I think this book would have been easier to get into if I'd read the book that precedes it, The Day the Angels Fell. But I haven't. And I didn't have time to go find and read that one first because I was reading this for the INSPY awards and I was on a deadline. So the first hundred and fifty pages felt like I'd never seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer before, and somebody grabbed a random disc from season 5 of the show and made me watch it by myself, with no friends or internet to fill in background info for me or even explain what in the world was going on.
However. I did eventually wrap my head around this book's worldbuilding and, by the end, it did make sense. And I liked it a lot. More for the writing than the story itself, though I did enjoy the story. It actually reminded me a lot of Buffy and Angel, which are some of my favorite shows (though, when I started watching Buffy, I had friends to explain stuff to me during the commercial breaks, as I joined the fandom when season 4 was airing).
Basically, there are angelic and demonic beings trying to help and hinder people on earth, and there's a problem with the demonic ones trying to raise trees that will make humans sorta immortal, and there are some semi-immortal humans who created a sort of purgatory world halfway between this earth and eternity. And some teens have to try to stop them.
Does that make any sense? Sigh. I'm really bad at explaining Buffy too. Can I just say that this book was cool, and I enjoyed it once I got into it? Smucker has a very lyrical, evocative writing style that I definitely liked. Oh, and my fellow judges and I chose it as the winner for the YA category for the INSPY Awards this year!
Particularly Good Bits:
We want things to stay the same, but the roads between "now" and "back then" are always changing, and by the time you manage to return home, if you can ever find your winding way, you realize it was never actually yours, not forever (p. 23).
Time stumbles under the weight of deep sadness (p. 68).
"Maybe children are the only ones brave and true enough to save the world" (p. 118).
"Words should only be used as a last resort, a final attempt to communicate when all else has failed. They are unsteady ground. Words are nothing more than manipulated air" (p. 150).
Cemeteries are the one place on earth where people can stop talking whenever they want and no one will press them for more. Which makes sense, since cemeteries hold so much unfinished business (p. 161).
"Stories will do that if we let them. They'll work their way inside, to the deepest parts, and they'll live there, and they'll change us" (p. 360).
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-13 for danger, violence, suspense, and scary imagery.
Congratulations to all the authors whose books are on the INSPY shortlist, which was announced yesterday! You can see that list right here.
This year, I won't be judging the Mystery/Thriller category like I did the last few years. I'll be judging the YA category! I'm really excited to read the three books on that shortlist and work with my fellow judges to choose this year's winner. If you want to see who all the other judges for all the categories are, there's a handy list here. I'm so thrilled to be a part of this award process for a third year!
For the YA category, I will be reading:
- A Worthy Rebel by Jody Hedlund (Northern Lights Press)
- Olivia Twist by Lorie Langdon (Blink)
- The Edge Over There by Shawn Smucker (Revell)
Can't wait to get started!
What a thrill ride this book was!
Seriously, it grabbed hold of me within the first couple of pages and I inhaled it in just over a day.
Forensic artist Gwen Marcey takes on a gruesome murder case that closely resembles memories from her past that she's been running from for decades. But this fresh crime occurred in a Nez Perce community, and Marcey is seen as an interloper sticking her nose in where it's not needed.
One of the few people who welcomes her help is Seth Kus, chief of the Nez Perce Tribal Police. Handsome, skilled, and respected, he and Gwen Marcey find themselves attracted to each other in the midst of a swirling, ever-worsening investigation. Kus also has family history that will also impact the case in ways neither he nor Gwen Marcey can imagine.
In the end, Marcey has to figure out what really happened to her and her family when she was a child, dredging up horrific memories and trying to analyze them with the methods she uses to help others process crime scenes. Once she does, she has the key to the identity of this murderer.
This is one of the best modern forensic novels I've read in years. I enjoyed When Death Draws Near last year, but this was waaaaaay better. Marcey's Christian faith is tested in many ways during this story, especially the need to forgive others as Christ forgave us. A lot of Christian fiction kind of shoe-horns faith into the story, but here it's an integral part of who this character is and how she behaves. I was highly impressed.
In fact, my fellow judges and I selected it as the winner for the 2018 INSPY Awards for Best Mystery/Thriller!
If This Was a Movie, I Would Rate It: a hard PG-13 for descriptions of horrible crimes including murder, children in danger, and discussions of child abuse. No bad language or sexual content.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for me to read while judging the INSPY awards. In no way did I agree to review this book in exchange. These are my honest opinions.
Yup, I've been selected to judge the INSPY book awards again this year. Like last year, I'll be judging the Mystery/Thriller category, which you know I'll dig. The finalists won't be announced until next week, but they've got a nice page full of bios for all the judges up right here now, so you can go see who's judging what category.
I really enjoyed this process last year, especially because it introduced me to some authors I hadn't read before. I became such a fan of some of them! So I'm eager to find out what the finalists are so I can dig into some more awesome Christian mysteries and thrillers. If you want to see the longlists, they're here.
How is it I've never even heard of Terri Blackstock before? Oh my word! This book is a freight train barreling into the night. I know there's a sequel coming, and I am definitely going to read it.
Casey Cox's good friend has just been murdered, and she's being framed for it. Doesn't help that she's the one who discovered the body, and her DNA is all over the crime scene. She runs, convinced that she'll either go to jail for a murder she didn't commit or else get killed herself.
Dylan Roberts is a recently discharged soldier battling PTSD from his days in the Middle East. He's also a childhood friend of the dead man, and he gets hired by the grieving parents to find Casey and bring her to justice.
Then there's Laura Daly, a girl who disappeared two years ago, when she was only fourteen. Casey stumbles on evidence that could lead to Laura's discovery and rescue, but only if Casey risks being found herself.
This book literally had my heart pounding during the last few chapters. It's been a long time since I read a book that did that. If you're into suspenseful mysteries that don't wrap up entirely neatly by the end, but lead to future books, definitely read this!
Particularly Good Bits:
Doubts crest like vultures in my mind, circling my theories, swooping to feed on them. They make me second-guess my competence, my objectivity, my skills (p. 233).
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-13 for violence and suspenseful situations, references to alcohol, and spousal abuse. No bad language, no racy scenes, but there is an unwed mother involved.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for me to read while judging the INSPY awards. In no way did I agree to review this book in exchange. These are my honest opinions.
The winners of this year's INSPY Awards have been officially announced! I had such a great time judging the Mystery/Thriller category, and I absolutely love the book that we chose as the winner: If I Run by Terri Blackstock. I'll be posting my review of it in a few minutes.
The 2017 shortlists for the INSPY Awards were announced here earlier this week. Since I'm judging the Mystery/Thriller category, I have about five weeks now to read these five finalists:
- Conspiracy of Silence by Ronie Kendig
- Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey
- Dressed for Death by Julianna Deering
- If I Run by Terri Blackstock
- When Death Draws Near by Carrie Stuart Parks
Happily, my library has a couple of these, so I got to start reading yesterday already. BUT. To keep the judging fair and confidential, I can't discuss these books until after the winners have been announced. So I can't post reviews here, or even rate the books on GoodReads, until after the awards are decided and posted. Which means you'll be seeing fewer book reviews from me for a while.
Just so you know!
I screwed my courage to the sticking place a few months ago and submitted an application to judge the INSPY Awards for 2017. And they accepted me!
If you don't know what the INSPYs are, they're "The Bloggers' Award for Excellence in Faith-Driven Literature." If you visit the official site here, you can see the post that welcomes me and the other 2017 judges, and learn more about the awards as a whole.
I'll be judging the Mystery/Thriller category, and I'm so excited about this whole process! I get to read the five short-listed books in that genre and then work with two other judges to determine which one was The Best. It's certainly going to be an adventure.
