The Lie: Ken Ham

   The Lie is a christian book that says why people need to believe in everything the Bible has to say. His book talks about why Genesis is important to the Gospel. The Lie also talks about how the Bible's version of creation impacts the understanding of the bible. And of course he talks about how Evolution cannot fit with the Bible's version of creation.
   Obviously this book is explaining why evolution cannot be true. To remain impartial I won't discuss my own beliefs concerning the creation of the earth.
   For that reason my review will be relatively short. Over-all it was well-written, but extremely boring to read. I've never been a big fan of religious books so that definitely influences my review, However I would definitely recommend this if you were a die-hard christian. It brought up some interesting points (which I won't tell for fear of giving spoilers) I think most Christians would love to explore.
   The idea behind this book was meant to be informative about how Christian leaders have been misled, and belief in evolution and complete belief in the bible do not coincide. I don't necessarily agree with the authors points that were made in the book, I do think some interesting points were made. 

Authors website www.answersingenensis.org 

this book is published by Master Books, a division of New Leaf Publishing Group. http://www.newleafpublishinggroup.com/product_info.php?products_id=1017 

A Christmas Home

A Christmas Home

Greg Kincaid

November 13^th, 2012

A Christmas home is a touching story about a boy, Todd, with a learning disability who works in a animal shelter. In the month of December the shelter manager, Todd’s best friend, Hayley gets some bad news. Due to budget cuts they can no longer afford to fund the shelter.

Throughout A Christmas Home Todd, Hayley must work with shelter volunteers Laura and Doc Pelot to come up with a place for each new dog to live before the first of the year.

Hayley seems resigned to sending them to different shelters, unfortunately those shelters don’t embrace the same no-kill policy they live by. However Todd seems determined to find each furry companion a new home before the start of the year.

Over-all I found this novel extremely touching. I am personally a dog-lover and I believe each dog, or cat for that matter deserves a loving home. In  A Christmas Home is truly an amazing story that delves into what a young  man is willing  to do to ensure the safety and happiness of pets.

The main characters drew my attention to them because of their strength in character, and their amazing ability to take everything in stride, but still fighting back.

I expected the story to revolve more around the two dogs Gracie and Christmas, although they didn’t have as big of a role as I’d thought they would they captured my attention.

The only flaw I found in A Christmas home involved the sentence structure. Although there was nothing grammatically wrong  with  A Christmas Home , some of the sentences sounded a little choppy. I also felt that on a couple of occasions when  he was telling about their everyday, mundane life he broke the show, don’t tell rule. It felt like someone was talking to me explaining what was happening. Besides that it was excellently written, and it made sense.

This is an absolute must-read for animal lovers. If you care about animals, and want to read a story that highlights the plight all dogs face.  I truly love how accurate the story was when it came to telling  how the animals suffers when a lack of funding shuts down a shelter.
A free copy of this book was provided by WaterBrook Multnomah publishing for review purposes.

               

A Boy Called Duct Tape

Created by:

Christopher Cloud

November 11th, 2012

   Pablo Perez is a poor boy, teased at school because of his sneakers held together with duct tape. His mother works at a minimum wage job that has given her arthritis, and his little sister Pia, has a leg that was injured in a car accident. The same car accident that killed their dad.
Pablo's luck seems to change when he dives into a swimming hole to fetch a skipping rock for his sister, but the 'rock' he finds turns out to be a $20 gold coin worth a little more than $6,000. Swindled out of the coin by the Blood brothers, Pablo, Pia, and their cousin Kiki go to the outlaws festival and discover a $1 treasure map. Everyone believes the map is a hoax, except for the Pablo, Pia, and Kiki. With a spelunker, Monroe Huff, they discover the cave and go through harrowing trials to find the lost treasure of Jesse James.
   They discover the Blood brothers followed them to their destination when the two groups meet the surviving brother forces them at gunpoint to help him get the treasure for himself. It takes all of their wit to survive this adventure.

   First of all I would like to start by saying this was a book written for middle school kids. The simplistic writing style makes it easier for younger ages to understand the story. Despite the limitations imposed by the reading level of middle school children The Boy Called Duct Tape was eloquently written, and captured my attention until all hours of the night.

   The children had me rooting for their success and the Blood brothers were adequately portrayed as the greedy treasure hunters they were.

   As I said the writing was easy to understand, and the story was well thought out. Christopher Cloud created a brilliant masterpiece filled with adventure, treasure, and greed.

   

   A free copy of this book was provided by the author for this review.

