Reviewed By Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

Twins Found in a Box: Adapting to Adoption by Janine Vance is a spellbinding memoir that chronicles the experience of adopted twins. Jenette and Janine are adopted from Seoul, South Korea by American parents. In this book, the author explores the atmosphere in their new world, the family dynamics and the legal implications of international adoption. When the adoptive father suffers a brain injury and struggles with recovery, and when the parents have issues with their relationship, with the prospect of divorce looming ahead, the children find themselves hanging. Their legal status does not become a priority. Follow the twins as they question their origins and ask questions about their status.

Janine Vance takes readers on a ride back to the years between the ‘70s right through the ‘90s. Readers get powerful insights into the upbringing of kids during that time. The writing is filled with relevant social and cultural commentaries and the author uses a descriptive style of writing that allows readers clear images of the setting. The conflict is well developed right from the start of the narrative when the reader is introduced to the key conflict in the story: what it takes to be adopted by parents from another country and culture. The theme of the legal rights of the adoptees and their sense of belonging are among some that are deftly treated. Twins Found in a Box: Adapting to Adoption is beautifully written, featuring a gripping narrative voice and prose that is exciting. It is bold and engaging, hugely informative, a memoir that dares ask questions that adoptive agencies shy away from answering.

Reviewed By Saifunnissa Hassam for Readers' Favorite

Lex Allen's thriller Eloah: No Heaven is Book 1 of a trilogy. Eloah is a well-crafted thriller that brings together religion, biblical history, and science in the form of quantum and multiverse theories. Eloah is a mysterious man who appears in Germany and two hours later in Washington, D.C. He looks like and claims to be Jesus. He has returned to prevent a nuclear war between the three major religions. The FBI, the CIA, and Pope John Paul begin an intense search and investigation. Eloah contacts three Americans. Jack Schmidt is retired from the US Army Special Forces, now lives in Cologne and writes a popular blog about religion. Dr. Elizabeth Washburn is a professor of theology in Heidelberg. Kate Barrow is a film studies major in Washington, D.C. The search for Eloah inevitably involves all four lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lex Allen's thriller Eloah: No Heaven for its plot and characters. I was hooked into the story early on with Eloah's dramatic appearances in Germany and Washington, D.C. which provoke unsettling questions about mind-matter-energy relationships. I loved the imagination and inventiveness with which Allen weaves the concepts of quantum and multiverse theories into the thriller. Allen reveals more about Eloah through the characters of Jack, Elizabeth, and Kate, three different people with different reactions and perspectives on religion. The suspense and action in the story intensify as their lives become entangled with Eloah. Allen has created a strong character in Jack, the skeptic who is not afraid to confront Eloah with questions. The heated dialogues between different characters about religious beliefs and scientific research of the paranormal add depth and tension to the story. Eloah: No Heaven ends on a cliffhanger. I will absolutely be reading Eloah: No Hell and Eloah: No Religion.

Reviewed By Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite

The Howling: A Young Adult Christian Fantasy is the sixth book in the Seventh Dimension series by Lorilyn Roberts, a story told in atmospheric prose that follows the spiritual journey of a compelling character — Daniel Sperling. The Kingdom of God draws near and the spiritual landscape changes, with untold challenges and a prevalent culture of deception and evil. It is shortly before the arrival of the Messiah when Daniel receives a great mission. But he is shaken by a powerful revelation concerning the fate of his father. Follow him as he navigates great challenges, faces the horrors of the Day of the Lord and remains steadfast in his love for Shale and Shira.

When the story begins, readers are treated to a wonderful racing experience, with Daniel competing against the ruthless Tariq in a chariot race that ends in a way no one expected. The religious symbolism of the race is beautifully captured and the reader immediately understands that time doesn’t exist in the spiritual realm — it is an illusion. I enjoyed the powerful use of religious symbolism and allusion, and the relationship between Daniel Sperling and Shale Snyder, a love so strong it continues to inspire the hero of the story and acts as an anchor for him. The author uses visions and supernatural experiences to lift the minds of readers and transport them from their immediate surroundings, just as the case of the protagonist.

The writing is gorgeous and crisp and filled with wonderful descriptions, from action-packed scenes to emotionally rich encounters, to awe-inspiring moments of spiritual ecstasy. The Howling is a book that will inspire readers and make them look beyond their physical experience of pain to find delight in the hope of a spiritual world that could be theirs. Highly imaginative and skillfully written, the message can’t be mistaken and the reader feels compelled to be one of the Followers of the Way.

