Devotions for Christmas

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms 

About - Christmas is full of hubbub that it is easy to lose the reason we celebrate with all the rush. Yet, from the ugly Christmas sweaters to the expectations of the new year, reminders of why we celebrate the season is all around us.Covering from December 1st to 31st, this devotions cleverly takes usual Christmas events and symbols to remind us of the reason for the season and deepen your relationship with God as we await for the birth of Jesus.

Publisher - Zondervan

Personal Opinion - This short devotional dedicated to the season of Christmas was a poignant read. Each day had a theme related to our usual experiences with Christmas, such as special meals, shopping, and ugly sweaters, and relating them back to the message and events of Jesus and his birth. While each read for the day was only a couple pages long, the message in them was short, sweet, to the point, and full of meaning. The book is so focused on its message there isn't even an attribution as to who the author is, focusing on the book itself and not who wrote it. If you are looking for a something to read that focuses back on Christmas, this one might be a good one to take a look at. Not only will it lead you up to Christmas Day, but to the end of December and a new beginning.

Buy - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ChristianBook, Publisher,

Disclaimer - In exchange for an honest review, I received this book for free from the publisher through BookLook.

To read or comment on this and other reviews, stop by Bookworm 

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Isle of Stars

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - Cat and Ann are about to be married. At least, they were engaged but the author never wrote the wedding, which has Kaylie Keaton, a Dreamtreader, upset. While wishing she could read more of their adventure, Kaylie suddenly finds herself aboard the Robert Bruce, with no idea how she got there or how to get home. The good news is, the wedding is not far away. The bad news, they are currently chasing a mad pirate who is in search of the Isle of Stars, an island filled with glowing gems said to be the last corner of Eden untouched by man. Not only is Kaylie now involved in a story she loves, but it might just cost her life as the danger mounts.

Author - Wayne Thomas Batson

Publisher - Spear Head Books

Age Group - 13 and up
 
Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Fights and skirmishes ensure between the pirates but no gory details. A man it tortured but the there are only screams. Kaylie is willing to risk her life to help her friends and save others. Forgiveness and willing to change is also a theme.

Personal Opinion - We returned to the Robert Bruce. Yay! This was short read but fun to see another enlightening adventure with these pirates on the high season. One interesting part was that is wasn't completely just a Isle Chronicles story but also a Dreamtreaders (another novel series by Batson) story too. In fact, the story was short enough and had both these characters in them that the book could be considered a 0.5 story in both books' series. Most of the story was from the view point of Kaylie, a  Dreamtreader, who somehow ended up with the crew on board their ship. It made for an interesting reading experience and the reader got to see characters from both series and a few quick walk-ons from other books (I didn't identify them all but I enjoy when authors write those cameos). While this was fun, I could see a couple negatives (experienced one of them) form this. One, I didn't get to see as much of Ann and Cat or their perspectives and thoughts as much as I wanted to (but the book ended making me think that there might possibly be another full length story someday so here's hoping [I know, the author finally writes another pirate story and, after finishing it, I'm asking for another. I guess I can't be satisfied]). Second, if the reader hadn't read the Dreamtreaders series before this, they might not appreciate it as much (maybe even lost). Still, it was a fun little adventure with an interesting and deep lesson inside it. Anyone who has read the The Isle Chronicles will want to read this and anyone who has read the Isle Chronicles and Dreamtreaders will really enjoy it.

Buy - Amazon, Barnes and Noble,

Other Reviews for this Author

The Berinfell Prophesies - Review
The Dark Sea Annals: Sword in the Stars and The Errant King - Review
Dreamtreaders: Search for the Shadow Key and War for the Waking World - Review
The Isle Chronicles: Isle of Swords - Review

To read or comment on this and other reviews, stop by Bookworm

 

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Space Kitties 2

"Searching the Cosmos"

(Picture Copied from Amazon)

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - The cats are off again into space with Hearth Books newest anthology, Space Kitties 2. In this collection, cats fight aliens, fly spaceships, and save their world from various dangers. A puuurrrfect lazy read for the beach (or curled up on the couch in a blanket once the snow hits) for cat and space readers.

Editor - E. Kaiser Writes

Authors - A.J. Bakke, Lesa McKee, H.L. Burke, Faith Blum, Rachel Ann Michael Harris (That's me!), Jamie Mortensen,

Publisher - Hearth Books

Age Group - All Ages

Personal Opinion - This was a charming read. Some had me smiling, some in an adventure, and some just enjoying cats in space. I think this anthology is almost better than last year's (no, I'm not being biased), not to say last years wasn't good, but I engaged with this year's stories better. Some of my favorites is the Operation Space Cats book 2 story and the one that is reminiscent of Star Trek and the beautiful poem at the beginning. If you want a simple, quick read or just to get a full story in short snippets of time, this is fun, charming, and full of various types of cats.

Buy - Amazon

Interview - Here is an interview I had with the author Lesa McKee who wrote Operation Space Cats. 

