coffeestainsandinkspots's reviews
40 reviews

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I just finished the ARC for Winter’s Maiden a few days ago, and honestly, this book surprised me. I didn’t know what to expect from a Christian fantasy set in a world heavily influenced by Viking/Nordic culture, but I was pulled into the story from the start.

This novel follows two characters, Brighid — a clanless one fighting for the north, and Kaden — a healer working for the southern army. Both have gone through struggles and find themselves fighting in a war that quickly turns out to be manipulated by forces outside of simple politics. Since this is the first book in an upcoming series, there is a lot of world-building and character backstory in this book. Busse’s writing is descriptive and fast-paced. Some of Kaden’s character traits (his race and talents) draw from elements that Busse established in a different series she wrote. This is my first experience with her writing, and I felt like I could follow along with all of the information, so the lack of knowledge didn’t impact my ability to read the novel. I recommend picking this book up when it comes out. It will be released in physical copies and audiobook form so that you can enjoy this story according to your preferred method.

Content Warnings

How to Tell the Truth: The Story of How God Saved Me to Win Hearts--Not Just Arguments by Preston Perry

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challenging informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Preston Perry does a beautiful job combining a memoir and practical handbook for new and experienced evangelists! Preston has a powerful testimony, and it was interesting to see how he used the lessons he learned to explain the vital beliefs of the Christian faith and how to share them with others. As a long-time believers who struggles with sharing my faith, I was greatly encouraged.

I highly recommend How to Tell the Truth!

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

An old college friend regularly recommends The Queen's Thief series on her blog, and this is the year I decided to give it a chance.

I wasn't disappointed.

Yes, the first part of this book is a long journey where nothing exciting happens. However, through the journey, readers were given time to learn more about Gen and the world we will be immersed in over the next 5 books. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to finish the next one.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I loved that Fawcett took a more traditional approach to representing faeries in this story. It made for some interesting twists that I didn't see coming and added complexity to the obvious plot points. I'll probably give book two a try.

Manga Classics: Pride and Prejudice by Stacy King, Po Tse

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This was a fun and interesting adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Updates and changes were made to the dialogue and events of the story to make the thoughts and motivations of the characters clearer to the readers. Whether or not you find this a good thing depends on how much of a purist you are. Despite the changes, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The art is beautiful—stunning, really. This is a good way to introduce the story to a reader who feels intimidated by the original form, or it can be used as an object lesson in adaptations. It's also a great palette cleanser if you want something fun to read.

Holier Than Thou: How God's Holiness Helps Us Trust Him by Jackie Hill Perry

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

I've had this book on my shelf for a few years, and this year, I finally read it all the way through.

This book was so timely for me and where I'm at in my walk with Christ. Jackie did a phenomenal job building her presentation of God's holiness and how understanding it leads us to a deeper relationship with Him. 10/10. I absolutely recommend this book.

Reckless Christianity: The Destructive New Teachings and Practices of Bill Johnson, Bethel Church, and the Global Movement of Apostles and Prophets by Holly Pivec, R. Douglas Geivett

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informative slow-paced

5.0

Bethel Church, out of Redding, California, has its share of controversy but also more than its share of influence. Holly Pivec and Doug Geivett have written several books on the New Apostolic Reformation, the larger movement behind Bethel, but in this book, they focus specifically on Bill Johnson and the dangers of the teachings coming out of Bethel.

Holly and Doug do a good job of balancing the task of evaluating poor theology but also having love for the people who are in a movement that they are critical of. I had an opportunity to participate in a book group with the authors, and that trait is evident in them personally and in the book. Reckless Christianity is more on the scholarly side of writing. There are a lot of footnotes, and it takes time to digest all of the information. If you have some knowledge of the NAR/Word of Faith movement already, then you should definitely pick up this book. But if you are new to the topic, you may want to start out with one of Doug and Holly's earlier books such as Counterfit Kingdom. That or be prepared to do a lot of googling.

All in all, this is an excellent resource for people to understand the teachings of Bethel and the larger NAR movement. I would encourage you to pick it up, no matter your position or feelings about Bethel, and evaluate what Holly and Doug are saying for yourself.

Shadows of Self by Brandon Sanderson

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious fast-paced