Publisher: Random House

Will Russia Survive? – The Winter of the Witch {Review}

Posted October 21, 2020 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

Will Russia Survive? – The Winter of the Witch {Review}The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
Series: Winternight #3
Publisher: Del Rey (2019)
eBook (384 pages)
Via: Library
Rating:
Also by this author: The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower
Also in this series: The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower
Reading Challenges: Read 2020

Synopsis

Following their adventures in The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, Vasya and Morozko return in this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Winternight Trilogy, battling enemies mortal and magical to save both Russias, the seen and the unseen.

Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers—and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, stronger than ever and determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself and her history as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all.

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Russian Historical Fantasy! – The Girl in the Tower {Review}

Posted September 18, 2020 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

Russian Historical Fantasy! – The Girl in the Tower {Review}The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
Series: Winternight #2
Publisher: Del Rey (2017)
eBook (363 pages)
Via: Library
Rating:
Also by this author: The Bear and the Nightingale, The Winter of the Witch
Also in this series: The Bear and the Nightingale, The Winter of the Witch
Reading Challenges: Read 2020

Synopsis

The magical adventure begun in The Bear and the Nightingale continues as brave Vasya, now a young woman, is forced to choose between marriage or life in a convent and instead flees her home—but soon finds herself called upon to help defend the city of Moscow when it comes under siege.

Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.

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Good vs Evil – Isaiah’s Legacy {Review}

Posted September 2, 2020 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

Good vs Evil – Isaiah’s Legacy {Review}Isaiah's Legacy by Mesu Andrews
Series: Prophets and Kings #3
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (2020)
eARC (400 pages)
Via: NetGalley
Rating:
Also by this author: The Pharaoh's Daughter, Miriam, Isaiah's Daughter
Also in this series: Isaiah's Daughter
Reading Challenges: Read 2020

Synopsis

The drama of the Old Testament comes to life as Judah's most notorious king ascends to the throne in this gripping novel from the award-winning author of Isaiah's Daughter.

At eight years old, Shulle has known only life in a small village with her loving but peculiar father. When Uncle Shebna offers shelter in Jerusalem in exchange for Shulle's help tutoring King Manasseh, Judah's five-year-old co-regent who displays the same peculiarities as her father, she's eager to experience the royal court. But Shulle soon realizes the limits of her father's strict adherence to Yahweh's Law when Uncle Shebna teaches her of the starry hosts and their power.

Convinced Judah must be freed from Yahweh's chains, she begins the subtle swaying of young Manasseh, using her charm and skills on the boy no one else understands. When King Hezekiah dies, twelve-year-old Manasseh is thrust onto Judah's throne, bitter at Yahweh and eager to marry the girl he adores. Assyria's crown prince favors Manasseh and twists his brilliant mind toward cruelty, beginning Shulle's long and harrowing journey to discover the Yahweh she'd never known, guided with loving wisdom by Manasseh's mother: Isaiah's daughter, the heartbroken Hephzibah. Amid Judah's dark days, a desperate remnant emerges, claiming the Lord's promise, "Though we're helpless now, we're never hopeless--because we serve El Shaddai." Shulle is among them, a girl who becomes a queen through Isaiah's legacy.

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Biblical Fiction from the Time of the Prophets – Isaiah’s Daughter {Review}

Posted December 26, 2017 in Reading, Review / 0 Comments

Biblical Fiction from the Time of the Prophets – Isaiah’s Daughter {Review}Isaiah's Daughter by Mesu Andrews
Series: Prophets and Kings #1
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (January 2018)
Paperback ARC (384 pages)
Via: Blogging for Books
Rating:
Also by this author: The Pharaoh's Daughter, Miriam, Isaiah's Legacy
Also in this series: Isaiah's Legacy

Synopsis

In this epic Biblical narrative, ideal for fans of The Bible miniseries, a young woman taken into the prophet Isaiah's household rises to capture the heart of the future king.
Isaiah adopts Ishma, giving her a new name--Zibah, delight of the Lord--thereby ensuring her royal pedigree. Ishma came to the prophet's home, devastated after watching her family destroyed and living as a captive. But as the years pass, Zibah's lively spirit wins Prince Hezekiah's favor, a boy determined to rebuild the kingdom his father has nearly destroyed. But loving this man will awake in her all the fears and pain of her past and she must turn to the only One who can give life, calm her fears, and deliver a nation.

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Mother Teresa and the Works of Mercy – A Call to Mercy {Review}

Posted October 25, 2017 in Faith, Review / 0 Comments

Mother Teresa and the Works of Mercy – A Call to Mercy {Review}A Call to Mercy by Mother Teresa
Publisher: Image (2016)
Hardcover (384 pages)
Via: Blogging for Books
Rating:

Synopsis

Published to coincide with Pope Francis's Year of Mercy and the Vatican's canonization of Mother Teresa, this new book of unpublished material by a humble yet remarkable woman of faith whose influence is felt as deeply today as it was when she was alive, offers Mother Teresa’s profound yet accessible wisdom on how we can show mercy and compassion in our day-to-day lives.
For millions of people from all walks of life, Mother Teresa's canonization is providentially taking place during Pope Francis's Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. This is entirely fitting since she is seen both inside and outside of the Church as an icon of God's mercy to those in need.
Compiled and edited by Brian Kolodiejckuk, M.C., the postulator of Mother Teresa’s cause for sainthood, A Call to Mercy presents deep yet accessible wisdom on how we can show compassion in our everyday lives. In her own words, Mother Teresa discusses such topics
as:
the need for us to visit the sick and the imprisoned
the importance of honoring the dead and informing the ignorant
the necessity to bear our burdens patiently and forgive willingly
the purpose to feed the poor and pray for all
the greatness of creating a “civilization of love” through personal service to others
Featuring never before published testimonials by people close to Mother Teresa as well as prayers and suggestions for putting these ideas into practice, A Call to Mercy is not only a lovely keepsake, but a living testament to the teachings of a saint whose ideas are important, relevant and very necessary in the 21st century.

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