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“If you’re weary and don’t know how you can keep going, I pray this book will give you vision, encouragement, and hope. No matter how tough life gets, if you can see the shore and draw your strength from Christ you’ll make it.”

“No other religion, no other philosophy promises new bodies, hearts, and minds. Only in the Gospel of Christ do hurting people find such incredible hope.” — Joni Eraekson Tada


This is a very comprehensive book on the topic of Heaven. (I’m capitalizing it throughout because I don’t know how to determine when not to.) Just like Randy Alcorn’s book, Happiness, it is long and probably best read as a reference book rather than read cover to cover.

With lots of Scripture references and quotes from C.S. Lewis’ fiction and non-fiction writings, Alcorn has compiled this book to show us all the amazing adventure that is yet to come.


Heaven (and Hell) is something we should all think about. Based on the current death rates, 150,000 people die every day and go to one or the other.

If you believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for your sins and you’ve accepted His forgiveness, grace, and mercy, you’ll be headed to Heaven.

Which is pretty amazing.

Right?

Unless maybe you feel like Heaven will be boring... Aren’t we just going to be spirits floating around singing with angels and that’s pretty much it?

Maybe if that’s what you think Heaven will be, you feel like you’d rather live life on the edge and try your luck with the other ‘less shiny’ option.



Whatever you think about Heaven, my guess is you probably haven’t thought about it enough. I didn’t realize I hadn’t until I read this book. I grew up in the church and reading this I realized how many questions I never asked, how many answers I never sought, and how exciting and beautiful Heaven will actually be.

“I believe there’s one central explanation for why so many of God’s children have such a vague, negative, and uninspired view of Heaven: the work of Satan.”

“As long as the resurrected universe remains either undesirable or unimaginable, Satan succeeds in sabotaging our love for Heaven.”

Isn’t that true? Satan doesn’t want us to want Heaven. And since we’re a people of tangibility, it’s hard for us to combat the lies— some lies we’ve even heard in our own churches— about what Heaven will be like.

I can’t list them all, but here are a few questions the book answers:

- Can you know you’re going to Heaven?
 - Why is resurrection so important?
 - How will we worship God?
 - Will we actually rule with Christ?
 - Will there be space and time?
 - Will we be ourselves?
 - What will our daily lives look like?
 - Will there be marriage, families, and friendships?
 - Will animals inhabit the new earth?
 - Will there be arts, entertainment, and sports?
 - Will Heaven ever be boring?


One of the main things Alcorn defends is the physicality of Heaven.

He coined the term Christoplatonism as the idea of Heaven being only spiritual, not physical. This theology has elements of Plato’s philosophy—‘soma sema’ (a body, a tomb)— which says our ultimate destiny is to be free of our body.

Alcorn lays out Scripture after Scripture throughout the whole book showing us that the Bible describes a physical Heaven— a place— where we will dwell in resurrected, physical bodies. This is the foundation of determining other things about Heaven like what we will do and how we will interact.


While the book is primarily about Heaven, there is a chapter on Hell which I think is important because it’s part of the Gospel. It’s why we worship Christ and why Jesus died on the cross. Hell is what we are saved from.

“By denying the endlessness of Hell, we minimize Christ’s work on the cross. Why? Because we lower the stakes of redemption.”

As Alcorn explores all the questions people have about Heaven, he often looks back at Eden, the original paradise, as to what Heaven may look like. What was Eden like before the Fall? There were animals, beautiful gardens, food to eat, work to do, land to cultivate, the presence of God, physical bodies, etc. So it makes sense that Heaven will be like that too.

The Earth is God’s creation. He’s not going to abandon it. He’s going to restore and resurrect it. Just like we will be restored. The New Heavens and the New Earth. Everything we love about Earth, all the good without any of the bad! Our bodies without some of the limitations we have now.

“Redemption will forever destroy the devil’s work by removing its hold on creation, and reversing its consequences. It is Satan’s desire to destroy the world. God’s intent is not to destroy the world but to deliver it from destruction. His plan is to redeem this fallen world, which he designed for greatness.”



I thought this quote was interesting:

“It’s hard for us to think accurately about the New Earth because we’re so accustomed to speaking of Heaven as the opposite of Earth.”

I think this is true. We are told so often that this is not our home and that we were made for something more and that the earth is cursed and shrouded in sin, etc, that we can’t picture Earth redeemed, we just picture Heaven as the antithesis to where we are now.

But God put eternity in our hearts, and our desire to explore nature, to commune with friends, to discover, learn, laugh, eat… those are all foreshadowing of what is to come. Those are all good things— why wouldn’t they be in Heaven?

When we hear that we will worship God in Heaven, we tend to picture just standing in rows like church for all of eternity, but why do we think that? Aren’t we worshiping God when we praise him for the things he created? He created our five senses so why wouldn’t we have music for our ears, flavors for our tongues, vistas for the eyes, the smell of flowers or bread, fields to run or dance in? Things that make us think of the Creator and give glory to Him!

If we really think about what we think about Heaven, we realize that we think Heaven is a place where things are taken away instead of a place where things are magnified and given in full!

“What we love about this life are the things that resonate with the life we were made for. The things we love are not merely the best this life has to offer— they are previews of the greater life to come.”



Another thing that was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me was when he talked about missed opportunities. I think as a people we have a big case of FOMO. That’s partly why we don’t like to think about death. We don’t like to think of incomplete lives. Things we would miss. Memories we wouldn’t make. Achievements we wouldn’t accomplish. And it makes us sad and so we avoid thinking about it. Live in the moment, do as much as you can with the time you have.

But what if Heaven is the land of missed opportunities? What if we have endless time and resources to do what we want to do, to try what we haven’t yet experienced, to make even better and more vivid memories?

“The lack of an eternal perspective sets us up not only for discouragement but also for sin. We tell ourselves, ‘If I don’t experience an intimate relationship now, I never will.’ Or ‘If I don’t have the means to go there, I never will.’ Then we feel desperate, tempted to take shortcuts to get what we want (what we think we want). We’re tempted toward fornication, dishonesty, or theft. Or we live in regret, greed, and envy. But if we understand that we’ll actually live in a new heavens and New Earth, a new universe full of new opportunities, then we can forgo certain pleasures and experiences now, knowing we can enjoy them later.”

It’s a freeing thought. We can live without the anxiety and tension of ‘fitting everything in’ or living the perfect life. Because whatever we miss, we will actually get, tenfold and better, in Heaven. As a mom, it lightens my heart a little because I want every minute with my kids to count. Which isn’t bad, but it shifts my perspective from, ‘make the most of these precious few minutes’ to ‘enjoy these minutes and anticipate the millions more to come.’

It’s not hard then to feel the urgency in sharing the Gospel with our loved ones. Don’t we want them to know the path to life eternal? Not eternal boredom, but eternal LIFE, vivacious, adventurous, beautiful, life with the Creator of all of it? As a mom, my ultimate desire for my children is not for them to go to college, get a good job, have kids, or be happy, while all of those are good things… no, my ultimate desire is for them to know the Lord and for them to be on the path to life eternal.



It’s quite mind-blowing to really ponder what is to come when we broaden our perspective. To think about diverse cultures, nations with rulers, all of humanity, the New Jerusalem, working, etc, it is so hard to imagine all of that, but also exciting to think about having it without it being tainted by sin.

That we will have desires but none that will go unfulfilled. That our view of other people will be pure. That we might see all the galaxies that God has created. That our memories will be better than ever. That we will have endless stories to hear and knowledge to learn. That we can disagree with people in Heaven. That we won’t automatically become the best at everything.



I’m not sure I followed everything he was saying about the temporary Heaven and the eternal Heaven (where we go if we were to die today vs where we will go when Jesus returns). I’ve never really thought about those places being different before, but what he says makes sense.

There is a short section on the end times and amillennialism, post-, and pre, but it’s not long and though he presents his own belief, he is not dogmatic about it.


As happy a topic as Heaven is, there is also some hard truths we will have to consider. Especially in thinking about our loved ones that may not be in Heaven with us.

I thought this quote especially was hard to consider but rings true,

“What we loved in those who died without Christ was God’s beauty we once saw in them. When God forever withdraws from them, I think they’ll no longer bear his image and no longer reflect his beauty. Although they will be the same people, without God they’ll be stripped of all the qualities we loved. Therefore, paradoxically in a sense they will not be the people we loved…I cannot prove biblically what I’ve just stated, but I think it rings true, even if the thought is horrifying.”


There are some parts where he is speculating and I’m not sure I agree with him. But he is always quick to let us know when he is speculating and never claims to have all the answers. He knows when he gets to Heaven he’ll realize the parts of the book he got wrong, so he writes with both joyful anticipation and humility. 



As I mentioned before, I would not recommend reading this front to back unless you are just really interested in studying this topic in depth. It’s quite repetitive from chapter to chapter and it felt really long to read that way. I found myself less and less inclined to pick it back up and keep reading. 

I don’t think he necessarily wrote it to be read cover to cover, but to have on hand when a question comes up. To reference certain topics, to use the Scripture or topic index in the back. That’s the sweet spot for this book. There are a lot of good snippets and things to ponder in this book and is probably best to digest and discuss in small pieces. 

For example, I’m having a lunch with a friend to think about what books will be in Heaven and what kinds of books people will write in Heaven. Will there be thrillers and murder mysteries? 



‘Heaven’ is a book that will spur your imagination. It kinda reminded me of Ted Dekker’s book The Slumber of Christianity because our minds have become numb or dulled to thoughts of Heaven as if we are in an earthly slumber. But when we wake up and think about all the possibilities and the good that Heaven will have, it livens us and makes us yearn for that place. A place filled with the person of God who is the source of all that is good and right and beautiful. 

