Asenath - Unfulfilling

When I sat down to read Asenath by Anna Patricio, I had high anticipation. My favorite genre to read is Biblical Fiction; furthermore, my favorite story in the Bible is that of Joseph. When I saw this book, I was excited and looked forward to looking at the often unmentioned woman that was Joseph’s wife. I’ve read other novels about Joseph and her impact on the story varies, but she’s a side character and usually not explored in too great of depth. I really hoped in reading this book that I would have questions answered as well as enjoy a believable story and account. Unfortunately, this did not happen, while I enjoyed facets of the story, others were unbelievable, odd, or just plain confusing to follow. 

Patricio starts Asenath off by introducing us to Kiya a young fisherwoman’s girl. I had no clue who this would be at first, in fact, it made me wonder if they’d give a little bit of this story and set Kiya up as Asenath’s mother. While I will not say one way or the other on what happened, suffice to say I was thoroughly surprised. It seemed as if this story really diverged from what I would have expected. With the lack of biblical information on Asenath though, perhaps that is to be expected, either way, it left me feeling a bit ‘off.’ The story seemed to jump around a lot, we’d be in one area and then we would jump to another. There also did not seem to be much editing of this story.

Either way, while the basic story was entertaining, it’s not one I would care to read again. There are far better books out there about Joseph and Asenath, even if the book is not primarily about Asenath you can find out plenty in other books. Feel free to check my reviews for a book I’ve read about Joseph that I found had a plausible background for Asenath. I give this book 2.5/5 stars, however for purposes of Amazon, I will round up to 3.

Arena One: Slaverunner

Arena One: Slaverunners by Morgan Rice was another entry into the growing dystopian society genre. The book was well-written and well-paced. All too often in novels, I’ve noted that the biggest mistake an author often commits is developing the story too fast or too slow. In Slaverunners, Rice got the spacing just right. I did not feel like I was rushed into the story, nor did I feel like the story was dragging on.

Now to say a little about the book, Slaverunners is set in New York, and we’re introduced to Brooke and Bree. Brooke is our main character, our heroine if you will, whereas Bree is somewhat of the victim throughout most of this novel. As with all dystopian books, at the beginning we have two characters that are mostly happy, yet barely surviving in their present straits. What follows after the start of Slaverunners is a race against time to save Bree from a horrible fate. Brooke is willing to do anything, to take any steps to save her sister. As always, the bonds that are formed between our main characters, even in the face of such suffering is uplifting and reassuring. Even if society has taken everything away, even if there seems to be little hope, love can and will conquer all, love is worth fighting for.

While I do not want to spoil your perusal of this story, I will say that you should enjoy the development of our heroine. If you’re the type of individual that enjoys action/adventure books set in a dystopian society, Slaverunners is for you. Of course you will see similar plot constructs to many other novels set in a dystopian society, such as our heroine falling in love with two guys, and of course we’re going to wonder who she chooses, in the end however this book is worth a read and your time. I give this book 5/5 stars for a thoroughly enjoyable and fast paced read.

Definitely a Golden Harvest



Biblical fiction is one of my favorite genre's to read and enjoy. Since she started writing with A Pearl in the Sand, Tessa Afshar has quickly become one of my favorite authors in this genre. The research she does is meticulous; it's also refreshing to read a story about side characters in an interesting phase of history.

Harvest of Rubies was the first book in the tale of Sarah and Darius, if you have not read it yet, I highly suggest you do so BEFORE reading Harvest of Gold, because it sets the necessary backdrop for both the characters as well as the setting for the story. Sarah and Darius are amazing characters, at the end of Harvest of Rubies some things were resolved, but it's only in Harvest of Gold that both characters come out truly healed and whole. How this happens you will have to read for yourself. I can promise however that you will fall in love with the characters and the depth of this story.

If you enjoy biblical fiction, or just plain historical fiction, you will enjoy this series. It talks about God, and the impact he has in each of our lives. It also explains a sideways view of Nehemiah and the work he had to do to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Reading this book has made me want to go back and re-read the Biblical accounts, something that always happens when I read a great book. Because of her level of writing, the complete immersion that her story uses to guide a reader in, I found it hard to place this book down, and you will too. I am giving this book 5/5 nuggets of gold for what was truly a well done book. Thank you Tessa and I look forward to reading more from you, perhaps not about Sarah and Darius, but about other stories.

To others reading this, if you haven't checked them out, read A Pearl in the Sand (a story about Rahab that is unrelated to this novel) and also read Harvest of Rubies (which is related to this title). Enjoy this masterpiece of a novel.