Disclaimer - I am the author of Star Hopper Engineer, published in this anthology, and such this review is based upon the other stories not mine.

To read or comment on this and other reviews, stop by Bookworm

 

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Books Released in June and July

Hey Bookworms,

So, June and July past without much from me. Not even on update or what books were releasing. Sorry about that. Life just got away. Anyways, I'm working on getting some reviews up and I thought, since I didn't see any books releasing in August that I was excited about (that I know of, at least) I would share the ones the released in June and July that I missed announcing. Enjoy.


The Marked Girl

What got my interest for this book was the cover at first. But the story has kept me interested. I like books where characters from our world travels to a new one but this book does it in reverse, people from another world travel to ours. And, of course, it is fantasy so I will probably check it out.

Release Date: June 7




Dragons: Defenders of Berk Vol. 2: Snowmageddon

It the Dragon graphic novel series. I don't even need to know what it is about. I have just been enjoying the series and the continued, new adventures of Hiccup, Toothless, and the other Vikings. I already have this book on pre-order so I just have to wait for the release date and read it.

Release Date: June 21





The Enemy Above

Last by not least. Michael P. Spradlin is a great author and I've checked out his new books after reading his Youngest Templar series a few years back. I was really excited to hear about this book, a WWII novel. He is a great writer and this looks like its going to be a great adventure so it is another one I will have to get when it releases.

Release Date: June 28th




Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

You probably already heard about this book, might have even attended a midnight release but wanted to share. Reading this now and am enjoying it. I will have to post a review once I've finished. It picks up where the last book left off, nineteen years later. If you are a Harry Potter fan, you might be interested to know also that the script for Fantastic Beasts will also be available to buy and read after the movie comes out. According to J.K. Rowling's website, more Wizarding World stuff will be published from now into 2019. Check out the post titled Exciting New Publishing to come from J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World.

Note: Keep in mind this is a script book which means it will be written differently than a novel.

Release Date: July 31st

Some great stuff. What about you? Any of these also look interesting? Making note of a book you are interested in? Share and everyone else know about a new possible good read.

 

Chew on a good book today!

King's Folly

"Their Battle for the Throne has just Begun.

But Will it Matter if the World They Rule

Collapses into the Sea?"

 

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - The world is falling apart; cliffs fall into the sea, a town is swallowed by water, a thriving city sinks into the ground. The king believes more human sacrifices will save them. His son, Wilek, believes other wise. But this is just the beginning. The five kingdoms are raging with their own problems, beliefs, and wars. Yet, they might soon all face a devastating disaster if something doesn't change.

Author - Jill Williamson

Publisher - Bethany House

Age Group - 17 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Sex, at least for the first third, was mentioned every few pages whether is was about concubines, teasing about being with a female (this was done by the males), being (or fear of) taken advantage of, or who was with who, it was everywhere. There is also a scene at the beginning were a man is sacrificed to a god and also a short history of past sacrifices. Magic with the use of contacting spirits and doing rituals. Now, none of what has been listed so far is suggested in anyway as a good thing to the reader. The characters, in their own opinions on certain items, don't see the issue but it is clear to the reader. A lot of the characters do want to do right, love others, and fight to help someone in need, all while doing something listed above. They are real people struggling in this world on a journey to the truth.

Personal Opinion - If I had to choose one word to describe King's Folly, it would be intense. At least, that is how I felt. There are numerous characters of all different personalities (some are more likeable than others) and the darkness in the world is very much the same as the trials and dangers of our world. The story, while having a very Biblical feel to the story, almost a retelling from on of its books, and the situations the characters face, I couldn't help but make comparisons to our current world and times. Themes also of sexuality and its use were very prevalent in the story and made me think of how people see and use it today. How much sex was focused on really bothered me. Yes, I will give that it isn't supposed to be a positive thing the characters are doing even though they don't know that yet, but I found it stressful and irritating to be running into it so much. It felt over emphasized when the human sacrificing or other issues could have been discussed too to see the peoples' sinfulness that is leading to the destruction of their world. It has a part in the story and the message it is sending but I had a hard time dealing with it. It got to the point that I would see whose point of view I was heading for and would dread it, wanting instead to jump to a character I was more interested in instead.

Actually, that was some of the redeeming qualities I found in the book, the characters I liked so much that I couldn't wait to get back to them and their interactions and struggles. I personally loved the characters Mielle, Trevn, Onika and her cat, Kal, and Grayson. I know I'm forgetting some because their were so many in this highly developed world. Strangely enough, while the plethora of characters expanded the story and brought it to life, there were also times I didn't like it because there were too many points of view and also made the book seem long and more drawn out than it need to. This had two affects on me. One was the too many characters, over whelming aspect, and the second was a world believable and come to life, breathing into it something not always caught in stories.

