Book Review: Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews

Excerpt: Dinah's needs were basic and her lifestyle simple. She seldom left the confines of the central fire and small area between her tent and Grandfather Isaac's. This was her world, her home. But no more.

For fifteen years she'd felt secure, capable, and useful as she cared for Grandfather Isaac. Now she wondered what truly belonged to her and what greedy Uncle Esau would seize for himself. When the men returned from the burial cave, she would be expected to obey Isaac's command - to marry Job's son.

"Why would you say such a thing?" Dinah whispered to the grandfather who had loved her. Love Amid the Ashes, pg 16.

Back Cover: An Epic Story of Love and Forgiveness, Suffering and Restoration.

When her beloved grandfather Isaac dies, Dinah must follow his final command: travel to Job's household to marry his son. After Job's world comes crashing down, Dinah finds herself drawn to this great man brought low. What will she risk to fight for his survival?

My Review: For starters, I'm still not a huge fan of Biblical fiction, and this fact does cloud my review of this book. Mesu Andrews does a great job bringing the characters of Dinah and Job to life. She adds many interesting things to this story while keeping to what she believes in the true Biblical record. Though she does a great job weaving the stories of Job and Dinah together, I find myself a little distracted by the idea that they could have been contemporaries. This distraction really hindered my personal enjoyment of the book. I'm sure others would not have the same hesitations or distractions that I faced. The story of this book, by itself, is enjoyable. I just couldn't get around the use of these two stories together. I'm sure it was just me.

My Rating:

My Recommendation: I recommend this book to lovers of Biblical Fiction.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Book Review: Really Woolly Bible Stories by Bonnie Rickner Jensen

Excerpt:
Through these stories you will discover
That God is faithful and true,
And Jesus, the Good Shepherd,
Will always take care of you.
Really Woolly Bible Stories, Introduction.

Back Cover: Curl up for story time in God's Word, and let the lovable Really Woolly characters help you discover the wonder of the Shepherd's great love and power. Playful rhymes retell all-time favorites from both the Old and New Testaments - including the Creation, Noah, and Jonah, along with the birth, life, and miracles of Jesus.

My Review: I love the Really Woolly cards that Dayspring puts out, so when I heard about this book for review, I had to see it. Julie Sawyer Phillips does a great job with the illustrations in this beautiful board book. The lamb, bunny and duckling add so much color and cheer to the pages. Bonnie Rickner Jensen's poetry add a fun dimension to the familiar stories of the Bible. The rhymes are interesting and the verses easy to read. I look forward to the time when I'll be able to share this book with either my own children, or children that come and visit me. I can see that this book would be a wonderful addition to any young child's library. The padded cover adds to this already well crafted book.

My Rating:

My Recommendation: I highly recommend this book for any young child's library.

(I received this complimentary book for the purpose of review.)

Book Review: YHWH: The Flood The Fish & The Giant by G.P. Taylor and Paula K. Parker

Excerpt: Then with a trembling hand, Abraham leaned over and kissed Isaac's brow.

'I love you, my son,' he said softly.

The young man looked into his father's eyes. 'I love you too, Father,' he answered. His stomach tightened as his father raised the knife high over his head. The old man paused and, tensing the muscles in his arm, took a deep breath. 'Not my will but Yours...' Abraham whispered. 
YHWH: The Flood The Fish & The Giant, pg 67.

Back Cover: From the depths of time come stories that have been told and retold for thousands of years. Now we again have the chance to delve into those ancient mysteries. The Flood The Fish & The Giant will take you in to a long-forgotten world. Twenty exciting stories come together to speak of our history on the planet. Told in a fresh and exciting way, this book will open your eyes to the wonders of the universe and the force that has changed the history of mankind.

My Review: The Flood The Fish & The Giant was written with the Harry Potter generation in mind. Basically, this is a book with twenty stories from the Old Testament, retold in an imaginative way. New characters have been added, and old character have been given names. The stories don't contradict anything that is written in the Bible, but they don't really add that much to the experience. I'm not sure that reading this book will draw people to the true Biblical accounts. I guess I'm a skeptic as far as that is concerned.

Though the writing is good, it's not stellar. There were many times where I thought that I had heard the story told better at other times. I was hoping for more from this book than what it delivered.

My Rating: 

My Recommendation: I would recommend this book to young people who would enjoy a different kind of look at some classic Old Testament stories.

Book has been provided courtesy of Authentic Media and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller.

Book Review: The Hidden Flame by Davis Bunn & Janette Oke

"As the sound of their racing gallop over the cobblestones faded away, Abigail moved her head to see the entire community of believers standing in stunned silence. No longer the wedding music. No longer the laughter and camaraderie, the dancing and feasting. Once more their world had abruptly changed, and they were reminded of who they were, where they were. Aliens in their own land. Judeans, certainly, yet viewed as enemies by both their own religious leaders as well as the Roman conquerors." The Hidden Flame, pg. 17.

Abigail and her brother Jacob are left with the group of believers in Jerusalem when their guardians have to flee for their lives. There is growing unrest in the city. Religious leaders want to get rid of the followers of The Way. The Romans wish to quench the attacks of the Zealots, and the church continues to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Even with the power of the Holy Spirit moving and alive within them, Abigail finds herself an object of desire for two men. Both are unacceptable. Neither have trusted in the Risen Lord. Can she trust God with her future? Each day brings the early Church closer to persecution. Will they be ready? Who will throw the first stone?

The Hidden Flame is the second book in the Acts of Faith series. I have not had the opportunity to read the first book in this series The Centurion's Wife. I think it would be helpful to have read that novel before reading The Hidden Flame.

I found the story a little hard to follow at first, but attributed that to having missed the first book in the series. It was interesting to see how Bunn and Oke brought to life some very well known Biblical stories. I enjoyed meeting Peter, Stephen, Ananias and Sapphira as well as Saul of Tarsus. I think that the authors did a great job showing us the Jewish customs of courtship and marriage as well as the struggle that the early church went through in Jerusalem.

I would recommend this book to lovers of Biblical fiction.

(I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review.)