This book has been on my to be read list for some time. The cover art is beautiful and the book blurb exciting. Once I cracked it open, I must admit that the story pulled me in. This unique take on a faith journey within a fantasy setting is full of twists and turns that will keep fantasy and mystery lovers alike on their toes.

ACTION: This book goes to some dark places. The fight scenes are not too graphic while still being full of the tension and drive that an action buff will enjoy. I will warn that there is a scene near the beginning that has a rather intense gross factor, but I believe that it was a good set up to the evil being exceptionally twisted. If you want your books light on the evil side, this is not your biscuit. If you do not mind evil being shown in all of its ugliness, you will have no problem with this book.

ADVENTURE: Though the story itself does not go very far distance wise, it does have an air of adventure with the remembrances of the characters and with the newness of the world that Bree has entered. James has built a complex world full of its own rules and quirks that are an almost allegorical depiction of spiritual warfare. I do not want to suggest that this is a straight “spiritual warfare” book, but many of the elements are there.

ROMANCE: The romance found in this book is barely hinted at and very mild. This is compared to the implications of men’s “failings” when it comes to relationships which is a theme in the book. There is nothing described graphically, but several men fail in this regard. It gave me more of a feeling of “EW.” than a feeling of “Must Avert My Eyes!”.

RELIGION: This is definitely a Christian book. There is an element of “faith journey” that cannot be denied. Yahweh is openly mentioned and described in all of His goodness. Though this aspect could have been more overt, the author was balancing several mystery storylines at the same time. This did make the book a little confusing at points, but each mystery you were given to solve did have a conclusion.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The star features of this book were both the faith journey and the complex weaving of mystery into the plot. If I could choose a word for the overall theme of the book it would be “discovery”. This refers less to geographical discovery and more to discovery within the characters. Discovery about themselves, about their purpose, and about the direction their life is heading. The author does leave a thread or two unwoven due to this being the first book in a series, though I was very pleased to find no real cliffhangers. I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy Christian themes, fantasy, and mystery blended together.