If I had one more thing that I didn't like (yet worked in an interesting, almost teaching way) was that I had no idea who was supposed to represent God in this story for over half the book because their were so many different gods the characters followed. Being a Christian book, I thought it would be clear and I would get this right away. In the end, while I still wished I had known sooner, I think it taught something interesting in my not pinning it down so fast. In life, we get distracted by so many things, our wants and desires, and the various voices of the world, that we lose track of God and not always sure where to turn. Also, someone who isn't Christian, might think He sounds so much like all the other religions that it is just another in the pot. It made me think on how others might see the world and see God and religion.

In short, this book deals with some dark and serious matters yet the characters are understandable, relatable, and connectable where the reader wants them to change or become better or their circumstances to become better in a world that is terrifyingly like our own. It is a book that makes you think, especially when you start linking it to our world. It was a book which I had a hard time liking it but would recommend to anyone who like high fantasy and loves these types of stories. I also apologize for my novel length review but a book this size and this much depth requires more.

Video - This is a song inspired by the book and is beautiful.

Buy - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ChristianBook, Publisher,

Other Reviews for this Author -

Disclaimer - In exchange for an honest review, I received this book for free from the publisher through Bethany House Bloggers.

To read or comment on this and other reviews, stop by Bookworm

 

Chew on a good book today!

Space Kitties 2 Release and Author Interview

Hey Bookworms,

Last year a charming anthology released called Space Kitties, telling tails of cats in space, flying around in ships about the stars, daring adventures, and aliens.

Now, the second anthology, Space Kitties 2, has released!

 



Light-hearted tales of feline adventure from across the
cosmos, by a collection of authors from across the country.
Seven far thinking spec-fic authors band together for a
second collection of fun, unique and suspenseful stories
about kitties in space. What could be more purrific?

Enjoy this selection of literary entries as kitties take to
the stars amid the galaxies of your imagination...

(Copied from Amazon)

I've already read most of the stories in the anthology and they are sweet. A fun book to read. As part of the release's blog tour (I'm one of the stops), author interviews are spread across the blogsphere. Today, you get to meet Lesa McKee, author of Operation Space Cats. I'm excited to host Lesa because I read book 1, The Rescue Mission, in the first anthology and it was one of my favorites from the bunch. In book 2, The Missing Spaceship, we get to see her gang again as they go on a new adventure.

Now, without further ado, let me introduce Lesa McKee!

____________________________________



Lesa McKee grew up at her Grandmother's knee, listening to the French folk-tales her animated Grandma Ida shared. A love of stories was born and her imagination took off!

She’s now living her dream as a Christian Indie writer of feel-good fiction, including a short story series of far-out space cats, titled 'Operation Space Cats'. These purrific feline adventures are filled with faith, friendship & fun!

What is the synopsis of your Space Kitties tale?

Flying furballs! Cavias’s collar has went missing!

Tebbs is on the case. As he gets further into the search, secrets start to get unearthed, and Tebbs digs his paws in deeper. Just what line of work is Cavias into? And why is his own sister, Kibby being so mysterious?

The answers will lead Tebbs and his team on a return trip to Candar for another feline adventure that’s out of this world!

What inspired you to write it?

Book one, lol. This is book two of my Operation Space Cat series. When I finished book one, I knew these lovable space cat character’s weren’t finished yet. They were just warming up!:)

How long did it take you to write?

Let’s see. That seems like so long ago. I’m guessing around a month, not including the rewrites.

Was there any music you liked to listen to while you wrote?

Nope. No muse & no music. I work alone. Nice and quiet. Well ... except for those yowling, er, lovable space cats. :)

What was your reaction when you found out your story had been selected for the anthology?

I usually give my proper answer of ‘pleasantly surprised’, but actually It was more like a toss the confetti Woo-hoo! kind of moment.

Are you a plotter or a punster?

I’m a combination of both, really. Making me a plantser. I do lean toward pantsing quite often (I completely freestyled book one of OPSC) though with a series (the rest of the books, anyway) I have to include some planning, add foreshadowing, and make sure everything ties together. I love writing series (see below, I have another one planned), but it’s definitely more work.

What elements does your ideal story contain?

I write feel-good fiction-- faith with a helping of fun mixed in. Most everything I write tends to have that blend. That said, I could see myself branching out in the future.

Has there been an author or non-author person who has influenced your writing more than anyone else?

My grandma, Ida Portell. She wasn’t a writer, but she was an awesome storyteller. Every child in their life should have one. :) I grew up listening to her tell me French folk tales in her animated way, and my imagination took off!

Have you written any other books?

Yes. Book one of Operation Space Cats (Operation Space Cats, The Rescue Mission) which is published in Space Kitties 1. I’m also going to be releasing it on my own with beautiful full color illustrations soon. The plan is this August or September.

I’ve also written a couple of other short stories since OPSC, 1. Sky, a survival fantasy, and Blood-prints, a wolf fairytale. (Sounds gruesome, I know. And me not liking the sight of blood, lol).

What other stories are you planning in the future?

Book three in the series (Operation Space Cats, The Time Tunnels) is almost finished and ready for critique, revisions, and editing, and book four (Operation Space Cats, The Starlight Diamond) is my next project.

