Remnants Season Of Wonder

When my protectors had told me that I was Ailith, that I’d been born to help save the world, I’d thought our path would be much… clearer, obvious, than it was turning out to be. This felt more like muddling our way through from station to station than any clear-cut path to do the Maker’s bidding. So far, all we knew was that we were to free Kapriel. Somehow. Some way.

Book: Remnants: Season of Wonder (A Remnants Novel) by Lisa T. Bergren, BLINK, 2014

Genre: Post-Apoctalyptic, Allegory

Target Audience: Girls 15+

Subjects: Love, Sacrifice, Family Relationships, Good vs. Evil

Summary: Born to save the world, now, at long last, called out into the world, Andriana is one of the Ailith. At first there is great joy as the called are united with one another in a kinship so deep they can feel each other’s presence when not in sight. Then there is awe as the high gifts of the remnants are revealed in their stunning power. But then there is fear and exhaustion and misery as their journey to find the other Ailiths and the great prince leads them from city to city, with the enemy chasing them each time they exit. Whether it be a nighttime group of thieves wanting to sell them as slaves or soldiers angry at their interference in human trafficking or the evil one himself chasing them as they run from the trap he set, it seems their lives are constantly in danger and they are no closer to finding the great prince and setting him free than they were when they began. Discouragement and despair take their toll and the job they were created to do seems impossible.

Notes: The first in the Remnants series, Season of Wonder sets up the world and the storyline for the series. It shows a world after a great war, a world where much knowledge and products have been destroyed. A prophecy came forth that some day the Ailith would come and free the people from the evil ones who enslave the world. On the day they were born, it was felt all over and these called were hidden away and trained for seventeen years. Then on the same day, all around a call came that it was time to venture into the world and unite with the others. They come in sets of two: a “Remnant” – one who has a special talent or skill and a “Knight” who lives to protect the Remnant. All knowledge is given on a need-to-know basis, to the characters and to the reader. The spiritual element is that all the good guys in the story believe in an all-powerful Maker. He gives strength and gifts to His followers. There is no discussion of who He is – the salvation He brings, but He is worshipped and believed to be capable of providing power. There is also words that represent the Bible. Actual physical books are lost due to the war but the words of Scripture are passed down and learned by those who follow the Maker.

In book one, all the characters know is that they need to find each other and find the prince. They set out on their journey encountering many obstacles along the way. There is a lot of character development as the characters must learn about each other and how to use the gifts they received.

There is also a romance element going on between Andriana and her knight, Ronan. Romance is forbidden by the elders. The Ailith exist only to save the world and die trying. The idea is that romance makes them care more about each other than the world as a whole. Yet Andriana claims that they are not doing wrong because they did not seek it out. It has always been there and Ronan has asked the Maker to remove it and instead fallen more in love with Andriana. This issue is not resolved in book one. All the Ailith care greatly for one another and for human life in general, doing all they can to save the lives of every person they get involved with, whether it be a small child, a guard, someone else who believes in the Maker or their Ailith partner.

Overall, this book did a good job portraying the idea of someone called by God to save the world and attempting to follow His leading and rely on Him for strength to do the task.

Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 4/5

Reviewer: J:-)mi

John 17:14-18 – I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.