Christian fiction

Book Review: Skate Expectations

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Skate Expectations
McGee and Me! #4
by Bill Myers

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian fiction

This might be my favorite of this series so far, with the exception of the first one, which had a leg up with nostalgia. Like that first book, this one has a good emotional component, as Nick tries to stand up for a kid who is being bullied. Unfortunately, he has to learn that it takes a lot to shake people out of complacency (himself included). While he may not make all of the best choices and second-guesses his own responsibility in the situation, it’s no surprise that, with some help from his wise parents, he makes the right decisions in the end. It’s a good short story overall, though McGee, Nick’s animated friend, isn’t as enjoyable on the page as he is on the screen. These books may not be easy to find anymore, but if you do have the chance to read this book or procure it for an 8-10-year-old child, I recommend it.

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Book Review: A Fire to Kindle

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A Fire to Kindle
by Daniel Dydek

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Christian fantasy thriller

Rae-Anna’s left-handedness has made her something of an outcast in a time when it’s seen as a curse. Finding refuge, such as it is, amongst the Sisters of a local convent seems to be her only recourse. But even they aren’t entirely comfortable with her, and that’s before a mysterious, supernatural blue flame that she encounters at a crypt filled with evil men enters her and begins to appear on her cursed hand. Whether the fire is friend or foe, she can’t say for sure…at least, not until the battle comes.

I knew going into this that there was going to be some kind of fantasy or supernatural element to it, given the premise of the fire with the mysterious force behind it—though that mysterious force wasn’t nearly as much of a mystery to me as it seems to be to everyone else in the story. With some time and context eventually given, it became apparent that Rae-Anna wasn’t terribly well-versed in the Bible. In the end, though, what I realized is that this book is quite a bit more fantasy/supernatural than I was expecting, and quite a bit different in those elements than I prefer.

The story moves fairly slowly for maybe half the book, as Rae-Anna tries to understand what the fire wants from her and the Sisters treat her terribly because of it. Then it takes a sudden sharp turn into more of a horror story. I don’t want to give too much away, but I think it’s fair to warn any potential readers that there’s some zombie/skeleton action in this book, especially since it is not billed as that kind of story whatsoever. It’s really not my preference in fiction, and especially not something I look for in Christian fiction. In the end, (I think) I understood the underlying message the author wanted to get across with this book, but it felt a lot like two completely different stories were mashed together here—the fire that roots out the evil hearts of seemingly pious people and the undead battle that doesn’t really have a message at all, that I could see. And then after the climax of the battle is over, we have a longer wrap-up than felt necessary and an ending to the story that, again, felt like it worked with the fire plot but was completely unrelated to the minor zombie apocalypse we went through.

The author does a good job with the writing, making the story and characters sound and feel like they’re set in some vague historical time before cars, though I could not tell you where the story was meant to have taken place, even in the broadest terms. I don’t know if that mattered much, though. There are a few moments where the dialog sounds a bit more modern, but overall, I could easily imagine Rae-Anna living in this convent with nuns. This is also not something that is familiar to me, though, so it’s another reason that I felt like I wasn’t quite the right audience for the book. I mostly found myself wondering why it seemed like the characters had never heard of the Holy Spirit and the tongues of fire in Acts. But in the end, I believe there is an audience for this book and any that follow it; I just don’t think I’m that audience. If it sounds interesting to you, though, please do check it out.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

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Book Review: The Not-So-Great Escape

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The Not-So-Great Escape
McGee and Me! #3
by Bill Myers & Ken C. Johnson

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian fiction

Most of us who grew up in a Christian home know all too well the feeling when our friends were allowed to do something that we weren’t allowed to do, whether that be going somewhere, watching something, listening to certain music, etc. Most of us didn’t set up a Ferris Beuller-like contraption to try to fool our parents, but that’s the charm of the main character in this series. Fortunately for me, I didn’t have a friend who goaded me quite like Louis does with Nick, but of course the lesson to learn here is that Nick still should have said no. It’s a good short story overall, though McGee, Nick’s animated friend, isn’t as enjoyable on the page as he is on the screen. These books may not be easy to find anymore, but if you do have the chance to read this book or procure it for an 8-10-year-old child, I recommend it.

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Book Review: Code Name Edelweiss

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Code Name Edelweiss
by Stephanie Landsem

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian historical fiction

Stephanie Landsem fictionalizes the true story of Jewish lawyer Leon Lewis who helped to foil Nazi plots in America in the 1930s. Liesl Weiss isn’t looking to be a spy—she really just needs money to take care of a family that depends on her. Though she doesn’t believe claims that the Friends of New Germany could be as bad as Lewis claims, she has no other options. She soon discovers that the anti-Semitism is real, and she must examine her own actions and motives as well.

