The Ether

Vero fell hard to the ground. He felt as if someone had punched him hard in the back, followed by overwhelming relief. He rose to his feet and stood, magnificent alabaster wings jutting out between his shoulders. The sky closed up and the angelic beings disappeared from sight. Vero turned to the man. “Am I…” Vero began.

The man quickly cut him off.

“Yes, Vero. You are a guardian angel.”

Book: The Ether: Vero Rising (An Ether Novel) Laurice E. Molinari, Zonderkidz, 2014

Genre: Speculative

Target Audience: Boys 13-18

Subjects: Angels, Prayer, Spiritual Warfare

Summary: Vero likes flying. REALLY likes flying. As in, from the time hwas a baby he has tried leaping off high objects. He couldn’t really fly of course, but even the injuries resulting from his attempts don’t take away the desire to try again. It actually requires large amounts of self-control to stop jumping off of high places. That is, until he finally learns why he has the desire. When Vero is twelve, he has an accident and wakes up in another realm. Here he learns the truth: flying is what he was created to do! He’s an agel, a guardian angel to be specific. The plan is for Vero to go back and forth between earth and the Ether – the realm between Earth and Heaven. He will continue to live life on the earth as time sort of freezes for him while in the Ether. When he is in Ether he will receive training and testing to see whether he can truly succeed at the role of guardian angel or will instead be regulated to choir duty. These tests have even more significiance when Vero realizes that people he cares about are impacted by what he does in the Ether. Lives are at stake and it is up to him to save them.

Notes: This is the first in the Ethro Novel series. Vero Rising tells how a guardian angel exists as a human living on earth and then has to pass tests to be accepted as an angel. There is much speculation in the story as it sets up how a baby angel could grow up as a normal human. There are also things sets up more as fact than speculation – a mixture of ideas from Scripture and other sources such as the Talmud, Shakespeare and others. The author sets all these sources up as equal, not distinguishing between the truth of Scripture and the fiction of others, even though some of it actually contradicts the Bible. As far as other spiritual elements, the characters are held to a high moral code and the angels generally demonstrate an adherence to Scripture, along with the other sources. Due to the weight of authority given to the sources that contradict Scripture, I do not highly recommend it.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 2/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

Psalm 34:7 –The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

2 Timothy 4:3 – For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.