WARNING: If you have not read Anne Elisabeth Stengl's previous books do not read Shadow Hand first. This series, Tales of Goldstone Wood, needs to be read in order for the greatest enjoyment. This review does contain minor "spoilers" so proceed with caution. "They say all the old stories--all the TRUE stories--are about blood. This simply is not so. All the true stories are about love. And blood. The two so often go hand in hand, they're difficult to separate, but it is important not to divide the one from the other, or the story becomes unbalanced and is no longer true. That is why this is a story about blood and love, and the many things that lie between." Thus begins Anne Elisabeth Stengl's Shadow Hand. A story with that dramatic of a beginning has to be good right? Well before I give you my thoughts, I want to tell you about how I first discovered Mrs. Stengl's work and The Tales of Goldstone Woods so you know where I'm coming from. This past winter I was at a local used bookstore looking for a few new books to read when my mom came up to where I was with Mrs. Stengl's first book Heartless. I wasn't that interested at first, after all, the cover looked really dark. But it was a good price so I decided to give it a shot. At first the book started out reeeeeeeeeaaaaalllllllly sloooooooowwwwww then about halfway through the dragon came in and everything changed.
I couldn't put the book down! IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!! I would stay up late at night after everyone went to sleep and read and read. This book definitely had captivated me! Up until Heartless I never had a book make me cry. But during the climax of the story there was this one scene on a beach and it was raining and OH MAN IT WAS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is how I started the series. So when Bethany House Publishers sent me an email asking if I wanted to review Mrs. Stengl's sixth book, Shadow Hand, I jumped at the opportunity! Shadow Hand picks up exactly where MoonBlood ends with Lionheart leaving to go reconcile with his father. He arrives on the day of his cousin's, Foxbrush (who will be king in his place), and Daylily's wedding. But before the wedding begins Daylily runs away into the Wilderlands hoping to vanish forever. Foxbrush, however, determined to prove himself, chases after Daylily into the Wood and back through time. The story goes back and forth between Foxbrush and Daylily until ultimately their stories collide. I really liked to idea of a going back in time plot line (yes I'm a Doctor Who fan). In her past books Mrs. Stengl has had her characters go from world to world (which sometimes gets confusing). This time the story mostly takes place in the same place, only in two different time frames (definitely a "timey whimey" type of book :). Characters that readers have grown to love, like Earin and Imraldera, play their part in this tale connecting the former books and story lines to this one. There were also some characters that when first introduced I didn't like, but as the story went along I grew to adore. Nidawi Everblooming for example. I will say I am a little disappointed with Mrs. Stengl's writing style. She has a bad habit of going reeeeeeaaaaalllllllly slow during the first half then jumping into all the action in the last part. Such was the case with Shadow Hand . The first part was really hard to get through. I understand that it was needed to explain and help develop characters, but in my opinion, the first part took too long. I really didn't get involved in the story until the second part after Foxbrush finds Daylily. (***HOWEVER, due to needing to get this review out in a timely fashion, I had to skip Starflower and Dragonwitch and move straight into Shadow Hand upon finishing Moonblood. It didn't really matter in the ability to follow the story. BUT, my mom had read those 2 books and did not find the first half of Shadow Hand as slow as I did. So, maybe it did affect my enjoyment in some way.) On that note, I felt that the relationship between Foxbrush and Daylily was down played. Yes the story was about their own personal developments as well as their love story, but you rarely ever see the two of them together until the climax. So you really didn't feel like you wanted them to end up together. If they did, great, but if not, oh well, it's still a great story. I'm not saying that the love part of the story should have been what the whole book was about but I think that it needed more attention than was given. The attraction between the characters was sweet and didn't involve any sexuality. There was kissing twice and the first one was pretty intense (it says the guy grabs the girl and kisses her hard) but that's as far as it goes. While sexuality wasn't a big issue, language was. Almost all the characters curse at some point in time. They don't use what we would consider "bad words", however they swear and curse by former heroes and villains from their country's past. But that's not the part that bothered me. What bothered me was the fact that while you would expect the antagonists to be the ones with the foul mouths it was the good guys that are constantly swearing. These are the servants of The Most High (GOD in the series) and here they are cursing and swearing every time they get frustrated! I had a hard time with this because I was raised under the "let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your 'no' be 'no'" mindset (which by the way came from the Bible in Matthew 5:36) and cursing and swearing, even by other peoples names, not necessarily GOD's, I still consider to