I also have a Christian historical romance novella series in the works, and an Island adventure, but that will take time as I’m busy with my space cats right now.

 



 ____________________________

 

 

Thanks so much, Lesa, for that interview. I look forward to more Space Cats adventures.

 

Space Kitties 2 is available from Amazon now! Plus, the publisher is also featuring a GIVEAWAY. If you comment on any of the blog tour posts, your name will be added to a drawing for an ebook copy of Space Kitties 2. So please comment and congratulate Lesa and the other authors!

 

Speaking of the other authors, check out the list of hosting blogs for this week. Tomorrow, you can check out MY interview. Yup, I'm one of the authors in Space Kitties! Talk about exciting and nerve racking. Now the reviewer gets to be reviews (and have author interviews). I hope it is the beginning of a long writing career.

 

Schedule:June 4 - Facebook party 1:00 - 6:00P.M. Central Time
~ Tour kickoff and cover reveal at E. Kaiser Writes A Blog
~ Interview with E Kaiser at The Splendor Falls
June 5 - Interview with Jamie Mortensen at Lesa McKee
June 6 - Interview with Lesa McKee at Bookworm Reading
~ FB giveaway winner announced
June 7 - Interview with Rachel Harris at Faith Blum
June 8 - Interview with Faith Blum at Rachel Rossano's Words
June 9 - Interview with H.L. Burke at Jessica Greyson
June 10 - Interview with Aletha Bakke at H.L. Burke, Author
June 11 - blog giveaway winner announced and tour wrap-up at E. Kaiser Writes A Blog

 

And be sure to check out the Submissions information for the next Space Kitties anthology, #3. Maybe it will one of your starts to a writing career and you will get interviewed next year. I'll be entering again.

 

Be sure to chew on a good book today...

maybe the Space Kitties 2!



Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection: The Little Mermaid

"Is Grass Truly Greener than Ocean Blue?"
 

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - Pearl has always dreamed going to see the people on land, even if that means leaving behind the merman, Keel, who wishes to marry her. But, when he decides to give her what she's always wanted, it is a dream come true and ignores the warnings of the dangers of land. When she get there, will it be everything she ever dreamed or will the warning of her loved ones prove true?

Author - Jenni James

Publisher - StoneHouse Ink

Age Group - 14 and up
 
Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Pearl and Keel lie to their families. Pearl is a bit gullible which get her and Keel in trouble once. Some fighting. Pearl and Keel are willing to make sacrifices to save each other. The both learn the truth about the world, changing their perspectives and being open to more then they originally thought.

Personal Opinion - This retelling of The Little Mermaid had a lot of the hallmarks of the original tale with a few twists. And isn't that just a beautiful cover? Keel, the leading merman, is a real prince in shinning... ah... scales, while Pearl's curiosity tends to get the better of them. While Pearl is curious and determined to live her dream of visiting land, there was one moment in the story I thought she was kinda dumb but don't want to go into details because of spoilers. Mostly, this story is well told and well built but I did have a couple of things that I wish had been different. This book had a lot of kissing and cuddling and it seemed over kill. It also took long time for them to get on land, like half the book. The people were presented as cruel and the reader doesn't get to know what the people are saying (because Pearl and Keel can't understand their language and vice versa) which can be good but it makes me wonder what was said and if there was a miss communication that blew out of proportion. I wish there had been more on land time and mix of people and maybe a point of view of someone who knew what was going on that the merfolk didn't. For a lot of the book, the world is full of terrible people who only look out for themselves. But, at the end, there was some hope when one character showed kindness. This was close to the end with very little time to get to know that character and have hope that there is some good. I like Jenni Jame's writing, this being the third book of hers I've read, and I will read more but this one is not my favorite and could have been better.

Buy - Amazon, Barnes and Noble,

Other Reviews for this Author - Jenni James Faerie Tale Collection: Beauty and the Beast - Review

To read or comment on this and other reviews, stop by Bookworm

 

Chew on a good book today!

Thieves of Greatness

 

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - Elizabeth is the second daughter of King Henry the VII and unlikely to ever receive the crown or be remembered. Shunned by her family, she feels alone and wishes to be great. Yet, when she starts seeing a flying sailing ship, she begins to worry that she is going insane like her father is rumored to be. When the ship lands atop the palace and the man called Captain invites her aboard, she begins an adventure where animals talk, travels through time, and meets the other children invited on board like King Tut, the boy king of Egypt, Neal Armstrong, an adventurous boy who jumps into everything, and Coaxoch, a shy Aztec princess. But, their adventures are interrupted by someone taking children out of their time and abandoning them. As they race to stop whoever is doing this, the hunters become the hunted and they will have to find a way to send the world's and time's children back to where they belong and find in themselves all they can be.

Author - Emily C. Burger

Publisher - Howling Wolf

Age Group - 12 and up
 
Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Elizabeth decides to go with a man on a sailing ship that flies who she just met. Coaxoch struggles with right and wrong. Each child has to face their fear and doubt to overcome the evil they are facing and use their talents.

