TWO RENEGADE REALMS . . . PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME!

As I had not read the previous novel, ONE REALM BEYOND, I had to do a little bit of research in order to get some background.  Thank you to all the people who reviewed the first book on Amazon, especially Emileigh, who gave me a first-rate introduction to the characters!

Having said that, TWO RENEGADE REALMS is easily a stand-alone novel, and the writing style – excuse me, the STORY-TELLING style of author Donita K. Paul – captures the entire person from the first page.  One does not merely read about the events that are occurring on the pages; one becomes a member of the party, and is standing alongside Cantor, and Bixby, and all the rest as they struggle to find the answer to their various quests – and questions.

In TWO RENEGADE REALMS, the Cantor party is tasked with finding the famed realm walker Chomomountain, and free him from his imprisonment.  Instead, they find themselves joining in his predicament.  It will take all of their gifts and abilities, as well as the grace of Primen (a cognomen, in this series, for the One True God) to succeed.

I must confess to having read enough to write a review on this book, as said review is already long overdue.  How much did I read, you may ask?  Probably 10 pages, at best.  What are my intentions?  I’m going to FINISH THIS BOOK!!!  The writing style, the creativity that the author brings to this work, and the desire to bring glory to God, and God alone, are evident enough, and more than enough, to enable me to write this review in this fashion.

My most humble apologies to the author and Zondervan for the tardiness of this review.

5 stars for a fantasy that brings one closer to Him

TWO RENEGADE REALMS:  (Book Two of The Realm Walkers)

Donita K. Paul

Zondervan

ISBN 978-0-310-73581-6

JUVENILE FICTION / Religious / Christian /Fantasy

416 pages

$12.99

PILLARS OF FIRE BY LAURICE E. MOLINARI . . . DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT A POSITIVE REVIEW!!!

From the back cover:  “Just because thirteen-year-old Vero Leland has discovered his true identity doesn’t mean his life has gotten any easier.  Middle school is humiliating at best, and his training in the Ether – the spiritual realm that surrounds the earth – has only intensified.  Becoming a guardian angel, the fiercest of warriors, is not for the faint of heart.”

Just because one CAN write, doesn’t necessarily mean that one SHOULD write.  Especially when one’s secular creativity intrudes upon the sacred.

While author Laurice Molinari has an impressive curriculum vitae, and while she may be writing with the best of intentions, her theology (if this is truly what she believes) stands in need of serious correction.  The bio blurb on the copy that I received for review suggests that this may truly be the case:  “Laurice lives with her husband and two children in Los Angeles, the City of Angels, where her lifelong love for our heavenly guardians inspired her to write a book about them.”

Angels are NOT “born,” they do NOT “grow up,” attend middle school, and receive immunizations.  They are ageless creations of our Heavenly Father, and one cannot forget that ONE THIRD of those angelic beings rebelled, lead by Lucifer (who, may I remind you, is ALSO a created being, and was once the chiefest of them all!).  It tires me, and saddens me . . . yes, and even vexes me . . . when a creative imagination oversteps its bounds and boldly “rushes in where ANGELS fear to tread.”

The fact that this book is targeted for children in grades 4 – 6, and is published by Zonderkidz, just makes this book even more disturbing.  To think . . . hundreds, or even thousands, of our most impressionable minds could be impacted by this distorted view of angels (an earlier generation would call it heresy) ought to have caused second thoughts to arise.  In the minds of the author, and the publishers, as well.

2 STARS

PILLARS OF FIRE:  Book Two in The Ether Series

Laurice E. Molinari

Zonderkidz

ISBN 978-0-310-73556-4

JUVENILE FICTION / General

356 pages

$16.99 hardcover w/jacket

WATCH FOR THE LIGHT: SEASONAL READINGS ON A TIMELESS EVENT

We have all been impacted by the most significant event the world has ever seen . . . the Advent of Jesus Christ.  The word Advent simply means, "to come near."  To approach, and remain close.  And the First Advent of Christ . . . God himself coming near, and remaining close . . . is "a riddle wrapped in a mystery shrouded in an enigma" that the prophets of old, and the angels in heaven, have been trying to wrap their minds around since it was first proclaimed . . . in the book of Genesis:
 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."                        Genesis 3:15 

Throughout history, some of the finest minds and most brilliant intellects have struggled with this conundrum, and in this book the fruit of their labor has been collected for the rest of us to consider and to contemplate.

The title of the book is more than a means of grabbing one's attention, though.  It is an invitation to do just that.  To open the hearts and minds of seekers of truth, ranging from Aquinas, and Kierkegaard, and Lewis all the way up to Dillard, and L'Engle, and Yancey.  To drink from the cup of their thoughts, and musings, and to savor their reflections and conclusions that they have ultimately arrived at.

Accept the invitation, during this time of year, to Watch For The Light.

Watch for it.  Wait for it.  Witness it.

5 stars for a work that the world has been waiting for

WATCH FOR THE LIGHT
PLOUGH PUBLISHING HOUSE, Ed.
ISBN 978-0-87486-917-0
Religion / Spirituality / Meditations
$24.00 Hardback w/ Jacket