Whether you feel bored by the thought of Heaven, you’re already itching to get there, or you’re somewhere in between, read this book and rediscover God, because much of our view of Heaven tells us how we view the One who dwells there. 

Realize the Heaven you’ve ‘settled’ for and replace it with the adventures that await!

“I’ve been looking for a predator. It turns out that a predator has also been looking for me.”

“Always know what you’re walking into. Dark corners can be danger points.”


I read Goldin’s book The Night Swim, which is when we are first introduced to Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster and main character of this series.

This second book is quite a bit different than The Night Swim in terms of content. The Night Swim is a hard book to read because it’s about two rapes and a trial revolving around them. The mood in that one is darker and more emotional and could be a trigger for some.

Not so with this one.

This one still has murder and such, but it’s overall not such an emotional or controversial mood.

Goldin is becoming one of my automatic read authors because she is good at writing suspenseful plots without a lot of swearing or graphic content.

This book is formatted somewhat similarly to The Night Swim in that the chapters are broken up by snippets of her podcast. So there are Rachel POV chapters, podcast sections, and then chapters told from other characters’ PsOV.

At one point something happens to Rachel. But the podcast parts sound like she is telling them after the whole thing is over implying that you know she ends up okay. Perhaps they are a spoiler, but I think it’s pretty obvious as a reader that the main character isn’t going to die in most books, especially series.


One thing that is a big part of this book is the world of social media influencers. I’ve seen a lot of reviewers recommending this book to social media influencers as if it’s mainly written for them, but I would disagree.

I wouldn’t say Goldin writes them in the most positive light. I think it’s written more for readers with a skeptical and annoyed perspective of influencers.


The Plot

Dark Corners is a book about a prisoner— Terence Bailey— about to be released after his two-year-turned-six-year sentence. Police had speculated he was working with an accomplice in a series of unsolved disappearances/murders of young women, but could never prove it.

The FBI brings in Rachel Krall, under false pretenses, because after six years in prison Bailey gets his first visitor—Maddison Logan, a young girl, and a social media influencer— who then goes missing just days later. During her visit with Bailey he writes down Rachel Krall’s name for a reason unknown.

Rachel’s commitment to finding the truth and helping find Maddison before they find her body in the swamps of Daytona Beach keeps her in the area working with one of the FBI agents, instead of keeping herself safely away from someone who may have the motive and means to come for her too.

She goes so far as to attend the social media influencer conference happening in town that Maddison had been a part of in order to see if anyone had information that would be helpful to who she knew and where she went. (Maddison was a #vanlife travel lifestyle vlogger, etc).

[Reminded me of the Gabby Petito disappearance.]

So it’s these parts that open a curtain to behind-the-scenes of a highly curated influencer life and the cutthroat environment for those competing in the same markets.


Comments

I’m not sure if Rachel is more or less likeable in this book.

She has a romantic interest in this book and I felt myself being happy for her.

However, she does seem to have a sense of entitlement and a chip on her shoulder when it comes to working with law enforcement.

At one point in the book she was the last person to see a victim alive. They bring her in for questioning. By the time she is walking out of there she is muttering ‘Bite me.’ to one of them.

Whether or not you think police are competent at their jobs, to say that is pretty disrespectful and says a lot about how you view people in authority.

I, personally, am not a fan of journalists or ‘media’ people and think this sense of entitlement is a feature, not a bug, to the whole lot of them. Their belief that they are entitled to do whatever they want for the case of a story or ‘the truth.’ That they are somehow superior to the law or those who deal with the law and are not required to play by the rules.

At least Krall does seem to care about the truth instead of just a story.

It’s possible that my sensitivity to this thought trail is because I’m also reading Prince Harry’s book, Spare, where he talks about the paparazzi’s role in his mom’s death and the fact that they were taking pictures of her body after the crash instead of actually helping.

Anyway, Rachel Krall saying bite me to a police officer when it makes perfect sense that they would question her for being the last to see someone alive makes me like her less.



Let’s talk a minute about the social media thing since that’s such a big aspect of the book.

My husband works a normal job as a financial advisor, but, surprise, he is also a content creator:

“Chad had warned her earlier that influencers preferred to be called content creators.” (Haha)

He doesn’t make fitness videos or try to make people live their best life, he makes fun trickshot videos (@Thatll.Work) on YouTube, TikTok, etc.

He’s told me a lot about what it’s like to create content and try to get views or followers. And it’s easy to see how chasing those numbers can consume people. We’ve put healthy boundaries in place so even though he has millions of followers, he can live a normal life where we can eat our meals without taking photos of them or go on an actual vacation that isn’t a series of photo sessions.

It was both a little comical, but also a good reminder, reading about the influencers and their curated and mostly fake lives. The shine of the ‘fame’ and the pull of the ‘fortune’ are deceitful.

For those who question whether you can actually make money, it is possible.

“‘Being an influencer is the twenty-first-century American dream… It’s a lifelong vacation funded by brands paying big dollars for influencers to promote products to their social media followers.”

Even as a ‘trickshot artist,’ as we sometimes call my husband, he can be sponsored and paid by brands to use products in his videos. He has done trick shots with Body Armour, Nerf, and right now Lego, to name a few.

It can be fun and it can be lucrative, but I think the book does a good job of taking off the rose-colored glasses for people who think it’s just cake.

“What people don’t realize is that being an influencer is like feeding a monster. An insatiable monster. Nothing is ever enough. No matter how much you give, there’s always someone giving more. Eventually you have to give your soul. Even that’s not enough. People self-destruct all the time.”

There isn’t really a way to ‘win.’ Or to stop. In the book, the influencer pod’s insignia and pod name was called The Infinity Project. Which is fitting because creating content is infinite. Nothing lasts, there is always a demand for more, and bigger, and better.

You may make a lot of money in certain months here or there, or one year as a whole, but it’s a pretty fickle place to earn money when a lot of it depends on algorithms for your videos that are out of your control.

I know a lot of kids are growing up now wanting that career but what it takes to become successful is probably not worth it. The ‘success’ they think they’ll find is most likely elusive.

And like the book shows, it really affects your relationship with your family and friends. It becomes harder and harder to prioritize them above your content.


So maybe this book could be a little bit of a wake-up call to social media influencers to step back from their life and see what messages they’re sending and what person it’s turned them into.

But it also acts as a reminder to the rest of us that we’re not missing out on anything by living normal lives. Stay the course!



As for the ‘mystery’ of it, I wouldn’t say that the twist was out of left-field. I had it mostly figured out pretty early on, but there were some extra pieces that I wasn’t sure how they fit so I liked that.

And of course, even though I thought I knew what was going on, I still had to finish reading to see if I was right!


Daytona Beach is a new setting for me. Can’t say this book made me want to visit there, especially the whole rat-infested trailer with snakes climbing through the windows part. Hard pass on that one.


Trimethylaminuria is the very rare condition one of the characters has where you smell like rotten eggs or fish and it’s incurable. I think I’m personally in the clear, but it’s now added to my list of fears for my kids or grandkids because wow that is not something you want to be diagnosed with and apparently it can present at the time of puberty. There’s not a whole lot you can do for it and the implications of that for someone’s life is really sad!


Ouroboros is the symbol of a snake eating its tail which is referenced in the book a lot. It said that snakes really do that in real life so I obviously looked up a video of it and it was low key disturbing.


I learned a fun bee fact:

“A bee flaps its wings more than 200 times a minute to stay airborne… also bees remember faces. Every human face is like a different flower to a honeybee.”

Which led me to look up the fact to confirm it because it was really interesting, and then I found out ANOTHER fun bee fact: Criminologists use bees to study serial killers because bees’ feeding patterns are similar to serial killers’ killing patterns as far as geographical profiling goes.

So that’s crazy.

I also learned a new phrase in this book: “Cottoning on.” It means to begin to understand.

As in: I’m cottoning on to bees.



I would definitely recommend this book. It’s a suspenseful, clean read with a good and unique plot.


[Content Advisory: 0 f-words, 7 s-words; no sexual content]

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

“Warriors are willing to do what others can’t or won’t do for their community.”

Warrior Girl Unearthed takes place ten years after Boulley’s debut novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter, which won many awards and was named by Time in their 100 Best YA Books of All Time.

Firekeeper’s Daughter’s protagonist was Daunis, then- age 18. Warrior Girl Unearthed focuses on Daunis’s niece, Perry (twin to Paulline) who is now 16. She is a good character to use to follow-up to Daunis because their personalities are similar— blunt, strong, outspoken, risk-takers, opinionated, kind, loyal to their tribe and family.

I didn’t feel as lost at first reading this book compared to Firekeeper’s Daughter. It may be because I was already prepared for the Ojibwe language and the Yooper slang to be used. It may also be that this one didn’t ALSO have all the hockey jargon and anatomy terminology that were relevant to Daunis’s character.

It felt like Boulley didn’t take on as many threads to weave together as Firekeeper’s Daughter. The plot and character were a bit simpler. Warrior Girl Unearthed is 100 pages less, as well, so I think Boulley made some good choices with her second book.

Another improvement Boulley made with this book was better writing of the text conversations. They were more realistic. Poorly written text messages is one of my pet peeves so I was happy about this.



This book felt slow in the beginning. Having not really read the Goodreads summary, I wasn’t sure what the main conflict of the story was going to be.

It starts off with Perry wrecking Daunis’s jeep and needing to earn money to pay for the repairs. This drops her into a tribal summer intern program she is less than enthused about.