Personal Opinion - I've been jumping between rating this book at 3.5 or 4 stars because, while it is good and interesting and the characters are great, there were some questions and concerns I had. The story was really good and engaging, having a Doctor Who feel with the Captain and the Explorer and the strange items aboard the ship as well as picking up people who are fantastic (the biggest difference here is in Doctor Who, the companions are just normal people while each kid in this book is a recognizable figure from history but the sentiment is the same for the people who come along). That is one cool thing, that the every kid is an important person from history, which really shows that, "Every child has the ability to make history," as Captain says, and there are hints of how these children do so while reading this book. Speaking of history, while it was fun seeing  different people from various cultures and historical time periods, I did question the historical accurateness at times. The reader gets to see Elizabeth in her home for several chapters before she meets the Captain yet there were times I thought, "Is that right? I thought it was different." It makes me want to do research. That being said, the issue of accurateness also comes into play with point of view. It seemed it was mostly from Elizabeth's POV yet sometimes the author would seem to speak to the reader director, and then, again in the description, an item would be described by being compared to something else, something Elizabeth would not know anything about because of the time period difference. It made me wonder who was telling this story. There were also several POV changes without a scene break or chapter change that went from one character to another with only the change of a sentence. For the antagonist, I am still not clear is what his motivation and goal was. Lastly, and this is more personal, I would have liked to have seen Elizabeth at home longer at the end of the story, had seen how she changed, especially after how long the beginning was before even before a hint of the flying ship. But, this story was good. It wasn't a, "I have to get back to this right now!" story for me but, when I was reading, I was interested and engaged, enjoyed the various characters, human and animal, and seeing how these historical people before they were famous were brought into the story. I think there is a lot of room for it to become a series and continue on but it also works well for a stand alone. This is a good book, maybe one I would not say, "You have to go buy this," but, if someone was interested in it, I would say good things and support them picking it up. The author, Emily C. Burger, has a great future in writing if she wants to continue and work on it some more. I would keep an eye out for her next book.

Buy - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Publisher,

To read or comment on this and other reviews, stop by Bookworm

 

Chew on a good book today!

Books Releasing in May

Hey Bookworms,

May today (hey, that rhymes!) and some new books. I love new books. New stories. New adventures. New worlds. So, lets check out what's coming out that I'm interested in.

A Branch of Silver, A Branch of Gold

Release Date: May 16

A retelling of two fairy tales by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. I love when fairy tales are mixed together to make a new an original story and seeing how they fit together and what new meaning comes from that. Sorry for the run on but it is so fun. Also, I hear good stuff about Stengl and look forward to reading her books.







Okay, not the best list. I did get an email with about 10 books on it from Goodreads but... I wasn't really interested. It had books from authors that I've only read once, such as Becky Wade whose book is really good and has a new one, Her One and Only, and Lynne Hinton with Sister Eve and the Blue Nun, but I knew nothing about or from a company so I wasn't interested in that particular story (one was a new TMNT graphic novel, Volume 14, but I've already read the comics collected in it so I didn't see that I should post about it) or authors I have read, even more than once, and am no longer interested in reading. So, yeah, new that I have heard and read about that is releasing this month is this book. While there are others coming out that is worth the time, this one is that I remember.

Please, share what you are interested in reading (or coming out) this month. Apparently I need the help. Have a great month and see you in June for a new list (there will be more than one book next month, I can promise that.

Chew on a good book today!

Quest for Truth: Unleash

"Claws Raised. Mouth Open.
It Was Coming for Her!"

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - The adventure continues as Oliver, Tiffany, Mason, and Austin unravel the mystery surrounding their parents kidnapping and Ursprung. As they journey from planet to planet, more clues are found, more enemies are made and secrets are revealed. While struggling with all this, They also learn of an ancient truth of one who sacrificed himself to save the world and of those who still hold that truth. As thing get more dangerous and the come closer to their destination, their lives are in even more at risk then before. Can they stay out of the hands of the Ubel and Corsairs, save their parents, and discover the secret to eternal life?

Author - Brock Eastman

Publisher - P & R Publishing

Age Group - 14 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Lots of shoot outs as they fight to stay free and various enemies try to capture them. The kids lie at one point so those who took over their ship would not know what they had discovered about the mystery. The Wikks never leave each other behind and defend one another even when it could get them captured or in danger. Once they even put themselves on the line to save one of their enemies from death.

