"A Last Hope" by Verity Sandahl

About this book:

  “Can one find hope when all is lost?
    Once every thousand years, two souls are entwined, uniting the powers of the kingdoms. But what if your soul is connected to your enemy? King Marc’s father betrayed Arianna’s family and stole her kingdom, and all she wants is revenge. Disguised as a lowly tanner, Arianna works with the rebels, and when King Marc asks her to marry him, she agrees only so she can steal his throne. How long can she hide her identity and mission from a husband who unknowingly shares her powers and is determined to know her past? Dark forces push the kingdoms back toward war, and Marc submits to the marriage law only to preserve the peace. But when he marries a minute past midnight, he is forced to abdicate, leaving him a mere commoner, and as he comes to know his wife, he realizes that her secrets could destroy them all.”


Series: Part of the “Hope Ever After” series and features characters from a couple of those books and future books by this author. 


Spiritual Content- Ephesians 3:14-19 in the Dedication; Prayers & Blessings over food; Talks about the One Father (God) & having hope; ‘H’s are capital when referring to Him; When young, Arianna is confused by someone mentioning the One is greater than her father because “no one was greater than her father”; After something happens to change his position, Marc doesn’t understand why the One Father would allow it to happen; Arianna isn’t sure when she last prayed because she doesn’t see the point in praying to a Father who doesn’t listen & later thinks of something as another strike against her by the One Father; Arianna doesn’t go to church; *Spoiler* When Marc prays, Arianna feels peace and has a war within herself about that feeling; Later, she thinks that she wants his happiness and joy with how he fights against the darkness, but knows that “such power” cannot be hers because she believes the sacrifice will be too great *End of Spoiler*; *Spoilers* Arianna views the One Father as her earthly father who was always judging her and never satisfied with her, but towards the end she prays for help and feels His warmth (which is the warmth she’s felt from Marc); She forgives someone and then feels free from her hatred *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of the One Father, His son, a higher Power, the book of the One Father, and prayers/praying; Mentions of churches, church going, & a priest; Mentions of hope, planting seeds, & forgiveness; Mentions of sins; A few mentions of miracles; A few mentions of callings from the One Father;
             *Note: A prophecy about two souls who would be intertwined and united the kingdoms together; The families have magical powers, Arianna and her family can fly (which is shown on-page and described as “climbing the air around [her]” (up to semi-detailed)) & Marc and his family are able to tell a person’s feelings by touching them (we see this often & some gifts are later described as worship to the One Father when they are doing their gif); Arianna is given a protection spell by a woman (*Spoiler* who is later revealed to be her fairy godmother *End of Spoiler*) to keep others from reading her emotions & someone tells her to use it for getting rid of her fear (twisting it’s intent); We see other magical powers such as someone lifting water (and planning to use boiling water to harm others) and push air (Arianna); *Spoiler* Marc’s twin brother was always believed to not have any powers, actually has the power to control/push others to do what he wants *End of Spoiler*; Destined souls, soul mates, connected souls, and bonded souls are mentioned as this happens to our main characters when they were children & is a part of a prophesy; Later, Arianna calls this connection a “cruel curse”; Marc’s brother says that Aria has bewitched him and Marc replies that if it’s an enchantment, he likes it; Arianna wonders if a place could have a soul after seeing a beautiful garden; Dragons are said to be deceivers and lure people to their doom; As a child, Marc was told to ring a church bell at midnight and he would be able to talk to someone who had died (he attempts this but no spirit/dead person appeared); Mentions of spells & curses (including the protection spell on Arianna); Mentions of magic & a peace treaty sealed with dragon’s blood (which some say is the darkest kind of sorcery; A mention of someone looking magical and not quite human; A mention of someone calling Aria a witch; A mention of a superstitious country.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘by the saints’; Some sarcasm & eye rolling; Pain, breaking a bone, resetting it, injuries, & Passing out (up to semi-detailed); A side character squeezes someone unconscious (in his point of view, up to semi-detailed); Seeing an attack on her country and people, someone knocked unconscious, fighting, & a fire (up to semi-detailed); Arianna has hatred towards Marc and his people & is very bitter, believing that there is no hope; Arianna wants blood as a small payment for what Marc’s family did to her like his family being gone, his castle burned, and his people homeless (*Spoiler* but towards the end she realizes that she doesn’t want that anymore *End of Spoiler*); Arianna feels as if something in her died after the attack & all hope is gone (which someone tells her isn’t true, but she still believes it anyway); Arianna lies; Arianna recalls being a young girl and seeing a badger and a gelada fight where the latter was killed (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed; Marc calls this wicked and the person ordering it a bully); Many mentions of lies, lying, liars, deceit, & hatred; Mentions of wars, attacks, murders/deaths (including of children and children being orphans), fighting, fires, screams, rebels, prisoners, & bloodshed; Mentions of slavery & slaves; Mentions of stealing & thieves; Mentions of verbal abuse & beatings (including Arianna’s father towards servants); Mentions of bullies; A few mentions of nightmares; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of rumors; A few mentions of Arianna’s process of tanning hides (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A couple mentions of manure; A mention of an executioner; A mention of vomit; A mention of spanking;  
             *Note: A mention of a mother dying in labor (Arianna’s mother).
 
 
Sexual Content- Three hand kisses, a forehead kiss, three almost kisses (one which Arianna stops by saying that she isn’t ready), two not-detailed kisses, and three barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Touches, Dancing, Warmth, (barely-above-not-detailed to semi-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Some flirting & winks; *Spoilers* Arianna and Marc are forced to be married and there are mentions of it being their wedding night and about sleeping together, but nothing happens between them as she sleeps elsewhere; Marc knows that Aria doesn’t love him but knows that he will woo her; They do not share a bed and Marc tells her to take all the time she needs; Later, she thinks of them not truly as husband and wife because they’ve never kissed; *Bigger Spoilers* Towards the end, there are a couple hints to their love for the other and at the very end it’s said she’s with child *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of kisses, kissing, & wanting to kiss; A few mentions of flirting; A few mentions of a young boy (8 years old) is teased by his twin about liking a girl (he thinks she’s interesting and pretty; a bit later when noticing her and noticing a girl for the first time, he feels awkward and shy talking to her); A mention of enjoying the silk sheets of a woman’s bed (if Marc married her); Love, falling/being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: A mention of people leering at Arianna when she was a dancer & a friend protecting her.
 
-Arianna, age 21
-Marc, age 21
                                P.O.V. switches between them & another character (x2)
                                                        215 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book at first, but I ended up enjoying it. I wasn’t super familiar with the King Thrushbeard story, which was kind of nice because I had nothing to compare it to and this book felt like it’s own story. 

 

The first chapter is them as children and it felt very middle-grade-ish then, but as the book progressed you see some much-needed character development and lessons learned by our main couple. 

 

Marc was cocky. Which you know, fits for the retelling, but I didn’t like him much at first because of it. Though, he starts being a love sicken fool for her and I did quite like those parts! I always find it funny when we switch point of view of the main couple and they’re thinking completely opposite things about the other. This book had a few of those scenes that made me smirk every time. 

 

I did struggle at times staying interested in this book’s plot, but I think that was just me because the ending kept my attention, and I was curious to see what the conclusion to the plot would be! 

 

While I’m not typically one for marriage of convenience stories, I did really like the message of letting go of hatred/bitterness and allowing Hope to enter into your heart. It was a sweet message and story overall!

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.