Christian's Quest - Timeless Fun

Pilgrim's Progress, the inspiration for this book has been a favorite of mine for some time now. Having read Little Pilgrim's Progress and now Christian's Quest, I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. I appreciated the adaptation because it provided different insights and perspectives.

The primary reason I selected Christian's Quest to review was for my little brother. I wanted to see if this book would be manageable for him to read at the age of 9, while the book is a little long, I found this an easier read than Little Pilgrim's Progress for younger children. The illustrations also went a long way towards making this book geared towards a younger generation. While I’m not sure if this will entice him to make his way through the book, it at least is the best attempt I’ve seen that stays close to the intent of the original Pilgrim’s Progress.

If you enjoy adventure books, you will enjoy Christian’s Quest, no matter your age. Christian’s Quest brings Pilgrim’s Progress to a more modern age, allowing many different backgrounds to better understand what happened and the application of Christian’s quest in our own life. Due to the quality of this book, I am happy to give Christian’s Quest 5 swords out of 5 for an excellent job. I thoroughly recommend this title.

I received this book for free from Moody Publisher’s in exchange for my honest review.

Vision + Engineering + God = Visioneering



Andy Stanley’s Visioneering caught my interest due to the well-designed cover. What path do you envision your life will take? All of us will approach this question at some point in our life, are we prepared? So many in life fail to achieve their potential because they do not have a clear vision or the courage to follow through with it. So how do you learn how to develop a vision? How do you choose the right vision for your life? This is the question that Stanley seeks to approach in Visioneering.

My personal definition and breakdown: Vision + Engineering + God = Visioneering

While having a vision is a great idea and adds significance to your life, a vision is worthless without the hard work and dedication required to achieve it. Visioneering is setting a positive goal for your life and refusing to lose sight of it. Visioneering is also about finding worth and fulfillment in God.

What I like most about Stanley’s book is that he incorporates God into the Visioneering process. It is my firm belief that without God, all the machinations you might make for yourself in life is without purpose, it is a vain exercise. Vision brings order and purpose to your life, vision allows you to see your life in a different lens. Everyone yearns for purpose, for a while perhaps you could do a job, but eventually you would want to know that your job had meaning, helped to contribute to something outside of yourself. While a vision does add purpose to your life, it also has a price which Stanley also explores.

I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys self-help type novels, Stanley does a great job in Visioneering and helps you to better understand yourself and your motivations which is why I’m giving Visioneering 4/5 stars.

Regency Era Fun - The Heiress of Winterwood



Sarah Ladd in her debut title, The Heiress of Winterwood exceeds expectations. I've always been one that enjoys stories in the regency era and this one does not disappoint. As a reader, my favorite genre of books is historical fiction because it enables me to engage with a story that might have happened in the past. What I enjoyed most about this story was the unconventional methods to which Amelia was willing to go for her child. While she may not be the blood mother, it proves that family is not driven by blood but by feelings.

For individuals that are interested in historical fiction, especially one that is based in the regency area, this will be a book that you enjoy. Amelia is a strong heroine and is willing to buck tradition. Regency Era England was a time where you could not step out of line without severe repercussions, most notably being shunned by the ton.  I like that this novel shows how love and loyalty matter more than public perception as well as what is ‘proper.’ It is for this reason that I give The Heiress of Winterwood 4/5 stars for being a story that gripped me from beginning to end as well as a relaxing diversion I look forward to more books from Sarah Ladd, I do believe she has a bright future.

I received this book for free from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Dualed

The premise of this book intrigued me. We are introduced to a dystopian society where each individual has an alt with which they are paired from birth. Each alt is raised by separate families and prepared for their ineveital confrontation where the strongest would survive and become a complete.

Our main protagonist is West who has not yet approached her 'activation period.' This story is part of a growing number of Teen Dystopian series. Much like the Hunger Games, there is a cast structure within Dualed. Some districts have more more and thus more access to elite training, where others only have schools. The basic premise of Dualed features children fighting to the death. Activation can take place anywhere in between 10-20 and the strongest will survive. There are of course alternative 'methods' of assistance for the right amount of cash, but most do not have the funds to pay. Who will end up alive? Which is the best version of you? The city of Kersh engineers it all to find out, bringing alive a 'dog eat dog' mentality.

In the end, the idea of Dualed was one that greatly intrigued me, however the execution left several holes. First of all, if the strikers are illegal and 'hard' to track down, why no simiply look at the wrists of citizens and figure out who has striker marks and who does not? It would seem to be an easy solution to the problem. Other complaints were merely that I felt the story at time lagged and at other times rushed, all in all however it was a fast read and enjoyable. I will be looking intently for the planned sequel. 4/5 for a good read, and I hope that the next book will unlock even more, as well as go about a way to bring down this barbaric societal practice.