Personal Opinion - This was a nice edition to the story. The characters have grown, more determined and more capable of facing danger and always looking out for their friends, even when it might derail them from their journey. The is also a lot of action. That being said, this particular book felt like they were just running around from one spot to the next without much headway in the finding of Ursprung. *SPOILER* It was also not very believable when they shut the door in the face of a bad guy who had taken over their ship, held it shut until all the clues they had gathered were hidden and talking with each other on what to do with them, and then open the door and it was almost nonchalant as the bad guy walked in, found some fake clues they had hid and everything was find. This guy was supposed to be smart and devious and it barley phased him and he did very little to the kids who were obviously hiding something from him *END SPOILER*. So, there were believability issues and a lot of planet jumping. One thing that also just gets to me, and maybe this is just me, but, in stories where people convert who have never heard of Jesus in any way, convert on the spot with only a paragraph of explanation given to them, they just believe and it makes a difference to them, and the story they are given of his love and sacrifice is so general it isn't even specific on what happened. Those are not believable and even people who have believed in God for years find it difficult, challenging, and even face doubt. While this story gave me plenty to irritate me, I enjoy the adventure and think the idea of them finding the truth about eternal life intriguing also because I can see the hints dropped that the characters don't because I know the Bible and they don't. I look forward to reading the last two books and seeing how this wraps up.  

Buy - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, ChristianBook, Publisher, Author,

Other Reviews for this Author - Quest for the Truth: Taken - Review
                                                    Quest for the Truth: Risk - Review
                                                    Sages of Darkness: Howlsage - Review

To read or comment on this and other reviews, stop by Bookworm

 

Chew on a good book today!

The Real Force: A 40-Day Devotional

"What lessons may we learn from this galaxy 

far, far away and how do they relate to the beliefs we hold so near, near to our hearts?"

Bookworm's Ranking - 4.5 Worms
 

About - Star Wars is a rich experience of cultures, morality, and action. But, can this beloved series represent and teach us more about the Christian faith? Paul Kent takes readers on a 40 day journey through the saga, using characters and events of the Star Wars realm to show Christian teachings and Bible verses to bring readers deeper in their faith in God. Everyone might want to be a Jedi and use the Force and visit Tatooine and Cloud City, but Kent shows us who the real Force is in this world.

Author - Paul Kent

Publisher - Worthy Publishing

Age Group - 14 and up

Personal Opinion - 40 days of seeing connections between Star Wars and Christianity. For this devotional, I did only read one chapter a day and it was really nice. I just got to focus on that and got to examine my faith through this great story. Since someone at my church has made a Bible study using Star Wars, there were a couple of times the author would take a different approach to the same situation than that study took so I would start thinking "what about this interpretation?" I was just stuck with that other idea, not that what the author was saying was any less pertinent. I did enjoy this. In the beginning, though, there seemed to be times where the chapter, beginning quote, and the information in the chapter didn't seem to go together very well. Like, it started with one idea but covered another. Somewhere within the middle of the book, this mostly went away but made enough of an impression that I still remember it. It also seemed to cover the original three more than the prequels (but the original three were better). It is also too bad the author couldn't have incorporated anything from the new movie (I believe this book was published before the movie was release or really close to). So, if you love Star Wars and want to see your faith through the lens (or, maybe, parable) or the films, check out this book.

Video - This is a video interview with the author about the book and Star Wars films.

 
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Harry Potter Books 2-4

(I told Squirmy that Time Turner isn't real

but he is hoping it will give more time to read)



Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - Harry Potter is continuing his schooling at Hogwarts and learning more about his past and facing more dangerous. In Chamber of Secrets, the school is being terrorized by a monster that is petrifying students and it is only a matter of time until someone is killed. In Prisoner of Azkaban, a notorious inmate escapes and is linked to Harry's past and it is taking everything Harry can do to survive the Dementors, guards of the prison looking for the escapee, around the school and control his anger when he learns the truth about this man. In Goblet of Fire, the Triwizard Tournament is underway and visitors from other wizarding schools come together to compete in these dangerous and deadly games, and someone has added Harry as a contestant! Fun magic, action and adventure, and friendship fill the pages of books 2-4 as things become progressively darker and more serious for Harry and his future.

Author - J. K. Rowling

Publisher - Scholastic

Age Group - 14 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Disobedience and rebellion is something of a staple of the series as well as fighting (and, most recently, hexing) with the bullies. In book 3, when Harry hears of someone who was involved in killing his parents, he want to kill them but comes to willingly giving them to the Dementors instead. In book 4, Hermione begins to black mail a reporter, handling the illegal actions of the woman herself instead of seeking assistance from an adult. The return of Voldemort is creepy. While they are disobedient and try to handle things themselves, they usually come to turning to a teacher they can trust and learn important lessons in the end. Lessons of friendship, justice instead of revenge, and standing up for what is right even when you might get hurt.

Personal Opinion - Harry, Ron, and Hermione are in more adventures and danger as usual. While the characters do make bad choices that never seem to get addressed in the series of them being right or wrong, there is a lot of good in them. Yet, there is definitely actions I would not condone or support. The characters are constantly coming face to face with evil and doing the right thing. Harry especially keeps putting his life on the line to save others. I think the series also shows well how kids think and feel. The characters are realistic and trying to solve puzzles, especially when they can't get teachers to tell them everything, is normal. Also, the main thing of this series is right vs. wrong and good vs. evil. I think the characters keep learning the deeper into the series the books go. Of course, right now the books are still fairly light hearted, making me laugh out loud and chuckle and a lot of charming magic. Yet, I've also moved on to the later books and they get darker, more serious. I think there is meaning in that. While I can see caution with these books and discussions on some of the actions the characters take that are never addressed, it is a good series that I think can teach a lot about good, friendship, and standing up for what is right.