Though my interest in this time period and overall subject is usually in the events in Europe, that may be because most books written about this time period are set in Europe. The premise of this book intrigued me, though, so I jumped at the chance to read it. Early on, I was uncertain how I would feel about the main characters—Liesl (code name Edelweiss) and her male counterpart, Agent Thirteen—due to the way they were both presented. Once I was certain of Agent Thirteen’s real identity, it became a little weird to read of Edelweiss and Thirteen completely distrusting each other for so long. For some reason I can’t explain, the big moment when they made the connection didn’t hit home like I wanted it to. And though the book is not billed as romance, and I don’t need romance in my books by any means, it does have some romance happening and in enough doses that the way it played out left me a little unsatisfied.

However, each of these characters individually were well developed and the story was interesting overall and at times thrilling. I was never concerned about the safety of the main characters, but some side characters’ plights did give me a few moments of uncertainty. From the little bit of research I did out of curiosity after finishing the book, the history seems well researched and well represented. My favorite story arcs were about Liesl’s husband and brother (separately). There was a sub-plot for Agent Thirteen that I don’t really understand the purpose of, but overall, I would have just liked to see a little more of an ending for him. I don’t think this is is a book I’m going to hurry to re-read, but I am very glad I read it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction of this time period. It is Christian, but not super heavy on it, so keep that in mind as you consider.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tyndale House Publishers for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: A Star In The Breaking

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A Star In The Breaking
McGee and Me! #2
by Bill Myers & Ken C. Johnson

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian fiction

Unlike the first book in the series, I did not watch the short movie that came out around the same time as this book over and over (maybe once, but I’m not even sure about that). That might be a small part of why I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the previous, but I think the main reason is that the story just wasn’t as emotional and heart-filled. The pattern so far is that Nick makes some bad decisions and learns a lesson as he has to correct or overcome those decisions. In this book, his bad decision was mostly to get too full of himself as he let the “fame” of being selected to be on a local kids’ game show go to his head. Then he’s taken down a few pegs and has to re-think his view of himself. It’s a good short story overall, though McGee, Nick’s animated friend, isn’t as enjoyable on the page as he is on the screen. These books may not be easy to find anymore, but if you do have the chance to read this book or procure it for an 8-10-year-old child, I recommend it.

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Book Review: The Escape Game

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The Escape Game
Heroines of WWII #9
by Marilyn Turk

My rating: 2.5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

Beryl Clarke is doing her part in England during WWII, working as an air raid warden and helping her mom get through the devastation of her husband’s recent death during a bombing. More bad news comes when they learn that Beryl’s brother James has been captured by the Germans. The women will do whatever they can to help, even if it’s just packing Red Cross boxes and their own care packages for James and his friend Kenneth, who is also in the camp. But then Beryl learns of an escape kit disguised as a Monopoly game that is headed to various POW camps and knows she has to try to give the prisoners a heads up about it.

This book promises intrigue, adventure, and romance, but I found very little of any of those things. Most of the story was just showing life in Leeds during WWII, as well as life in a POW camp. James’s friend Kenneth is actually the second MC and is captured and taken to a POW camp before James is. He attempts to escape several times, unsuccessfully, but more detail is given to his time in the camp than the actual escapes. Kenneth and Beryl knew each other before the war started, when the two of them and James all attended Oxford University, and Kenneth and Beryl both thought fondly of each other at that time. This is what we’re told. So when Kenneth starts writing letters for his crippled friend James, Kenneth and Beryl remember each other fondly and start to hope for more some day. This we’re also told. The romance doesn’t really develop as much as it is just there for us to be told about. Maybe some flashbacks to the time they knew each other before would have helped, but overall, it just felt forced and empty.

The story of the Monopoly game being sent to POWs with an escape kit hidden inside is such a tiny part of this book. I feel like the story would have been better to have been more focused on the camp and less on Beryl’s life, but then, the series is called “Heroines of WWII,” so clearly she needed to be a main character. I also think it would have been better if Kenneth had been a stranger that Beryl met and got to know through letters he wrote for her brother, and then maybe the romance could have been more of a budding one by the end of the book, rather than what it was. Also, the epilogue was completely unnecessary, and that reminds me of the incredible coincidences that happen throughout the book. After several of these moments, I still thought for sure that my suspicion about the identity of a certain character’s relative would turn out to be wrong, because there was no reason I could think of to have such a huge coincidence. But sure enough…well, I won’t give away any spoilers. And the truth is, most people probably won’t be bothered by most of this. If you’re a fan of WWII-related Christian romance and aren’t bothered by the things I mentioned in my review, please do give the book a try. It does have plenty of good reviews.

Thank you to Netgalley and Barbour Publishing for providing me a copy of this book to review.

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Book Review: The Mystery of the Candy Box

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The Mystery of the Candy Box
Beatitudes Mysteries #2
by Elspeth Campbell Murphy

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian fiction

When Sarah-Jane is bequeathed a box full of random items, she and her cousins have a puzzle to solve as they try to decipher the clues in the box.