be disrespectful and ungodly. As with her previous books, I had trouble understanding certain aspects of the story. For example, one of the characters is possessed by something that you assume to be a spirit (which is the "villain" of the story). It's not explained until right before the final battle what this thing really is. This character is also harboring a red wolf inside and, once again, it's hard to discern what the wolf represents. While Mrs. Stengl does an excellent job describing when the "thing", wolf, or the actual character is talking or taking over it's hard to imagine what each one represents until the very end which can get confusing at times. It is also hard to discern exactly what Foxbrush's motives are. Yes he is determined to save his homeland and Daylily but you wonder if it's because he is just trying to prove himself or if it is because he really does care about them. Overall, on a scale from 1-5, I would give Shadow Hand a 4 (see sidebar for rating scale.) The plot line was very good and I loved the characters but it just wasn't what I expected. After reading the first part of the prologue (see above) I expected it to turn out differently than it did. Don't get me wrong, the ending was wrapped up very nicely and I think it couldn't have turn out any better. But... ***SPOILER ALERT It should have been Daylily who kissed Foxbrush to wake him up not Lark! Can I get an amen?!?!?!!!!!!!! The author did use the moment when Daylily does (FINALLY!) kiss him to show her choosing him of her own free will. But still, she should have kissed him twice! Come on Anne! END OF SPOILER*** Also... ***SPOILER ALERT When it mentions that there is blood in this story, I expected it to be Foxbrush's, not innocent children's blood. But the scene at the end where Foxbrush gives his own two hands for Daylily's life was touching and I was very pleased with that. Sorry, I'm just one of those kind of gals that if the guy doesn't shed some kind of blood (or loses his hands in this case) for the girl he loves then it's not worth my time! Now everyone knows why I'm single! They told me to set my standards high! :) END OF SPOILER*** Shadow Hand will stay on my bookshelf and if ever I'm in the mood for a story about blood and love, I'll pull it back down and "Recall you now my ancient story!". Love, Susan P.S. I was given Anne Elisabeth Stengl's Shadow Hand by Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion.
0 Comments
Hello everyone! How's it going? Today I am going to post a book review for Sheri Rose Shepherd's children's book Bible Stories for His Beautiful Princess. This is my first book review so please bear with me. Ok, here we go! First, let's look at the cover: The first thing that caught my attention about this book was the tile. It could have been labeled Bible Stories for Princesses, Bible Stories for Little Girls or simply Bible Stories. But instead the author chose to title her book Bible Stories for HIS BEAUTIFUL Princess. I believe that every girl, and woman, should be told throughout her ENTIRE life that she is beautiful and loved (several times 'cuz after all we do grow and change!). So to see a book that states:
#1: You are HIS, The Maker of The Universe's #2: You are Beautiful and #3: You are a Princess in the title alone, to me that shows that as you read this book you are going to feel like one of GOD's Beautiful Princesses (because guess what? You are!). I do wish that the author didn't refer to the accounts from the Holy Bible used in this book as merely "stories". I strongly believe that everything in the Bible really did happen just as it is recorded. This makes them historical accounts not just "stories". I realize that this is a children's book and children don't know what a "historical account" is. But I do believe that we should begin to teach our children at a young age that the Bible is true through and through. So my suggestion to you is that as you read this book you remind your child that these "stories" are true and that they really did happen and use it as a tool to introduce them to the real Bible. The second thing that caught my attention was the lovely artwork. I know as a child I always wanted to read the books with the colorful illustrations on the front and I still decide if a book is worth my time by the cover artwork. Shelly Dieterichs did a wonderful job on the front cover and throughout the whole book as well. She even has a picture of a little princess at the end of each "story" and guess what? They're not all white! She has an asian looking girl, an african american looking girl, one with curly hair, one with straight hair, several different looking girls showing that all GOD's little princesses are unique and beautiful in the special way He created them. That was one of my favorite parts of this book! However, she does portray the biblical characters as all white. Which was disappointing considering that Jesus was born in Israel to Jewish parents and therefore, was Jewish himself. Overall, the illustrations are bright and full of beautiful colors to capture young minds. Now on to the best part...the "stories" themselves! When you first open this book you are greeted by a sweet dedication page and a very well laid out Table of Contents. I love how next to each "story" title it lists where you can find the actual account in the Bible. For example, Baby Moses (Exodus chapter 2) pg 21. Mrs. Shepherd does not list exactly where the account takes place (as in specific verses) she simply lists the book and chapter of the Bible it takes place in. For example, her "story" about the golden rule (found in Matthew chapter 7 vs 12) is listed as Matthew 5-7 which is the whole sermon on the mount. For review sake, I decided to go back and read the original account of each "story" in the Bible according to the scripture reference given by the author. The book starts off with the account of creation and works its way through Jesus' resurrection with many familiar accounts such as Noah, David, Jonah, Daniel and of course several about Jesus. Don't worry, not all of the "stories" are about men of the Bible. There are a few about women including the woman who gave her last two coins (found in Mark chapter 12 vs 41-44) which I think is one of the least "popular Bible stories" of our day. Each "story" is only 2-3 pages long with a (very) small paragraph of words on each page. The rest is filled with pictures. At the end of each "story" there is a page with a short Princess Prayer and a Princess Jewel which sums up the moral of the "story". The prayers, while short and sweet, are very impactful and will even give adults something to think about! The length of each "story" is perfect considering that the average toddler/preschooler's attention span is only about thisbig. I've babysat many kids during my teenage years and know reading to kids can become frustrating since normally they jump out of your lap before you can say "Once upon a time there was...". Short stories for kids are my best friend as I'm sure are many others. Even though they are short, I think Mrs. Shepherd did a wonderful job condensing a whole chapter in the Bible (sometimes a whole book!) into bite size stories for little children to understand. I did have a few issues with a some of the stories in that I wished certain things were addressed differently. For example in Mrs. Shepherd's retailing of Daniel and the Lions she starts the "story" this way: "Once there was a king who wanted everyone to pray to him instead of praying to God." As I read the original account in the Bible what I understood was that the king was tricked into passing the law decreeing everyone should pray to him only. Mrs. Shepherd portrays the king as someone who didn't believe in GOD. When in reality, I believe, the king secretly did. He even tried to figure out a way to save Daniel and after he threw Daniel into the lion's den he stayed awake all night praying to GOD to deliver Daniel. Afterwards, when Daniel was found unharmed, did he make it "legal" to pray to The One True GOD. The king was never the "bad guy", his men were. The king was simply tricked. I wish Mrs. Shepherd had wrote that instead of making the king into the bad guy. Another example is in the "story" of the wisemen's visit to baby Jesus. Ms. Dieterichs paints a picture of the wisemen at the stable with Mary and Joseph. Many historians and scientists believe based on their study of when the star first appeared and the time which Herod declared that all male babies 2 years and under should be killed that Jesus was older by the time the wisemen came to visit, probably about 1 to 2 years old. The Bible even states in Matthew 2:11 that they came into the house. This seems to indicate that Mary and Joseph had moved into a house somewhere. This is a common mistake made by many christian children's book authors. I was sorely disappointed that Mrs. Shepherd didn't appear to do her research as well as she had in some of her other "stories". In the very back of the book is a Salvation prayer along with a letter to little girls from GOD. Mrs. Shepherd states that "If God wrote you a letter about his love, it might sound like this.". Thank you so much for stating that Mrs. Shepherd! You did not say that your letter was The Word of GOD, but what you thought HE would say. I bothers me when people say things like "this is what GOD would say to you if blah blah blah" and don't use scriptures to back them up. I believe we can get into dangerous territory that way. So thank you for mentioning that this is what you think God would say and not stating that HE really did say this in the Bible. All in all Bible Stories for His Beautiful Princess By Sheri Rose Shepherd was very good. As mentioned before, I did have some issues with certain retellings but over all, I think Mrs. Shepherd did a very good job. I will probably end up keeping this one for if GOD decides to give me children of my own someday to use as a tool to get them excited about the real Bible (or at least my mom will because she is expecting grandchildren in the near future!). Love, Susan *ADDITIONAL NOTES* I was given a complimentary copy of Bible Stories for His Beautiful Princess By Sheri Rose Shepherd for review purposes from Tyndale House. You can learn more about Tyndale House HERE. I had no children to read this book to. This is my own personal honest opinion. We did it! We did it? WE DID IT! YAY! Andrew Peterson has reached over and above his goals to publish The Warden and the Wolf King!!!!!!!!!!!!! So that means... HE'S GOING TO PUBLISH THE CREATUREPEDIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even though the maximum goal has been reached, you can still donate money to help Andrew out! Just click above to go to his Kickstarter page. Now the big question is: what will Andrew do with all that extra money? Some people (like my brother Jonathan) think that, since he is a musician, he should come out with a soundtrack to all the books. That would be cool... But I think he should do what another guy commented and have a "meet-and-greet" with Andrew then afterwards go on a toothy cow hunt with Pete the Sock Man! ...Or one lucky girl gets a date with Artham Wingfeather.
