Ascension of Larks Review

Ascension of Larks by Rachel Linden is a Christian Fiction novel. We follow Magdalena a Porto Rican photographer when her best friend Lina calls with the tragic news of her husband Marco’s death, the man who happens also to be Maggie’s unrequited love. She rushes off to the aid of her friend to help her deal with the fallout, for Lina’s family as well as herself.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. This is such a beautifully written, literary work. The quality of the writing style and story telling is top notch. It was intense all the way through with solid, smooth pacing. I was on the edge of my seat as wave upon wave of emotions pulled me through the story.

The plot was compelling and powerful. Linden did a wonderful job of looking at grief and loss. My one issue was that it felt like there were too many big topics looked at. There were the couple main ones that we got to see in-depth and many others that were just touched upon (topics worth going deeper into), but not all in the same book.

The characters were so well rounded and complex. They felt like they could be real people. I didn’t necessarily like all of them and definitely didn’t agree with all of their choices or motivations.

The faith element is very light. There is a theme (a faith lesson) threading clearly through the story and a side character of faith speaking into the lives of the main characters. I feel it is perfect for introducing the truth about what our faith is to non-believers in a non-threatening or pushy way.

Overall, I did like this book a lot, but it was a bit too emotional and sad for my tastes. However, I greatly appreciate the sense of hope we are left with.

Own Your Life Review

Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson is a Christian Non-fiction book on Christian living. She specifically looks at taking responsibility for the different areas of our lives.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. The writing style is strong and clear. I find her very easy to follow and understand. I liked that she looked at each aspect of our lives one chapter at a time. There was a lot of truth in here and ideas of how to apply what she was talking about. My only struggle was that I found myself getting more and more discouraged through the book, like it was just adding one thing on top of another that I need to do to be living my life better for God. As a busy mother of three little ones, it feels too overwhelming to try and change and apply everything in all these areas of my life right now. I did like this book and do feel it can be very helpful, but maybe during another season of life.

Voyages of Doctor Dolittle Review

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting is the second in the Doctor Dolittle series. It follows Tim Stubbins, a young boy who meets and joins with Doctor Dolittle (the doctor who can talk with animals) and they go on some grand adventures together.

I gave this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. This was such a fun, quick and easy read. The chapters are short, yet filled with interesting things. The writing style is simple and yet lovely to read (ideal for reading aloud). The characters are all so different and well done. I love following them and seeing what they go through. The Doctor’s love of learning is so infectious and endearing and Tim is a wonderful new viewpoint to experience.

Their adventures were interesting and exciting, however there were a few plot holes that I thought were too big to ignore. These were things that just didn’t add up or are completely impossible (like being in an airtight location for over 4 days without getting new or filtered oxygen). Even with this having been written in the early 1900’s, I still feel these are things the author should have known about.

Yet, even with these distracting issues, I enjoyed the book and would even still recommend it for reading with children.

Top Ten Tuesday: Fairytale Retellings

Today’s topic was supposed to be the characters that I would like to switch places with, but that won’t work because I wouldn’t like to switch places with any characters. I love reading about many characters and going through things with them, but I wouldn’t want to go through everything they do and am content to live my own life. So, I am inserting my own topic: my favorite fairytale retellings (because why not?).

1.      Violet Eyes by Debbie Viguie – Princess and the Pea: I love the added context and political aspect to the story, as well as the few twists.

2.      Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George – Dancing Princesses: I love the magic in the story and how closely it kept to the original, yet still managed to delve deeper and build this intricate and exciting story of its own.

3.      Entwinded by Heather Dixon Wallwork – Dancing Princesses: I loved the darker atmosphere of the story as well as the focus of family (sister dynamics as well as father-daughter relationships). 

4.      Cress by Marissa Meyer – Rapunzel: I love Cress (she is so cute and funny) and I was fascinated with the futuristic, science-fiction setting. 

5.      Scarlet by Marissa Meyer – Red Riding Hood: I love this spin on the original and especially in the science-fiction, futuristic setting.

6.      The Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey – Mulan: This is such a beautiful retelling, staying true to the original while providing depth and feeling to the story.

7.      In the Garden of Gold and Stone by Ryan Muree – Beauty and the Beast: I loved this gender switched retelling. It was clever and fun and heartwarming (all the feels).

8.      The Merchant’s Daughter by Melanie Dickerson – Beauty and the Beast (Christian fiction): This is such an amazing retelling. It feels like something that could have really happened (no magic, set in the real world somewhere around the 1600s). I absolutely loved the characters and plot.

9.      The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson – Snow White (Christian fiction): Again set in the real world around the 1600s and so well done. It was exciting and quite the adventure.

10.   The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson – Cinderella (Christian fiction): I loved this real world retelling. I was captured from chapter one and loved the context she brought to the original.

Raspberries and Vinegar Review

Raspberries and Vinegar by Valerie Comer is a Christian contemporary fiction novel. It is about Josephine and her two friends moving out to the country to try and build a sustainable farm and instill healthy values and choices into the neighborhood. Zachary is the veterinarian son of the next-door neighbor and only back home to help out on the farm while his father is recovering from a severe illness, with dreams of a high paying city job.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. It was okay. There were a few good messages that I would have enjoyed looking at in more depth and I enjoyed the return to faith arc of the main male character. It was a quick and easy read with many enjoyable characters. However, I didn’t particularly like the main female character, especially the lack of character development. That also diminished my enjoyment of the romance. It took away the believability of their relationship and made me think that they were not compatible, especially for a long-term relationship. It also didn’t help that there was a large focus on the physical attraction and physical contact in their relationship (feeling more like lust not love). The sexual content was not too extreme (nothing beyond descriptive kissing). For the most part the pacing was good, and the plot moved smoothly, but the ending felt rushed and (I felt) omitted some vital development to the story. I didn’t hate the book or even exactly dislike it, but nor did I particularly like it.

February Overview

February was a really good reading month for me. I got to much more than I was expecting. Even better, almost all that I read were 4-5 star books. Also, I am really pleased with how the readathons went. All books with a * have a review up on the blog and all books with an > have a review coming.

Contemporaryathon:

1.      Blurple on the cover – Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland (Middle grade)>

2.      Recently acquired – Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck (Christian fiction)*

3.      Non-traditional format (audio book) – A March Bride by Rachel Hauck (Christian fiction)

4.      Diverse & emotional - Ascension of Larks by Rachel Linden (Christian fiction)>

5.      Meant to read in 2018 – Raspberries and Vinegar by (Christian fiction)>

Enchantathon:

1.      Romance & Fantasy – Eidolon by Grace Draven (Fantasy)>

2.      Retelling (Beauty and the Beast) – Belle by Sarah Price (Christian Fiction)>

3.      With Royalty – The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDontald (Christian Fiction)>

Christian Non-fiction:

Own Your Life by Sally Clarkson> (own)

Christian Fiction:

Where We Belong by Lynn Austen*

Healing the Soldier’s Heart by Lily George>

Fantasy:

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend>

Radiance by Grace Daven>

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine> (own)

Dystopian:

The Selection by Kierra Cass>

Classics:

The Warden by Anthony Trollope (reread)>

Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte>

Poetry:

The Hymns of Anne Steele (own)