Hunt For The Devil’s Dragon

Tuesday, August 18, 2015


Aazan then drew his own sword and said, “It doesn’t seek the blood of a newcomer. It seeks the blood of a true child of Silene.”

“”No!” Tarek shouted.

Aazan’s eyes darted around the square. Then he pointed. “Seize Sabra!” he cried out.

Book: Hunt for the Devil's Dragon (AIO Imagination Station Books)by Marianne Hering and Wayne Thomas Batson, Focus on the Family and Tyndale House Publishing, 2013


Genre: Adventure
Target Audience: Boys and girls 8-13
Subjects: Fear, Superstition, Sacrifice, Faith, Courage
Summary: Courage. It’s hard to come by sometimes. Beth wants to do the right thing and stand up for those being bullied. Standing up to a bully seems as hard as facing a dragon though! Thankfully Mr. Whittaker has the perfect solution for her – an imagination station adventure. He sends Patrick and Beth to 13th century Libya to face a real dragon and another bully. This time the bully isn’t interested in attacking with mere words though. This time it’s the actual life he is threatening.  
Notes: This is the 11th in the Imagination Station Adventures series. The series is much like the secular Magic Tree House books but instead of wizards and magic it’s imagination and inventions giving them the different place/different time experiences. The radio show the concept is taken from is very solid – full of great spiritual elements and lessons and challenges as well as fun and excitement. This book did a much better job than some of the other in the series at focusing on spiritual elements. The spiritual element in this story is how much Christ can change a life. A solider who follows Christ risks his own life and career multiple times to rescue those in trouble or help those in need. It’s the example Beth needs to be able to find the courage to stand up for what is right in her life. As with the Magic Tree House, part of the focus of the series is on giving a picture of the time and place featured in the setting of the book.
Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi

Philippians 1:20 - I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

Captured On The High Seas

“Those ships are floating graveyards,” James said. “I’ve heard that most of the prisoners die.”
Henry looked down at the ditty bag he was sewing. He shook his head. “They don’t all die on the ships,” he said. “A lot of them are sent to the West Indies to be slaves.”

Beth gasped and looked at Patrick and James. “What are we going to do?” she asked.

Book: Captured on the High Seas (AIO Imagination Station Books)
by Marianne Hering and Nancy L. Sanders, Focus on the Family and Tyndale House Publishing, 2014

Genre: Adventure
Target Audience: Boys and girls 8-13
Subjects: Patriotism, Sacrifice
Summary: Something is wrong! The Imagination Station didn’t take them back to Whit’s End after their last adventure! Instead, Patrick and Beth find themselves on a ship in the middle of the Revolutionary War. Soon their ship is captured by the British and they face the anticipation of becoming slaves or prisoners or dead.
Notes: This is the 14th in the Imagination Station Adventures series. The series is much like the secular Magic Tree House books but instead of wizards and magic it’s imagination and inventions giving them the different place/different time experiences. The radio show the concept is taken from is very solid – full of great spiritual elements and lessons and challenges as well as fun and excitement. The spiritual elements in this particular story, however, were minimal. Patrick asks God for help a couple of times when in trouble. And a character makes reference to “Providence” when talking about the Declaration of Independence. The focus really is a lot more on patriotism than Christianity. Characters are loyal to the country rather than faith. As with the Magic Tree House, part of the focus of the series is on giving a picture of the time and place featured in the setting of the book.
Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi

Philippians 2:1-5 – If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Danger On A Silent Night

“What about the cousin? Have you found her?” the king asked.

“I sent guards to search the palace,” Brutus said.

Beth was chilled to hear them talking about her.

“What should I do with her when we find her?” Brutus asked.

“Kill her,” King Herod said.

Book: Danger on a Silent Night (AIO Imagination Station Books) by Marianne Hering and Nancy L. Sanders, Focus on the Family and Tyndale House Publishing, 2013



Genre: Adventure
Target Audience: Boys and girls 8-13
Subjects: Christmas, Gifts
Summary: What IS Christmas about anyway? What role do gifts play in it? These are the questions Patrick and Beth are investigating in the Imagination Station this adventure. Mr. Whittaker sends them back to Israel during the time of a mad king and some strange visitors to the country. Beth finds himself in the king’s palace and Patrick finds himself with the magi. Both get to experience all the drama of the magi’s experience with baby Jesus.
Notes: This is the 12th in the Imagination Station Adventures series. The series is much like the secular Magic Tree House books but instead of wizards and magic it’s imagination and inventions giving them the different place/different time experiences. The radio show the concept is taken from is very solid – full of great spiritual elements and lessons and challenges as well as fun and excitement. This book did a much better job than some of the other in the series at focusing on spiritual elements. The spiritual element in this story is how telling a story straight from the Bible – the story of the Magi’s visit to see the Christ Child. As with the Magic Tree House, part of the focus of the series is on giving a picture of the time and place featured in the setting of the book.
Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi

Matthew 2:9-10 - After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 

Revolutionary

Friday, August 14, 2015


“Alex, we need to make a trip to Athens so we can recover the formula for the pharmaceuticals your father used.” Loudin motions for a Monitor to bring Alex to him.
“Never.” Alex shakes off the Monitor’s hand.
“Did this” –Loudin motions to the cremation chamber – “teach you nothing? Do I really need to kill someone else for you to do what I ask?”
I turn to Alex. “It would be better for all of us to die than for him to get what he wants.”
“Loudin grabs me, his hands around my neck. Monitors move into the room to subdue the others. “You first, then.”

Book: Revolutionary (Anomaly) by Krista McGee, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2015



Genre: Science Fiction/
Target Audience: Girls 16+
Subjects: Truth, Trust, Love, Reality, Sacrifice, Love for enemies
Summary: Captured again by Loudin, Thalli, Rhen, Alex, Dallas and Berk are forced into the latest plan to destroy the world. Loudin has determined that he alone is worthy of deciding who is good enough to live. He full intends to bring the outside world just as much under his control as the underground State. He’s not concerned with the method – whether it be the mind controlling drugs Alex’s father used or another atomic bomb. Thalli and her loved ones are torn between attempts to escape, attempts to stop Loudin, and attempts to simply keep each other alive. In the midst of the struggles, the truth about Thalli’s past and the creation of the State are revealed, leaving Thalli more uncertain than ever. It’s no longer just survival that matters, it’s truly conquering.
Notes: The author of the realistic teen romances has ventured into the realm of science fiction and written a beautiful story of the power of love. The premise of this story is that emotions are the cause of all the wars and fights and problems on earth so if humans could just be genetically modified to be free of emotions then all problems would cease. Yet, somehow, one girl still experiences emotions. Supposedly they plan to do away with her since she’s an anomaly, but she is instead entered into a virtual reality program that is set up to trick her into believing she’s experiencing something real. The challenge is that the reader gets tricked to, till at the end you’re doubting everything you just read. In this third book, Thalli and her friends are again imprisoned by the leader of the “State” – the underground world where genetically modified humans are being made and where a man bent on destruction reigns. The spiritual issues are trusting God for wisdom on how to stop Loudin, finding comfort in knowing that they are a creation of God’s – made in His image, and questioning how to show God’s love instead of hate to an enemy. I highly recommend this book for fans of futuristic/sci-fi/post apocalypse fiction.
Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi

Psalm 32:8 – I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you and watch over you.

The Sword And The Song

Thursday, August 13, 2015
Conor followed Daigh at a near run, aware of Aine a step behind him. His thoughts bounced between the socking revelation Aine had just give him – he was going to be a father! – and his inability to comprehend how someone had breached the fortress. Who would dare? How was that even possible?

Book: The Sword and the Song (The Song of Seare) by C. E. Laureano, NavPress, 2015



