Hellhounds

Nasty Left Overs by Guy L. Pace

                Book two after Sudden Mission by Guy L. Pace picks up after the crazy events now called “The Troubles.” The main character is still Paul and we get to see a little bit of a deeper side to him. This book is strictly Y/A.

Reality is back on track, but the world is devastated with only a remnant of humanity left. On a mission to restore Washington, D.C., Paul Shannon and Amy Grossman must face a sinister presence left behind by Satan.

In the ensuing battle, physical and spiritual warfare is waged against the possessed, hellhounds, and even the evil presence itself.

In this fast-paced sequel to Sudden Mission, can Paul, Amy, and their army of faithful triumph against such impossible odds?

                Wow, this book was intense! The beginning didn’t grab me from the start but it picked up quickly. I found some of the possession and demonic encounters to be quite creepy. There were a couple nights I refused to read it before bed because I was so creeped out! I spook easily though and it’s definitely not horror. I enjoyed the creepy parts as it's  not something I usually seek out and they were well written.

              

             I loved the scenes where groups of people prayed over someone possessed and cast out the demon. It showed the Lord’s power in an awesome way. The spiritual warfare in this book is so evident and just laid out in front of you in a way that I haven’t seen before in a book. I really enjoyed the supernatural aspect as well in this sequel.

               

             This book was what a second book should be: Better in every way. I saw the areas of improvement and characters were more unique and like-able. I would definitely recommend this book.

I took out three of the categories because there was not anything to rate. . .

Violence: 5.5

Spiritual Content: Just like in Sudden Mission, this book deals with a lot of spiritual warfare and in a Christian novel it’s kind of a given.

Currently Reading: I’m in-between books at the moment

Next Post: April Wrap-up

Beware of the Coyote

Sudden Mission by Guy L. Pace

                I was contacted directly by the author on this one (Thank you Guy!) and was very intrigued after reading the blurb. This book falls into the categories of Christian/Early Teen/Sci-fi. All were clearly evident in the book. Right off the bat I would like to say I liked this book. It was fun, adventurous, and entertaining.

Satan, once one of God’s favorites, now His Adversary, grows impatient with the plan and begins to harvest souls. In a fell swoop, he throws reality out of whack and the world into chaos. God calls on Paul and his friends Amy and Joe to set things right. The young teens journey through a messed up world—with a little help from an angel—struggling against everything the Adversary can throw in their path to accomplish their Sudden Mission.

With their world and their parents’ lives hanging in the balance—and the Adversary sending everything from zombies to Samurais to stand in their way—Paul will discover if he has the strength and faith to set things right again and stop Satan’s harvest.

I have to say though for a first book it was pretty good. It was obvious that it was a debut novel but it held my attention and kept me reading to find out what happened next. I loved the war between good and evil. Both sides were clearly stated and the inner struggle for Paul, the main character, was well done. Satan was depicted as a coyote and actually gave me chills at first!

               

            The supporting characters, Amy and Joe, seemed a little two-dimensional. They didn’t really grab me as someone to root for. The plot was very interesting. On the teens journey to Montana they encounter a number of foes sent by the Adversary (Satan). Monks, Zombies, Trolls, Samari Warriors, and Aliens. They were warned of these foes by an angel sent by God but they’re reactions seemed a little too toned down. Also, they seemed to come up with strategies awfully fast. These were kids who had never seen combat, death, or killed anything and yet none of these things seemed to faze them. 

              

             Maybe it was The Lord giving them peace but that wasn’t mentioned in the situation. Overall, I loved this book. It had the fun monsters and colorful plot of a middle grade novel with the action and character arc of a Y/A. 

Language: None

Alcohol/drugs: In another reality, slightly hard cider is served in a tavern

Violence: 4

Sexual Content: None

Spiritual Content: This is a Christian novel based on spiritual warfare so it is very evident in the book

Currently Reading: Nasty Left Overs (Book 2) by Guy L. Pace

Next Post: Nasty Left Overs by Guy L. Pace

Everything Everything

Hello everyone! I’m so excited to talk about today’s book and share an exciting announcement. Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon is an absolutely stunning book with a very unique dilemma.  This book was listed in a previous post as one of my favorite books of 2015.

