Florida, the crew emerges to find the unthinkable: every man, woman, child, and animal has vanished without a trace.

It's not a dream.

It's not a trick.

It's real.

Alone now on their home planet, the crew sets out to discover the extraordinary secret behind the disappearance of mankind. And whether or not everyone can be brought back.

But they may not be as alone as they thought.

For this month's review of "Offworld," I'm offering a free copy of the book that will be rewarded to anyone who posts upon this blog. Your chances will increase for each additional comment upon another blog post of mine. Last month, no one won the award as no one commented upon my blog albeit the author. Please read and comment!! My blog's been rather lonely as of recently.
Winners shall be announced on Thursday morning's post, which I'm planning to share my thoughts, concerning Angel and Buffy.


I've been reviewing an innumerable amount of books today. Probably due to the amount of book blog tours which coincide with each other this month. This month's CSFF Blog tour book is "Offworld," by Robin Parrish.

From the start of the book, we are introduced to a diverse cast of characters whom are returning from a mission on Mars to Earth. And Robin Parrish ease us slowly into the story with some conversational dialogue between all the passengers of the ship. I really love that sort of approach to the story and it reminds me distinctively of a Joss Whedon approach with Firefly. Both seem to have a motley crew of various people all crammed upon one vessel. Actually this beginning sequence reminds me of the beginning of "Event Horizon." For within both stories we are thrust right in the midst of a normal conversation between a band of travelers. And right from the beginning, Robin Parrish allows us to gain insight of the personalities of the characters and their pasts. He succeeds with an approach that's an anomaly among this genre. Because most stories begin immediatley with action instead of dialogue.

As the astronauts arrive on Earth. They are confounded by the absence of Earth's population Just as the cover shows a lone bike amongst a bare street; there's no remnaint of any living soul upon the Earth's surface. Parrish's way of shifting the story from space exploration to a post apocalyptic story greatly impressed me. Every part of the story seems natural and the emotions of the astronauts are accurate upon finding that the Earth's vacant. It's this mystery element of this segement of the story that's the most gripping element of the story. Robin Parrish shrouds the reasons in mystery and hopes the readers follows along with him, as we and the astronauts slowly divulge the reasonings behind this sudden event.

Just as with Robin Parrish's other stories, the faith elements do not feel preachy or seem like they were tacked on in order to meet the requirements for being incepted within the Christian market. Instead we are left with a story that matches and even surpasses books within the secular market. For me, Robin Parrish and Karen Hancock both set the precedent for Christian Fantasy and Science Fiction. Both are from Bethany House and prove that this particuliar publisher knows what stories are able to seep into both markets simultaneously. And it's both these books that have really raised my expectations for furture Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy books. With the quality of both books, they deserve to be marketed within the general Fantasy and Science Fiction section's.

Other Links of Interest:
http://www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com"> Brandon Barr
http://jimfictionreview.blogspot.com/"> Jim Black
http://fantastyfreak.blogspot.com/"> Justin Boyer
http://www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com/"> Keanan Brand
http://uponreflectionblog.blogspot.com"> Gina Burgess
http://canadianladybugreviews.blogspot.com"> Canadianladybug
http://www.aweakrose.blogspot.com"> Melissa Carswell
http://valeriecomer.com/"> Valerie Comer
http://www.kcreviews.blogspot.com"> Karri Compton
http://www.the160acrewoods.com/"> Amy Cruson
http://csffblogtour.com/"> CSFF Blog Tour
http://word-up-studies.blogspot.com"> Stacey Dale
http://www.scificatholic.com/"> D. G. D. Davidson
http://scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com/"> Jeff Draper
http://projectinga.blogspot.com/"> April Erwin
http://virtualbooktourdenet.blogspot.com/"> Karina Fabian
http://lindarg.wordpress.com/"> Linda Gilmore
http://bethgoddard.blogspot.com/"> Beth Goddard
http://anewnovelistsjourney.blogspot.com"> Todd Michael Greene
http://cloakanddaggerfiction.blogspot.com"> Katie Hart
http://realmofhearts.blogspot.com/"> Ryan Heart
http://jessebecky.wordpress.com/"> Becky Jesse
http://crisjesse.wordpress.com"> Cris Jesse
http://www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com/"> Jason Joyner
http://www.molcotw.blogspot.com/"> Julie
http://carolkeen.blogspot.com/"> Carol Keen
http://krystisbooks.blogspot.com/"> Krystine Kercher
http://momofkings.wordpress.com/"> Dawn King
http://forstrose.blogspot.com/"> Melissa Meeks
http://rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com/"> Rebecca LuElla Miller
http://mirathon.blogspot.com/"> Mirtika
http://www.questwriter.blogspot.com/"> Eve Nielsen (posting later in the week)
http://linalamont.blogspot.com/"> Nissa
http://www.leastread.blogspot.com/"> John W. Otte
http://residentialaliens.blogspot.com/"> Lyn Perry
http://ansric.blogspot.com/"> Steve Rice
http://www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com/"> Chawna Schroeder
http://www.jamessomers.blogspot.com/"> James Somers
http://specfaith.ritersbloc.com/"> Speculative Faith
http://www.captivated00.blogspot.com/"> Stephanie
http://www.rachelstarrthomson.com/inklings/"> Rachel Starr Thomson
http://christiansf.blogspot.com/"> Steve Trower
http://frederation.wordpress.com"> Fred Warren
http://www.fantasyandfaith.com"> Dona Watson
http://kerani-in-the-world.blogspot.com/"> Elizabeth Williams