November 10th, 2012

Return of the High Protector

Created by Bob Craton

   Synopsis provided by amazon

Destiny brings a thirteen year old boy and girl together in a wilderness when she escapes from kidnappers and he flees enemy soldiers. Her name is Caelia and she comes from a community hidden in a cavern. He has spent all his life hiding and only learned his true identity two days earlier. They journey together searching for her family and the secret buried chest he seeks.
Elsewhere, a remarkable young woman named Graice travels with her mentor Sybille and a man named Holder. Sybille has foreseen that Graice is needed for a task vital to the world in Abbelôn, the beautiful peaceful city captured years earlier by brutal men called the Zafiri – and Sybille’s visions are never wrong. Continuing her efforts begun in Part I of the story, Graice does her best to help Holder, who lost his memory around the same time Abbelôn fell. She and Sybille already know he was once someone important. With the help of the man known as the Wise One of Lucidus and others, they continue the seemingly hopeless journey toward Abbelôn. When they reach the Pàçian Mountains, they enter the caverns of Annâles-Scientia – Caelia’s home. The people there recognize Holder, calling him by his real name Breyon, and rejoice at his return. Graice discovers that the amulet she wore as a newborn (the only survivor of a shipwreck) is more important than she ever could have expected. Thanks to Graice, Breyon recovers his complete memory and now knows the tragedy of his past.
Across the land, anxiety increases. An army raised by the Zafiri threatens Anglio, a small city on the edge of the civilized world. The pompous monarchs of the Great Cities promise aid but are really only concerned about their own vanity. Fortunately, arms makers in those Cities have invented powerful weapons named for an old word meaning destruction – cannons. Without the approval of their own rulers, a small group of men rush to deliver these weapons before Anglio is attacked.
In Zigor, home of the Zafiri, enemies not only have weapons of their own but also breed monstrous beasts and yet preparations for the war move slowly. Deceit, mistrust, and jealousy are standard character traits among the Zafiri; and the the Overlords who rule spend more time blaming, backstabbing, and conniving against each other than anything else.
When Graice and Holder reach the Pàçian Mountains, they enter the caverns of Annâles-Scientia – Caelia’s home. The people there recognize Holder, calling him by his real name Breyon, and rejoice at his return. Graice discovers that the amulet she wore as a newborn (the only survivor of a shipwreck) is more important than she ever could have expected. Thanks to Graice, Breyon recovers his complete memory and now knows the tragedy of his past.
Having been raised in secret, the boy actually knows little about his own background, but Caelia still recognizes who he really is. When they dig up and find a book about the history of his family, it confirms her guess. “You must come home with me,” she insists and he agrees, but they suddenly realize that Annâles-Scientia isn’t home for either of them – Abbelôn is. They can’t go there yet, but a wild ride on the mighty horse Glori takes them to the caverns. When the two burst through the entrance, the people there – Pàçians – rejoice to see Caelia and gasp in astonishment at him. In the middle of all the people – his people, not just Caelia’s – he declares his identity. The only four people who can free Abbelôn and save the world are now united.

The thrilling sequel to Journey to light, kept me entertained to all hours of the night. I honestly thought it was better than the first one. I had been rather vague with my review of the first book because I needed to read more of the story to get a better picture. The second book captured my attention with an amazing storyline, and an impressively written plot. 

 This series has a beautifully rendered plot, that really holds a readers attention, although the plot was extremely complicated I still enjoyed it. Great plot, excellent dialogue, and the story obviously had a lot of thought put into it.

  The second book left me dying to read the third book: And the Young Shall Lead You Home. I would suggest that anyone looking for a good read should read this series.

   A free copy of this book was provided from the author for this blog.

Angel's Heart: The Keeper

Created by:

Lisa Bilbrey

Synopsis from amazon 

 Unaware of an age-old prophecy, secret societies, and an enemy she doesn’t know she has, Sophie Crenshaw thinks of herself as just being average. Along with her two best friends, Deva and Tabitha, Sophie sets off on what she thinks is a normal vacation. What she doesn't know is that everything she thought she knew about who she is, and what she can do, is about to change. Thrust in a world she knows nothing about, Sophie tries to find her true self, without losing her grip on her own sanity.

   Henry Chang lives in world full of magic, where the stories over the legendary Angel’s Heart are spoken in whispered conversations, and midnight meetings. His job is to protect the Heart, keep it safe from anyone who wishes to hurt it or its Keeper. In a divine moment, he's tied to the Keeper’s heart forever. While trying to understand his own feelings, Henry does what he can to support Sophie, and keep her from falling apart.