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

Sounds good right? WELL IT’S EVEN BETTER. Yoon sure does know how to tell a story. Her writing style was so easy to read and mixed throughout the book were quirky drawings, notes, and journal entries illustrated by her husband. They made the story so much more than your typical y/a contemporary. The story was also told through a series of emails between Maddy and Olly which I found hilarious. The short chapters were named which I loved as well.

 “I love how real this plot felt. Like, it wasn’t perfect and things didn’t always go as planned. It was messy and wonderful and scary all at once”

Maddy’s character development throughout the book was so fun to experience. I’ve never read a book where the main character has such a unique disease and it was fascinating to read about. As Maddy began to experience the world for the first time she became bolder and more driven. Olly was the kind of guy that when you first “meet” him he looks like the A-typical bad boy. But, as the story progresses he becomes so much more than that and you slowly discover there’s more to him than you thought.

The family dynamics in this story were interesting as well.  Maddy and Olly’s family life were so drastically different. At the end of the book the characters do something marvelously surprising. It’s as if you are going on a whole new adventure with them and I loved it! Yoon also throws in a heart wrenching twist at the very end. I would tell you but…no spoilers ;) I love how real this plot felt. Like, it wasn’t perfect and things didn’t always go as planned. It was messy and wonderful and scary all at once. This book was everything everything.

Language: Moderate

Alcohol/drugs: An adult is an alcoholic

Violence: There is some domestic violence between Olly’s parents and brawls between Olly and his dad because of it

Sexual Content: Olly’s friend mentions being gay but is only in one brief chapter and is not further dwelt upon. Maddy sees Olly in a swimsuit for the first time and we read her reaction. There is a scene of the sexual nature that is a little more descriptive than usual and more than I would have liked but it wasn't explicit.

Spiritual Content: None that I can remember

~ Special Announcement ~

 I am declaring the month of May "Middle Grade" May. Let me elaborate a little. Throughout the entire month of May all my reviews will be of Middle Grade books. These reviews will be heavily written towards the audience of the parental nature with more in-depth content reviews.

So far, I am reviewing Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart & Percy Jackson and The Olympians Book One: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. I need three more books to review and I would greatly appreciate it if you guys could give me some suggestions. Seriously, I need some suggestions. Just hit me up in the Contact Me box off to the side and let me know.

Currently Reading: Sudden Mission by Guy L. Pace

Next Post: Full Review of The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Rapunzel, Rapunzel

Cress by Marissa Meyer

This series just keeps getting better and better and that’s exactly how it should be. This is a review of book three in The Lunar Chronicles and this is my new favorite. I’m pretty sure I’ll say that for each new book that I read in the series but for now Cress is my favorite.

I found Cress’s character to be very endearing and I instantly fell in love with her. Her “crush” on Captain Thorne was so cute and made for some hilarious moments. Thorne’s character really developed and matured in this book. He was actually kind and heroic which is a side of him we haven’t seen until now. I also loved that Cress brought that out in him. He wanted to be those things for her.

As much as I initially loved Cinder my opinion of her decreased in the last book Scarlet. I don’t know what it was but I just wasn’t impressed. But, I’m happy to say she did some pretty spectacular things in this book that made me eager to see her character progress. Kai was adorable as usual but that’s about it. I didn’t see a whole lot of grown in him either. I mean, I understand the difficulty of his position and all but he just wasn’t the character I hoped for.

The story line as a whole was spectacular and I loved every second of it. Cress is inspired by the fairy tale Rapunzel. The similarities in  the story were weaved throughout well and I loved that aspect of it. It held my attention for long periods of time (the longest was four hours straight) and I was constantly surprised by the events and twists. Meyer’s writing is just so easy to read and understand. You can really get inside the story which is exactly what you want your readers to do.

Language: None

Alcohol/drugs: Some characters are mentioned to be drinking

Violence: Gun and fist fights. Someone is tortured with hallucinations and mind control (a power of the Lunars)

Sexual Content: Kissing here and there most of it is mild and some is a little more passionate but nothing more than that.

Spiritual Content: None

Currently Reading: The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Next Post: Special Announcement and Full Review of Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon