Coffin House by Pamela Carrington Reid

Coffin House by Pamela Carrington Reid.

Toni and her Father move to a new place in New Zealand, and she has to adjust to a new ward and make new friends. She has a hard time adjusting, but joins a basketball team and starts to make new friends. Then one night she sees that the house across the street has a light moving in the upper window. She learns that the house is haunted, and full of coffins that the local mortuary stores there. She tells her new friends Erana and Wiremu about what she saw, and later Wiremu confides a secret of his own. He thinks that he saw his dead grandfather wandering around the house. Wiremu and Toni decide to investigate the house and find out the secret behind his grandfather’s ghost.

This book was a so-so book for me. I didn’t particularly like it, but neither did I hate it. I liked the characters and thought they were fun. I liked that it was set in New Zealand, but would have liked to see a bit more culture, and description of the setting. There was a little bit, but not really enough to make the book stand out. I think the main reason why I didn’t like this mystery was because I knew the way it was supposed to end, and it ended exactly that way. The writing was good and I thought it was worth reading, but I’m glad I got it from the library and didn’t purchase it. I would have given it away to someone I thought would like to read it. So, decent read, but it didn’t really excite me. I’d be curious to ask a kid their opinion on it, since it is written for them that is whose opinion really counts.

The White Bedouin by George Potter

The White Bedouin by George Potter

Jake Sorenson takes a summer internship in Arabia, and while there listens to a tale about the White Bedouin, supposedly an American man called Al-Mormon, who came to work for the oil companies in the early days of drilling. As Jake discovers more and more about his man, and his legend he thinks that he was a man named Stephan Markham, an LDS boy from Utah, who left behind a fiancée during the depression era. The records say that he died, but Jake is not convinced, and goes on a search for this man who reportedly defeated an evil genie in the “Empty Quarter,” and rescued several geologist acquaintances of his, good Samaritan style, after they were attacked by Arab Raiders in the middle of the desert.

This book is told from two points of view. The first point of view is from Jake Sorenson, and the second point of view, which constitutes the majority of the book, is Stephan Markham. I had several major issues with this book, the first being that the author really does need to stay true to his characters, and their historical time period. It drove me insane that Stephan Markham an LDS church member in the 1930's was basically predicting the coming of the Internet from a scripture. Then there was the moment that I realized that the author was going to make this book a pseudo FARMS article. That was not a happy moment, especially since the author repeatedly manipulated historical facts, made inaccurate assumptions, portrayed mere speculation as fact— supported with footnotes no less! This was not a book healthy for my penchant for historical accuracy.

Despite all these things that made me frustrated with the book. I read it and enjoyed many parts of it. I did not put it down for two days. The author does very well at portraying the fascinating culture of the Bedouin Muslim. The myth of the White Bedouin captured my imagination, and kept me reading. The character of Stephen Markham and his story really is interesting and compelling, almost mythical. So, if you can deal with mini far-fetched, though sometimes interesting, FARMS articles smashed into a compelling, unique story then you should think about picking this one up.

I couldn't find a website dedicated to George Potter's novelist career, but he is in charge of the Nephite Project, and his books are for sale there. Check it out here: http://www.nephiproject.com/

J. Scott Savage Interview

Hey Scott! Welcome to Gamila's Review. Today we are floating down the Avon river in an English canal boat.

Avon huh? We’re not going to meet with a bunch of women who will do our colors and sell us hand lotion in poodle-shaped bottles?

Were going to moor at Stratford-Upon-Avon. After visiting Shakespeare's house and enjoying the swans in front of the Royal Shakespearian Theater we're ready to cast off from Stratford and head through that creepy tunnel up at the top of the page.

Ahh, Shakespeare. Very cool. You have to like swans. They are the ultimate in cool animals. They should all be wearing sunglasses. They are just that cool.

All seems pristine and lovely heading towards the tunnel, but soon we will enter an ancient arch, damp and dark, made out of millions of rust red bricks. On the right we will see a wooden rail drilled into the brick with chain linked underneath where old barges on the river would take pull themselves through by hand. It's lovely that we have the luxury of a modern motor and can therefore discuss Farworld: Water Keep at our leisure. While we float through our creepy, English tunnel full of fog, I'll ask you a few questions.

Okay, so you’re not going to like kill me and dump my body overboard are you? Because you don’t want to deal with those Scotland Yard guys. They may look like Charly Chaplin, but they’re tough.

