Book review: Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus

Shadow of the Mountain: Exodus by Cliff Graham

From the back cover:

"MAY IT BE WRITTEN THAT MY WOMAN LOVED ME,

MY CHILDREN ADMIRED ME,

AND THE ENEMY FEARED ME."

                           - CALEB

Two men were brave enough to tell the truth about what awaited the liberated Hebrews in the Promised Land. This is their story. From the slave pits of Egypts to the efforts of an eighty-five year-old Caleb as he battles the last of a race of fearsome giants, Shadow of the Mountain is a vivid portrait of two of God's chosen champions, and a meditation on masculine mentorship and the challenges and blessings of growing older.

Exodus, the first volume of Graham's Old Testament saga, begins with Caleb as he prepares to attack the fortified city he has claimed for his inheritance. He refuses to spend his twilight years resting, and instead is driven to claim the victory the Lord promised him decades previously. Capturing Caleb's early days as a mercenary for Pharaoh in Egypt watching the Hebrews suffer under the yoke of slavery, through a desperate fight with Anakite giants in the dark forests of the Israelite hill country, this is a story filled with the epic battles, gritty intensity, and supernatural events that made Graham's LION OF WAR serios a hit. Shadow of the Mountain is destined to ignite a love for the Scriptures in popular culture.

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I really enjoyed this book! It was fast moving and action-packed, which is what I often crave in novels. The story takes place in two different settings, that of the elderly Caleb telling the story of his youth to his nephew as they prepare for battle, and the actual story he tells. With Caleb not being mentioned much in the bible, Graham wove his own tale of how his life might have been, and the result was a captivating tale. At the end of the book Graham states: My purpose is not to invent an elaborate backstory because I felt the Bible was insufficient; it is to create a way for the reader to encounter the events of Exodus as the Egyptians themselves might have known them.

His story is well-written and will keep you wanting to read more. I was especially taken in by the part with the plagues of Egypt. The whole book was written vividly and it was easy to imagine everything as it was explained, without being overly descriptive. Some of the battles were a little long for my taste, but that's about it. It was also extremely gory, so I would not recommend it for those who can't handle blood and strong violence. It even made me cringe at a few parts, and I have a pretty high tolerance for that sort of stuff. 

But overall a very good read and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Biblical fiction and can handle the gore.

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: A Refuge at Highland Hall

A Refuge at Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky

From the back cover:

The Great War shakes the world of a spirited young woman and the brave British pilot she loves, taking her from London to her family's magnificent country estate, and sending him into the war-torn skies over France.

Penny Ramsey has always considered Highland Hall her home, but when Britain becomes involved in World War I, she travels to London to help her sister Kate with the eight orphan children she and her husband, Jon, have taken into their home. Doing her part for the war effort takes priority over Penny's dreams of romance until she meets Alex Goodwin, a Royal Naval Air Service pilot in training.

Alex is determined to prove his worth and do his part to defend his country. Knowing he is heading off for the dangerous assignment of chasing Zeppelins in France, he feels it's unwise to form any romantic attachments. But he can't help admiring the pretty, warm-hearted Penny and wondering what it would be like to find her waiting when he returns home from the war.

As Penny writes to Alex, their friendship blossoms, and she becomes his tie to home and normalcy as he faces the hardships of war. But being an RNAS pilot means confronting the enemy, and the fallout from those experiences pushes Alex beyond Penny's reach. Can God mend the brokenness left by the losses of war?

I hate to too harshly critique a piece of literature, because it is a dear thing to me, nor is this a direct jab to the book or its author, but I found this book to be far too slow-paced for my liking. While the story had its strong points, and it was not in the least the worst book I've read, it was certainly not the best. It's more a matter of my own, personal prefernces rather than to how good the book was. In order for me to become enamored by a story, it must be moving forward constantly and speedily, a new scenario popping up in every chapter. The characters must be strong individuals with realistic personalities, fears, and flaws. This book, in terms of that criteria, was mediocre. I found myself becoming bored more than once, and I actually had to force myself to read it because I knew I needed to finish it in order to write this review. I did find parts of the story likeable, especially the side romance that took place between two of the minor characters, and the writing wasn't all bad. There were, however, several typos throughout the book, and I'm fairly certain this was not an advanced reading copy as it did not say so on the cover as they usually do. Also, there were two very similar scenes in the book which I found silly! In both scenes, there was a mail call, and the man whose perspective it is in is hoping he has a letter, but then becomes dissappointed when the stack of mail is depleted and his name wasn't called. But wait! The man announcing who the mail is for reaches again into his bag and pulls out a package, which is in fact for the man in whose perspective it is! This happened twice, to two different characters! Maybe I'm being ridiculous, but I just found it to be redundant. Also, the end of the book felt rather rushed, with poorly worded sentences thrown in. I can often sense a change in an author's writing when a book is nearing its end, like she was coming too close to her deadline and had to hurry to finish it up.
In conclusion, it was not a terrible story, it had its ups and downs, but overall it was just too slow and boring for my taste, though I am sure (and know) that there are others who would enjoy it, as I noticed it has several 5 star reviews on goodreads. Mostly, my opinion is just a personal prefernece.
Because it did have some interesting twists and a few likeable characters, and was clean and Godly, I give it a rating of 3 out of 5.