Reviewed By Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

Grace Fortune knows that her boyfriend is dead and she watched him die, but then she continues to hear his voice. Is she going nuts or did he really die? How about the boy who walks and acts like him, the boy who seems connected with the homeless man that Grace suspects to be her father? Grace has many questions about Jared Lorn’s death and as she and her friends begin to investigate, they are plunged into a world filled with mystery and darkness — Silo City. Grace is caught up in a web of conspiracy involving her mother, the boyfriend who died, and a rock star called Lester Crow. It’s a world where nothing is as it seems and where darkness lurks at every turn. When her life is in the gravest danger, Grace finds revelations that are mind-blowing.

Forsaken is the second book in the Forlorn Series by Gina Detwiler, an interesting paranormal tale with dark themes and romance. Gina Detwiler is a great writer with a gift for plot and character. Her characters are real and she does an impeccable job in exploring their hearts. The author allows readers to feel the conflict in the characters. The prose is highly descriptive, and while it offers vivid images of the setting to readers, it gives a clear view of characterization and the action taking place. For instance, when Grace talks about Ollie, she describes him as “a tuba player for the school orchestra. He’s kind of shaped like a tuba, rounded and flaring in all the wrong places, with a mop of shaggy hair that sticks up every which way, like he’s been recently electrocuted.” The prose itself is enjoyable, the writing deft and balanced. Forsaken is a great story for readers who love emotionally rich stories with quick action and a powerful conflict. A gripping tale that features supernatural powers colliding with each other.

Reviewed By A. L. Peevey for Readers' Favorite

In J.P.H. Tan’s Kate in the Land of Myths and Wonders, we discover that Kate is an only child, and a rich one at that, due to her father's and her grandmother’s wealth. Raised as a church-going girl, she is having a crisis of her faith in God. With a warning from her grandmother, Kate sets out for Chicago with her best friend, Gus, to celebrate her fifteenth birthday. While they are enjoying a stroll through one of Chicago’s iconic parks, and snapping some photos, the city is engulfed by a flood that drowns the city and sweeps everyone and everything apart and away. Kate is washed beyond the confines of this world and into a series of places where creatures of myth roam and natural weather phenomena have magical properties. She not only finds herself on an adventure she never dreamed of, but begins a journey of self-discovery as well.

J.P.H. Tan’s Kate in the Land of Myths and Wonders presents us readers with a very human protagonist in the form of Kate, a teenager who has never had to without anything except for the attention of her father. Her grandmother instills in Kate what might be considered an old-fashioned faith in God and an intimate knowledge of the Bible. Yet, there is nothing preachy about Tan’s story. Kate’s faith and her subsequent dissatisfaction with it are presented as part of her process of growth and growing up. There is some teen angst, but it does not get in the way of the narrative, which is always spot on, providing a diverting, thoughtful read. I don't remember the last time I read such a well-edited book! The writer's voice is sure and unwavering. Well done!

Reviewed By Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite

"If I had learned anything about life after Dad’s death, it was to expect the unexpected,” says Americka - aka Meri - in Bombs Bursting In Air by Lisa A. McCombs. When Meri went with her dad, a retired veteran, to see a war movie, she thought that she was being punished. Instead of continually hearing the loud bombs and explosions going off in the movie, Meri began to wonder why wasn't she spending time at the mall with her friends, Holly and Janie? A simple day at the theatre turned into a tragic occurrence when a terrorist opened fire. What saved Meri was her need to go to the restroom where she met her new friend, Fiona. As Meri travels through her journey to recover from her injuries, as well as the loss of her dad, Meri discovers that Fiona will become a pivotal part of her healing. Also, Fiona becomes the glue that helps Meri to not only heal, but bring an element that neither she nor her mother knew existed since her father's death.

As I read Bombs Bursting In Air by Lisa A. McCombs, I became engrossed in not only the story, but in the realization that in a blink of an eye life can take a turn for the worst. As we step out of our door, drive in our car, or continue with our daily routine the unexpected can occur. There is nothing in life that says we will return from whence we came, and this is the case in Bombs Bursting In Air. Lisa A. McCombs brought it home in showing that in today's culture there is constant disruption and discord. These elements cause division and a high level of actions from terrorism and racism to other acts of violence. Bombs Bursting In Air by Lisa A. McCombs will stop and make you think about how these tragic occurrences have lasting effects, like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), on those that experience it, whether directly or indirectly.