How do you like the setting of our lovely interview today?

Excellent. Very dark and moody. It gives the whole interview a certain gravitas. (Which should not be confused with the annual gravy toss, which is not nearly as serious but much more messy.)

Do long dark tunnels full of fog make you think of fantasy, mystery or horror stories since you seem to write them all?

Actually horror is just a sub-genre of fantasy. When I think horror, I don’t think of Texas Chainsaw, I think of supernatural beings with special powers. And when I think of fantasy, there is always a dark element lurking in the background just waiting to spring out.

Which writers that have influenced your writing the most?

I am a sponge when it comes to influence. Reading just fills me up with great ideas. You see something in one context and it opens a pathway to another idea.

How long does it take you to write a book? Specifically how long did you work on Farworld?

Less than three months to write the first draft. The story had been in my head for several years, but once I started writing it came incredibly fast.

How many drafts did Farworld go through?

Ten easy.

Where did you come up with all the names for Farworld places, creatures and people? I found the names to be interesting and clever.

I like to play with names and sounds until I find one I like. Some names, like the Unmakers, Mist Steed, and Mimicker, are names that sound like what they are. Some names are nods to other books or movies. Some are plays on words. Look up the name of the frog that leads Kyja and Marcus to Olden. One thing I try to avoid is having a lot of unpronounceable names like Lady Grkzhn, because you know readers will just skip over it and call her G.

What is the language that master Therapass and the Dark Circle use when they cast spells?

Two different languages. MT is calling upon the elements to do his bidding willingly. The DC corrupts the elements. It is taking them by force. It is the language of desecration. Like bring back the dead, it is an abhorrence on the land.

What scene was your favorite to write?

I really liked the Unmaker’s cavern. Creepy, fun, and tense.


That was my favorite scene! Cool! What is your favorite part of writing and the least favorite?

Royalties and the months in between royalties. No. That is NOT true. I don’t want anyone to think that writing comes down to the money, because there are a lot easier and surer ways to earn a buck. I love when I write a really powerful scene. It’s a great feeling to “know” that readers are going to love it. My least favorite is when the story just won’t come. Or when you have a great but you can’t seem to get it onto paper.

Tell us about your upcoming releases. I'm especially curious about this LDS Horror novel you've talked about on your blog. When is that coming out?

I’ve actually had to put things on hold a little because of Farworld. Shandra should be Spring. After that, we’ll see.

What was the last LDS or Young Adult novel that you read? Would you recommend it to our readers?

The last YA book I read was The Bartimaeus Trilogy. I would definitely recommend it. Last LDS was Season of Sacrifice, about the Apple Dumpling Gang. Okay, it was really about the Hole in the Rock gang. And they didn’t really even call themselves that. But I would recommend it too.


Ah, looks like we've made it through the tunnel. I'm glad to feel sunshine on the face again. Thanks for joining us on our canal trip today!

Thanks for having me. It was fun and I didn’t even die. I’m so . . . hey wait. Where’s my wallet? Come back here!

Farworld Water's Keep by J. Scott Savage

Farworld Water’s Keep by J. Scott Savage

Marcus Kanenas, a boy with a crippled arm and leg, lives in a school for boys. He never knew what happened to his parents, but an Elder Ephraim, who found Marcus as a baby, and named him Kanenas meaning nobody in Greek, keeps tabs on him until his death. Marcus finds that occasionally people notice that he makes weird things happen and he ends up being moved to a new state home. When he gets lonely or bored he often daydreams about a place called Farworld, full of animals who talk, and trees and plants that sing. He imagines that he has a friend there, a girl with brown hair and a strong personality.

Little does he know that the girl he sees lives in a real place and that their futures are intertwined by magic. When Marcus is magically transported to Farworld and meets Kyja, familiar to him because of his dreams. He learns that she grew up in Farworld, a place of magic, without a speck of magic ability. She introduces him to her friend and teacher Master Therapass, who tells Marcus that they are the key to saving Farworld and the Earth from a powerful, destructive forced called the Dark Circle.
Together Kyja and Marcus must find Water Keep and convince the elemental powers—air, water, fire, and earth—to combine together to save a world that they rule but care nothing about. They must get there before the Dark Circle destroys them and the worlds they both know and love.

I read the ARC edition of this book, and it will come out officially in September this year. J. Scott Savage is conducting a huge blog tour for the month of July to celebrate it’s coming out and getting the news out about the book. Most of the reviews I’ve read (I’ve kind of tried to ignore them so I wouldn’t be spoiled.) rave about how they couldn’t put the book down and how the story is awesome. I wasn’t as enchanted by the book, and found it kind of hard to get through. Don’t get me wrong, the book isn’t bad at all. It has good writing, a unique (though typical) magical world, and a strong plot. I think younger readers, especially those who like fantasy will love it.

Thing is I’ve read a lot of fantasy and plot, action, and new world elements are fun, but aren’t really what make a book shine for me anymore, especially if they aren’t innovative. It really is the characters, and I felt the characters were kind of overshadowed by the larger plot in the book. Also, I had this feeling that throughout the book that the characters problems were solved too conveniently and predictably. Though, the unmakers cavern was a reversal of this trend and a really cool sequence of the book. Yeah, so I wish the characters internal conflicts had been fleshed out, and resolved alongside the main plot threads, instead of being there and for the majority looked over. That in my opinion is what holds this story back from being an incredibly stellar book.

Jeff's blog:http://jscottsavage.blogspot.com/

Six LDS writers:http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/

Website:http://www.jeffreysavage.com/

Ben Franklin's Almanac by Candace Fleming

Ben Franklin’s Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman’s Life by Candace Fleming

“But as I read Ben’s letters and essays, looked at pictures of his family, and uncovered Franklin stories and anecdotes, I began to see him differently. Innovative, vulgar, sometimes heroic, sometimes flawed, the incredibly complex Ban Franklin I discovered beguiled me, and I was no longer satisfied to tell his story in a ordinary way. I needed a form that would illuminate each of the many facets of his life—the vastness of his interests and accomplishments, and the deep commitment he made to each one….And like a scrapbook, the stories of Ben’s life has been centered around visuals—portraits, etchings, cartoons, and sketches. These images—most created long ago—will bring you face-to-face with history, and help you to connect with Ben the person, rather than just a name and dates. You will actually see Ben’s childhood home. You will see his electrical equipment, the faces of his family, the first pages of his most famous writings. And hopefully, like the individual pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, these snapshots will come together and a whole picture of Ben Franklin will emerge.” ~Candace Fleming

This middle grade non-fiction biography of Ben Franklin’s life includes multiple, cartoons, pictures, images that come directly from Franklin’s own life. The Biography is not organized in a chronological form, but by chapter theme. Some chapter topics are: “Boyhood Memories,” “A Family Album,” “Tokens of Well-Lived life,” and “Revolutionary Memorabilia.” This book totals 120 pages, and includes a Year-by-Year look at Ben’s life, a bibliography, picture sources, and recommendations for books and websites about Ben for Younger readers.
The instant I opened this book I absolutely adored it! I seriously love this book! Each of the pages is typeset to looks exactly like a pamphlet, broadside, newspaper or almanac from the colonial era, except the print is far more legible. Most of the images or pictures are from the time-period, something the Ben would have printed, or seen himself during his lifetime. They are all black and white, and add to the illusion that you are reading from an old book. The book has fun little anecdotes and stories about Ben’s life, and illustrates his humor, wit, and intelligence. I wonder if the book should be for middle grade readers, since Franklin’s prose is a product of his time and a bit hard to understand at times. Still each page has a layout that looks like old newspaper articles, complemented with pictures. These little articles are small and approachable to read, and I can see myself as a small student browsing through and reading the small articles and looking at the pictures. Then as I became an older student going through and reading some of the longer passages and learning the more complex background behind Franklin’s life and inventions. This truly is an innovative and versatile scrapbook of Ben’s life that will bring entertainment to readers of all ages. The history major in me applauds.

This book is a James Madison Honor Book, and had won multiple other awards. The author has published several other scrapbook looks into the life of American Heroes and also writes fiction. Check out her other work at her website: http://www.candacefleming.com/index.html

Blogland wonders

There are some interesting things going on around blogland and so I thought I would let you know about a few of them.

First, Julie Bellon is celebrating her most recent release, All's Fair. The book is a contemporary novel that deals with the war in Iraq. She is hosting and drive to help soldiers over there called.
Skittles for Soldiers. Go check it out here: http://www.juliebellon.com/allsfair.php

Also, the Write Stuff is holding a writing competition for writers 18 and younger. So, if you are a young writer and want to win a free copy of Farworld: Water's Keep by J. Scott Savage go check it out here:http://thewriteblocks.blogspot.com/2008/07/young-writers-contest.html

I'm still having fun reading. Though my trip to Chicago got me behind and I posted a review that I wrote a couple years ago. Hope you enjoy it. I'm going to post my Farworld Review soon. I just finished it this week! Yea!

My Mom's a Mortician by Patricia Wiles

My Mom’s a Mortician by Patricia Wiles

This story is about a boy named Kevin Kirk. On the day that his mother finally finishes her schooling in mortuary science they pack up their things and move to Texas. What Kevin doesn’t realize is that his family is going to live in the top floor of a mortuary. At first, he is disgusted but eventually he gets used to helping his parents run the mortuary. They organize a funeral for a man name Cletus McCulley, whose family is LDS and look at death in a very interesting way. Kevin feels a strange connection to this man, and feels that he is watching over him. Kevin learns important lessons about life and death in this book, how to make friends in a new place, and how to confront bullies. As, he watches his family heal from a tragedy that happened years ago, which caused his parents to leave the LDS church.

This book is delightfully funny at times and yet also able to deal with some serious themes. I love how the author mixes humor and seriousness at the same time. It makes the story light, but also lets you know that the author has an important story to tell. A huge theme in the book is death and how it affects the living. There is also a theme of healing from death and familial love and support. It has supernatural elements in it because of the “guardian angle” role that Cletus McCulley plays in the book. I think the author dealt with that extremely well, making the connection a little creepy, but never like a ghost story. This was a delightful read, and I would recommend this book without reservation.

The book won the AML Award for Middle Grade Fiction for 2004, and you can visit the author website here:http://www.patriciawiles.com/

She also blogs here: http://latterdayauthors.blogspot.com/search/label/Patricia

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George.

Jarl Oscarson, a woodcutter, has a large family and little to take care of them with. His wife is angry when they have another daughter instead of a son. So this daughter remains nameless except for pika, the word for girl. When Pika’s oldest brother Hans Peter comes home from a treacherous five years at sea he gives her the name lass. Hans Peter and Pika quickly becomes close, and Pika wishes for a way to make the sad look in her brother’s eyes to disappear. A polar bear comes and asks her to live in a palace with him, and she goes because the polar bear promises to make her family rich and comfortable, and something inside her says she should go. Though the palace is strange and enchanted, and Pika keeps asking too many questions and the servants start to disappear. Pika discovers that troll magic is behind everything and defeating it will bring the answer to the mysterious enchantment and make her favorite brother Hans Peter happy.

I was way excited to read this book since I really loved reading Dragon Slippers. I was not disappointed although I thought that the beginning of the book was a little slow on plot, but it still had a very nice fairy tale type of feel. According to the inside cover the book is,” based on the Nordic fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon.” But it is delightful that the author would add Nordic words and phrases that give the book charm and character. The cover also compares the book to Beauty and the Beast, but I was getting Cupid and Psyche vibes, which is a Greek myth. In fact, the stories are so similar that I am wondering if the Greek tale influenced the original Nordic tale or if they are completely separate. Though, the question would be how would the Greek myth get all the way up to Norway? It’s a mystery! I will stop with the random classics commentary now and tell you to go read the book for yourselves. It really is great! I'm now going to see if I can find the original fairy tale and read it. Hopefully, in English...

Jessica Day George's website: http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM by Robert C. O'Brien

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien

This is an older book, but I found it an old used bookstore and decided to pick it up. The story is about Mrs. Frisby, a mouse, and mother of four little mice children. They are getting ready to move because it is spring. They are living in the farmer’s field in a little buried cinder block, and soon the farmer will come through with his plow and dig up their house and plant the fields. If they do not move then their home will be destroyed and so will her family. Mrs. Frisby’s littlest boy, Timothy, gets sick with pneumonia and must stay inside where it is warm. If they move to a new summer home and spend those early, cold, summer nights outside, then her Timothy may never get well again, and may in fact die. Uncertain of what to do Mrs. Frisby looks for ways to save her Timothy, and turns to the rats to save her son. She discovers that these aren’t ordinary rats and they have a revolutionary plan.

I enjoyed reading this book, and had fun remembering the movie version that I watched as a child as a read through. Interestingly, the movie was scary and kind of dark, but the book is totally opposite in tone and mood. I liked the character of Mrs. Frisby and found that the story line behind the rats fascinated me. I thought it odd that a lot of chapters in a book are basically a rat telling the story of what happened to them, and why they are executing their plan, but it is a fascinating and wonderful tale to read about. I immediately wanted to read more about this world and the characters. It really does spark the imagination, and curiosity. So, I researched and found that O’Brien did not write a sequel, but his daughter wrote two. The first called Rasco and the Rats of NIHM, and the second R-T, Margaret and the Rats of NIHM. I am now curious to see if she can write well in her father’s world, and may have to check them out.

I’d recommend this endearing middle grade classic to all fantasy and animal lovers.

Here is a link to nice biography:http://bccb.lis.uiuc.edu/0204focus.html

Friday's Fabulous Book Covers

I'm in Chicago! I schedueled all the posts this week before I even left. I hope to add a book review on Friday, but if I don't here are some of my favorite book covers that I've seen recently. I especially adore the new cover for Jessica Day George's upcoming novel. I also got to say isn't E.M. Tippets the cutest chick lit name ever? I think so!

Book Review: Soldier Boys by Dean Hughes

Soldier Boys by Dean Hughes
Dieter is a young boy in the Hitler Youth, who wants to prove that his is strong and loyal to Germany. He works hard and soon is promoted to be the leader over 180 Hitler youth boys. He is even given a metal by the Fuhrer himself for his hard work. Even though he is a little young to go to war, he asks to be sent to battle. Germany has been suffering great defeats on the Eastern front, and now the Americans have entered the war. Dieter is proud to be a part of Germany’s last great offensive in the Battle of the Bulge. He believes that he is doing a great thing for Germany, but the realities of war and the depressing outlook of men around him start to wear that belief down.
Spencer, only sixteen years old, is eager to get in on the action in Europe, but he must convince his father to sign the papers to allow him to sign up early when he is seventeen. He wants to fight for his country and show his family and home town that he’s worth something. So, he goes to train as a paratrooper, and endures weeks of harsh training. His unit is finally placed to fight at the Battle of the Bulge. Spencer finds out that war isn’t what he thought it was going to be, and wishes he could have had one more year at home.
I picked this book up because when I was doing my student teaching I saw kids in my history classes reading it. I love Dean Hughes and never have read one of his young adult fiction books and decided to give this one a try. It was a quick and fascinating read. It really was interesting to see the way how Dieter thought and see how he had been kind of brain-washed. I also found it interesting that Spencer was from a Utah community and his family was Mormon. I hadn’t thought that national publishers were into publishing fiction with Mormon themes. It is odd that I reviewed two of them this past week, The Shakeress and now Solider Boys. There was one inconsistency in the book that I wondered about concerning Spencer getting a metal, but since it kind of spoils the ending to explain it. I’ll leave it at that.
Good read for the WWII and Historical Fiction buff, and I can say that high school kids enjoy reading it also.
Dean Hughes Website:http://www.deanhughes.net/

Book Review: The Shakeress by Kimberly Heuston

The Shakeress by Kimberly Heuston

Naomi’s life dramatically changes when her family’s farm goes up in flames one night. Her littlest brother and her parents are now gone. The rest of her family, two brothers, one sister, are now living with their mean Aunt Thankful. When Thankful wants to send Naomi off to the mills to work, and separate them Naomi comes up with a plan.

She decides that she want to go live in the shaker community. They take in many orphaned kids since the community doesn’t believe in having children of their own. The change is good for her family and they are given a place to grow their talents. Naomi works in the gardens and helps Sister Martha with doctoring things. Naomi loves learning about plants and doctoring, but still feels that something is missing in her life: a real family.

She leaves the Shaker community to take care of an old lady bed-ridden with liver disease, but when she arrives, some Mormon missionaries have healed her. Naomi continues to live with the Snow family in Vermont, doctoring for their small community, still trying to discover how to fill that missing piece inside her. She may find that it lies with these visiting missionaries.