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Awards - New York Times Bestseller
 
Other Reviews for this Author - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Review
                                                    Very Good Lives - Review

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Books Releasing in April

Hey Bookworms,

It's been a while. Life has just been crazy. Thanks to all who have hung around and I'm sorry for not posting reviews. I am trying to post them more. So, there are some good books releasing this month and I hope you enjoy the list.

King's Folly

A new fantasy series by Jill Williamson. One of my favorite authors. That is enough to get me interested. As the world falls apart, a prince sets out on a journey to save his world. I don't need a lot of information to read Williamson's book but I look forward to reviewing it for ya'll.

Release date: 5th











Counted with the Stars

This one sounded really interesting even though I've never read anything by this author. It takes place when Moses frees the Hebrews from Egypt. The protagonist, who is an Egyptians, decided to go with them when they depart. A fascinating idea to follow a story of someone who is learning about God.

Release date: 5th

Tainted

This looks like a steampunk but considered a fantasy. If it does have steampunk to it, it would be a new genre for me. It is about a woman who has powers she can't control and, in the process, is killing her soul. It is published by Enclave Publishing which publishes great speculative, Christian fiction.

Release date: 15th










Songkeeper

Book 2 in the Songkeeper Chronicles which Book 1, Orphan's Song, was reviewed here on Bookworm in January 215. It will continue the adventure of Birdie, Ky, and their friends. I can't wait to see what happens and have the gryphon in the story more. Also, learn about those cats they are ridding on the cover. I already have my book pre-ordered.

Release date: 15th







Good list, right? I want each of these books (one I already have and one is pre-ordered). For reviews, I have found I have difficulty posting on Sundays. So, I will be trying posting those on Wednesdays. If anymore changes come up, I will keep ya'll posted.

Are you excited for any of the books above? Or do you have your own books you are counting the days to? Please leave a comment with what books you are looking forward to this month. And remember to...

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Bookworm

Dreamtreaders: War for the Waking World

"Would you be willing

to fight

for your dreams?"

Bookworm's Ranking - 4 Worms

Storyline - The Rift between the Waking and Dream World is open. Dreams are coming real and devastation is sweeping the world. It is up to the Dreamtreaders to stop it. But, when the devastation seems to disappear and everyone is in some hallucinative state where they can't see what is true and Archer is up on charges for misusing his Dreamtreader gifts, repairing the damage might be harder than they thought. Yet, help is found, in some of the most unlikely sources.  

Author - Wayne Thomas Batson

Publisher - Thomas Nelson

Age Group - 14 and up

Content - *May Contain Spoilers* The characters, more than just Archer, have to look back on the wrongs they have done, whether or not it was completely their fault, and take responsibility for those actions. Creativity abounds, even to the down right silly. Darkness and destruction is filling the world yet people don't see the danger and terror around them, blissfully ignorant of what their actions are doing to the real world.

Personal Opinion - A really great ending to the series. I even didn't mind 3-5 pages of resolution after the major battle (I usually like a few more pages of rap up after the major event at the end). I think the best part was the change of the characters. Archer didn't just get away with the wrong he did in the previous books but took responsibility for them and even Kara and Rigby ended up being complicated characters by struggling with greedy wants and hurts and yet not completely evil. Makes if more realistic and challenging in this way. Something I personally found while reading it was an allegory to life. The people only say the good they wanted to see, were unwilling to see that they was trouble and danger, it being covered up by a Veil. I think our would, and even ourselves, can be like that. We try to ignore the unseen costs of our actions and want to believe in what see only. The only trouble I had with this book was at the beginning. For some reason, I had trouble connecting the last thing from the previous book to the beginning of this one. I'm not really sure how to explain it. There wasn't anything wrong with it, I just seemed to be going "What's going on here?" It took a little while for it to come back together again. Anyway, a good ending to a thought provoking series (one of which I still need to read book 1. Read this series in order. That would be helpful).

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Other Reviews for this Author - The Pirate Series: Isle of Swords
                                                    The Berinfell Prophesies: Books 1 and 2
                                                    The Dark Sea Annals: Sword in the Stars
                                                    The Dark Sea Annals: The Errant King
                                                    Dreamtreaders: Search for the Shadow Key

Disclaimer - In exchange for an honest review, I received this book for free from the publisher through BookLook.

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Dancing on the Head of a Pen

"The Practice

of a Writing Life"

Bookworm's Ranking - 4.5 Worms
 

About - Writing is a way of life and an adventure. Robert Benson has been living this life for twenty years, struggling with the work and thriving. With lessons of his own life and quotes for other writers, Benson takes readers on a journey of living and writing.

