Book Review: The Telling by Mike Duran

Zephaniah Walker, or Zeph as he is known by the very few who have met him, lives in seclusion. Working in the small, run down book swap, he rarely has contact outside of his morning cinnamon roll at the neighbors. He has a gift of foreseeing the future, but he hates it more than anything.

Annie Lane has noticed people changing before her eyes. Her dear friends have not been themselves, and their behaviors are more so that of a creature than that of a human.

In a perplexing downward spiral, Zeph, Annie, and Annie’s granddaughter are pushed into the center of an supernatural war, and the time to win is running out.

I disliked:

• The theology. It was definitely wacko, so unless this book is entitled STRICTLY Science Fiction, then some people could possibly be deceived into thinking this was reality.
• The anti-climatic ending. The book’s  beginning and middle suggested an extremely captivating ending, but it was really short. It seemed that it was so suspenseful, and then it was over.
• The indwelling. I am not going to spoil it for anyone, but it was REALLY creepy.
• The lack of God. I can barely recall two sentences in which God was mentioned, and they were really short.

I liked:

• The line Zeph said at the end. I am not giving any spoilers, but it was powerful.
• The character description. You could really get into the characters minds (that was a joke you will get if you read the book) and see who they were!
• The plot. Although it was somewhat creepy, it was a good theme for a sci-fi book.

Overall:

Use caution when reading this book, and read it with a completely biased mindset. As long as you can remember that it is not real, then you will be great!

Thank you to Charisma House for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book review: The Whole Guy Thing by Nancy Rue

How do us teenage girls relate to guys? Why do they flirt with us one minute, and then act as if we do not exist the next? After seeing that teenage girls asked a myriad of questions about the male species, Nancy Rue set out to write a book answering girls’ questions about guys.  She explains how they are trying to figure out how we think just as much (if not more) than we are trying to figure out their minds!

I liked:

• Nancy Rue’s down to earth style. I love reading non-fiction books where it feels like the author is drinking tea with you in coffee shop. It really suited this book.
• The age versatility. It wasn’t graphic at all, and it still got the right messages across. This makes it the go-to book for anywhere from ages 12-18.
• The  “twitter version.” I really loved how she summed the sections off in only a couple sentences at the end of each section. It was impressive how she went into detail, and just gave the whole message in 140 characters (or less :)
• The overall structure. It was perfectly structured. I loved how each chapter had different sections, and though they had different topics, they all fit together nicely.

I disliked:

• I can’t think of too many thinks I disliked. I was somewhat neutral to a few issues, ones that for me are common knowledge, but that doesn’t mean they were common knowledge for everyone!

Overall:

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to start to understand guys. This is the perfect book as an introduction into understanding boys, purity and love. If you want to go deeper after reading this book, I would suggest Guys are Waffles, Girls are Spaghetti by Chad Eastham, which is like a sequel to The Whole Guy Thing. I believe this book is perfect for girls ages 12-18.

Thank you to Zondervan for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis

Amelia Devries is a violinist. She has worked nearly her entire life to be a world-renowned violinist. However, once her goal is within reach, she realizes that she does not have the same goals she had as a child.  

Michael  Hostetler has long been in his “running around” years. Too long for his parents’ tastes. While he loves the ancient faith of his family, he also feels penned in by their traditional ways.

In a twist of fate, Michael and Amelia’s fates intertwine in a way only God could have planned

I liked:

• The cover. It was definitely beautiful. 
• The description. I adored the vivid colors, textures, and emotions Beverly Lewis so accurately described.
• The plot.  It was very interesting to see what Michael and Amelia had in common. The plot was definitely anti-climatic, but most Amish books are.  
• The violin. You could almost hear it playing as you read.

I disliked:

• The lack of suspense. It was pretty slow, although not too slow.
• The sickness. It talked about her father being sick, and to put it plainly, it was depressing. I do not see why you would WANT to read a book, invest your time in it, and spend a lot of the time reading about someone dying.  I understand when the plot needs sickness, (I do not like books that need sickness in the plot, but it makes sense why authors write sickness into the plot.) however, I this book really didn’t need it. I was written in nearly every chapter, and it really did not have to be. Her dad dies at the end, and it is miserable AND unnecessary.

Overall, while this book isn’t the worst book I have read, it was definitely not the best. I personally will probably never read it again. I rarely ever read books more than twice, so it has to be a REALLY good book to read more than once. I would recommend this to musicians, because they will appreciate the beautiful use of musical description.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review by Bethany House Publishers.