Genre: Speculative – Allegory
Target Audience: Boys and Girls 14+
Subjects:  Trust in God, God’s Will, Prayer, Spiritual Gifts, Sacrifice, Fear
Summary: When a woman thought dead appears at Ard Dhaimhin one night claiming knowledge of another thought dead, one who may hold secrets they are in desperate need of, a chain of events is set off that will resolve the battle once and for all – in one way or another. Conor sets off on the journey to rescue the man they hope holds the secrets. Aine battles fear as the child within her grows and her time for birth draws near. Eoghan continues to wrestle his attraction to Aine and his uncertainty at being the high king. All desperately search for answers on how to defeat the evil druid before he conquers the rest of Seare, either through force of waiting for them to starve to death under siege.
Notes: The Sword And The Song is the third and final book in The Song Of Seare series. This fantasy/allegory style series sets up a kingdom that feels a bit like medieval times.  There are kings and lords and castles. As with many fantasy/allegory books, there is a prophecy that one of the main characters seems to be the fulfillment of, but it’s a bit vague so that the scholars are unsure of exactly who it points to. There is an ultimate being, representing God, protectors like angels, special powers gifted to various individuals for the purpose of serving the ultimate being and helping the people. The good guys in the story live according to the teachings of the ultimate being, attempting to follow Him and trust Him even when it seems nearly impossible to do so. An interesting and somewhat unique element in this book is the existence of a community resembling a monastery, but that hosts thousands of men who are not only trained in the words of the ultimate being, but also in how to be master warriors. They spend their entire lives training in the skills required of a warrior. Yet they are completely separated from the rest of the world. Once they take the oath of brotherhood, they rarely leave, and in fact have to prove themselves in a test in order to be granted permission to leave. Yet they are a key to protecting the people from the evil that wants to infiltrate the land.
Book three of this series pushes the characters to the extreme, placing them in exactly the situations they feared the most. It asks them just how far they will go to defeat evil. Fear versus faith is a continuing theme as the characters have to trust Comidu for the victory they are seeking.
Spoiler Alert: Do NOT read this series if you want happily-ever-after endings. The author does not end the story on a happy note, but rather very tragic.
Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 5/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi

John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. 
Bonus Content: To get perspective on the series from the author, check out this interview with her here: 


FAQ’s for C.E. Laureano/The Song of Seare Trilogy 
1.How did the Song of  Seare Trilogy come about ? 
I’m a longtime fantasy reader, starting as a child with the Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit, but this particular series began with a single premise: what happens when you have a young man who is raised to rule, but his personal, religious, and philosophical beliefs are different than the country over which he’s meant to reign? The story went through a number of iterations. In the early drafts, Conor was already in his twenties and about to take the throne of Tigh. But I realized that the real story began much earlier, where those personal beliefs were formed: his fosterage with a rival king. As I dug into the story, I realized that Conor was only a small part—or maybe the culmination—of a generations-long struggle that has at last come to a breaking point. And so the final storyline of the Song of Seare trilogy was conceived.
   
2. Why Celtic fantasy? 
I’ve been interested in Ireland for as long as I can remember, maybe because of my distant Irish heritage. I had the opportunity to travel there during college, and I’ve never felt such an instant affinity for a place. While America will likely always be the place I “hang my hat”, I realized that Ireland was my heart’s home. Ever since then, I’ve written Irish characters and settings. But it was only when I started reading books by Juliet Marillier—wonderful historical fantasies that showed the pagan/Christian conflict from the pagan point of view—I knew I wanted to do something similar with a Christian slant. 

3.How much is based on history and how much was made up?
The culture of Seare is very much based on ancient Ireland before the 10thcentury, but since relatively little is known about that time period, much of it is extrapolated from research done in the 1920’s. (Some of that research, like the idea that the Irish wore kilts, has since been disproven.) But the food, weaponry, law, and social structure of Seare is very similar to how things might have been in ancient Ireland. Of course, the addition of magic changes things, so I got to imagine how the existence of supernatural gifts and blood magic might have affected their culture. I also re-envisioned the faerie mythology from a neutral, mischievous role into something more malevolent.

4.What kind of research did you do to write this book?
I have a fairly extensive library on Irish history, and what I wasn’t able to buy, I checked out from the library (thank goodness for inter-library loan...some of my books came all the way from Nebraska.) Because Seare was united by a man who had been a mercenary in the Holy Land, I also did a lot of research on the Near East and the Roman Empire from that time period. You’ll see traces of Asian, Middle Eastern, and Greco-Roman influence in the Fíréin brotherhood, especially their fighting and training styles. I also usedmy background as a martial artist and fencer to create a fighting style that was believably cross-cultural.

5.Why did you choose to write Christian/inspirational fantasy?
I didn’t start out to write fantasy for the Christian market. I’d originally envisioned the series as having a Christian worldview but little overt religion. However, the coming of Christianity so heavily influenced the history of Ireland, removing it left my society feeling flat and unrealistic. Not to mention that I quickly found out Conor wasn’t happy without a wider perspective and deeper goals than just bringing peace or winning the throne. The spiritual thread came along organically and tied the story together.

6.Who is your favorite character and why?
That’s almost an impossible choice, but I’d have to say Conor, my primary hero. He’s definitely the one I find most personally relatable. He knows he was created for something greater, but he doesn’t always make the right decisions—he lets his emotions sway his thinking and he lets down the people who depend on him—but he always comes through in the end. In that way, he’s something of a Biblical hero than a superhero...David was described as a man after God’s own heart, but he still did some seriously stupid things.

7.What do you hope readers will take away from your books?
I didn’t want to write a “safe” story where you know that everything is going to be okay and everyone will come out unharmed—because real life isn’t like that. It can be scary and messy and unpredictable. But through it all, if you look hard enough, is the ever-present thread of God’s grace and provision. My greatest wish is that readers come away with the understanding that they have a purpose, that they matter, that God cares for them as individuals and not just as a face in the crowd. I’ll consider my job done if readers walk away with hope.

8.If you could spend a day with one of your characters, who would it be?
Aine...because it guarantees that I would also get to spend time with Conor and Eoghan! After all, one or the other is always shadowing her. Plus, she just seems like the type of person I’d like to hang out with: practical, no nonsense, and filled with interesting knowledge She’s also the one you want around if you’re going to do something dangerous—her healing ability would come in handy! 

9.What do you think makes a book Christian or not?
Christian authors can’t help but create a world that reflects our beliefs in some way. Sometimes, it’s an overt parallel to historical Christianity as it is in the Song of Seare. Sometimes, it’s the presence of the values that we learn from the Bible: faith, love, hope, loyalty, perseverance. Even if God isn’t mentioned by name, if you look closely, you’ll often find Him there.

10.Who are your fantasy writing inspirations?
My two direct inspirations for this series are Guy Gavriel Kay and Juliet Marillier, both of whom write lovely historical fantasy. But I also enjoy Karen Hancock, Patrick Rothfuss, Robert Jordan, David Farland, C.J. Cherryh...the list goes on.

11.What’s on your bookshelf /e-reader?
My reading habits are rather eclectic, so you’ll find everything from non-fiction, biographies, and spiritual memoirs to romance, steampunk, literary fiction, and fantasy. Some of my current favorites are Patrick Carr, Mary Weber, A.G. Howard, Billy Coffey, and Susanna Kearsley. But I have at least a dozen paperbacks waiting to be read and hundreds on my e-reader. There’s just not enough time to consume all the wonderful books I come across. Not to mention all the research books I keep around to spark ideas for new projects!

Submarines, Secrets and A Daring Rescue

Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Boom.
Ambrose quickly wiped the glass of the porthole and looked out. Black smoke from a cannon filled the air on the side of the ship.
Splash.
The cannonball collided with the water only feet from their vessel. John looked out the porthole at the buoy. “If we pass it and those rowboats keep coming at us, we’re dead.”
“If that ship hits us with a cannonball, we’re dead too. Ambrose wiped the sweat from his brow. What to do?

Book: Submarines, Secrets and a Daring Rescue (American Revolutionary War Adventures) by Robert J. Skead with Robert A. Skead, Zonderkidz, 2015



Genre: Historical Fiction
Target Audience: Boys 10-15
Subjects: Revolutionary War, Sibling Relationships, Courage, Right from Wrong
Summary: Their dad would love nothing more than to send anyone, anyone at all out again rather than his sons. But there’s no choice. Ambrose really is the best sailor around. And he and John have already proven themselves courageous and loyal to the cause. Their mission this time is to tow the submarine to the drop off point where it will sneak under the water and attach a bomb to the bottom of a ship. Their only responsibility is to safely tow it to the drop off point where their older and stronger brother will take over. The problem is that he has been captured by the redcoats and so now it’s up to them to finish the mission and this part is even more dangerous than the first part!
Notes: Submarines, Secrets and A Daring Rescue is the second in the American Revolutionary War Adventures series. The series is written by a father/son team who trace their own legacy back to heroes of the Revolutionary War. The purpose is to convey truth about the kinds of events and key figures of the war. The end of the book contains numerous notes about the historical facts referenced in the book. This book focuses on the Turtle – a submarine built for the purpose of attempting to sabotage British ships during the war. The historical note at the end says it was never successful in attaching a bomb, but it did attempt it. There are a couple spiritual references in this story. When someone says something about good luck, the characters note that it isn’t luck, but “Providence” that helped them. There is also a large focus on conscience. General Washington encourages the boys to listen to that quiet voice inside them that is guiding them, helping them figure out right from wrong.
Spiritual Content Recommendation Scale: 3/5
Reviewer: J:-)mi

Isaiah 30:21 - Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Thank you to the publisher for proving me with a free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

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