Her assignment introduces her to a collection of tribal artifacts, sacred items, and ancestral remains held at the nearby university. One of the remains is a woman they call Warrior Girl.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the set-up for the primary plot. Getting these items and remains back to their tribe where they should be. It is a discussion on the repatriation act of 1990 (NAGPRA) which was enacted not only to restore these things to their rightful place, but to make sure remains and items were treated with dignity and respect.

Perry vows to do whatever it takes to stop the college from dragging their feet on inventorying their collection and making sure Warrior Girl is returned to their tribe where she can be returned to the earth from which she was robbed.

The secondary plot is the increasing number of young women from their tribe and others going missing and the laws around what crimes are prosecuted by whom.

There are lesser threads including a small romance plus the relationship between the two sisters (twins) and their differing personalities.

So yes, it was slow in the beginning, but I think all the build-up was necessary to Perry’s character and her devotion to her vow. We have to see the challenges of jumping through hoops and doing things the legal way. We have to see the disrespect of some of the characters and her growing commitment to repatriation. We have to believe that she cares about it so much that she really is willing to do whatever it takes to complete her vow.

It makes the climax of the book and her actions make more sense.


Some things I liked: It was great checking in with Granny June again. It was nice to know where Daunis ended up. I really enjoyed the character (Sam Hill) who was just called ‘What-The’.

I liked the good familial relationships shown and that even though Perry was a teenager, she still loved and respected her parents. I liked that the romantic aspect of the book was not the driving force of the plot nor of the main character’s behavior.

I thought Boulley did a good job of using the Ojibwe language in a major way while also cluing the reader into what was said in a natural way so it didn’t feel like you were just reading a dictionary.


Some things I didn’t like: All the swearing. It was less than some books I read, but for some reason felt like more. It may be because the main character using the f-words is a 16 year-old which feels worse. There is also some drug use (Perry’s twin keeps a stash of weed gummies for her anxiety). There is also reference to ‘sneaky snags’ which is her twin out having secret sex. Nothing is said more than that, but both the drugs and the sex are referenced as if it’s no big deal.

Sure, maybe that’s a normal thing for teenagers— which I’m pretty sad about if it is— but I would not want my teenagers (whenever I have them) reading this book with that content. It’s marketed as a YA book, but in my opinion, the content is beyond that.

One thing that annoyed me, which was also used in Firekeeper’s Daughter, was the phrase ‘pointed her lips.’ It was used 8 times in this book. And I still don’t really understand how this looks in real life.


Did I like it more than Firekeeper’s Daughter?

That is a hard question. I think I liked Daunis better than Perry. But I think the ‘mystery’ part was better in Warrior Girl Unearthed. I think the pacing was better in FD. FD also had discussion around tribal traditions and the challenges they face in America as a whole, but I think it was more dominant in WGU. Really it felt like a book about repatriation but jammed into a fictional YA framework. So I didn’t like that as much.

It’s good to learn things about a culture I know very little about. But it felt a little too political. Espeically with the inclusion of the comments regarding black people shot by police. Perry’s father is part-black but it seemed like a political comment rather than necessary for the story. Or things like this:

“‘You really wanna study where women and people of color are invisible?’” This quote may have been said as an exaggeration by a character, I don’t know the author’s intention, but it’s a bit too mainstream narrative for me. Women and people of color are hardly invisible. They are thriving at all levels! They may face some unique challenges at times, but as a whole I don’t believe they are as disadvantaged as I’m told to believe.


“These moccasins were taken off of ancestors in their graves.’ He looks horror-struck. I take deep breaths before continuing.’”

“‘I saw a ceremonial pipe fully assembled.’ He grimaces. ‘You get it, Web. Lockhart shouldn’t own it, and he for sure shouldn’t be displaying it like that.’”

These two quotes are commenting regarding non-natives. They also talked very negatively about people who tried to sell these items at garage sales or on eBay. One the one hand, yes, there are people who are ‘grave robbers’ and intentionally steal things for their own financial benefit. Who openly disgrace the native traditions. And that’s a real problem.

However, on the other hand, there are people who just don’t know. They don’t know what they have. How are they supposed to know that they have a ceremonial pipe and that it’s horrifying to assemble it?! I don’t know how easy it would be to find out this information, but the book didn’t not give much grace in the way of ignorance. They found any white person touching any Native item or remains as one of the worst things.

I guess I struggle a little with wanting to respect their traditions and the sacredness of their items, but also feeling like their attitude towards this to be pretty harsh.

I do want to learn, and I know that there were terrible things done to Native Americans (like the boarding schools) that stripped them of their culture and lives, but what she was trying to teach me via a novel felt a little too forceful in this book.


So in conclusion, both books had their pros and cons, but overall I think my first impression after reading Firekeeper’s Daughter was a little better than after reading Warrior Girl Unearthed.


Religious Differences

I am not sure how to correctly state the difference between Natives who practice and worship the traditional way and Natives who became Christians, so I’ll probably say something wrong, but I’m still going to state my ponderings anyway.

[I found this article by a Christian Native American that I thought was good]

One thing that was said multiple times in different ways was:

“I stare at random tourists and wonder how they would react to their ancestors being stolen for research. I’m guessing they would see it as sacrilege.”

I would definitely not like if someone exhumed my parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents because that does seem disrespectful or jarring emotionally. But personally, I don’t know if it would really bother me if people decided to study my ancestors’ remains. To me, they are just bones. They are not there anymore. And maybe I could learn something more about my ancestors.

I understand that is not the way non-Christian Natives view it.

“We ask the ancestors to forgive what was done to their physical bodies, and we pray their spirits are at peace.”

Boulley quotes Chip Colwell saying,

“I know for these Native American traditionalists, the bones in the boxes are pulsating with power. For them, the dead are not really dead at all... For them, repatriation is a religious duty, not a political victory.”

And even with the treatment of their funerary items or other other cultural items. They treat bones and items as sacred. They think the bones have power and that their ancestors speak to them from the grave and guide them in their life.

That is different than my Christian beliefs. The Bible teaches us not to worship the body or objects, that it would be idolatry. The only eternal things are God, his Word, and people’s souls. Everything else will pass away.

If someone was going to auction off a stolen Bible for $20,000 in a disrespectful way, we may mourn the treatment of God’s Word, but I don’t think we would buy it just to return it to respect. We would (or should) use that money to help people. People who are living.

The holiest part of Christianity is the holiness of God and of Jesus. And Jesus is alive- there are no remains to protect or preserve.

When I think of bodily remains, I know it’s not my relatives. Their souls have departed. They don’t need that body anymore. They will get a resurrected body that is far better.


I say this because Boulley has brought up something I’ve never thought about before. I am exploring why I have a hard time understanding their traditions. Our religious beliefs drive the way we view the world and what’s in it and it’s very different.

Even though we have differing religious beliefs, I love that in America we are free to have and practice differing beliefs. We should still respect each other’s traditions. Their preservation and care for their funerary items does not hurt anyone so I think the repatriation act is a good and rightful thing.

I don’t think anyone should just go around digging up known burial grounds without proper authorization. That seems like a worthy law. I can understand this sentiment:

“Our ancestors’ bodies and funerary objects have been written on with markers and pens, handled, and studied by professors, researchers, and students for far too long. Their bodies, laid out in cardboard boxes, on metal shelves, is your university’s shameful reminder of the disrespect for human dignity.”

I am also not an anthropologist. If we were to just return all tribal objects from anywhere in America to wherever they go— what would we lose? I don’t know. I don’t know what the aftermath would be. I guess we would then rely on the tribes around the country to educate us on their past and culture instead of studying burial grounds for that information.

“Cooper says museums use that label, ‘culturally unidentifiable,’ as a catchall if they don’t have the resources to do a proper inventory. He says they also use it even after tribes provide evidence, because then, the museum can still hold on to the objects."

I can believe that museums and university departments make little effort in following through on inventorying a collection and actually trying to get it where it needs to go. I can believe there is deception used to avoid following the rules.


Recommendation

Angeline Boulley, a Native and a firekeeper’s daughter, definitely writes unique books and I enjoy reading a book written from a Native author in a setting and culture that I am not familiar with. I always enjoy learning while I read.

This book is long but doesn’t take too long to read. I think the plot is still decent and the characters are mostly likable— though sometimes Perry can be a lot.

If you plan to read this, I think I would still read Firekeeper’s Daughter first, but you wouldn’t have to.

Whether you are a Native yourself, or a non-Native, I think this book will invoke some feelings. Feelings that may be hard to understand and cause you to struggle. I think that’s a good thing.

I did say that it felt too political at times, but as I reflect, I’m glad that it made me think about what I believe and how I should interact with the Ojibwe culture and religion. I don’t have it all figured out, but it’s good for me to think about.

I think the only reason I would stop reading Boulley’s books is if the swearing continued to be as it is. (And I especially wouldn’t recommend this for YA readers as I mentioned earlier.)

Overall, this is a book about a teenage girl who discovers an injustice done to her tribe and, like a warrior, will do anything to rectify it. It’s the (mostly) selfless quest to right a wrong and uphold the religious beliefs she and her family hold.

I think most people will enjoy this book!

[See my original post for a couple other book links and pics relevant to the book]

**Received and ARC via NetGalley** 

“Turns out reality is more important than we thought.”

So I read ESJM’s Station Eleven 6 years ago and I honestly don’t remember a single thing. I have my short review from then but none of it really stuck with me. Reading Sea of Tranquility was like reading ESJM for the first time… again. But I think with similar results.

I have to admit… it was a bit underwhelming.

It’s one of those books that’s just not for everyone. While it wasn’t my favorite, I can tell there will be a lot of people that really enjoy it and some that don’t care for it at all. I’m somewhere in the middle.


The book is divided into chapters according to timeline.

We’ve got Edwin in 1910.
We’ve got Mirella in 1990s.
We’ve got Olive in 2203. (Where La Quinta hotels are somehow still going strong… invest now, everyone!)
We’ve got Gaspery in 2401.

All the timelines have something in common which is the mystery and climax of the book. It has something to do with time travel if that interests you at all. I won’t get too much into plot here because I’d basically have to describe the entire book to you. Just read the Goodreads summary for that.


ESJM wrote this book during the Covid-19 Pandemic and it shows. In fact, I think everyone’s Covid experiences and attitude toward it in the aftermath will probably dictate a lot of how they relate to this book.

There is a pandemic involved and you’ll find familiar things like masks and lockdowns. In fact one of the characters doesn’t leave their house for over a hundred days.

As I don’t intend to turn this review into a Covid discussion, I’ll just say that this part of the book gave me negative feelings and I didn’t care for the pandemic’s inclusion as it was.



The title of the book, Sea of Tranquility, is named after the feature on the moon of the same name. The moon, in future years, is the location of new settlements because of the inevitable death of Earth yada yada.

What’s weird about the title is that the writing style feels gentle and tranquil, but the content of the book is anything but gentle and tranquil. There are things going on in each time period that are troubling, chaotic, or scary.

Maybe that’s why this book didn’t stand out to me. I felt disjointed and disconnected. The words and the scenes seemed at odds with one another.

A character says, “This is the strange lesson of living in a pandemic: life can be tranquil in the face of death.”

I think it’s possible for this statement to be true, but I don’t believe ESJM provided a satisfactory ‘why’ or ‘how’ in this book. The sentiment seems misplaced here, to me.



The character, Olive, is a writer in the book who has written a book about a pandemic (as one is currently coming to fruition in her real life). She is on a book tour doing interviews and is asked about apocalyptic literature.

(I can only assume the answers she provides to the questions mirrors ESJM’s feelings as a writer writing a book during a pandemic…?)

There is speculation about why people are interested in these apocalyptic books. Is it people’s desire to just start over and do better? Is it a longing for heroism and to be a hero? Is it because we have the narcissistic thought that we’re currently “living at the end of history” and it’s “the worst it’s ever been”?

No. She thinks it’s not “because we’re drawn to disaster but because we’re drawn to what we imagine might come next. We long secretly for a world with less technology in it.”

She also says, “I didn’t want to write about anything real.”


I get the last statement. During the pandemic (and now, I guess) I didn’t particularly like reading pandemic books if they’re too real. I wanted to escape that. I wanted to read books that happened in a world without Covid. I was just over it.

Imagination is a good thing. And I think that’s true that people are drawn to sci-fi and dystopian books because there is world building, new technology, things and places that we’ve never seen or heard of. We do like to imagine what is next.

Why are people drawn to apocalyptic literature? I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m one of them. If I’m reading a book about the end of the world I am most interested in how the heroes are going to stop it from happening. And if they don’t and we’re now living on the moon, it immediately becomes science fiction to me, not a potential reality.

I don’t believe we are at risk of the sun dying or Earth becoming uninhabitable, etc. My belief in God and what the Bible says about His sustaining the world and everything in it gives me confidence to live without that fear. He will uphold his creation and nothing humans can do can thwart that.

So my approach or feeling toward these type of books may be different than a lot of people’s.



And I must say, I don’t know if people are really desperate for a world without technology. Sure, certain parts of technology. Social media can head on out, but I was without Google for a week and it was incredibly frustrating. I have way too many questions to look up. I don’t need bluetooth headphones, self-driving cars, Siri, or email, but by golly, I need my search engine!!

Terri Blackstock wrote a series (The Restoration Collection) that takes place when a global EMP has taken out all electricity and the world is plunged into this unknown. I don’t think I even finished the first book because I was so stressed out reading it. It felt too real. I don’t think we need technology to survive, but I don’t think humanity knows that and the effects of that would truly be a nightmare.

Anyway. Rabbit trail over.



Recommendation

I think this is one of those ‘personal preference’ books. I can’t recommend or discourage anyone reading this book. It may be for you, it may not. It’s not very long, so it’s not a long commitment to try. If you end up not liking it, it will not have cost you much.

There’s not really one thing I can point to as to my general ‘meh’ feeling about it. It’s just this vague sense of disconnectedness from the story and characters and I don’t feel like any of it is going to stick with me for very long.

The ending was a nice surprise, but it just didn’t hit me like I would have anticipated it to. Maybe the book is too lulling? Maybe the settings didn’t feel compelling? Maybe it just felt a bit empty? Maybe the time travel part wasn’t as exciting as I was expecting? Maybe the conflict was too sparse? I really don’t know how to articulate how I feel about it.

Some other reviewers have said it connects a bit to her other books so maybe that would be appealing to someone who is familiar with her work.

I’m thinking her writing style is just not my favorite. I’ve got plenty of other authors to read, but if you already enjoy ESJM, then I would give this a try.


[Content Advisory: moderate swearing; no sexual content; multiple gay/lesbian couples but mostly noted in reference, not any main part of the book]

“Snow lands on top.”

This was such a nostalgic read! It has been years since I read The Hunger Games Books and it was a good feeling to be back in a familiar world.

The movie comes out in November of this year so I knew I wanted to read it before watching the movie. (I’ll update this review with my thoughts on that after I watch it!)


I’m not usually a fan of prequels that are written after the original series. There’s not usually going to be much new information because it has to jive with whatever was already written. In that way it feels like contrived history.

I’m also not usually a fan of origin stories for villains. Sure it’s interesting to see what could have led them to where they are, but at the same time, it seems like villain origin stories tend to try to show you the ‘good’ that’s deep down inside them. See, they’re not so bad, they can be good people, and can you really blame them for becoming what they became? I don’t like to feel bad for villains.

But in both of these cases, I was happy with the book The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

As for the prequel: In some ways I want more because there is so much about this world and the rebellion that is still a mystery and I want to know more. I felt like we got enough new information that even though I still think it was contrived, I believed it and was engrossed in the story. But if Collins writes another Hunger Games book, I think I would prefer a sequel to Mockingjay than another prequel.

As for the villain origin story: The Hunger Games is an evil practice. President Snow didn’t create them. But we know he continues them. This book does show a softer side of him because he falls in love (kinda*?). But we also see what parts of the more recent Games were due to his input. This book didn’t really make me feel bad for Snow. This makes the book a little darker and not so much a ‘happy ending,’ but I’m okay with that. Let me hate the villain.

It was a weird feeling starting this book knowing what comes later. I already expected some sort of tragedy and negative storyline because I know that whatever happens in his early years, it still leads to Snow being president of Panem and controlling the Games.

So I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel. Can I feel happy for Snow in this moment before he became a monster? Should I agree with his rationalization here because yeah he had it tough too? Can I root for him to find love or should I be rooting for everyone to stay out of the wake of his ambition?


(Note: Even though this is a prequel, I don’t think it would be best to read this book before the others if you’ve never read any of them…)


Plot Summary

In case you’re wondering what I’m talking about, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place in Panem when Coriolanus Snow (President Snow) is only 18 years old. It’s the year of the 10th Hunger Games.

Families in the Capitol are still trying to gain back the wealth they had prior to the rebellion. During the uprising and siege of the Capitol food was scarce and times were rough. The Snow family, a well-known wealthy family is now pinching pennies, their family name fallen from grace.

Snow’s military father died during the war. His mother is also dead. He lives with his grandma (who loves and grows her own roses) and his cousin, Tigris.

But as their saying went, ‘Snow lands on top.’ They survived the war and by golly they would get back to their right standings.

His shot to gain back honor and money for his family comes as a new change to the Hunger Games is enacted. Students will now be mentors to the tributes and will win a prize if their tribute wins the games.

Coriolanus is paired with the District 12 tribute- Lucy Gray. Her charisma gains her support and though she’s a long shot to win, Coriolanus is determined to have his prize.

His courage and ambition to win then battles with the feelings he starts to develop for Lucy. He discovers they can’t coexist and his inner struggle comes to a head.

“A tendency toward obsession was hardwired into his brain and would likely be his undoing if he couldn’t learn to outsmart it.”



The Hunger Games

“The Hunger Games was a war reparation, young district lives taken for the young Capitol lives that had been lost. The price of the rebels’ treachery.”

“Unless there’s law, and someone enforcing it, I think we might as well be animals. Like it or not, the Capitol is the only thing keeping anyone safe.”

Coriolanus and his classmates are forced to be exposed to the horror of the Games up close and personal. They begin to see the tributes as kids just like them and see the evilness of of the way they are treated— like animals. They see the psychotic nature of Dr. Gaul and know that she is immoral.

But different circumstances cause them to second guess their attempts at showing the tributes mercy or standing up for them.

Maybe they are animals after all. Maybe we’re all animals given the right circumstances. Maybe law and order and control is a good thing. A necessary thing.

That’s the uncomfortable thing about reading this book. We know the Hunger Games are evil. Forcing people to fight to the death for any reason is evil.

Yet we hear Coriolanus and the head gamemaker (Dr. Gaul) say things that we almost kinda agree with:

After a boy clubs another boy to death Dr. Gaul says, “That’s mankind in its natural state… Who are human beings? Because who we are determines the type of governing we need.”

We know humans’ capacity for violence, for selfishness, for self-preservation. We see it today: people rape, murder, sex-traffick, abuse, steal, and the list goes on. Who are human beings?

The theological and truthful answer is: sinners. Collins has said in interviews that exploring the depths of just war theory is what inspires a lot of her writing; she does not intend to explore the theological side of it, but that’s what I’m going to do (though the just war theory stuff is super interesting too).

Human beings truly are capable of horrendous things. We do need governing. Do we need Hunger Games? No, of course not. The Capitol recognized humanity’s potential for violence but then instituted a singular, controlling, oppressive government driven by fear and manipulation and void of any morals. I hope America never comes to that conclusion.

Of course, if we’re following our theological argument here, we would understand that our authority and governance is from God. He determines right and wrong. Morality is derived from his Being. His law is good. The type of governing humanity needs is one from an outside, superior source, not from corrupted mankind. Something bigger than us. A designer. A creator. An all-knowing perfect God.

Even practically speaking, I think we all recognize that law and order is a good thing. People need boundaries. Evil should have consequences. Protection and justice should be markers of government. Ironically, anarchy would end up being just like the Hunger Games- everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Read the book of Judges in the Bible and you’ll see how that goes.

I think we have a tendency to read books like this and think- we could never end up like that! I would never condone such violence. We are far too moral than to be likened to the Capitol… But we would be wise to be reminded of our sinful nature and bent towards self-preservation at whatever cost. You can already see today ways that people have allowed or encouraged certain practices that are harmful in one way or another, and it’s a slippery slope.

Especially when you think about the term ‘reparation.’ Much can be justified if we believe we ‘deserve’ something or should be restored what was attacked. We can believe certain forms of ‘justice’ are acceptable if we are convinced they truly are just. We are pretty good at the mental gymnastics required to blind our moral compass to get what we want.

This isn’t a spoiler because we know Coriolanus’ future, but it’s telling of his mindset when he thinks,

“He’d continue the Games, of course, when he ruled Panem. People would call him a tyrant, ironfisted and cruel. But at least he would ensure survival for survival’s sake, giving them a chance to evolve. What else could humanity hope for? Really, it should thank him.”



Katniss Everdeen

No, Katniss the person does not make an appearance in this book. However, her namesake does! Lucy Gray points out the plant katniss— or rather, swamp potatoes— and says that she loves katniss.

Some have speculated that perhaps Lucy Gray is a grandparent to Katniss but nothing is ever confirmed. I tried Googling it too and found no interviews by Collins that sheds light on that. Perhaps future books will explore the gap between Lucy Gray and Katniss!

Even though she is not in this book, we can’t help but think of her. Of what was partly behind President Snow’s hatred of her.

There are many personality similarities between Lucy Gray and Katniss besides the fact that they are both from District 12 and fought in the Games. The strength and the courage and the defiance. This book gives insights of what Snow might be remembering and trying to quell as he thinks back to the 10th Hunger Games.

There is also the thread of mockingjays throughout the book.

Early on Lucy Gray says, “It’s not over til the mockingjay sings.”

That quote has multiple meanings. But one is obviously a foreshadowing to Katniss symbolizing the mockingjay. We learn more in this book about how mockingjays came to be. Something meant to be a weapon by the Capitol eventually turning against them, mocking them.

The shock Snow must have felt when Katniss became a mockingjay! At the end of this book, Coriolanus says of someone I won’t name, “She could fly around District 12 all she liked, but she and her mockingjays could never harm him again.”

And he would be wrong.



Other Comments

I thought it was clever the way Collins named the Covey characters: Lucy Gray, Maude Ivory, Tam Amber, Barb Azure, Billy Taupe, Clerk Carmine, and then the bonus of Coriolanus Snow.

The first name came from a ballad and the second name a color. I noticed this (well the color part) before the book pointed it out, but I’m glad Collins explains it.

Ballads are a very prominent part of this book. A ballad is a song that narrates a story. Lucy sings several, including The Hanging Tree that we hear in the Hunger Games movies. They are stories passed down orally. Coriolanus could not understand them. I think that’s a big indicator as to his distinction from people. He’s so self-absorbed that he can’t comprehend anyone else’s stories. The beauty of music confounds him. Ambition is forward-thinking but ballads are usually backward-looking.

To name the characters this way was a really good choice. It made me, as a reader, want to think about what my Covey name would be and how I would choose a color to represent myself. (It can’t just be your favorite color because favorite colors are stupid.)

Coriolanus, Collins says, was named after a character in a Shakespearan tragedy. I looked it up and found this snippet of description very interesting:

“Faced with this opposition, Coriolanus flies into a rage and rails against the concept of popular rule. He compares allowing plebeians to have power over the patricians to allowing ‘crows to peck the eagles.’”

He was well-named.

And the ‘Snow’ part… Lucy sings a ballad to him and says he’s as 'pure as the driven snow.’ They never said this in the book, but when I read that I think that means not very pure at all! Driven snow is dirty and tainted. Coriolanus seemed flattered by the song in the book, but I think my interpretation of it is more in line with his personality.


We discover in this book that roses were representative of his grandmother. They were her prized possession. Coriolanus loved the smell of roses.

His grandmother (the Grandma’am) is an eccentric and patriotic lady. She is convinced that Coriolanus will be president someday and tells him regularly. Perhaps the roses in future books are a reminder to him that she was right all along and that he deserved his position.

She also tells him that she gives him “opportunities to practice self-control.” I think this is an interesting bit of information. After starting to read this I’ve been watching the Hunger Games movies over again and I’ve been trying to look at the scenes where they show President Snow with a rose and see if it’s a moment of self-control or loss of control.

Orrrrrr….

She also apparently says that “her roses always open doors.” Are future rose-moments moments of seeking an open door?

It would be an intriguing thing to ponder further.


The first movie’s soundtrack was a really good soundtrack. All of the songs had that Smoky Mountain dark folksy flair. I have high hopes for this movie’s soundtrack. Considering all the ballads within the book I’m hoping they have renditions on the record so I know what they sound like.

Suzanne Collins just does such a good job creating an aura to her world-buildings and settings. That’s partly what brings the nostalgia. You sense the juxtaposition of the fearful and desperate poor against the entitled and rationalizing rich. The stark clash in the Capitol during the Hunger Games. You can just picture yourself in District 12 surrounded by trees and weighted with despondency. I’m excited to see how this new soundtrack expresses that.


Another thing that this book caused me to do was to go down a rabbit hole of looking for information on Panem. I wanted to find a North American map showing where all the districts are and what their industries are. Being from Iowa I was thinking we must be part of the Agricultural district (Rue’s district) or Livestock.

Anyway, I don’t know if there is an official map, but I found one to be a compelling representation. I’m kinda surprised Collins didn’t create and release one. It seems like something fans would really like. Because I’m a fan and I would really like. Visit my original review post for link/image.


Book/Movie Comparison (contains spoilers)

Overall, I liked the movie. The book is long so a movie can only do so much. I felt like it covered things pretty well and the changes they made made cinematic sense and didn’t detract too much from the original intent of the book.

My husband watched the movie with me and did not read the book. He said the change in Coriolanus at the end from wanting to run away with Lucy to shooting at her felt too abrupt and drastic. That’s one downside to the movie- you don’t get Corio’s ongoing inner struggle and thoughts like you do with the book. We read the back and forth and we understand his desire to win and his thirst for wealth more than what they show in the movie so we aren’t as surprised. 

In some ways, though, I think there was supposed to be an abruptness to the change. It was a moment where he snapped. Where his two desires collide and he has to make that choice— run or go back to a position of prestige. Then when Lucy hides the snake in the scarf, he realizes that door is now closed to him and he reverts to self-preservation mode. 

I mentioned the Panem map above. In the movie the Flickerman guy is also a weatherman and so they show him in front of a screen giving weather information for the different districts. If I wasn’t in the theater I would have paused to see what his map looked like! Maybe whenever the movie comes out we can figure it out more.

The Hunger Games themselves were a little different in the movie. In the book we don’t really know what Lucy is up to. They don’t have cameras in the tunnels and under the arena. We only know what happens out in the open. In the movie, Lucy has to have more screen time so there are cameras showing her hiding with Jessup and then his rabies episode where she runs back to the arena. They show a big scene where Lucy is hiding the vents and is being attacked by other tributes, which wasn’t in the book. 

In the movie Lucy doesn’t inadvertently poison Wovey as in the book(she poisons Dill). Wovey is killed by the downpour of snakes into the arena. The snakes are also the climax of the games in the movie. They kill all the tributes except Lucy because of the handkerchief and that’s how she wins. In the book, after the snakes there are still a few tributes left. The snakes die out, presumably from cold or drowning because of their engineering. 

In the book Lucy kills a tribute with a snake she saved and thrusts at his neck. The final tribute left with her is Reaper and he dies by heat exhaustion and because Lucy messes up the flag covering the bodies and keeps him running back and forth trying to keep fixing it. This would feel less dramatic in movie format so I can understand why they decided to make the snakes the climax.

The Plinth prize works differently in the book than the movie. They announce the prize before the Hunger Games even starts in the movie. In the book, it doesn’t become a thing until after Sejanus is rescued from the arena. 

 

Clemensia, Coriolanus’s classmate who gets bit by the snake in the lab is not really in the movie after that moment, but her injury and recovery and friendship is a still part of the story line in the book. By continuing that thread we see more of Coriolanus’s humanity as he feels concerned about her and what the snakes do. 

One thing I wish we would have gotten more clues to was how Tigris could go from how she is in the book to how she is in the third Hunger Games movie. We know Coriolanus is ambitious and cruel, but I wonder what caused him to turn against his own family, a member he was so close with. Neither the book or the movie gave us any information on that.

The Covey plays a smaller role in the movie and we don’t get to see Lucy’s relationship with Maude as vividly as the book. 

The section in District 12 is short in the movie and we gain less knowledge about Coriolanus’s state of mind, his relationship with the other Peacekeepers, and his relationship with Sejanus (who doesn’t come to District 12 until later, according to the book). 

At the end when he and Lucy are running away, the movie shows them entering the cabin and finding the guns under the floor boards. That’s when Coriolanus mistakenly says ‘Three is enough for me.’ And Lucy leaves to get katniss (perfect segue). In the book, they are still in the woods when he says that and she questions who the third is but then they continue on into the house. You can’t really tell what Lucy is up to or what she is thinking. Reading the book I was surprised that she hides. In the movie, you can tell more that she knows something is off. 

I’m sure I’m missing some differences because a lot of those details are hard to remember after a few months after reading the book. 

I still enjoyed the movie… well if you’re allowed to say that. That’s the irony right… the Hunger Games is still entertainment even though we know it’s morally wrong. 

Recommendation

I would definitely recommend this book if you are a fan of The Hunger Games trilogy. It’s got a different vibe since it’s more focused on the villain instead of a hero, but it fills in some blanks and takes you back to the mysterious world of Panem.

It’s not a book that you hug at the end and say how much you loved it. You don’t like the main character. The ending isn’t even that happy either. So it does feel like a weird book to recommend, but if you know the world of Panem, it makes sense in the context of the series and somehow I can say I enjoyed it.

It doesn’t ruin the other books for me, but it elevates them. It reminds you why you’re so happy there was Katniss. You don’t root for characters in this book, you root for Katniss. You can get through the villain story because you know there’s a protagonist that’s coming to take him down.

I was surprised by how many people gave this book bad reviews. I guess it hit me differently than them. But I also didn’t go into it with romantic expectations. I do wish that we went a little bit further out in the future by the end of the book, but it’s probably better to wish for more than to get a 1000 page book and say I’m tired of reading about Snow’s life.

I wasn’t bored reading this book. I actually liked the ballads in this book and thought they were written well. I can agree with some reviewers that I didn’t particularly like the little bit of romance that was in there and am not sure how Lucy Gray could ever be attracted to Coriolanus.

Overall, I wonder if my thoughts are so different than everyone else’s because I read it after all the hype was over. I wasn’t going into it with any preconceived expectations. Hyped books are usually let-downs. But if you read them 3 years later after no one is really talking about them, you’ll enjoy them more!

As per usual, social media tees people up for disappointment… don’t be a victim!


[Content Advisory: no swearing or sexual content; but kids are killing each other so be prepared for violence…]

This is a very short YA graphic novel about identity and finding one’s place in a new school.

Huda Fahmy is part of a Muslim family and has 4 sisters. Her parents have just moved them to Dearborn, Michigan which has a large population of Muslims. Huda thinks this will help her feel like she belongs since she won’t be the only one wearing a hijabi anymore.

But the cliques of school can be found anywhere. Her new school has the hijabi athletes, the hijabi gamers, and the hijabi fashionistas. And she doesn’t feel like she fits with any of them.

She discovers that she is still not sure who she is and what she likes. She has a tendency to adapt whatever interests her friends have. With baby steps she realizes her value and the person she wants to be, being able to stand up for herself.



I think Muslim readers will feel a particular fondness for the story because they can relate to Huda in a unique way, but any reader will understand the pressures and difficulties of high school and becoming comfortable in one’s own skin.

Non-Muslim readers will also become more aware of the challenges Muslims may face in their schools by their teachers or their peers. Hopefully young readers will treat others different than them a little better after seeing Huda’s story and recognizing that we all stand on common ground.


There is some humor in this book— I mean with a title like that, of course there will be. I thought the drawings were well done and portrayed humor well.


As it is so short, you can easily read it in one sitting and feels more like paging through a magazine than getting involved in a story. I think it felt more like reading a few chapters than a book in its entirety. It could easily have been longer.

She has a new book coming out in October called ‘Huda F Cares?’ I mean the title is just brilliant! She has endless possibilities with future books. [Here’s a link to her website.]


If you’ve never read a graphic novel before, this may be a good one to start with to give you a little taste before picking up a longer book. 

“The retreat could be the match that ignited the dry kindling of our family pyre— disastrous, just like last time.”

Olivia Eriksen is part of a family of psychopaths.

“My cousin Alfred confided to me the truth of our family during a camping trip: we were psychopaths. Or rather, our family carries with it a long history of antisocial personality disorder that manifests in myriad ways— psychopathy, sociopathy, borderline personality disorder, and narcissism, among others.”

Olivia, herself a neurotypical, is working on her grad paper, studying the relationship between psychopathy and the age-old question- nature or nurture?

So, of course, she is going to attend a family reunion out in Oregon on a wilderness resort to talk with family members and understand their experiences.

Because what could go wrong?



The Family Bones reads like a classic horror film— who will survive the cold rainy night?— but without a ton of guts and gore.

After a storm knocks out the power and fallen trees block the only way in and out, the body count starts rising. Someone up there is on a killing spree. And the suspect list is unending!

The identity of the killer is figureoutable, the clues are all there, but I still enjoyed a few surprises.

The format of the book includes first person POV chapters by Olivia giving us the scoop on the psycho-show happening on the ole ranch as she tries to figure out what’s going on.

Then we have chapters from Birdie Tan, a half-Chinese, half-white woman who is entrenched in the unsolved crimes podcast scene. She focuses on the cases of unexplained murders or disappearances of people of color and puts out her own podcast episodes.

Her current case will send her to Oregon where her path will cross with the Eriksen clan.

I’ll add here that I think it would have been better if Birdie and Olivia’s paths had crossed sooner in the book. Birdie’s perspective is pretty one-dimensional. It’s focused on her research. Her family is mentioned but they are very marginal characters. I felt like there was a tiny something missing from her ‘circle.’

The last element of the book’s formatting are the interspersed news articles and journal entries that fill in details from the ‘last reunion,’ the killer, and the current fiasco.



It’s kinda a freaky read. With psychopathy manifesting in so many different ways, you’re just never sure which family members are lying or manipulating other ones. No one seems trustworthy.

Plus, there’s the added element of Olivia bringing her new fiancé to the reunion. With how notorious her family name is, I wondered if her boyfriend was there with ulterior motives, especially because he disappears for a good chunk of the book.

In fact, I think I’m a little disappointed with how that aspect of the story worked itself out. I think there was more that could/should have been done with him.



Of course, with any setting like this, there are certain parts where reality is stretched. I mean, they all had to give up their phones at the beginning of the reunion and we all know that nothing good happens when all parties relinquish their only connection to the outside world. I would never do it. Safety first.

I was a psych minor and took an Abnormal Psychology class but I’m fantastically far from being an expert on the subject. Were these disorders portrayed accurately? Were people’s reactions feasible? Who knows?

But, no one reads these types of books because they want a 100% accurate portrayal of a wilderness killing spree. And if you do, you may want to consider reading some happier content every once in awhile…. or stick to textbooks?



This is a fast and thrilling read that I would definitely recommend if you like a good psychopath killing story.

It’s not going to be a book where you adore the characters. It’s not going to give a whole lot of academic insight into the actual question of nature vs nurture.

(I keep saying psychopath and horror and I think many people will think it’s some sort of slasher book but it’s really not that bad in terms of violence and gore.)

But it will be an engaging read you don’t have to commit a lot of time to so the payoff standards don’t have to be super high.



She has several other books I’m considering reading, including Strangers We Know because Marr has said it’s an #OwnVoices book. And she’s got a new one coming out in 2024 that I’m fixin’ to get a copy of.



A fun little sidenote: I read this on my Norwegian cruise vacation where we departed from Amsterdam and within the first 30 pages of the book both Norway and Amsterdam were mentioned! What are the odds…?


[Content Advisory: a handful of f-words, often in groupings; some sexual content, including incest, but nothing extensive]

**Received a physical copy from Wunderkind PR in exchange for an honest review**

“We didn’t come through hell just to die when it’s over. If we have to run— if we have to swim off this island— we’re gettin’ through this. The three of us— all home alive. That’s our only aim from here on out.”


This is a hard book to read. Because it’s a book of war and of being a prisoner of war.

The atrocities of WWII we’re familiar with, but in a different location than Europe— the Pacific.

This is the story of three teenage boys— best friends and voluntary soldiers— fighting near Manila. While the boys are specifically fiction, this book is based on true stories.

Marcus Brotherton is known for his non-fiction work and Tosca Lee (one of my favorite authors) has written all kinds of genres, but she is a researcher and whether she is writing fantasy, thrillers, or historical fiction, you can tell that she has put in the work to bring her characters and the setting to life!

While I obviously can’t evaluate its accuracy on my own account, some brief Google searches support the portrayals in the book, and I believe they depicted the environment and the experiences with a lot of authenticity.



The historical context is this:

After Pearl Harbor was bombed, Imperial Japan invaded the Bataan Peninsula. American soldiers under the command of General Douglas MacArthur had been stationed there to keep Japan from accessing Manila Bay. They couldn’t hold Japan off and new troops were not sent to their aid. Eventually they surrendered.

In 1942, the soldiers were then forced on The Bataan Death March— a 65 mile march to Camp O’Donnell. Besides being malnourished and weak, soldiers were shot or bayoneted for any number of changing reasons. An estimated 17,000 men died on the march alone. More American and Filipino soldiers died in the aftermath.