 

"Whitewater Wishes" by Katherine Robles

About this book:
  “Bridget plans to spend her summer working as a white water rafting guide and studying for her beautician' s license exam. She isn' t looking for romance, and she isn' t impressed with nerdy nurse Drew when he steps into her raft. She' s looking for a strongman like the father she failed, but she finds it hard to resist Drew' s passion for life.
   As a hospital nurse, Drew loves helping people to heal, but after one of his younger patients dies, Drew feels the need to seize the day. So, he faces his fear of open water and goes white water rafting. He' s attracted to Bridget, but meeting his dream girl couldn' t have come at a worse time. His best friend is in trouble and Drew must decide how far he' s willing to go to keep his friend' s secret.
   When injury capsizes Bridget' s career, they' ll need strength beyond their own to keep their love afloat.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Romance in the Park” series. 


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, read, & thought about; Prayers; Singing a hymn & a song; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Bridget volunteers at VBS; Bridget finds it hard to talk about her faith with her best friend and tries to explain to her that her faith is important especially in regards to a future husband, but her friend says that her mom is Buddhist and her dad is agnostic and “they make it work”; Later, Bridget tries to talk to her friend about God and something she learned recently, not knowing if her friend even believes in God but presses on because both Jesus and her friend are important to her; Drew is worried about talking to his friend about the friend’s serious problem when it was the friend who introduced Drew to God and going to church (*Spoiler* Though Drew thinks about Scriptures about noticing his own faults, Drew knows his friend’s marriage is in trouble and that is friend is disobeying Jesus, so Drew grabs another Christian friend to talk with him about it; They confront the friend together and he doesn’t take it well *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of God, Jesus, & the Holy Spirit; Mentions of prayers, praying, & thanking God; Mentions of churches, church going, trying to find a church, services, hymns/songs, youth groups, & VBS; Mentions of Bibles, Bible studies, books of the Bible, & events and people in the Bible; Mentions of God’s creation & being amazed by it; Mentions of sins; A mention of Heaven;
             *Note: Bridget’s friend says that a guy is “into God stuff” like her; A guy comments that another guy looks like a ghost who haunts a library (due to his pale skin).
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: an ‘idiot’, four ‘oh my gosh’s, and eight ‘stupid’s; Some eye rolling & Sarcasm; Pain, injuries, nearly passing out, a broken bone, a concussion, & short-term memory loss (up to semi-detailed); At their first meeting, Bridget thinks that Drew might be “on something” or high, but it turns out he is not and just sleep deprived; Drew is concerned a friend is falling back into a bad habit & wonders if he should talk to him about it or do a test to see what happens (regarding money and stealing; Drew feels guilty for thinking the worse of his friend and not believing that everything is okay; *Spoilers* The friend stole from Drew’s wallet and it’s later revealed he has a gambling addiction; It started when they went to a casino together during spring break and Drew feels guilt for being the one to suggest it (it’s recalled as being fun for a time, but Drew didn’t feel the pull that his friend did and still does, up to semi-detailed); Drew tells his friend that he needs professional help, but his friend brushes him off, though he had prior asked Drew to hold him accountable; When Drew and another friend confront the other with concern and Scripture, he doesn’t react well and is concerned that his wife will leave him if she finds out about his gambling addiction; At the end, we’re told he is in counseling and working on building trust back with his wife *End of Spoilers*); Bridget feels guilt for not being there when her father went through cancer (she was in high school and focused on everything else besides his diagnosis; *Spoiler* Towards the end she apologies to her father for being selfish and pretending that everything was okay *End of Spoiler*); *Spoiler* Bridget feels hopeless and useless after breaking her ankle and having a concussion (adding that she isn’t sure if it was depression, but she didn’t want to do anything) *End of Spoiler*; Many mentions of gambling & addictions (mostly in the latter half of the book); Mentions of the dangers of water rafting and possibly drowning; Mentions of deaths, how they happened, accidents, a broken bone and surgery, pain, injures, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of cancer & chemotherapy (including when Bridget’s father went through chemo and patients losing their hair); Mentions of heart attacks, surgeries, pain, injuries (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of spouses leaving each other & the concern of it happening; Mentions of gambling, casinos, & an addiction to them; Mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of death eventually coming to everyone (including examples of a virus or a car getting the person); A few mentions of alcohol, drinks, & drinking; A few mentions of throwing up; A few mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of gossip; A couple mentions of dead pets; A mention of wars; A mention of money laundering; A mention of night clubs; A mention of eavesdropping; A mention of hunting; A mention of burping; A mention of peeing;
             *Note: Drew recalls as a child his new stepfather teasing and scaring him when they were in a canoe together (he can barely swim and was scared); Drew struggles with the feeling of disappointing his stepfather by being himself: Drew’s stepfather has ideas about what men should or should not do (they should provide and protect, but should not cook or cry; Also believes that nursing is women’s work and Drew should have became a doctor instead; Drew had to learn to listen to God’s voice rather than his stepfather’s); Bridget‘s mother left when she was young and her motto growing up about her mother was “you don’t want me, so I don’t want you”; Bridget is worried that she might be like her mom and bail on someone when times get hard (her friend encourages her that she wouldn’t do that) and wonders about her mother as they aren’t in contact; Bridget’s friend starting call her (Bridget’s) dad by his first name after turning eighteen as a joke, but it stuck; Drew breeds mealworms for his pet chameleon (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a baseball team; A few mentions of TV Shows (Star Trek).
 
 
Sexual Content- A cheek kiss, a not-detailed kiss, and a barely-above-not-detailed kiss; Touches, Butterflies, Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to touch & embrace; Noticing (up to semi-detailed); Blushes; A co-worker flirts with Bridget (harmlessly and she doesn’t say anything because he’s handsome and it’s nice to be complimented by “someone like that”; Later she is bothered by him hanging around her and acting like her boyfriend, especially when Drew is around and trying to touch/be near her); A ‘sexy’ (Bridget calls a client’s new hairstyle “fun and sexy”); Many mentions of boyfriends, dating, dates, interest in someone, & crushes; Mentions of a flirt, flirting, winks, & blushes; Mentions of a cute guy; Mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of married couples kissing; A mention of an affair in a TV show & the person being caught kissing another; A mention of someone teasing Bridget with a kissy face; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Mentions of guys’ muscles; Mentions of butts (such as someone landing or falling on their butts); A mention of breeding & studs.
 
-Bridget Capo, age 22
-Drew Martin
                                P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        176 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but I’m glad that I took a chance on it because it ended up being a pleasant read. I liked both Bridget and Drew, and how this was almost slice-of-life with their lives and how they meet and get to know the other. While, yes, it was a “romance book” it never felt heavy on the romance and they had other interests outside of thinking about the other. They both felt realistic and the progression of their friendship to more felt very natural and had that awkward stage. Speaking of awkward, Drew was so awkward but it was a cute, slightly doofus awkward. A nerd, you could call him—down to his pet chameleon. 

 

This book actually made me—a not-a-water fan—curious about rafting. I still don’t think I would ever do it, but being like Drew and his thoughts on boats, I was proud of him for conquering his fear. I do think that ending is a wee bit rushed, but I did really like that final chapter. 

 

I have to add that I always like seeing good faith content in the books I read, but this one had a really refreshing note because we have some pretty serious and also very important faith moments in this book. It wasn’t just the characters praying and going to church—which is great don’t get me wrong—but this book had more. More faith content and more serious discussions and keeping Christian friends accountable and witnessing to non-Christian friends, which I liked seeing. It makes me curious about the next books in the series even though it looks like those won’t be connected to this book at all.

 

 

See y’all on Friday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.

"Aberration" by Cathy McCrumb

About this book:

  “The Consortium is All. But Recorder Can No Longer Obey.
    Recorder has no family, no friends, and no name. Donated to the Consortium before birth, her sole purpose is to maintain and verify the records. A neural implant and drone ensure compliance, punishing for displays of bias.
    Suddenly cut off from controlling technology, Recorder tastes what it means to be human. But if the Consortium discovers her feelings, everyone she knows will be in danger.
    With no name, no resources, and only an infinitesimal possibility of escape, Recorder's time is running out.”


Series: Book #2 in the “Children of the Consortium” trilogy. Review of Book #1, Here! 


Spiritual Content- A reference to Scripture (“being the salt and the light”—though someone doesn’t think the person saying it knows was light is); In the first book, Recorder is told that “some people say we evolved from the dust of stars. Others say we are uniquely formed by a divine being. Stardust or Creation. Either way, you are exceptional. You are the only one of you in all the space and time. You cannot be nothing.”, and she thinks about this a few times later in this book (including being confused when the person says that everyone is defective since she thinks that it contradicts what he said before & later feeling like it is mocking her because she feels of no value); Recorder thinks about someone’s unquantifiable God (Book #1) and comments that maybe there is “something larger than this life, after all”; Recorder thinks “please no” and it’s called a “thought—or prayer”; Someone who is a Christian mentions about having faith “no matter what” in hard times (said a few times); When someone who wears a cross necklace is talked about, someone else says the person is an “elite” (tauntingly); Someone talks about “going home” when the person is dying; A few mentions of prayers; A couple mentions of a cross necklace; A couple mentions of a side-character having olive wood beads and running them through their fingers when stressed/worried (could be a rosary); A mention of “old-Earth hagiography”; 
             *Note: Someone says something that is “either a prayer or a curse” when upset; A side character says that sharpening knives is “like meditation” to her; A side character orders for whatever can help protect the group from the virus “vitamins, meds, face paint, or burning feathers. I don’t care.”; Someone is called a minotaur because of his size; “Pax” is said a couple of times when showing that you want peace with another (Pax is the goddess of peace); When a drone is “killed”, Recorder corrects that it was never alive; Mentions of rumors about a place being haunted & having ghosts; A few mentions of Medusa & Poseidon; A few mentions of evil people & their actions; A couple mentions of wishes; A mention of a painting of two humanoids with flaming swords.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: two ‘back off’s, four forms of ‘idiot’, five forms of ‘blast it/blast you’, five forms of ‘shut up’, ten ‘blasted’s, and twenty-four forms of ‘stupid’; A man is also called a bigot (but we aren’t told why); Made-up cursing for this fictional world includes: a ‘thank the founders’, a ‘void-ridden’, a ‘what the void’, two forms of ‘rust it/stow it’, two forms of ‘space you/crush you’, three forms of ‘moons above’, three forms of ‘stars above’, three ‘void it’s, four forms of ‘void take it’s, four forms of ‘we’re spaced (screwed)’, six forms of ‘founders’ sakes/founder’s oath’, six forms of ‘space it’s, six ‘trog’s (derogatory), eight ‘moons and stars’, nine forms of spacing (used for emphasis), nine forms of ‘voided/voiding’s, twelve forms of ‘dross’ (used as an insult), and fourteen ‘stars’ (exclamation); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Many mentions of curses (said, not written); Seeing dead bodies & Having to move them to a temporary morgue (multiple times, including blood and the condition of the bodies, up to semi-detailed); Seeing others ill, in pain, injured, beaten, bleeding, & three people pass away (up to semi-detailed); Seeing other being attacked & fighting (including giant cockroaches, up to semi-detailed); *Spoiler* Someone is left for the roaches to get him due to his orders to not slow down the group and is dying anyway (barely-above-not-detailed) *End of Spoiler*; Being trapped and almost burned alive, Trauma from being in prior near-death related places again, Explosions, Being held at knife-point, Being ill/shot with a needle, Being shocked, Being hit, Fighting, Fighting off drones and giant cockroaches, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, Passing out (up to semi-detailed); Remembering events from the first book (giant bugs, major pain, deaths, & seeing corpses, up to semi-detailed); Some Panic & Anxiety (up to semi-detailed); A nightmare (up to semi-detailed); Eavesdropping; Recorders are punished (shocked) by their drone if they do not act like they are supposed to (such as being emotional or helping a citizen because they are only to observe) and we see this happen on-page many times (up to semi-detailed); After her drone is destroyed in the first book, Recorder started to hit herself when she shows emotion and that’s continued in this book as well; Recorder has been starved for a few days (not intentionally); Recorder is not displeased by the news of the death of