Author - Robert Benson

Publisher - WaterBrook Publishing

Age Group - 15 and up

Personal Opinion - This book was unusual for a writing book. While most books about writing cover fundamentals, are how-tos, this one was about living the life of a writer and living with, and working with, your book. It has a mix of devotional/advice book that was poetry while being read. Each chapter covered a different aspect of living and writing, usually starting with an event in the author's life, moving on to general ideas for the reader to think about and consider for their own writing, and a lesson at the end. What did bother me was the short bursts and the a section break before the next part. I felt it would have been smoother to remove the section breaks but that is a stile difference. It was a beautiful read and one I will keep around and want to share with my fellow writers.

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Disclaimer - In exchange for an honest review, I received this book for free from the publisher through Blogging for Books.

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Finding Unauthorized Faith in Harry Potter

"Devotions from the
Wizarding World"

Bookworm's Ranking - 3.5 Worms

About - There has been much controversy concerning Harry Potter and the Christian faith. Now, Nicole L. Rivera, explores how the series can speak and support Christian truths. Focusing on each book, excerpts and verses are combined to explore Harry and his friends more deeply to understand how these adventures reveal Christianity and faith, one chapter at a time.

Author - Nicole L. Rivera

Publisher - Hickey's Books

Age Group - 15 and up

Personal Opinion - When I first heard of this book, I was interested. I have read devotionals in the past the centered on a popular book but Harry Potter was unique because of the controversy concerning the series. Also, upon seeing the movies and currently reading the series, I can see where more can be taken from the books than just a great story but something deeper. And the author worked really had on it. Unfortunately, I did not find it that engaging. Sometimes the message was really quick or quoted the Bible verse associated with it more than discussing it and connecting it. Early on, some of the chapter seemed like a stretch to connect Christian scripture and the series (but, I do think the early books set up for the deeper stuff so that shouldn't be unexpected). I think this book could've had more editing as well. While I liked the book being broken up into the Harry Potter books and covering the messages in each one, the chapters could have been much more impactful and insightful if condensed together. While covering one of the books, I believe two chapters covered love that were the same kind of love. This made it almost over kill and would have made the message better had those two chapters been combined. Several times, I also became confused on what the author was trying to say. As an example, the message it seemed like she was saying that was should separate ourselves from people who don't believe what we do, yet I couldn't help but think that Jesus said to go and make disciples of all people, which means we would have to be around others who disagree with us. Lastly, but this is personal taste, I wasn't fond of the version of Bible she was using. The language was too modern and I felt lost some of the message. In the end, I could see someone who really likes Harry Potter and is a Christian interested in this book but not someone who has issues with the series.

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Disclaimer - In exchange for an honest review, I received this book for free from the author.

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The Golden Braid

"The One Who Needs Rescuing
Isn't Always the One in the Tower."

Bookworm's Ranking - 3.5 Worms

Storyline - When a man asks her to marry him, Rapunzel's mother moves them out of their village and to Hagenheim. Yet, they are attacked on the road and rescued by a brave knight. As Rapunzel and Sir Gerek get to know one another and the truth about her past begins to be revealed, she starts to question everything her mother ever told her and sees a side of her she never expected. But, finding a life she wishes to live might be harder than she thought, especially when her mother is determined to keep her.

Author - Melanie Dickerson

Publisher - Thomas Nelson

Age Group - 16 and up
 
Content - *May Contain Spoilers* Lecherous men throughout the novel. Several fight scenes and some deaths. A crazy, controlling woman obsessed with keeping Rapunzel away from men so she doesn't make the same mistake. Rapunzel learns to trust others and is determined to do the right thing. Uses wit and determination to get herself out of trouble. Gerek uses honor and integrity to help others even at his own risk.

Personal Opinion - While this novel was well written, Rapunzel's realization that not all men are evil and just want to use her, and trying to find life and true love, I had a hard time liking this book. For the second part that I said I like, that not all men are evil and just want to use her, there were a lot of men, almost all besides the main characters, that looked at her or threatened her with attacking her. For trying to make a point about people being good, most did not have good intentions to her except the main guy. It seemed counterproductive. Also, Sir Gerek's annoyance and then its disappearance towards Rapunzel seemed to come out of no where which made it seem unnatural. There were parts of the story that also seemed not to flow well such as the castle being taken over or the mother suddenly waning the man who hurt her back. That whole part seemed out of place until I reached the end and saw it all come together. The mystery of Rapunzel's past is well done and interesting and good how it was brought up and done. *SPOILER* What I liked the most was that he fell in love and gave up wanting to be rich in order to be with the woman he loved. Also his making up with his brother was really nice *END SPOILER*. Those who really like Melanie Dickerson will like The Golden Braid, but there was too much in it that got on my nerves to completely enjoy despite the fact it was well written and a good story. 

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Other Reviews for this Author - The Healers Apprentice - Review
                                                    The Merchant's Daughter - Review
                                                    The Fairest Beauty - Review

Disclaimer - In exchange for an honest review, I received this book for free from the publisher through BookLook.

 

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