Like, um, ME! 'Cus I'm going to marry him one of these days,(since my cousin Rachel took Captain America already) and it would be nice to meet him in person first. You know, so I can get a good look at him and make sure I imagined him correctly with his six pack, perfect white teeth, booming "I-am-alpha-dog" voice, kind loving smile, and long flowing black hair that has no split ends. :) Love, Susan 10/1/2013 0 Comments Most AWESOME book series EVER! I love books! Reading has been a favorite past time for me, so whenever I find a book (or a book series) that I really enjoy I tell people about it! I have been blessed with a wonderful dad who takes time out of his evening to sit down with his family and read to them. Night after night, my brothers and I rush to get ready for bed and then curl up on the couch where we wait for Daddy to transport us into another world filled with wonder and excitement; then quickly beg for "just one more chapter Daddy! PLEEEEEEEAAAAAAAZZZZZZZE!". We've read through many great series such as: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis The Terrestria Chronicles by Ed Dunlop (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!) The Wilder King Trilogy by Jonathan Rogers (Still in the process of finishing the last one but defiantly an EPIC READ!) And arguably, our all time favorite: (drum roll please) The Wingfeather Saga (by the all wise, all knowing Andrew Peterson) The Wingfeather Saga is about three siblings, Janner (the oldest), Tink (the second born), and Lee Lee Igiby (the youngest and only girl). Together with their courageous mother Nia, heroic grandfather Podo, (who was a former pirate!) book scolar Oskar N. Reteep and Pete the Sock man the children have grand adventures that include, but are not limited to: escaping The Fangs of Dang, hearing the song of the dragons, eating cheesy chowder, enduring the dreaded Fork Factory (woe!) and surviving the Green Hollows! Along the way, they learn lessons of courage, love and ultimely, the willingness to accept and fulfill the Maker's plan for their lives. Andrew Peterson is an O-MAZING singer/songwriter who has released over 9 albums including his latest Light for the Lost Boy. Andrew's music is really cool! How cool you might ask? Cool enough that Brain Masfield (a critic for USA TODAY) chose his (Andrew's) newest album as one of the top 10 albums for 2012! We even entered a contest and made a music video for Andrew's song Rest Easy. Check it out. Andrew wrote and released his first book, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (also the first book in the Wingfeather Saga) in 2008 and then in 2009 the second book in the series North! or be Eaten. Two VERY LONG AGONIZING YEARS later, (and yes, it was THAT dramatic!) his third book came out The Monster in the Hollows. He is now working on publishing the forth and finale book in the series The Warden and the Wolf King. Andrew needs $14,000 in order to publish and if he reaches OVER his goal, he will not only publish it, but publish it in HARDCOVER, PLUS do some other cool things like release an audio book and.... (what I most excited about) a companion book to the series called... wait for it.... WAIT FOR IT.... PEMBRICK'S CREATUREPEDIA a book covering every monster/beast from the series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SQUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUT, that will ONLY happen if he gets $65,000! (or more) So PLEASE, head over to Andrew's Kickstarter page and help this wonderful man of God produce the story laid on his heart plus all of the other exciting goodies! I PROMISE you, your money will not go to waste and you will not regret it! Click Here To Go To His Kickstarter Page
For the Jewels of Annniera! Love, Susan |
CategoriesAll Alterations Book Reviews Books Conversations With God Costumes Doctor Who? Family For The Sake Of All Things Random Friends Fun Gifts Giveaway Guest Post Holidays It's A GOD Thing Lesson Learned Literal Movie Making Non Sewing Related Projects Q&A Sewing Special Requests Theater Tutorial Wedding Yep That's Me AuthorHey Y'all! Archives
October 2019
Book Review
|