Book Review: Star of Persia by Jill Eileen Smith

Star of Persia: Esther’s Story
by Jill Eileen Smith
Rating: 4/5

Who doesn’t love the story of Esther? Who hasn’t read a retelling of this epic story from the Bible? I was curious how the author would put her own spin on the story and was super impressed!

Meet the king of Persia, Xerxes, who is planning a war and has all of his officials and leaders celebrating for the week. Tricked into exiling his favorite queen, Xerxes is feeling even more inadequate at being a king. After selecting the young and beautiful Esther to be his new queen, he finds himself still distrusting all those around him. He doesn’t know who to trust except maybe Esther. As much as he finds himself falling more and more in love with Esther, the duties of his kingdom pull him away from their love. Esther must also face challenges of her own and risk her life to save those she loves.

The author thoroughly researched the historical record and compared it with the biblical record to weave a brilliant story that never fails to encourage and inspire. The author introduces some historical figures who are not in the biblical account but they provide hidden agendas and motivations for why certain familiar characters act the way they did. I loved getting a different perspective on Vashti and hearing her story in the beginning is definitely different than the account I grew up learning in Sunday school. The main characters have more layers and their backstories really drive them in their decision-making. I loved the author’s notes at the end regarding “Sometimes our God works in silence.” Though God’s name is not mentioned in the biblical account, “His handiwork is visible on every page.” So good!

I highly recommend this retelling of the story of Esther, especially for those who think they know what happened.

My thanks to Revell and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

March 5, 2020 by Kim Book Reviews

Book Review: One Little Lie by Colleen Coble

One Little Lie
by Colleen Coble
Book 1 in the Pelican Harbor series
Release date: March 3, 2020
Rating: 4/5

With layers upon layers of good storytelling, Colleen Coble weaves quite the mystery. Did I happen to guess the truth? Maybe, but I wasn’t absolutely sure until the truth came out. One little lie can do so much damage and have a ripple effect. Masterful storytelling and imperfect characters make this story something you need to pick up and read now.

As the newly appointed chief of police, Jane is not sure she is the right person for the job but she has always been a competent and thorough investigator and pursuer of justice and truth. Though her past still haunts her, she finds ways to work with her team and discover the truth. With two homocides occurring back to back, Jane is unsure what is happening in her small town of Pelican Harbor. And when another crisis hits closer to home, she’s unsure where her focus should be.

Reid requests the mayor’s help in giving him access to Jane, a female chief of police, that he wants to do a documentary on. Despite his reputation, Jane is hesitant to have him tag-a-long, especially when Reid enlists his 15-year-old son, Will, to be his camera crew. As they follow Jane around, they observe her intuitive investigative skills and strive to help her solve the mysteries surrounding so many deaths and strange occurrences.

Is Colleen Coble one of my favorite authors? Absolutely.
Why? She knows how to pen a mystery that is both suspenseful and nuanced.
What makes this book different? You’ll have to read it to find out. LOL. I would say that the tone is different than previous books. Although there is a lot that happens in this first installment, I did not realize that this story was only the beginning. The entire series will revolve around Jane, so I was not quite as satisfied by the ending.
Is this book a romance? Not really. It has some romantic parts, but they are slow burning. Now that I know the rest of the series will still be focused on Jane, this makes more sense.
Is there stuff about God in this book? Yes. As a Christian, it’s one of the things I love about the author’s work. She seamlessly incorporates her faith into the writing. These characters are dealing with real trauma and sometimes, only God is the answer to bring hope, healing and forgiveness.

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy a good suspenseful mystery with a dash of romance.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

February 29, 2020 by Kim Book Reviews

Book Review with Celebrate Lit & Giveaway: From Sky to Sky by Amanda G. Stevens

About the Book

Book: From Sky to Sky
Author: Amanda G. Stevens
Genre: Christian Suspense/ Fantasy
Release Date: February 1, 2020

Zac Wilson can’t die.

Daredevil Zac Wilson isn’t the first celebrity to keep a secret from the world, but his might be the most marvelous in history: Zac doesn’t age and injuries can’t kill him. What’s more, he’s part of a close-knit group of others just like him.

Holed up in Harbor Vale, Michigan, Zac meets two more of his kind who claim others in their circle have died. Are their lifetimes finally ending naturally, or is someone targeting them—a predator who knows what they are?