I’ve had this book since I was young and read it many times back then. Reading it now, I can see that it might have contributed to my love of puzzles. It’s more like a scavenger hunt than an escape room, but would still provide some intrigue for the children the book is meant for (maybe around 8-10 year olds). I like the idea of each book in the series being themed after one of the beatitudes, and that it’s not so obvious that you feel hit over the head with preaching. Sarah-Jane’s kindness for the elderly man who left her the box is carried on as he gives the Three Cousins Detective Club a mystery to solve and does a good deed in the end. This is another series of books that are old enough to be difficult to get your hands on them. I’ve never read any of the other books in the series or the related series with the same three cousins, though I do have a couple on my shelf, but I do recommend this book if you can find it.

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Book Review: The Sound of Light

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The Sound of Light
by Sarah Sundin

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Christian historical romance

American physicist Else Jensen is living in Denmark, working at a lab when the Germans invade the country. After several years of occupation, she is recruited by a local resistance group to help print an illegal newspaper. Inspired by the local legend of the Havmand—the merman—who is said to ferry news to and from neighboring, neutral Sweden, Else does what she can to help. Meanwhile, she has no idea that the Havmand himself lives at her boarding house and is the very man she has a crush on. Henrik is hiding many secrets and has never wanted to share them more than when he begins to fall for Else.

The third book in a sequence (not officially a series) about men and women in various parts of Europe who work to resist the Germans in their area, I’ve liked every book along the way, and this one is no exception. There were a few moments when I struggled to fully understand the main plot, times when an aspect of the plot seemed to be tied up, and I’d wonder what else was meant to happen in the time that was left in the book. I enjoyed the story enough that it didn’t bother me, maybe just confused me a little. I should have realized that the final goal was basically safety (and that’s as much as I’m saying).

I appreciated the development of the relationship between Else and Henrik and that it didn’t come across as the main point of the story. I prefer a subtle romance, not that this one was super subtle, but it was more to my liking. After reading several books in recent years written by people who were part of a resistance group in their country (the main ones being in Holland), I seriously questioned Henrik’s decisions about how he kept his secret, or rather when he revealed it. And for the same reason, I was bothered by how Else acted at one point when Henrik insisted on continuing his work, though that was more an intentional aspect of the character than a flaw in the characterization or plot. But that part of it didn’t quite have the same feel as the memoirs I’ve read, which caused a little dissonance in my mind. Still, it may not have made for the best fiction if it was too realistic. In the end, I enjoyed the overall story, and recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction from this time period in the Christian romance genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and Revell for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: February 7, 2023

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Book Review: Addie McCormick and the Mystery of the Missing Scrapbook

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Addie McCormick and the Mystery of the Missing Scrapbook
Addie McCormick Adventures #2
by Leanne Lucas

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian mystery, adventure

When Addie and Nick meet elderly Miss T’s new live-in companion Amy, a Japanese-American whose family spent time in an internment camp after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, they begin to uncover a secret that Amy wants to keep hidden, but someone else is out to expose.

The first book in the series was good, but this one was on a different level. These aren’t simple, predictable kids’ mysteries. I really appreciated the little bit of history about how Japanese-Americans were treated in America during WWII, as well as a touch on Japanese culture. This book introduces a few new kid characters, one of which I particularly liked. While I don’t know how realistic it is for a pre-teen kid to be as self-assured as Brian is, I suppose given the right circumstances, it would be possible. And since he was my favorite, after all, it clearly didn’t bother me. The conclusion was satisfying, and in the end, I liked this one more than the previous. I’m just sad that I won’t be able to read the rest of the series (except #7), because they’re hard to find. Still, if you do have the chance to read this book or procure it for a 10-12-year-old child, I recommend it.

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Book Review: Ruth

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Ruth
by Ellen Gunderson Traylor

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Biblical fiction

I’m going to skip the synopsis in my own words this time, because if you don’t have at least a basic understanding of the story of Ruth from the Bible, you probably won’t be paying much attention to this review anyway. Ruth is my favorite book in the Bible, and the account of Ruth and Boaz has long held a kind of romance for me, so I have been picky about fictionalized versions of it. This is my favorite of any I’ve read or watched so far. I think the author did a good job remaining true to the biblical account and to the spirit of it.

Traylor had to attach real motivations to some of the actions and dialog in the account, and both Ruth and Boaz came across just right, in my opinion. Naomi was decent overall, too, though I might have preferred a little more build-up to her comments about being bitter when she first returns to Bethlehem. Orpah, on the other hand, had no love for her mother-in-law, yet wept when she turned back. Even with those notes, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will most likely read it again more than once in the future. In the end, it’s clear to me that this is a love story not only about the romance between a man and woman but between God and man. I can’t recommend this book enough for those who enjoy biblical fiction, and especially those who appreciate the book of Ruth as much as I do.

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