OYENTE

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Charming, but it dragged at times

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
3 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 10-24-24

George MacDonald live from 1824 to 1905 and was a great inspiration to C. S. Lewis. I read MacDonald’s “Phantastes” which caused a “baptism of the soul” for Lewis… but it left me confused.

Unlike “Phantastes” which is simply a series of images and scenes following a primary hero, this narrative has a cohesive story arc mostly following the little princess, Irene, in a sort of fantasy world where goblins and magic exist. It’s a sweet little story with a sweet, well-behaved little girl who lives with the threat of being kidnapped by goblins. It’s creative, charming, and engaging enough, but I found myself bored in several places, like the narrative was dragging. It was disappointing because I actually liked the story overall.

Maybe it was as the narrator I didn’t like? Granted, it was a free copy, so I’m sure there are better out there.

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Too confusing to enjoy… even when it was enjoyable

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
3 out of 5 stars
Historia
3 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 10-24-24

If you’re like me, you weren’t really paying attention in school when they covered the War of the Roses. Scottish writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, uses this historical event as the backdrop for his Robin-Hoodesque narrative… which means I was rather confused for a large portion of this story. Part of it is probably pregnancy brain. I am EXTREMELY forgetful these days and found myself zoning out or forgetting large portions. The period-accurate dialogue was also difficult to follow at times, so I found myself rewinding several chapters. I even started the book entirely over after chapter 5 or 6!

Dick Shelton was raised by an evil lord who killed his father and became Dick’s guardian so that he could have control over his assets until he became of age to inherit them. Dick finally learns the truth and goes on an adventure attempting to get revenge for his father and those things he has lost. He meets the lovely Joanna Sibley, initially disguised as a boy by a different name making that whole dynamic a bit confusing. And he goes in with a group of bandits going by the name of the Black Arrow who are also trying to dethrone the evil Lord. The whole thing really did have strong Robin Hood vibes!

I liked the story overall, especially in conceptual retrospect. But it was very difficult to get through.

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An Utter Delight

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 08-09-24

As told by Sanderson, himself, in the epilogue, this book was born in 2020 when he was watching “The Princess Bride” with his family. He remarked to his wife that Buttercup doesn’t really do anything in the story, and she responded with, “How would the story have been different if Buttercup went out to find Westley after he disappeared?” (Not an exact quote) That’s basically the story of “Tress of the Emerald Sea”. I loved his epilogue because it revealed much of his creative process which was deeply inspiring.

Sanderson wanted this story to be fairytale-adjacent. He didn’t exactly want a children’s story because he wanted adults to enjoy it, but the mode is so very… innocent and slow. This is the kind of story for which I can imagine being laughed out of my college creative writing class because of how very simplistic it is. Tress is an unextraordinary girl who decides to be daring to save the boy she loves, hurling herself into an adventure with pirates on a sea not made of water but of dangerous, green-colored spores. The ending was entirely satisfying. There was no hidden agenda just simple joys.

I want a hard copy to read out loud to my kids.

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Good content, but I didn’t care for the narration

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
2 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 08-09-24

This book was assigned reading for the international student group I’m volunteering with. It was mercifully short and the author made his intent on Biblical analysis as the source for evangelistic systems instead of secondary sources very clear in the outset.

I deeply appreciated this approach as he didn’t discuss any sources whatsoever that emphasized marketing strategies. He insists that marketing to the masses does not win hearts; instead, he looks to the model set by Christ, Himself, of one-on-one discipleship. Coleman walks through this model systematically with scripture and draws conclusions about modern day discipleship practices using Christ’s example. It was highly affective and, in my opinion, useful and healthy.

The only exceptions to this would be some small word choices he made that I disagreed with. He was clear that Christ was not an authoritarian dictator whose ego drove the discipleship relationship, but at one point he referenced moving people on from your discipleship as them moving them on from “your control”. Small word choices like these were disappointing. There weren’t many, and I don’t think the author intended to imply manipulation in discipleship, but it was a poor choice of words.

I also didn’t care for the narrator of this version… but it was free, so what did I expect?

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Great Writing, didn’t care for Narration

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
3 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 06-27-24

Wow. I wish all prequels were this well-written. It’s true; the themes and symbols were pretty simple and obvious, but character development is king in this novel. Coriolanus Snow is a complex and likable character not unlike the average American you might know. He simply has a penchant for survival and a thirst for thriving, to rise from the war-pressed poverty we find him in at the beginning. Set in a world where peers and authority figures have gruesome requirements for survival and thriving, you see Corio’s slip into sadism. He seamlessly shifts from one authority figure to the next, manipulating his way through many a conversation. It’s the first happy ending that has given me a pang to read.

But you don’t come away from this Villain-Retelling with compassion for him. As understandable as his character arch is, the reader still has a clear grip on right and wrong. The reader sees Corio’s fellow classmates and the victims of the Hunger Games through Coriolanus’ eyes, the surrounding clamor that the Hunger Games are a monstrosity. It creates a dissonance that made it difficult to read.

The one thing I didn’t care for was the narration. This song is filled with some truly beautiful lyrics, and that’s how the narrator delivers them, like flat, spoken-word poetry despite repeating lines of lyrics. It doesn’t give the sense of haunting like some spoken-word poetry… it came off kind of silly. They should have gotten some way to sing the tunes even if the narrator is tone deaf.