Sypnosis:About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered a reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace, and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia. And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust, and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison. As Yelena tries to escape her dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and she develops magical powers she can't control. Her life’s at stake again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren’t so clear!


Not all my reviews are of books offered by either tour promotions or authors. Some as with today's review are books recently read of my own choosing. One of my friends whom I met nearly two years ago, "Lexie" has recommended this book by Maria V Snyder and it's sequels, "Fire Study" and "Magic Study." She happens to also be a book blogger and has written some great reviews over at her blog. Every week, I'm planning to post a review of one of the three books included in the series. Along with each review shall be a song that reminds me of this book.

Beginning with Poison Study, a song that reminds me of the book is "Blue Eyes," by the Dutch Symphonic Metal band "Within Temptation. Below's a video with the song and the lyrics for all those who may not be able to decipher them clearly. I'm allowing the readers of this blog to freely interpret the song with regards to the story.


Towards the beginning of the book, my first impressions of the story included empathy and extreme tension as I pored over the pages, wondering to myself as to the fate of "Yelena." Maria V. Snyder from the start stunned me with her evocative language and mastery of imagery. Every stark detail was fully realized from Yelena's tension to the hues of the world amidst her. From the beginning, I sympathized with Yelena's plight and her conflicted feelings surrounding her sentence. The tension right from the onset of the story transports the readers from their surrounding setting to Snyder's wonderfully envisioned world. And, before long, the story successfully ensnares us and we the readers clamor for more details to be divulged.

Never once did I lose interest within Yelena. Unlike many other female protagonists, she's assertive and strong willed. And her struggles of trust feel natural within the story as Snyder slowly bridges her past memories of betrayal to the present, where she seeks company with those who'll inevitably help her or thwart her efforts. We're never fully aware of what lies ahead for her as her choices are never definitive. For when more things are revealed to her, she'll be shocked to find how complex a person's motives are and how everyone hides secrets beneath their cleverly designed facade. Meaning some people Yelena trusts from the onset turn out to be unworthy of trust while some others surprise her.

Maria V. Snyder's characters are neither a complete shade of black or white. Instead they all contain varying degrees of gray. For many of these characters make choices based upon love or other cases, money. This factor adds a great deal of realism to the story as within the real world, many people's choices are driven by desire. And the way in which the dialogue works is similar to a game of chess, where each character must carefully act or talk in way to gain the trust of another character. Another wonderful feature of her story involves the fight scenes which do not seem forced but necessary in order to advance the plot. Never does she befall the trap that many of her fellow fantasy writers fall for. That is the inclusion of unnecessary fight scenes all in pursuit of having extraneous gore and carnage within the story.

And just as with the fight scenes, Maria V. Snyder carefully plots a rather predictable but believable romantic subplot. Now, I am not going to reveal whom falls in love but from the context clues provided within the story. I found the revelation to be quite expected from seeing the subtle signs, starting from the beginning of the story. But every blush or caress is passionate and even makes a guy ( such as myself) blush slightly. And who can help themselves when their romance is fully actualized and really allows for the readers to become invested with each stage of their relationship. Nothing ever feels as contrived or lacking of chemistry as with "Twilight." More importantly, the author does not include romance just so there's some "fluff" for all the self acclaimed fluff lovers to gush over. The relationship complicates the plot and makes sense within the development of story. With this, I throw my cap off to Maria V. Snyder for including romance that's not contrived and forced.

As to my overall reaction to the story, I was largely impressed and greatly enraptured by every aspect of this story. I've been in futile search of this sort of story for the past year as everything failed to impress me recently ever since discovering Angel and Buffy. But now I can attest to the fact that there are good stories outside of "Whedonverse" and the nineteenth century. And that there are writers who respect the English language and are able to understand the importantly of having authenticated characters. Thanks be to Maria V. Snyder for having me making me a giddy fanboy!! You've irrevocably hooked me to your books and now I must devour "Magic Study."

For all those interested in Maria V Snyder's books, please check here.

Next week, be prepared for my review of "Magic Study," with "Fire Study," the following week.

Bonus: After much contemplation, I thought this Within Temptation was even more appropriate, especially since it relates so closely to a certain incident within the book.

Sypnosis:
As far as Gabriel Bleak is concerned, talking to the dead is just another way of making a living. It gives him the competitive edge to survive as a bounty hunter, or "skip tracer," in the psychic minefield known as New York City. Unfortunately, his gift also makes him a prime target. A top-secret division of Homeland Security has been monitoring the recent emergence of human supernaturals, with Gabriel Bleak being the strongest on record. If they control Gabriel, they'll gain access to the Hidden -- the entity-based energy field that connects all life on Earth. But Gabriel's got other ideas. With a growing underground movement called the Shadow Community -- and an uneasy alliance of spirits, elementals, and other beings -- Gabriel's about to face the greatest demonic uprising since the Dark Ages. But this time, history is not going to repeat itself. This time, the future is Bleak. Gabriel Bleak.


Review:

This book lacked the hook "The Calling," had as the first few pages plodded through familiar territory, involving a gun fight within a bar. During this scene we are introduced to the main antagonistic group of the story whose a sect of the government that wishes to control the humans who are able to hone the "energy" contained within the hidden,which the story describes as an entity based energy field. So from the onset the story seems fairly atypical of other urban fantasy stories. And the writing seemed strong from the beginning as the fight scene's very detailed and fairly exciting.

But even the author's adeptness at writing fight scenes could not salvage a story that lost me towards the hundred page mark. As it ceased to hook me at the pivotal moment within a book. That moment were the author can either deter the audience or further immerse the audience. Instead, as a reader I felt more detached as the story progressed and was unable to become emotionally invested within any of the characters. I was willing to believe within the motives of some of the characters. But nothing ever surprised me or had me clamoring for more.

Many are bound to disagree with me; but nothing within this story seemed innovative. Elements of the story seemed emulated from other stories. And some parts seemed wanting to have the depth and humor of a really good episode of Angel. But it never reached that extent as it's attempts to balance humor and drama seemed largely contrived,just as with the development of the protagonist. A protagonist whose dry humor was lost on me and seemed forced rather than fitting with the character.

Nothing within the story either impressed me or shocked me. And perhaps with others, this story may seem outstanding and compelling. As with all reviews and critical analysis's of books; we're all bound to derive a different experience from every story we read. Some may love "Bleak History" for it's conventional elements intermixed with some very well written action sequences. But for me, I usually hope to not only be enthralled but also to care about the characters involved within the story. And this story somehow failed to have authenticated characters, whom you care deeply about.

HEAR THE CALLING.
No one would guess by looking at Tom Nash that he's extraordinary, and that's just fine with him. A tall, broad-shouldered jack-of-all-trades from Sawyer, Pennsylvania, Tom has a knack for fixing things. He also hides a secret talent: he hears people's prayers. Stranger still, he answers them. Maybe it's because he's a handyman, but Tom feels compelled to fix people's problems. Which is all well and good — until the soul-shattering plea of a terrified girl sends him on the darkest journey of his life…

SEEK THE TRUTH.
Heeding the call and leaving his home for New York City, Tom discovers a secret world beyond the range of mortal perception — a world of angels and demons and those who serve them. With the guidance of a knowing stranger named Erin, Tom learns that he himself is one of The Called, born with a divine purpose and a daunting task: to help the powers of Heaven in the war against the agents of Hell, an army of fallen angels known as the Scorned. Thrust into an epic battle of the sacred and the profane, Tom Nash must find the girl who prayed for his help — because her fate will determine whether humanity deserves to be saved, or damned for all eternity…

My Review:

Since I'm attempting to draw more blog readers upon my forum; I've taken the initiative to shorten my reviews. Concise reviews tend to attract more readers anyways and also your points are emphasized better. As longer reviews tend to muddle the details when trying to extend one's review for a few words too long.

Unlike with other books I've read this summer, David Mack immediately hooks his readers by allowing us to enter the action immediately. Usually with books, an author begins the book with character walking alone within a nondescript woods. Thus we're forced to notice the words of the page rather than experience the emotions of the characters. As result we become detached from the action of the book rather than immersed within the story. David Mack luckily separates himself from those writers and overwhelms us in a positive manner.

David Mack's story begins with a gun fight between characters of whom we've never encountered. We're unaware of whether they're good or bad. And it's these questions that beg us to continue reading and discover more about these two opposing forces and their true motives. David Mack also transitions to a scene where an anonymous girl's kidnapped for inexplicable reasons. Then quickly he moves to the introduction of the main protagonist of the story and his special abilities. Throughout all this, I read with bated breath, awaiting more details surrounding the two opposing forces, introduced towards the beginning of the story.

David Mack's gripping beginning though does not extend throughout the book as certain generic plot elements detract from the effectiveness of the story. This disappointed me to a degree since upon reading this; I had expected something different from the norm. Something that would greatly intrigue me as a reader and have me begging for the sequel. But the character's seemed replicated from stories which were told with greater strength. Nothing towards the end of story raised my heart rate or had me flipping the pages as much as the beginning,where plot pieces were unfolded slowly. With this, I progressed hurriedly in order to attain more knowledge of the shrouded mysteries of the plot. David Mack can adeptly devise an enthralling beginning sequence that catches the reader's attention, from the onset. But he's unable to carry that heightened interest throughout the story as the story's stale elements come to light.

Overall, I applaud the author for his finesse with beginnings and his ability to write gripping action sequences. But perhaps more effort should have been put towards writing something a bit more creative and unconventional. David Mack is surely able to write with exemplary tact but seems unable to separate himself from the dozen other spiritual warfare stories written before it.With these problems aside, I hope David Mack writes something a tad bit more daring. Because with that, his next book might truly be memorable.


About the Author

David Mack is the national bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including Wildfire, Harbinger, Reap the Whirlwind, Road of Bones, and the Star Trek Destiny trilogy — Gods of Night, Mere Mortals, and Lost Souls. His first original novel, the supernatural thriller The Calling, debuted in July 2009 to critical acclaim.

In addition to novels, Mack's diverse writing credits span several media, including television (for episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), film, short fiction, magazines, newspapers, comic books, computer games, radio, and the Internet.

Upcoming novels in 2009 by David Mack include The 4400: Promises Broken, Star Trek Vanguard: Precipice, and an expanded edition of his Mirror Universe tale The Sorrows of Empire. Coming in 2010 are More Beautiful Than Death, an adventure inspired by the 2009 feature film Star Trek; and Zero Sum Game, the second book of the Star Trek: Typhon Pact miniseries.

Mack has been to shows in every Rush concert tour since 1982, and he finally met two-thirds of the band in 2007. He currently resides in New York City with his wife, Kara.



For More Information about the book and it's author.


Other Blogs:
Sci-Fi Guy: http://www.scifiguy.ca/
A Journey of Books: http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/
Simply Vamptastic: http://www.simplyvamptastic.com/
Booksie’s Blog: http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com/
Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
Patricia’s Vampire Notes: http://patricias-vampire-notes.blogspot.com/
My Friend Amy: http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/
Morbid Romantic: http://www.morbid-romantic.net/
Must Read Faster: http://mustreadfaster.blogspot.com/
All About {n}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/
Bambi Reads: http://bambireads.blogspot.com/
Eclectic Book Lover: http://www.eclecticbooklover.com
Temple Library Reviews: http://templelibraryreviews.blogspot.com/
Jeanne’s Ramblings: http://jeannesgifts.blogspot.com/
Beth’s Book Review Blog: http://bethsbookreviewblog.blogspot.com/
My Guilty Pleasures: http://www.mgpblog.com/
Jenn’s Book Shelf: http://jennsbookshelf.blogspot.com/
Park Avenue Princess: http://aparkavenueprincess.blogspot.com/
Wendy’s Minding Spot: http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/
Fantasy Freak: http://fantastyfreak.blogspot.com/

Today's one of my "update" posts that details future happenings upon this fairly meager blog. Right now I'm attempting to create a good layout for my blog. Seeing as the hues of black and red might be an immediate detractor for many readers of this blog. If anyone (who even visits this page,) happens upon it, please comment and share any advice upon developing attractive layouts for blogs.

