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

Halflings

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret and the wings that come with.

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in their earthly mission, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

This book definitely has an interesting concept. This is a young adult urban fantasy/supernatural novel and that in itself intrigued me because I hadn't read a book in this genre before. The book starts off with Genesis 6:2 “The sons of God saw that the daughters of earth were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.”

 In the book, the offspring of these sons of God are still on the earth and have been shown mercy by God who has assigned several angels to look out for and mentor them. They are given a chance to be allowed entrance into heaven upon their death if they do not become like their fathers, fallen angels, or succumb to earthly desires like their mothers, humans.

Three Halfling brothers (Mace, Raven, and Vine) save a human girl, Nikki, from demon dogs and so the drama begins. I found Nikki a bit confusing one moment I thought I knew her character and could relate and another I found her a bit…bi-polar. She is sassy, and sometimes irresponsibly strong willed but, she is smart and is able to make pretty good decisions in the face of a threat though they might be risky. Although, I feel she didn’t have as much character depth as I would like to have seen and the same goes for the brothers.

 The brothers…I would have to describe them as stereotypically dreamy. Mace, the kind-of leader of three is tall with blond hair and blue eyes. Nikki goes into great detail about how attractive he is. I would definitely say he was the “Good Guy” out of the three. He’s responsible, kind, and respectful. Raven, also tall, blond hair and blues eyes is the “Bad Boy.” He is the exact opposite of mace. Rude, selfish, vain, and irresponsible. I mean, he even has a bad boy name. Vine is the youngest and has the same qualities as his brothers. He is the only brother who we don’t get a POV from in the book.

Writing was decent. A bit amateur, but decent. I noticed that the transition between some scenes were a bit awkward and unexplained. The characters would say they were going somewhere or doing something. Then, it would go to the next scene and you would have to assume they have already done although it was not mentioned or written about. I think, it would have been beneficial to the story if Burch went into better detail about how or when they did it.

But, all that said. It is a very enjoyable fun and easy read if you wish to take a break from literary greatness and just cruise. I got through this book quickly and had no trouble reading it for extended periods of time and not becoming tired of the story or characters.

Language: none

Alcohol/drugs: none

Violence: 4.5

Sexual Content: none

Spiritual Content: The main theme is supernatural warfare. There is a big distinction between God as the good side and “The Enemy” as well…the enemy. The only blurred line is the Halfings who struggle with the fact they are on caught in the middle of the war of good and evil.

Currently Reading: Nothing, because I haven't decided what to read next :/

Next Post: Cress (Lunar Chronicles # 3) by Marissa Meyer