Another historical element Brotherton and Lee included in their story that was interesting was the female Filipina guerilla leader— Felipa Culala— who led many successful raids and missions against the Japanese with her small band of guerilla soldiers.

Europe is typically the main focus of WWII stories so it was eye-opening to be reminded of all the other battles being fought around the world at the same time. This book will get you on Google, that’s for sure!



The Long March Home chronicles the experience of these friends— Jimmy, Billy, and Hank— from the POV of Jimmy. They are among the surrendered soldiers and endure hardship after hardship. The only thing that kept them going was their friendship and commitment to keeping each other alive and a girl back home they all had a connection to.

The girl is Claire. Billy’s older sister. Jimmy’s best friend since birth and his eventual romantic interest. Hank also had some romantic interest, but Jimmy, Billy, and Claire are like his family since he didn’t have much of his own.

Jimmy, son of a preacher, was supposed to follow in his father’s footsteps. Go to seminary, marry (Claire), stay near home and do the family business. But Jimmy had bigger aspirations. He saw fighting in the war a chance to step out in his own way.

While he’s in the Philippines with Hank and Billy (before Pearl Harbor), he finally feels some freedom.

“If this ain’t paradise, I don’t know what is… as long as I got my two best friends, I have all I need.”

But of course, paradise on earth is always short-lived. Everything changes and their chances of all surviving look bleak. Is their friendship strong enough to continue to give them the desire to live at all? And if it is, can they physically handle the trauma inflicted on their bodies and minds?



The book bounces back and forth between the WWII scenes and their collective past in Mobile, Alabama, where they came from. The ‘past’ chapters help us understand the depth of the boys’ friendships and what bonds them. It also shows us what happened between Claire and Hank and Claire and Jimmy. In some ways, she is the glue that holds them all together, but now they’re on the other side of the globe from her.

Jimmy and Hank especially feel the commitment to keep Billy, her brother, safe, considering he lied about his age to enlist and is younger than the rest of them.

I like that it was just from one of the boys’ POVs. Sometimes these books can try to do too much by getting us into each of their heads but I think it was right to focus on Jimmy. I still felt like he provided us with enough information and observation where the other two boys were never too far away.

One aspect of the Mobile chapters I didn’t like was the portrayal of Jimmy’s father. Being a pastor’s kid, myself, I’m always critical of familial relationships in homes of pastors/preachers when they don’t reflect my own upbringing. I feel like it’s easy to make the pastor a fire and brimstone, strict, no grace, no mercy kind of man. And perhaps that arrangement was more common during that time period, but I always find myself defensive about it, because that is not what God has called pastors— or any Christians— to be, and I can speak from my own experience that preacher fathers can prioritize their family and love them with gentleness and grace and support. And they can actually preach sermons that people aren’t bored or afraid of.

Anyway, I do appreciate how they wrapped up that relationship and it lessened my original critique.

I’m glad they included the Mobile, AL backstory because it was a brief reprieve from the war chapters that I definitely needed.



Like I already said, this was a hard book to read. The things they had to go through. The things they survived. It’s truly horrific.

“I’ve seen men sit down hard with bullet wounds, talk for a little while like they were only stunned, and die two minutes later. Soldiers blown to more pieces than can be scraped together in a box. Barrios of civilians bombed to nothing just because they were in the way.”

They hardly had any food. They ate a horse, a monkey, a lizard, a cat, whatever they could get their hands on. Not only were they beaten and worked to death, but they did it all while hungry and diseased with dysentery and all number of digestive issues. 

Every time I thought maybe the boys would catch a break, something new would come and it was often worse than the last. 

It made me realize the significance of the Geneva Convention and I am grateful for the countries who have signed it. It requires humane treatment of POWs— food, drink, and medical treatment. What a vastly different experience without it. 

Although it may be considered a spoiler, I think some readers may need to know that this story is not all death. There are some rays of happiness and the ending is a positive turn. 



If it’s too hard for you to read about war and prisoner hardships, you may not want to read this one. 

I know some reviewers have knocked it a bit because it was published by a Christian publishing company but still contains some ‘less than Christian’ content in terms of language or behaviors. 

But having read plenty of non-Christian books, I think these authors did a great job of writing it and giving authenticity to the grittiness of the environment and the realities of soldier life without going too far. It could have easily been crammed with f- and s-words and more crude talk but it wasn’t and I appreciate that! 

At some point, when writing the truths of war, things can’t be sanitized. I think this book was balanced in that way and I have no complaint. 

It was a book written as historical fiction and not meant to be faith-rooted. So if you read it for what it was meant to be, I think you’ll appreciate it more. 

If war scenes aren’t triggering for you, I would recommend this book. Especially if you are into WWII books. This will be different than a lot of WWII books out there and will add another facet to the global war that shaped so much of the world. 

I read this entire book in one sitting while on a plane, which is not the most ideal scenario, so I think I have some fogginess about how I felt about the book vs how I felt about the plane. I would avoid that situation. I think it probably would have been better to read it over a few days instead. 

Nonetheless, I’m glad I read it and would recommend. 


[Content Advisory: minimal-to-no swearing (that I remember… I know they narrated it like ‘he cursed’ but didn’t actually write it out; minimal sexual content; more than moderate gore/violence as it is about war]

“I’m not a stupid character in a stupid book who turns into a murderer for no reason.”


This was a fun murder mystery told from the perspective of thriller authors. It is also a personal attack on Twitter which I am totally here for.

I say fun not because it’s a ‘cozy’ mystery or because it’s meant to be funny, but because it’s a great concept and format for a thriller novel:

A convention for mystery/thriller authors called Murderpalooza. A nominee for the big award is murdered at the hotel. Several other authors in attendance have a connection to the victim and all have a secret. Except someone else knows their secrets and is exposing them on Twitter.

They work together, even as they’re suspicious of each other and willing to throw each other under the bus, to solve the murder mystery story they are living, clear their names, and survive another day.

“If anyone can solve Kristin’s murder, it’s going to be thriller writers, especially once everyone finds out she had secrets. This is what we do for a living. We take something horrible happening to someone normal and create a dense backstory rife with mystery. As readers, we pick apart every breadcrumb left by the author, and nine times out of ten, we figure out the ending.”

It’s one of those stories where you feel like any of them— or none of them— could be the killer and it’s hard to feel too confident that you have it figured out!

I really liked the ending and thought this was a well-written book!

The story is told through multiple POVs by this cast of characters/suspects:

- Kristin: nominee and writer from Iowa (woop woop… unfortunately Heimer, Iowa is fiction) who is stabbed at the convention; she was the secret co-author to Mike, secret lover to Vicky’s boyfriend, stalked by Suzanne, and was part of Davis’ former Midwest writing group of which another member died in a car accident

Her chapters are labeled ‘night before’ or ‘morning of the murder’ to give us more clues as to what was going on around that time.

- Davis: the most talked about and sought after writer at the convention with his new bestselling, money-making book that’s sure to win the award the next year
"All I can think about are the promises Kristin and I made to each other. Does this mean I don’t have to deliver anymore?”
 "Narcissism is a disease, I swear. I’m the poster boy. Although is it really narcissism if I know I have it?”

- Mike: old-news author who is hoping to revamp his career with his new book he’s writing with a secret co-author (Kristin)
"The manuscript… I’m totally screwed once someone else reads it. The storyline is a little close to home… This isn’t just career suicide. This can be evidence, and evidence that does not paint me in a flattering light.”
 "No one has hit on me for half a decade. That comes with being a has-been. There was that one…”

- Vicky: nominee and author trying to get her agent to do more for her instead of focusing only on Davis; also has a penchant for ‘deleting’ crutch words from her thought narrative
"Now, my boyfriend’s girlfriend— also my competition— is dead, and it doesn’t look good for me.”
 “Thank goodness her cell phone rings and stops the absolute rage I’m about to expel out of my wine hole.”

- Suzanne: new author trying to make a name for herself and is looking forward to using her ‘friendship’ (aka obsession) with Kristin to get it
"Please don’t let this be about me and what happened this morning.”
 "It’s a bad habit of mine, talking to strangers. I’m the one who becomes Instagram friends with my Uber drivers.”


The “Twitter Murder Stalker Person” (which is an amazing name for the nameless person) has all the dirt on all of them and one by one feeds the Twitter mob their confidential information turning the spotlight on them. Not to mention TMSP is threatening that one of them might be next!

How will they survive the next few days— physically and professionally?!



It was a fun and interesting world to be part of for awhile! We read all the thrillers, but who are these writers behind the books? I’m not sure how accurate it all is, but it’s interesting to get a taste of the author-world and what it might take to get a bestseller!

I was entertained by these comments, most of which are author/writing-related:

“writers have a commonly used phrase that only translates on paper: he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. No one thinks that or says it out loud. Ever.”

“Everyone likes the splishy-splashy friend-with-a-past-secret-wrecking-everyone’s-life novel.”

“Ah. Romance. Self-publishing. The death knell in Thriller World, according to me— it’s like assuming you’re going to win an Oscar when you’re a soap opera star.”

I don’t know if this is a real sentiment of the author or not. I hope to publish a memoir someday but self-publishing may be my only option unless a publisher gives me a chance so hopefully I won’t be despised by the author community…

“His audience—older readers who like slow-burn political detective stories— is being replaced with the fast-paced beach read with a hundred twists and turns.”

Which one am I?!

“Authors ran on caffeine and self-doubt.”

“Only authors and avid readers would be able to recognize an author by face.”

I can’t recognize everyone’s face, but I could recognize James Patterson because his face looks the exact same on the back of every single one of his books. It cracks me up and I will never forget it.



