This book was too clean and shiny. Christian fiction has a tendency to try to gloss over dark issues, if it doesn't avoid them altogether, and while I can appreciate tact... some issues simply are dark and have to be shown as such. Human trafficking is ugly. It's despicable. It should disgust us and make us uncomfortable. It cannot be sugar-coated and carry the same impact. This book tries too hard to be "acceptable" and ends up completely obscuring its point.

One of the primary factors contributing to the "comfort" of this book is that everything is resolved incredibly quickly. From character doubts, to specific conflict scenes, to the main plot itself, everything wraps up quickly and neatly and we never worry. We never feel like anything is actually a threat. We know that the main characters are all going to make it, and we know that the good guys win and the bad guys lose. Which makes for a comfortable read, but not a very real one.

The characters' emotions also felt... off. I understand that their calling is to battle human trafficking, and that's awesome! But the almost giddy, gleeful emotions they seem to have each time they find a lead felt unrealistic. Yes, there's a certain amount of satisfaction in getting closer to exposing evil and clearing it out. But in this context it felt like it should have been mingled with grief, anger, trepidation... something.

The main plot also feels overshadowed by a romantic "sub-plot." Two of them, actually. Because everyone in this book has to be paired off by the end. Had the romance actually been the point of the book, I might have been able to enjoy it (although it felt just a little sickly sweet). But since the point was supposed to be human trafficking, and that was weak in itself, I mostly found it frustrating.

The relationships also felt rushed. Nothing in this book felt like it got the time it needed to really have the intended impact. The characters open up to each other after very little demonstrated relationship building (the building of those relationships was time-skipped), causing it to feel unearned and too easy.

The characters themselves also didn't get to show a whole lot of depth. Even their Tragic Backstory(TM) scene almost felt shallow in the way it was portrayed. And no one ever struggles with doubt for more than half a page. No one chooses to act despite their doubt, either, they're just easily convinced out of their doubt every time.

One of my biggest issues with the book (aside from sugar-coating) is that the characters aren't relatable. They audibly hear God and they can see guardian angels all the time. These things do happen, but they're not the norm. The average reader has to struggle to remember that God is with them at times, has to pray and read their Bible persistently to be certain of God's will, and still struggles with doubt and fear and whatnot. They overcome these struggles, but they still struggle. And while I have no problem with (carefully and prayerfully) including spiritual warfare, it's something bigger than I think we can fully understand, and our characters still have to be real people with real struggles.

I understand what this book was intended to be, but it needed some serious developmental edits to get there. Had it gone through those edits, I think I would have been able to really appreciate this book. The bones are all there; they just needed a lot more fleshing out.