In other news, I'm currently planning to host Kaleb Nation's "Bran Hambric book next month. Also, later today and on the same day next week, I'll be posting reviews for both "Bleak History," and "The Calling." The latter being the book featured today as part of Pocket Book's Scifi/Fantasy Blog tour. Since I had many vacations last month and no internet connection, I'll be posting my reviews for Chris Evan's books before month's end.

Now for my biggest news, I'm planning on having promotion weeks for dozens of books being released this year. One of those being Barry Lyga's "Goth Girl Returns." For all those who haven't heard, Barry Lyga's having a contest where he asks readers to submit trailers for any of his past releases. Within my promotion tour, there'll hopefully be giveways, an interview, and of course a number of reviews for Barry Lyga's other releases. If this tour's successful, I am planning to have a number of other promotion tours as part of my "blog improvement" project, ongoing for the remainder of the year.

To all my new readers, please check out my recent reviews that have been posted on this blog. By accessing the "archive on the right side of this page. Please feel free to comment upon this reviews and my other posts! As my blog's in need of some more dialogue besides a back and forth conversation with myself.

"It Happen In Italy," provides an interesting array of accounts of how the Italian population defied the horrors of the Holocaust, by not allowing members of the Jewish population to be taken captive by the Nazi's. Usually when we read of Holocaust accounts, we are bombarded with the evil's of human beings instead of the opposite kindness. Through Elizabeth's stories, we are give another dimension of human beings during a time where all human beings seemed sadist at their core. Reading this enlightens the reader to how God works within all disasters, providing relief while not intervening with the free will of human choices.

There were several slow parts within this story as not the whole story completely riveted me. But from nearly all nonfiction books I've read; there tends to be a few stories or accounts that do not completely compel the reader. Maybe that lies more with the story and less with the writer. Or it could potentially lie with the readers. As different people find different things more or less interesting or fascinating to read.

I'd definitely recommend this as a supplemental read for all those who are interested or partially interested within anything pertaining to the Holocaust. Each one of these stories boasts a true account of the potential good of all human beings. And proof there's a God working within all of us, attempting for us to act upon our good halves rather than our bad halves.

With the buzz surrounding "Twilight," as of recent all due to the movie adaptations, it's quite easy to ignore her other book "The Host." Truthfully, I once was a Twilight addict, only to be freed by "Breaking Dawn." For that book made me realize the lack of character development and plot throughout the series. But her other book, "The Host seems to be an entirely different species. Though not the greatest book ever written, the novel's highly improved in both characterization and writing as opposed to Meyer's Twilight books.

The main premise of the book surrounds Melanie, whose in search of her remaining family members. All in the midst of the Earth being overtaken by "peaceful" body snatchers. But as she's cornered by a number of these body snatchers, she jumps down an elevator shaft. And these alien creatures kidnap her unconscious baby and insert her with one of their own. Here begins the main crux of the story, the internal dialogue between two beings share one vessel.

One of the errors with Twilight was Stephenie Meyer's tendency to ramble on about the physical traits of Edward Cullen and describe him with too many adjectives for "dazzling." Also, much of the romance seem contrived and as result it seemed unbelievable for one perfect vampire (whose really imperfect in his manner of treating woman) and a common high school girl to fall in love. With "The Host," love's much broader and encompasses both familial and romantic love. Melanie's choices are acted on her intense love for both her brother and Jared. All through this, Wanda sees the propensity for humans to care for the wellbeing of other human beings. In addition she begins to develop love for these humans and overlooks the myths of their violent ways, which many of her other spieces believe that humans can only act.

Stephenie Meyers may not write with the vocabulary of either Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte, but she's able to flesh out all her characters and help us to understand the motives of every one of her characters. Even the more malicious ones such as "The Seeker," whom gave me chills during the first hundred pages of reading.

Reading "The Host," after a year was still as compelling as in the past. Unlike the Twilight books whose errors become more pronounced through rereads. The Host holds up. I do not entirely hate Stephenie Meyers but I do highly dislike her Twilight books. As The Host involves selfless love rather than romantic love that blinds the person to other forms of love. If there lies one error it's Stephenie Meyers easy solutions towards the end of all her novels. Instead of allowing the story to develop naturally. Stephenie Meyers prefers to form quick solutions all in pursuit of a positive resolution. Hopefully Stephenie Meyers learns to include more elements within her stories, besides romance. And also she needs not to be afraid of ending her story within an ambiguous manner. Since everything in life does not end within a perfect manner.

*If there happens to be some mistakes within this review. I'm currently battling an agonizing migraine as writing this. So my writing's incredibly disjointed for that very reason. Well not intense pain but more of a numbing sensation within my skull. So please mind the structure of this review, I'm attempting to write even with this feeling pervading my thought process. (And I believe it's stress related.)*



Today's entry shall be dedicated to my review of the book. And I'm also offering a copy of "The Enclave" for this month's CSFF Blog Tour. Basically to enter, comment on any of my posts within the next three days (as I'll finally be writing entries over the course of all three days). And I shall randomly choose a user who will then be asked to email their address to me so I may "promptly ship out the copy of the book.


Before I delve into the details of this review, I must detail my background in relation to reading Karen Hancock's works. About three years ago, I discovered "Arena," through a random Amazon search from a curiosity surrounding Christian speculative fiction. Upon discovery, I purchased the novel and waited with bated breath for its arrival. Once I read it, my once unfavorable opinion of Christian speculative fiction was reversed. As I once believed Christian novels to involve the trials of incredibly perfect individuals who rely completely upon God for their strength through trials that arise within their lives. While Karen Hancock incorporated that important element of relying on God. She did it in a way that felt wholly natural within the fabric of the story. And even more importantly, she created characters who were human and not caricatures of personalities of perfect faith.

I've read her "Legend of the Guardian King," series and find it to be the pinnacle of Christian fiction. As with Arena, characters have natural flaws and are completely human with their interaction and struggle to grapple with the questions of faith. Truthfully, I was ecstatic about "The Enclave," as Karen Hancock's writing has always birthed within me more wonder and faith about a God that I sometimes feel disillusioned with. And though Enclave illustrated the faith struggle of the two main characters in exemplary fashion; one cannot help but sense the feeling of derivation of the novel's plot structure as compared with her earlier novels.

Within the utopia called "New Eden," there exists a strict religious rule that nearly emulates that of the Mataio. Even right down to the strange "eye" contained within one of the leaders. I could not help but easily see the striking similarities between this individual and the strange occulus of some of the characters within the Guardian King series. Mind my ambiguity of the references; I haven't read the series in nearly a year and a half now. So my memory is sort of blurred as to their exact description.

Also, both Cam and Lacey seemed to be nearly identical to "Callie" and "Pierce," with their faith struggles and even their budding romance. Lacey and Callie both seem uncomfortable with their romantic feelings, given the troubles of their relationship past which makes them distrustful of God's direction with future relationships.

And add in some strange demonic jewels with possession powers and the characters near the end solidifying their faith in God, and you feel like you are treading the same waters that have already been tread through with "Arena." Many of the story's structure is diversified in its own unique way. But some of the same retread story conventions seemed to have made their way into the story. And for someone who reads many novels and who can easily identify the recycled elements of various novels. I cannot help but notice these blaring reiterated themes and the emulated plot progression.

I mean not to degrade Karen Hancock in anyway or to sound elitist with my review. I truly liked the novel in its own manner. And her writing continues to marvel me with her expertise in description and her expansive vocabulary; I cannot help but be very proud of her from a writing angle. Since she truly can write unlike many of her peers (though that view's subjective). If "Arena," or her other books have never existed; I may have loved this story and would have even deemed it the best Christian novel I've read in years. And this book's definitely one of the better books I've read this year. But as she's written novels that have explored these themes before and have even exceeded herself with "LOTGK," I have to admit that it's not my favorite of her books. But really nothing shall ever compare with her four part series that has truly refreshed my belief in God and has caused me to break free from the hold of depression on my life. And for that I truly thank God for the manner in which she's vicariously helped others who are conflicted in their belief become more confident in their belief of God. To Karen Hancock, I hope you see the repetitive elements of this novel and improve upon it with your next.


Brandon Barr
Jennifer Bogart
Keanan Brand
Grace Bridges
Canadianladybug
Melissa Carswell
Valerie Comer
Amy Cruson
CSFF Blog Tour
Stacey Dale
D. G. D. Davidson
Janey DeMeo
Jeff Draper
Emmalyn Edwards
April Erwin
Karina Fabian
Beth Goddard
Todd Michael Greene
Heather R. Hunt
Becky Jesse
Cris Jesse
Julie
Carol Keen
Krystine Kercher
Dawn King
Mike Lynch
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika
Eve Nielsen
Nissa
John W. Otte
Steve Rice
Crista Richey
James Somers
Speculative Faith
Stephanie
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Fred Warren
Elizabeth Williams
Karen Hancock's website
Karen Hancock's blog
Where to purchase the book?