I stumbled across this book as I was looking for Dante’s Daughter by the same author. The premise of the book immediately intrigued me. A shaker girl converting to Mormonism? I’ve never seen that plot line before. So, I picked it up at the library, and really enjoyed it. The book is well-written and the history well presented. I love how the main character completes a realistic journey to find herself, and has to make hard and scary decisions to progress forward in her life. This would be a really great novel for teenagers because of that theme. There isn't a whole lot of plot, but I really loved the character of Naomi and wanted to know about her story. I really enjoyed reading Shakeress and would recommend it to all who love a really good historical novel.

This novel won an honorable mention in Young Adult Novel from the Association of Mormon Letters in 2002.
A biography of Kimberly Heuston is here: http://www.answers.com/topic/kimberley-heuston

Book Review: Of Goodly Parents by H.B. Moore

Out of Jerusalem: of Goodly Parents by H.B. Moore

This first novel H.B. Moore’s Out of Jerusalem series starts where any novel based on the Book of Mormon starts with 1 Nephi chapters 1-16. Moore explains that she does not want to replace the Book of Mormon account, but “to illuminate the events that took place…and perhaps add to the knowledge and possibilities that we as students of the scriptures entertain.” The work has very interesting historical notes at the back of the book for each chapter, and the author has obviously made an effort to portray the woman in the story as part of the scriptural account, but also as part of the culture at that time.

I have to say that I wasn’t really excited about reading this book. Part, of it was because I’ve read so many Book of Mormon historicals and novels. I’ve been reading LDS fiction for more than a decade, and I read voraciously in my teen years and could never get enough, and at that time I liked to read Book of Mormon novels. So, I’m kind of burnt out on the genre, and still haven’t recovered. Though, it may also be because no one has done anything dramatically new or fresh. Yet, I had heard that H.B Moore was an excellent novelist, and she had won the Whitney award. So, I perked up and decided to give the Book of Mormon novel another try. I have to be honest and say that the writing didn’t really impress me; the prose was simple and repetitive. The characters seemed to overreact to simple things or things that seemed unrelated. Plus, I felt that the author transitioned scenes in a very choppy manner.

That’s quite a list of things I didn’t like, but I decided to stick with it. In the end I really liked Isabel’s character, and her relationship with her sisters and Nephi’s mother. I thought that the romance between Nephi and Isabel was done really well, and that is probably where the book shines the best. I also was happy to discover the historical notes in the back and found them fascinating too. I’m not sure if it is fair to judge the rest of the series by H.B. Moore’s first published book, and I’m considering reading the later books just to see how the writing improves. She also has a historical series about the Queen of Sheba being looked at by an agent. Not sure when it will come out, but the whole concept of the series sounds so interesting to me that I’ll probably pick it up when it does.

Check out H.B. Moore’s Blog:http://mywriterslair.blogspot.com/
Here is her website:http://www.hbmoore.com/

Book Review: Fool Me Twice by Stephanie Black

Fool me Twice by Stephanie Black

Megan is working two dead end jobs trying to save enough to go to college, but that doesn’t seem likely when her mom keeps hitting her up for money. Her twin Kristen left them a long time ago, but she returns with a request for Megan to impersonate her life for the summer. Megan, wanting to impress her twin, and tempted by the amount of money that would come from manipulating themselves into an old lady's inheritance, decides to agree to taking care of the old lady Kristen has found. Apparently, she is an old aunt that Kristen found with the help of her new Mormon friends and their skills in genealogical research. Her heath is failing from a terminal illness and all Megan has to do is take care of her until she dies. Then one of Kristen’s friend is kidnapped, Aunt Evelyn isn’t acting like she has terminal illness, and things are not adding up.

I looked forward to reading this novel for a while, and I was not disappointed. I love how the characters in this book are so well defined. The reader can see that Megan has a soft and good heart, her mother is a crazy jerk, and her sister is manipulative, calculating, schemer. All these qualities are shown brilliantly throughout the novel. I really loved the writing style, and can’t think of any big complaints I had about the story. There is very little in the way of romance for those of you addicted to romantic suspense, but that’s okay. Sometimes I think there is too much romance in the market. I also like that the Mormon element of this novel was in the background, but still was pivotal to several plot points. I want to go read the novel again so I can connect all the little clues that pointed to the ending. This is one that I wholeheartedly recommend!

Go visit Stephanie Black’s Website: http://www.stephanieblack.net/Site/Welcome.html
She blogs at Six LDS Writers and a Frog: http://sixldswriters.blogspot.com/