FIRST Tour: Dragons of Starlight 1: Starlighter by Bryan Davis

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Bryan Davis

and the book:

Starlighter

Zondervan (March 19, 2010)

***Special thanks to Pam Mettler, Associate Director of Public Relations, ZonderKidz for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bryan Davis is the author of the bestselling fantasy series Dragons in Our Midst, Oracles of Fire and Echoes from the Edge. He and his wife, Susie, have seven children and live in western Tennessee where he continues to cook up his imaginative blend of fantasy and inspiration.


Visit the author's website.




Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (March 19, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310718368
ISBN-13: 978-0310718369

TO BROWSE THE BOOK, CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW:

My Opinion:


With this being teen fiction I wasn't sure what to make of it however I must say that I was surprised and it did turn into a fantastic read. It reminds of an allegory similar to what C.S. Lewis wrote, however this resembles a parallel-like world in which fire-breathing dragons live with humans as their slaves that they stole from the parrallel world.


I don't think this is a book I'd let my young teen read however I would let my older, mature teen read it (when my children get to that point) with the stipulation this is to be seen as a Biblical allegory and nothing else. There is a great plot outline that does grip the reader and pull you in, if you are an adult you need to keep in mind this is teen fiction and not written with adults in mind.


I think this would be perfect for young men to read, especially since I'm finding out that there isn't much on the general market that is affordable to most families for young men to read. Given that fact I would say this with it's allegorical line would prove to make an interesting read for a young man who strives for valor and the right way to live and needs to stand up in a world of evil.

A Multi-Site Church Road Trip by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon and Warren Bird

From the Zondervan website:

The multi-site church movement is reshaping the way we do church. But how does it actually work? And is it right for your church? Enjoy a guided tour of multi-site churches across America and see for yourself how churches are growing and reaching their communities. This companion to The Multi-Site Church Revolution gives you on-site pictures of the new and creative ways churches are expanding their impact through multiple locations.


My Opinion:

I was a bit skeptical at first simply because I am not a mega church person, the impersonal and sometimes lacking Biblical teaching really throws me for a loop, but like a lot of books I've been reading lately I've been pleasantly surprised! With the authors the reader will take a trip covering 15 churches all over America who have gone multi-site and not all of them are mega-churches (or weren't when they started).

I liked being introduced to how churches of varying sizes were able to grow and reach more people wether in the United States or internationally through internet based campuses or through buildings in other countries. These churches and those who pastor them do really seem to care about those who come in every week and for some many service throughout the week - I didn't notice anything about it being impersonal. While some of the more main sermons are given via simulcast or DVD each campus or site has their own Pastor and their own ministries allowing the church community to grow and reach others for Christ. The main points in having multi-sites (from what I gathered from my reading) is that it's a way to gather more people for Christ and continue growing in their (babes and those mature Christians) relationship with Him.

I'm not sure if I see some of the smaller churches in my area going this route, but the authors say it doesn't matter how small your congregation is, it can be done. However, at my church there are only about 50 to 60 people and that includes the children - would it be feasible and financially responsible to do this - I don't know. I do know not everyone can get to where my church is located, out in the country, since public transportation doesn't run there and it would be neat to reap more harvest for God by going multi-site but financially can it be done? This was a great book for lay people who want to get a bigger vision of reaching people for Christ or just want to get more of an idea of what multi-site is all about.


YouTube video for "A Multi-Site Church Road Trip"


**I was provided a copy of this book through Zondervan in exchange for my honest review, no other compensation was given.**

Farraday Road by Ace Collins

Book descripition from Zondervan's website:

It’s just another quiet evening out for Lije and Kaitlyn Evans. But somewhere along the way, it becomes something more sinister and a murder takes place. In the aftermath, a small-town attorney sets out to find his wife’s killers and uncovers a deadly conspiracy. A suspenseful mystery with a twist of faith.

About Ace Collins (also from Zondervan):

Ace Collins is the writer of more than sixty books, including several bestsellers: Stories behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, Stories behind the Great Traditions of Christmas, The Cathedrals, and Lassie: A Dog’s Life. Based in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, He continues to publish several new titles each year, including a series of novels, the first of which is Farraday Road. Ace has appeared on scores of television shows, including CBS This Morning, NBC Nightly News, CNN, Good Morning America, MSNBC, and Entertainment Tonight.

My Opinion:

I have never read Ace Collins before and I must say I didn't know what to expect from someone I hadn't read before, but as before, I was estatic that I did read this book. I will say at first I was leery, murder, suspense, and conspiracies - well not exactly what one would think of as a Christian book. My husband doesn't understand either how these go together but I will say this having come from a place where I used to read these type of secular books but with more risque situations and language this one was much more Christian.

I was drawn in from page one - and didn't want to put it down, I found it hard to put it down and was glad when my husband allowed us a snow day in our homeschool. Instead of the usual one dimensional, see through characters of most suspense books Ace Collins does a wonderful job of drawing you in to the character's and make you feel attached to them. I could hear the fear in their voices, the sadness of grief, and other emotions through out this book. God and faith were a strong overtone in this book, even if not outrightly spoken - Lije struggles with his faith after loosing his wife, while another character has total faith in God because she knows that faith is not based on seeing.

I would suggest this book especially if you are coming from a place in your life where you are used to secular suspense but want something cleaner and with more Faith involved. Definitely a must read, but for those who don't want to read about murder then this definitely wouldn't be the book for you even with the Christian aspect of it.

**I was provided a copy of this book through Zondervan in exchange for my honest review.

A Vote of Confidence by Robin Lee Hatcher

About the Book:

In A Vote of Confidence, the stage is set for some intriguing insight into what it was like during 1915 to be a woman in a “man’s world.” Guinevere Arlington is a beautiful young woman determined to remain in charge of her own life. For seven years, Gwen has carved out a full life in the bustling town of Bethlehem Springs, Idaho, where she teaches piano and writes for the local newspaper. Her passion for the town, its people, and the surrounding land prompt Gwen to run for mayor. After all, who says a woman can’t do a man’s job? But stepping outside the boundaries of convention can get messy. A shady lawyer backs Gwen, believing he can control her once she’s in office. A wealthy newcomer throws his hat into the ring in an effort to overcome opposition to the health resort he’s building north of town. When the opponents fall in love, everything changes, forcing Gwen to face what she may have to lose in order to win.

My opinion:

A Vote of Confidence is a great read, while I may not agree with everything about the book, it was very well written. I felt like I knew the town of Bethlehem Springs and knew the people who lived there. The characters were well developed and even with the "shady lawyer" one could feel the animosity the man felt through the pages of the book. I read through this in just over two days, so it's also a quick, a good thing for a busy mom.

While I don't agree that women can't hold public office, I do believe according to Scripture and my own personal convictions, if there is a man who is qualified and can do the job then he should be the one to hold the office. This supports him being able to care and provide for his family. So while this didn't detract from the story, I could see why Gwen, would be a better person because she genuinely cares for her town. I did like the end part, but I won't say what it is because that will give everything away.

Also Gwen's sister, Cleo, is a wrangler and as such wears men's clothing and makes no apologies about it. She claims she can't do what she needs to do in a dress. I manage to do plently in my dresses and skirts as have women down through the centuries including the fronteir women who many times had to do plowing, gardening, and other such farm work.

Like I said, while I don't agree with everything in the book, it seems quite accurate historically and Robin Lee Hatcher does her best to clarify if she took liberties on a year or a date, but she did very well in writing this book to be historically accurate. I never realized that women had the vote in 1896 in Idaho by their State Constitution, way before women were given the right to vote in the United States Constitution.

I do recommend that if you are looking for a historically accurate, Christian fiction book that you would look into this book from Zondervan.

**Picture of the book cover and the text for About the Book is taken from Zondervan's website.

When Love Blooms by Robin Lee Hatcher

About the Book:

Rachel Harris, single, beautiful and in want of adventure applies for and recieves a job as a governess for a family. Two young girls, a father and a mother is who Miss. Harris will be living with. Dru, the mother is dying and there is nothing she can do about it and only through her faith alone can she bear the thought of leaving her children. A marriage of convenience, Dru and Gavin, live together in name only so that when she is gone Gavin can be dad to her two girls. Unbeknownst to Gavin and Rachel, what Dru wants is for them to find love and for Rachel to lead Gavin to what he needs above all else.

My opinion:

When Love Bloons is a great book with one big caution, at least for me. It is evident what the mom of the family wants, she wants Gavin and Rachel to fall in love and marry. To me, even if a marriage is in name only and one of the spouses is going to die soon, the marriage needs to be honored. No interference from anyone, period. Even if that interference is arranged by the wife who is dying. When Rachel begins having romantic thoughts toward Gavin she immediately prays to ask God to help her, even going so far as to agree to a marriage in which the love given is not returned. Gavin to begins to have feelings toward Rachel even though he tries to push them aside. This all rubbed me the wrong way from the start. Had the love blossomed after Dru died I would have been okay with it but not while she was alive and not while the marriage was still a marriage in God's eyes.

I try not to throw the baby out with the bathwater and overall the book wasn't bad but I think that Robin Lee Hatcher could have come up with a better scenario without alluding to something that to me, is akin to emotional adultery. With that being said the end result is that the two do marry and even being their own family, adding to Dru's two daughters. Gavin does turn his life over to Christ. Everyone lives happily ever after.

Overall, it was a quick read and one that makes you think about happenings you wouldn't normally think on. If you'd like more information on how to purchase this book visit Zondervan.

**Picture of book cover taken from Zondervan's website.

Exposure by Brandilyn Collins

About the Book:

Kaycee Raye, a popular syndicated newspaper column writer makes fun of her own fears to help others get over their fears. Is her paranoia and fear making her 'see' things that aren't there or are the images and items that seem so real but then disappear really real? Is she crazy? Is she sane? Christian faith blended to make a thrilling ride of suspense that makes one wonder if Kaycee will survive.

My opinion:

Brandilyn Collins has written another great book. Exposure is a nerve tingling ride that you will be hard pressed to put it down, at least I was. The constant twists along with just enough terror to not overdo it, will keep you guessing. I was proven wrong a couple of times as I continued to guess who done it? Kaycee's fears are real and one would think staying alive through her way of helping others.

While some may seem leery of a Christian book having terror, murder and fear in it, it is definitely Christian. Kaycee's constant crying out to God in her prayers to get her through a dark, lonely night at home while waiting for whoever is stalking her, is the only thing that gets her through the night. Kaycee and the other characters rely consistently and constantly on God and their Christian faith. There is nothing inappropriate insofar as cussing, nudity and overt romance. It never ceases to amaze me that what we see in Hollywood today can be wrong with inappropriateness but a Christian fiction writer can write suspense without all the nudity and cussing and make it a great form of entertainment while still having characters grounded in Christian faith.

I would recommend you take a look at Zondervan's product page for more information on how to purchase the book. The only thing I wouldn't recommend is don't read it alone at night, unless you have every light on your house on and the curtains tightly closed!

**Picture of book cover taken from Zondervan's website.