Blaming herself for her best friend's
death and haunted by nightmares, ballerina Brielle abandons her big
city dreams and returns to her tiny hometown of Stratus in the fall
of her senior year of high school to start over. Her attempts to lay
low are complicated by the mysterious -and distractingly handsome-
new kid in school, Jake. When events take an unexpected twist,
Brielle finds herself in a crisis of faith, forced to make soul-deep
decisions in the face of terrifying circumstances and brilliant
truth.
I found a lot to like in this book. The
angels and demons are strong, powerful and realistic – decidedly
the best portrayal of them of I've seen since reading This Present
Darkness years ago. The facts and details, as far as I could tell,
lined up well with what the Bible tells us about heavenly creatures. Where creative license was taken, it was beautiful, creative and respectful.
The characters were well developed,
especially considering the relative briefness of the book. They were
consistent, and it was a blessing to find that the relationships
modeled were reflect the kinds of healthy interaction we want for
ourselves and our young people – loyal friends, on-target parents/
guardians, supportive teachers.
Perhaps amongst its biggest
achievements is the book's handling of difficult subjects like human
trafficking and dealing with loss. These elements are dealt with
honestly but tactfully; not an easy task. I read this in one sitting
and look forward to the sequel!
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