Scan barcode
A review by jessreadsfiction
This Life Of Mine by Victoria Lynn
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This Life of Mine by Victoria Lynn is the second novel in the Chronicles of Elira series. We get to follow a much beloved and familiar face from the first novel - Marcus! It is a delight when favorite side characters get their own story and the happy ever after they deserve. This novel tackles heavy topics such as prostitution, sex trafficking, and abortion. The author handles these topics with the utmost grace without shying away from the fact that these evils are present in our world.
This novel was a beautiful example of how God redeems everyone regardless of their past. He pursues us with a Holy love that can only come from the One who knows us all and still chose to send His Son to die for our sins. Sin is real and is evil but there is nothing the light of Christ cannot overcome. Marcus and Dilara’s journey to healing, redemption, and eventually love was sweet and heartwarming to read. The overall themes of self-sacrifice, loving thy neighbor, and being the hands and feet of Jesus were well-highlighted and artfully written.
The area where this novel fell short for me was in the pacing. It was a very slow read for me and I found myself having to force myself to read through some parts of the middle. It felt like the story stalled without anything happening to propel it forward or keep me interested. I love strong faith elements in a Christian novel but the repetitive nature of the same internal dialogues with our main characters - them not thinking they are good enough and Christ telling them they are - was a bit draining after a while. After all of the build-up of this very slow-burn romance, it also felt like the moment of the first kiss was hidden from the reader. While not directly stated, it was written as if the first kiss we see on paper was not their first which left me feeling a bit disappointed and anti-climactic.
This book was still an emotional, lyrical read with strong faith elements I love to see in fiction reads!
This novel was a beautiful example of how God redeems everyone regardless of their past. He pursues us with a Holy love that can only come from the One who knows us all and still chose to send His Son to die for our sins. Sin is real and is evil but there is nothing the light of Christ cannot overcome. Marcus and Dilara’s journey to healing, redemption, and eventually love was sweet and heartwarming to read. The overall themes of self-sacrifice, loving thy neighbor, and being the hands and feet of Jesus were well-highlighted and artfully written.
The area where this novel fell short for me was in the pacing. It was a very slow read for me and I found myself having to force myself to read through some parts of the middle. It felt like the story stalled without anything happening to propel it forward or keep me interested. I love strong faith elements in a Christian novel but the repetitive nature of the same internal dialogues with our main characters - them not thinking they are good enough and Christ telling them they are - was a bit draining after a while. After all of the build-up of this very slow-burn romance, it also felt like the moment of the first kiss was hidden from the reader. While not directly stated, it was written as if the first kiss we see on paper was not their first which left me feeling a bit disappointed and anti-climactic.
This book was still an emotional, lyrical read with strong faith elements I love to see in fiction reads!
Content Warnings
Minor: Chronic illness, Death, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Trafficking, Abortion, and Pregnancy