The answers Zac unearths present impossible dilemmas: whom to protect, how to seek justice, how to bring peace to turmoil. His next action could fracture forever the family he longs to unite. Now might be the time to ask for help. . .from God Himself. But Zac’s greatest fear is facing the God he has run from for more than a century.

Click here to get your copy.

About the Author

As a child, Amanda G. Stevens disparaged Mary Poppins and Stuart Little because they could never happen. Now she writes speculative fiction. She is the author of the Haven Seekers series, and her debut Seek and Hide was a 2015 INSPY Award finalist. She lives in Michigan and loves trade paperbacks, folk music, the Golden Era of Hollywood, and white cheddar popcorn.

My Review

From Sky to Sky
by Amanda G. Stevens
Book 2 in No Less Days series
Rating: 3/5

Now I’m usually very generous with my book ratings. I am usually spot on when I choose a book to read that I will enjoy it. Unfortunately, after reading 100 pages, I was still not hooked. I went on Goodreads to see what others were saying and found one review that said it got better after the first half so I kept reading to the end. The story does get better during the second half but I dragged my feet reading through the first half. At first, I could not relate to the characters and was so confused by everything that was happening. I probably should have read the first book in the series first but I didn’t realize that until stuff was happening that I did not really understand. The entire mood in this book was a bit depressing but the ending is a bit more hopeful.

The concept of this book was so intriguing that I thought it would be right up my alley but I’m not so sure now.

Zac Wilson is a daredevil and is semi-famous, but he has a secret: he cannot die. Given a serum over 100 years ago when he was dying, he now has the ability to heal from any life-threatening illness. Luckily, he is not the only one of his kind to stop aging. When two more people intend to join his “family”, there seems to be another threat to their kind. He must find out the truth at all costs while also dealing with all the ghosts from his long ago past.

What I liked: once I got past being confused and not really liking the characters, I found that Zac was a very genuine man suffering from demons of his past. What would it be like to live for so long with all your sins and not be relying on a Savior? This story is a journey of redemption and forgiveness. Zac is someone who is a super empath and that makes him carry even more burdens. He is someone who can see everyone’s perspective and feel their emotions. He is a mediator but he is imperfect and needs a life buoy for himself.

What I didn’t like: not understanding what was happening in the beginning. I would have liked a better synopsis in the beginning of the story to help prepare me. Maybe even a character list to help with backgrounds?

This book is still well written but just wasn’t my cup of tea. I still am a fan of this author and will continue to read what she writes but I’ll have to make sure to read books in a series in order.

My thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and CelebrateLit for an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

More from Amanda

For years, the theme of immortality has intrigued me. I love the Elves of Middle-Earth, the “happiest and saddest” of the peoples Tolkien created as they watch the ages pass. I love the exploration of aged sorrow in Tuck Everlasting. I’ve stuck with TV shows which shall remain nameless (but, ahem, a few feature vampires) because I’m always wondering how did this writer tackle immortality? Anything new? Are the characters convincingly old and young at the same time?

The thing is, while some of these fiction works satisfy me more than others, I’m always left with a tug of incompletion. Eventually I figured out this tug was a story in my own head and heart wanting to come out, a contemporary story that included the gospel. What might God’s plan be for those whose earthly days seem unnumbered? How would their age affect their interactions with humanity and with faith? These questions were the springboard for the No Less Days series, and of course the answers vary with the individual. Ultimately this is why I write: to explore people, their inner selves, their relationships. My goal is always to create characters that breathe from the page.

In From Sky to Sky, we get a look into the head and heart of Zac Wilson, who has been on the run from God longer than any of us could imagine: a full century playing the prodigal. I always try to be honest about how much life can hurt, “even” for the Christian; if we had triple the number of years to accumulate hurt in this broken world, we’d have a lot of it. That’s true of all my ageless characters, including Zac. To scratch the surface, this man fought in two world wars and has outlived all his children.

But the sum of Zac is much more than his collected wounds. He is a deep-feeling, fun-loving, generous guy. He enjoys music and physical activity. He has an insatiable sweet tooth and a need for open spaces. He’s not afraid to laugh at his own expense, and he has a boundless love for people and the stories of their lives.

My hope is that readers will grow to love this young old guy as they journey with him through some dark times toward redemption and light.