Reviewed By Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

What do you name a daughter whose family name is Polis? Well, Anna, of course. Then she becomes AnnaPolis. It might be cute, but children bear the burden of the name they’re given at birth. And, when the name comes attached to a position of wealth and importance, there’s a lot to live up to. Anna’s parents are wealthy. She attends a prestigious private school and she has a good circle of friends. At least, she believes they’re good friends. But, upon entering middle school, and then high school, the pressure builds and tensions mount. The ‘good friends’ of childhood become the mean girls of middle and high school. And then there are the bullies. The ones, boys and girls, who take advantage of you.

Growing up is never easy. What happens in one’s youth affects the adult one becomes. Anna can bear witness to that fact. Not only is she scarred from her growing-up years, she is shocked to discover that the bullies and mean girls in her school have parents who continue to be just as bullying and mean as their offspring. But what Anna has to endure, though, haunts her into adulthood, yet it’s nothing to the disease that consumes her body and almost takes her life. There are chilling diseases in society: bullies and meanness. There are chilling diseases of the body. Anna suffers them all and they haunt her until, through her talent with the written word, she meets her ghosts head on and fights, taking back her life and making it her own.

Linda Heavner Gerald’s novel, AnnaPolis Summers, is a powerful, coming-of-age novel that addresses the issues young people struggle with over and over again. Using a journal type unveiling of the plot, the author becomes Anna and reveals her story as she sits back on a summer evening and relives her past through her own writing. Through this journey, Anna discovers the why’s that formed her and almost destroyed her and unravels another Anna, a survivor, a strong woman with a creative force that helps her overcome her struggles and fears. The reader is instantly attracted to this young woman as she tells her story, as her life is unveiled in heart-wrenching reality. A raw story to the core.

Reviewed By Gail Kamer for Readers' Favorite

“Inside my head, I see his broken parts. Inside my head, I feel his pain.” Those words hooked me immediately. Healer by Susan Miura shares the story of a young girl named Shilo coming to terms with the gift of healing. She’s different. Why? Is she a freak? Shilo struggles with her spiritual powers. When to use them? How to keep the world from using them and using her? Should she keep them secret? How to just be a normal person? Will her boyfriend understand? In addition, Shilo becomes involved when a drug gang’s transaction places loved ones in danger. A favorite aunt has cancer but Shilo can’t heal her. What good is the gift if she can’t heal someone she loves? In addition to that, Shilo can’t mend her own broken heart.

Healer by Susan Miura is one of the best Christian young adult books I have ever read. Ms. Miura keeps the reader guessing what will happen next and how in the world the main character will solve the problem. The pace is fast. The writing is active. The story line is amazing. She’s made connections with today’s young adult world. Healer is a wonderful story to restore your belief in God’s good in the world and would make a great book club read for young adults. The reader bonds with the characters and, of course, wants more. That’s good since this is volume I. Hurry, Ms. Miura and get volume II out. I’m ready to see what happens next.

Reviewed By Michelle Stanley for Readers' Favorite

The Bishop of 12th Avenue is a post-apocalyptic novel for young adults by Ray Lucit. Eighteen-year-old Jacob “Jake” Walker is accustomed to hiding and fighting for survival in the city controlled by corrupt leaders. He rescues a man tortured by federal agents, and the dying man mumbles a chant before placing a ring on Jacob’s finger. He meets beautiful Becky, a churcher who convinces him to return to her hometown because the victim made Jake a bishop. Churchers believe God has a plan for him, but he doesn’t know anything about religion. The teen can’t understand why beautiful Becky and the townsfolk call him Bishop Jacob or constantly pray. The feds come to the town with demands, harming anyone who ignores their orders. Jake decides to take on the law, feeling responsible for “a flock” he inherited. This street-smart bishop prefers carrying knives, not a Bible for a weapon.

“Prayer changes everything” is what the churchers believe in The Bishop of 12th Avenue. It’s a thought-provoking, action-filled religious theme in a post-apocalyptic setting. Jake is a teen who only knew the city he grew up in, so being in a God-fearing, loving community is a big adjustment for him. He struggles with his thoughts about God, romance, and the role he finds himself in. How can a person pray for peace when one can fight for it? The story is meaningful, original, amusing in sections, and is a wonderful read for young adults. Ray Lucit’s writing is strong, convincing and absorbing. The conclusion was unexpected but not disappointing. I would like to see a sequel to this novel.