The not-so-subtle jabs at Twitter were some of my favorite parts of this book! Personally, I’m not on Twitter, but I’m aware of its dangers and its mob. And this book was a good reminder of how Twitter— and social media in general— can ruin people’s lives pretty easily even, or especially, with comments that are not true. Do the work and stop believing everything you read and hear without fact-checking it first!

“Twitter. The bane of every author’s existence.”

“You know the Twitter mob, their narrative is the gold standard until enough of them jump on something else. Short memories.”

“I don’t read Book Twitter; it’s ridiculous. It’s a bunch of people puffed up on their own opinions who literally bully people into thinking like them and cancel everyone who doesn’t, instantly. They complain about people bullying others, yet don’t see the hypocrisy.”

“These people think admitting they were wrong about what they vehemently retweeted is worse than actually being wrong. So they leave it up. And they repeat it. And then it’s reality.”

“where Twitter itself proves it’s the cesspool of life. The worse of the worst go and hide behind their avatars, or whatever they’re called, and just gang up on people.”



A couple other random quotes I felt compelled to share:

Vicky has “a short-sleeved black dress— with pockets. The female holy grail.”—I couldn’t agree more with this description.

“Illinois winters are no joke, and for the first decade of my life, horrific clanking noises came from the basement whenever it snowed or the wind got out of control… everything made creepy sounds… and I was always terrified to investigate.” — If this isn’t paying homage to Home Alone, I don’t know what is.



Recommendation

I really want to recommend this book to everyone, but my big qualm with it is that it had a lot of swearing and some crude language by a couple of the characters. If it weren’t for that, it would for sure be a must-read!

If you can get past the language, I think you’ll find you really enjoy this one!

It’s not a hard-hitting thriller, but it’s got a lot of good components: creative concept, diverse characters, red herrings, mystery, suspense, twists, some humor, a Twitter-trashing, and a good ending. It’s not going to keep you up at night but I think you’ll come away thinking- ‘That was fun to read!’


[Content Advisory: 61 f-words, 81 s-words; no sexual content but some innuendo and crude talk by a couple characters]

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

I enjoy a good spy thriller. This one had potential but it ended up being a spy thriller slash romance novel with a lot of violence and some graphic sex scenes.

A lot of the action and gun fights and settings were also hard to visualize. In some ways I wonder if this book would make a better movie because of all the action and the hard-to-keep-straight characters and events. After I googled the City of the Dead I realized what I was picturing was very different than real life… unless it was meant to be fictional?

As I was trying to summarize the plot below I realized there is so much going on that it’s really hard to recount in a concise way. Besides the main spy missions, the main character, whose boyfriend dies in a mysterious plane crash, battles romantic feelings with her new FBI counterpart. Plus we have a feminist thread of fighting against the way women are treated in the Middle East.



The main character is Juliet Arroway, “a former Army ranger turned Syndicate spy, charged with hunting energy terrorists.”

If you’re a Mission Impossible fan like me than it might be hard to wrap your mind around the concept of the Syndicate being the good guys instead of the bad guys. But it is a ‘good’ organization, although by the end of the book you may wonder what that means. The classic moral dilemma of ‘the greater good’ is a matter of ponderance here.

Juliet recruited her college roommate Mariam to work with the Syndicate. Why? Because Mariam is the daughter of the king of Saudi. The Middle East is a hotspot in the energy crisis the world has found itself in. The world is in need of alternative energy sources but there are people who would lose financially if certain energy resolutions are reached. Mariam is a bridge to the region and a valuable source with what’s going on the kingdom of Saudi Arabia where an alternative energy source may have been created.

“Mariam’s feminism was one of the things Juliet cherished most about her source— and friend. Since they’d met, Mariam had found every opportunity to speak out in ways to empower women and push to redefine an Arab woman’s role in society.”

The book covers several months as a variety of missions are conducted in an effort to capture Abu-Hassan who could give information on other operatives of al-Alfatih, the anti-alternate-energy terrorists, before more terrorist attacks can be carried out.

Can they take down the terrorist ring that threatens better global energy sources?

Is Mariam a source they can trust or is her family actually working with al-Alfatih to gain a monopoly on any new energy technology?

How will Juliet handle her romantic feelings for Agent Harding and can their relationship survive the tension of their mission?

Can Juliet avenge the death of her father by none other than Abu-Hassan?



The author, Brittany Butler, has a lot of first hand knowledge that she put to work in this novel. Her Goodreads author bio says that she “is a former CIA targeting officer with first-hand knowledge of the recruitment and handling of spies and dismantling terrorist networks abroad. She is a staunch advocate for women’s rights in the Middle East and works within her local community to resettle Afghan refugees.”

You can definitely tell that Butler has a lot of knowledge and experience that she writes from so most of it feels very authentic. There were a few times that I questioned the descriptions. Like Juliet’s ambiguous understanding of the Arabic language. Or the secret or not-so-secret existence of the Syndicate where Juliet had to keep her identity secret from her boyfriend but also she entered buildings flying the Syndicate flag and showed her Syndicate credentials at bomb scenes. Or the part where ten thousand troops come to the rescue but end up in flames… I was struggling to picture the size of the opposing forces and if they really could have been overcome they way they were.

But overall, Butler’s handling of the subject matter is impressive.



The feminist aspect of the story was really interesting to read about. I am aware of much of the oppression of women in the Middle East and definitely support certain measures to give women more rights and more voice in their culture. But some of the feminist comments rubbed me the wrong way.

For example, Juliet is constantly frustrated by Agent Harding trying to ‘protect her’ when she can ‘take care of herself.’ This is a common feminist ideal that women don’t need help with anything and any action taken to protect them is apparently belittling to them. Juliet is a very capable woman and I don’t really know how that plays out in military-type occupations— maybe Butler has it all right— but it seemed like there were times when she really did need his help and his protection.

She eventually says that “she did not need anyone to protect her, but she had wanted someone to make her feel safe.”

I think there is something inherently good about men trying to protect women and we should stop trying to push so hard against that as if it diminishes our own strength as women. Where is the humility and intimacy of that? Juliet even recognizes that feeling safe is an important thing. Perhaps we should try to see these actions with gratitude for people who care about us instead of seeing them as personal attacks against our person and abilities.

Then there is the quote, “I think this may be the first time in a long time that I will fight for my own beliefs, my own interests, rather than those of the men before me.” (this is Juliet saying this btw)

It seems to imply that ‘the men before me’ all had it wrong and she is more enlightened than to follow anything they stood for. History shows a picture of both men and women making both good and bad choices, ideologies that both hurt and helped. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with fighting for your own beliefs, but I think too often historical men are dismissed just because they are men.



There is a theme of tolerance in this book as well. And again, Butler gets it mostly right, but then it takes a turn:

“It’s only when we live in harmony with people who think differently than we do that we can achieve true peace and prosperity. That is why you will never win this war. You’re blind— blind to the fact that there is no one truth.”

The first part is absolutely right— we have to be able to live peaceably and be tolerant of people who think differently than ourselves. That is what is good about freedom of religion in America. We acknowledge that people believe different things and they should be allowed to hold their beliefs without violence. Tolerance is not forcing everyone to believe the same thing, but agreeing to disagree.

However, Butler seems to think this is synonymous with believing there is “no one truth.” I don’t think those things have to be connected. Just because people believe different things doesn’t mean they are both equally true. It’s very evident in terms of religion: God can’t both exist and not exist. Jesus can’t both be God’s Son and not God’s Son.

Truth is truth is truth. Regardless of what people believe about it.



Anyway, a couple other comments about this book.

The writing style was mostly good, but there were some words and phrases that were repeated quite a bit that was distracting to me.

Sweat was always pebbling.
Juliet’s veins were always turning to ice.
Graham’s smile was always crooked and enough could not be said about his stubbled jaw.
Things were all broad and flaming.


I don’t think I really liked the romance aspect of the book. It seemed like there were either gun fights happening or Juliet struggling with her feelings. Especially because her boyfriend of six years who she was contemplating marrying had only been dead 7 months. Is that long enough to move on like she was?

Plus there were two pretty graphic sex scenes that seem out of place for a spy thriller. Pick a lane!


Also- there isn’t a clear year that this takes place. There is a comment of Juliet losing her grandfathers to Covid in 2021 so it has to occur after that, but it’s not clear how far into the future. The world is in an energy crisis but there isn’t a lot of background knowledge to set up that aspect. It mostly feels like present day but I’m not sure if that is correct or not.


Recommendation

This book was okay for me— not great, but okay. It had potential but the graphic sexual content, abundance of violence, and hard-to-visualize action made this less likable for me.

There were some nice elements of action and suspense, very little swearing, and a couple twists—one I anticipated, and one I half-anticipated—but it’s one of those books that’s probably not for everyone.

Even though I’m not sure if I personally like the ending, I do appreciate the open-endedness in this scenario. Sometimes that bothers me, but in a book like this I think it makes sense to end it that way and to leave the reader pondering what they think about it. Especially because we may be heading towards some of the questions it raises.

If this were made into a PG-13 movie I think I’d be excited to watch it, but I think the lack of visuals in the book hindered it a bit.

If you like spy thrillers with a side of romance, you’ll enjoy this.

If you are intrigued by politics in the Middle East and seeing the difference between Islam and terrorist groups that twist the religion for their own benefit, you’ll probably find this interesting.

As I said, there are many things to be interested by, but if my comments on the execution of those ideas resonate with you, then you may want to look at a different espionage thriller.


[Content Advisory: 1 f- and 10 s-words; two graphic sex scenes that lasted a page or two; a lot of violence including beheadings; an almost rape]

**Received a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway**