God and Me by Lynette Harris Denton: Book Review

 4/5

This book was sent to me by Ambassador International to review. The opinions are completely my own and are not impacted by others.

With a devotional I am having to look at different criteria than I would for a normal work of fiction or nonfiction. One major factor is how much scripture it has and this devotional had a great amount of scripture for each day. Making it Bible based more than opinion based. As for the information that was provided, it was good solid information. Where it fell a bit short, was that with some of the devotions, they were a bit shorter than they could have been, which felt a bit shallow at times. I get that the author was trying to keep each devotion a page long, which is the perfect length for daily reflections, it just some were only half a page long. For the most part though, the author did a nice job of balancing length with scripture. A personal note, that does not impact my review, as it is simply a personal preference, is the guided prayer. I prefer my own prayers over guided prayers. It just seems insincere when someone else tells me what to pray. Again, it's a personal preference. 

Overall, I would probably recommend this book to those who want a short daily devotion.

The Saderian Chronicles: Book 1: Settling New Hope: by Tony Peters Book Link

The Saderian Chronicles: Book 1: Settling New Hope 

Science fiction novel by Tony Peters

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/126157/the-saderian-chronicles-book-1-settling-new-hope

Saderians had a perfect home world in Haskins, before it was ripped away from them violently by their merciless enemy, the Jaggru. Even in the vastness of space, war over territorial boundaries can get fierce. Planner Cody Tilghman must find his people a new home world and try to help them survive. The Jaggru will stop at nothing to see them fall. Captain Rooke and Fleet Commander Ballard won't let the Jaggru win, protecting their people and ensuring a future is vital. New alliances must be forged, lest other races meet the same fate as the Saderians, displaced and homeless. In the planet of New Hope lies their future, but an alien planet has dangers of its own. Which is more perilous, space wars or the planet itself?

When Legends Rise: Daphne Self: Book Review

 3.5/5

I was sent this book by Ambassador International, the opinions are my own and are not influenced by the publisher.

As far as introductions go, this one was good. It makes you curious and grabs your attention. Action and intense, great way to start a book. The action scenes were scattered throughout the book and when they were presented it was done with skill. I did find myself wishing that these scenes would happen more than they did. That being said, I did find my attention fading at parts. Something needed to be there to really complete the attention grabbing parts that a good action/sci-fi novel should have. As a whole, the storyline was good, it just needed that extra push to make it captivating. Plot as a whole was good. A great idea.

A personal peeve of mine, maybe its my creative writing training, but the same words were used to begin sentences too often. More variety helps it from feeling repetitive. Same goes for the sentence structure, it felt choppy in parts. Just changing the order of words, can make a difference in this. 

Characters, here is a mixed bag for me. Abigail and Jules were well done. Where it fell short was in some of the supporting characters. I found it a challenge to connect with them and feel what they should have been feeling. A redeeming factor in the book, was the ending. The conclusion had action and emotion, two things that a good ending should have. 

Personally, I would not be inclined to pick up the second book. A decent book, just missing that hook that I need for a sequel. 

What Now? By Kaitlyn Odom Fielder: Book Review

 Rating 4.5/5

It has been a while since I last reviewed a book. Okay, let's be honest, it's been a while since I last picked up a book. I won't get into that here. When Ambassador International sent me books to review, I was in the middle of podcasting and things got to be too much with my poor health. Sadly, a few books got set aside and forgotten about. This was one of them. Now, with my writing again, I found these books. 

In What Now?, Kaitlyn opens her heart and soul for the world to see. It was honest and thoughtful. I don't normally find myself reading nonfiction books, but I am very happy that I had the opportunity to read this book. The opening line is quirky, but it works, setting the stage for the rest of what is to come. On every page you can feel the author's emotions, her grief, sorrow, and most importantly, her hope. She doesn't hide anything. I loved knowing the questions that she had about life, about her experiences, and what God had in store for her. Through reading this, I was brought back to moments of my own trauma that I had growing up. Though it was not losing someone in the way that she lost her family, but I found myself relating to her emotions and questions.

An overall theme that carries throughout, is that through faith, God brings healing. Just because we experience traumatic events, or bad things happen, it does not mean that God does not love us. God loves us very much, even through the bad, God will bring about good. I loved seeing the journey that Kaitlyn took to learnt to cope and deal with what had happened to her. She breaks it down into a step by step process. 

At some points it did feel slightly disjointed, but part of that is simply her mind processing what she went through and how it has led her to where she is now. I also found at some points my interest waned slightly, but even in those parts, I am glad that she included them. These moments have meant something to her, and readers will connect to various experiences and questions that she was faced with.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I would certainly recommend this to anyone who has been faced with trauma. Let's face it, that's most of us. 

https://www.abeautifulbelonging.com/book/