   With the help of Willow Crest members, who are sworn to protect her, without ever meeting her, Sophie will struggle to get control of her feeling and new found powers. Or will it be too much for her to handle? Will their growing love give Sophie the strength and courage to face the greatest challenge of her young life?

  

   Well, first of all Angel's Heart is a little harder for me to review because I don't usually read romances. Although Angel's Heart was filled with romance blossoming between several couples, as well as the continuation of other love, it was also an intriguing thriller. 

  

   The one thing I truly enjoyed about Angel's Heart is the fact that it continually kept me guessing about what was going to happen. 

   Angel's Heart was excellently written, and definitely left me wanting to read more. 

   The only flaw I could really find was the fact that Henry used the word 'baby' too often, it felt over used. Other than that I thought Angel's Heart was a compelling story, filled with intrigue. 

   Over-all I'd give Angel's Heart a 4 star review, because it was excellent, but I still felt that it could use a little improvement.
A free e-book copy of this book was provided by  Renaissance Romance publishing for review.

November 3rd, 2012

Journey to Light: Part I of The High Duties of Pacia (Kindle e-book)  

Created by:

Bob Craton

  Synopsis from Amazon.com

   Imagine a world populated with the entire spectrum of humanity. Good people, ordinary citizens of small cities, fear attack from brutal and powerful men called the Zafiri. Great Cities are divided between the decadence and splendor of the wealthy and the deprivation and squalor of the poor. An organization of women known as the Sistéria is widely known but little understood. Its members have the talent to use ‘effect,’ the ability the read and control the emotions of others, and sometimes to have prescient visions of the future. And people in Pàçia, a land with an ancient history set apart from the rest of the world, were once gentle, kind and peaceful. Their leaders did not have the power to rule or command; they had duties to fulfill – High Duties which for millennia helped make the world a better place. That is, until twelve years earlier when the Zafiri invaded Pàçia with a massive army, capturing the beautiful city Abbelôn and crushing the gentle people. Now the rest of the world is threatened by more war and destruction.

   Then an extraordinary young woman named Sistére Graice crosses paths with a man unlike any she has met before. Her ‘effect,’ her ability to control everyone else, has no power over him. Known only as Holder, the man has no memory and doesn’t know his own identity. Graice’s mentor Sybille hires him as a guide for a journey she and Graice must make, partly so they can keep him close until they discover his secret. As they travel, Graice tries to help Holder recover his memory. While he is in a drugged sleep, she ‘sees’ into his mind and discovers small fragments of past events, all involving a beautiful golden-haired woman. When he wakes, Holder still does not remember these scenes but Graice gains clues about his identity. The women now know who he is (or was) but do not tell him. He must remember on his own for the recovery to succeed.

   In the backwaters of the land meanwhile, a boy age thirteen travels with his aunt (his sole surviving relative) hiding from enemy spies by moving constantly and using false names and disguises. When he complains that he knows nothing about his parents, she reveals his family name and bits of its history. Later, she gives him an amulet and implies he will wear it someday. It’s an Emblem of High Duty, she says. His grandfather and mother had held two of the three High Duties before they died.

   A girl named Caelia, also thirteen, hides from the same enemy. She lives with her parents and many other refugees in a cavern where her father searches for secrets of the Anziên people, a civilization which collapsed 3,500 years earlier. Named after a legendary heroine from antiquity, Caelia is unusually bright and mature for her age and her shining red-gold hair sets her apart. Girls with that hair color are born once in a millennium, people say, and everyone in the community loves Caelia. At this point, even the girl herself doesn’t know why they do. When she wants to leave the cave on an adventure, everybody objects but no one can say no to her. She gets her way and departs with a trading expedition.

   Along their separate paths, Graice and Holder are attacked by a monstrous creature; outlaws kidnap Caelia and drag her into a forest wilderness; and enemy soldiers close in on the boy, causing him to flee for his life. Not only do all survive but the encounters also reveal hidden secrets. The story continues in Return of the High Protector: Part II of the High Duties of Pàçia. 

   I was actually contacted by the author and asked if I would read and review the first book of his trilogy. Although this wasn't what I'd normally read I decided to give it a chance, because I wanted to expand my genres of books I read. So I was a little hesitant when I started to read, but that didn't last long. 

  The story instantly captured my attention with the excellent dialogue, well-composed sentence structure, and complicated storyline. Each character was complex and intriguing making me want to know more about them. I really connected with Holder the mysterious man with no memories of growing up. 

   Journey to Light was a story filled with mystery and intrigue, keeping me guessing. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fascinating read, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. 

   The only flaw I could find was it jumped around maybe a little too much, but it held my attention to the last page.