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Press in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Awakening

Awakening by Tracy Higley

Kallie Andreas is a mystery, even to herself.

Seven years ago Kallie woke up in a New York City museum, injured and traumatized. Alone and unclaimed.

Despite her shattered memories, she's worked her way into a position as assistant curator in that very museum, and now she wants nothing more than to pursue funding for her project--assembling pieces from the ancient Minoans.

But then the blackouts start. Lost time, stranded in terrifying danger, frantic visions that can't be real. A threatening phone call may be nothing more than paranoia and madness. Or perhaps not.

It's time to start seeing her psychiatrist more often.

Kallie's doctor challenges her to keep a journal, but her writing morphs into something else... What begins as a romantic fairy tale becomes an allegory of a woman plunged into crisis in the ancient past, in the misty islands of Minoan Greece, home to myth and legend.

When a mysterious billionaire invites Kallie to scour the black market with him for the most valuable of all Minoan treasures, the key to their lost language, Kallie can't resist. Dimitri is wealthy, charming and good-looking, but she's not interested--not in someone who's clearly hiding secrets of his own.

Together, the two embark on a global quest to find the Key, through some of the most exotic and beautiful locations in the world--unraveling the mystery and pursuing leads, all the while resisting romance in Italy, under the Santorini sun, and among the pyramids of Egypt.

Meanwhile, Kallie's memories are bleeding through and her journal has turned violent. She's teetering on the verge of a breakthrough, but what devastating truth has she been suppressing?

When a strange woman who clearly knows Kallie's real identity tries to murder her, it's clear that Kallie's past and present worlds are colliding, in a deadly crisis that will finally reveal the shocking mystery of her past.

But will the truth leave room for love?

This was a pretty good book! I love anything to do with treasure hunters, and I loved the locations in this book! It was mysterious and fairly well-written. It kept my interest pretty well, and was an easy book to read, although I did read it kind of slowly. The only things I didn't like was that Kallie turned to an Oracle rather than God, and while it was a clean book there was very little in the way of Christianity. The other thing was that I found Kallie's traveling companions to be extrememly stereotypical and cliche, and that really annoyed me. So those things aside, it was well written and an entertaining, mysterious story. 

Book review: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of peculiar photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregine's Home For Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Chidren. As Jacob explores its decaying bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that Miss Peregrine's children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow---impossible though it seems---they may still be alive.

This was a really good book! Very well written and an engaging and mysterious story that kept me reading at a steady pace, eager to see what happens next. I enjoyed the characters and the setting a lot. I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes these sorts of books! It does have a lot of language and gore, and some things that some would find frightening, so it isn't for everyone. But a very good book, and now I look forward to seeing the movie when it comes out!

Book Review: Beyond All Dreams

Beyond All Dreams by Elizabeth Camden

Anna O'Brien leads a predictable and quiet life as a map librarian at the illustrious Library of Congress until she stumbles across the baffling mystery of a ship disappeared at sea. Thwarted in her attempts to uncover information, her determination outweighs her shyness and she turns to a dashing congressman for help. 

Luke Callahan was one of the nation's most powerful congressmen before his promising career was shadowed in scandal. Eager to share in a new cause and intrigued by the winsome librarian, he joins forces with Anna to solve the mystery of the lost ship.

From the gilded halls of the Capital to the scholarly archives of the nation's finest library, Anna and Luke are soon embroiled in secrets much bigger and more perilous than they ever imagined. Is bringing the truth to light worth riskig all they've ever dreamed for their futures? 

I inched through this book very slowly at first, but I think it was more due to me not being in much of a reading mood over the winter. Then I picked it up last night and finished it off! I loved the setting and the plot and charatcers were likeable. I especially liked Luke, and Anna reminded me a bit of myself. There were parts that I found to be a bit slow, and then it seemed like the end was on the rushed side, but overall I thoght it to be an enjoyable read. This was the second book I've read by Elizabeth Camden and it surely won't be the last! I like her writing style and she seems to choose very interesting topics, settings, and characters. Her style seems fresh and a little different from your typical Christian historical romance. I don't think I liked this book as well as the other I read by her, "With Every Breath", which I thought was amazing, but this one was still good! I definitely recommend this author to others!  

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.

Books I read in 2015

Happy New Year! Here's my collage of the books I read in 2015. I had really hoped to do more reading, but I ended up only reading half the amount of books I read in 2014! So I'm really going to try to make 2016 a better reading year!

Book Review: The Man of the Desert

The Man of the Desert by Grace Livingston Hill

John Brownleigh had lived the lonely life of a missionary for three years, ministering to his flock of Indians in the desert. Although he longed for companionship, he knew it would take a special type of woman to live his chosen life with him.

Hazel Radcliffe arrived in Arizona by private car on a passing train. She planned to stay for only one day, but circumstances threw her into deep trouble. Saved by Brownleigh, she felt an immediate attraction for the strong, dedicated man. Could two such different people ever find happiness together? Or was their love fated to be put aside forever?

I actually read this book a couple months ago and never got around to writing a review for it, so I thought I best do so before the new year! This was a cute, lighthearted little romance story. I enjoyed it pretty well, though at times it got a little too wordy for me, and the perspective was a bit odd, but I think its style was what was popular for the time it was written, so I'm not going to complain too much. Overall a sweet story that could easily be read in just a couple days. A "cozy" read, if you know what I mean!