I would say this book is more adult than the other books simply because it is from the perspective of the villain. It’s not nearly the level of “A Clockwork Orange”, but somewhere between that and a narrative of “The Screwtape Letters”. I don’t know if I would read it again, but it certainly is well-written.

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Could have been better, but I still enjoyed it!

Total
3 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 06-21-24

This is the second half of the "Divine Rivals" review I did not long ago. Overall, I would say Ross' world building is my favorite part of this duet, but I found myself frustrated with the romance.

I know a lot of you may love love LOVE romance novels, but I am not a big fan. I prefer if the romance is a side plot and not the main point. There were more sex scenes in this installment than the last; and though they weren't overly gratuitous, I found them unnecessary and frustrating. The author certainly used the romance to move the story along; it wasn't unnecessary in that way. I just felt that the romance was idealized and overblown by the characters such that they made illogical, frustrating… stupid decisions! It detracted from the realism. I think the story would have been much better served if the relationship had stayed platonic— and reading a story of a man and woman who are friends and that's all would actually be more interesting.

All that to say, I would have rated this story higher if the romance had been a smaller part because Ross' writing was actually really solid. Her world building was unique, engrossing, and highly enjoyable! I would be open to reading more from her, but the romance annoyed me in this one.

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9/10 would recommend!

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 06-21-24

This is a tricky subject, and there aren’t a lot of authors I would trust with tackling it. Shirer’s book on prayer laid a good foundation for my trust in her handling this topic. I needed a book to help me navigate this area for myself, lately, and this book fit the bill!

Near the beginning, I found myself annoyed with how often she talked about “feelings” or telling the reader to be aware of how they “feel” about a thing. She does put a high priority on peace, which I have found abused in some situations, but she doesn’t belabor the point for too long.

What ultimately set my heart at ease: about twice every chapter, she reminds the reader that God will never tell you to do anything that contradicts His Word. This would have been an excellent opportunity to discuss the Abraham-Isaac sacrifice situation, but she doesn’t. Still, I was please by her emphasis on Scripture and how, as believers, we cannot expect to hear from God if we don’t know His voice… and we won’t know what His voice sounds like if we aren’t so engrossed in His Word we can recall it by heart. God primarily and ultimately speaks through His Word.

However, Shirer doesn’t stop there. She talks about how to sort through the sticky situations and gives personal examples of how something may be right for one person to do but wrong for another. This is a bold place to go as an author since this mostly deals in the area of discretion and personal conscience, and I find a lot of authors stop talking after that. They say, “that’s up to you” and move on. But Shirer delves in. I didn’t agree with her on everything, but I cannot express how thankful I was that she tackled the topic.

9/10 would recommend!

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Phenomenal!

Total
5 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
5 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-14-24

What an absolutely phenomenal read! Greear holds that we CANNOT fully understand God and many things in our lives… and that’s a GOOD thing. He argues this point vociferously from a variety of angles but, unlike MacArthur, doesn’t weary his point.

Also so very necessary with a topic such as this, Greear is both gracious and provoking. For those readers wrestling with difficult circumstances, he bends over backwards to express compassion and encouragement as he continues to chant: “Your God is too small.” And under those who are self absorbed and whittling away their days in pointless ambitions, he lights a fire of conviction.

I want to read this again! Tomorrow.

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Suspending Judgment until I read Part 2!

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
4 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-14-24

Note to all: This is part 1 of a duet! Imagine if World War II was happening, but you got a window into the war from the perspective of two journalists vying for the same promotion at the local paper… also… magic is real.

I enjoyed the world building as the author dips the reader into her world of warring gods, but the heavy themes kept the story close to the ground. The violence isn’t overly detailed. And there is a brief sex scene, but it wasn’t graphic.

Because this is part 1, I am holding out that it will end the way I hope. I forgot it was one of a duet near the end and started to panic. It was a twist ending, and I’m ready for the next one!

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A Gentle Mile in Horn’s Shoes

Total
4 out of 5 stars
Ejecución
5 out of 5 stars
Historia
4 out of 5 stars

Revisado: 04-14-24

This book is basically a journal of a young woman processing the generational grief of the expectation of expulsion and the daily negligence of the surrounding, non-Jewish community that comes with it.

I found her analysis of Jewish fiction and its dissonance with Christian-influenced literature fascinating. She surmised that the happy ending is a theme in western literature that mirrors the ending of the Christian Bible; but if you examine Jewish literature, they don’t feel compelled to give an ending of hope, grace or redemption (inherently Christian vocabulary and themes). Instead, most Jewish literature reflects the Tanakh in that the story, sometimes, just ends. Or maybe the narrative’s ending is suspended with the reader waiting for resolution. This takes a disturbing turn as she looks with grief at common themes of Holocaust-focused literature as they fall under the same pressure of a western craving for some hope. How can anyone take an Auschwitz story and give the characters in it a happy ending? The idea is ridiculous when put in that light.

I was also well provoked by her testimony of experiences with dead American Jews. Being raised in the US and highly educated, Horn discusses historical American data as well as personal experience. She increasingly wrestles with how to discuss violence against Jews with her children, and Horn is gracious in her examination and provocation of her non-Jewish readers.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about both historical Jewish expulsions from a variety of countries as well as modern Jewish experiences. The author graciously allows you to walk a mile in her shoes, and though its heavy, it is valuable.

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