someone who wasn’t a good person; *Major Spoiler* It's hinted at in this first book about the Hall of Reclamation being the worst thing that can happen to Recorders who do not follow their rules, but it's never really said what it is; In this second book, we quickly learn that it's where Recorders and Elders go to either be put into medical containers for live organ donation or take care of those who are set for that path (including children who were deemed to have genetic flaws “egregious to prohibit development” or had “genetic material” that was too valuable); This is deemed part of their service and if they cannot serve, then their bodies will in this way; We see another character’s chapter with taking care of those there that are deceased citizens and living Recorders; He shares happy memories with a child in a tank since the child should have had memories of her own and gets in trouble for doing that until an Elder says that “Slaughterhouses providing stress-free butchering produce better quality—” before being cut-off by someone else saying that was a repugnant comparison *End of Spoiler*; Two scenes of those who have passed being “recycled” and the bodies (“shells” going on a conveyor belt) & grief (up to semi-detailed); Some side characters are disrespectful to “shells” (bodies) and are called out on it; Many mentions of deaths (including of parents), murders, bodies, having to move the bodies to a morgue set-up, incinerating the bodies, & grief (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of weapons, weapons being aimed at others for threats, explosions, giant man-eating roaches, fighting them, fighting, someone losing an arm to one, pain, injuries, blood/bleeding, throwing up, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of deaths through a virus (biological weapon), someone’s plans to unleash it, & an attempted murder; Mentions of people being “spaced” (which is when they are kicked out of a ship and left to float in the void and can be considered as murder); Mentions of citizens getting “removed” (set to a hard labor area and not heard from again); Mentions of kidnappings, being held hostage, & shot with a virus; Mentions of Recorders and others being shocked, tortured, & in pain; Mentions of pirates, mutineers, criminals, & crimes; Mentions of hatred (that some have towards the Consortium); Mentions of lies, lying, & liars (including that Recorders and Elders can lie because they are human, but they will be reprimanded if it’s discovered); Mentions of gossip, rumors, & eavesdropping; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of animal experimentation (which happened on cockroaches) for a good reason of saving those trapped in a mine; A few mentions of earthquakes & deaths; A few mentions of a man changing after the death of his son; A few mentions of mines collapsing & deaths; A few mentions of wanting someone who did a person wrong to suffer (which Recorder agrees with); A few mentions of a woman trying to drive two brothers apart & is condescending to the younger one behind his brother’s back; A few mentions of starvation; A few mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of terrorists; A couple mentions of a drone taking a life even though it isn’t supposed to unless programed to do so; A couple mentions of others believing Recorder is suicide risk (she is not); A couple mentions of a possible break-in/thief; A mention of a someone dying in a mine because of a lack of oxygen; A mention of a grandmother taking her granddaughter away from her mother (not said why); A mention of sounding like a stalker; A mention of flogging; A mention of a bully; A mention of urine; A mention of cats being “disposed of” as a person of high authority sees fit; 
             *Note: Prejudice towards Recorders and those raised in a certain area that is where criminals are sent (rude comments are on-page and also towards Recorder); A side character feels guilt for not viewing a Recorder as a potential friend like she did with one of the opposite gender; Some view and make comments about Recorders being property of the Consortium (which our Recorder says she is not); An Elder implies that Recorder should have died in order to stop someone else from unleashing a virus (Book #1); Recorder wonders that if everyone holds value like someone told her, that should that also extend to those who did wrong; Recorder misses her drone at times because of different reasons (including it being able to calm her); Those who are Recorders or other government service staff were “gifted” by their biological donors and it’s said that they redeem their gifting by doing service (someone asks Recorder if she regrets being gifted, but as it wasn’t her action, she says she doesn’t but has pondered what could have happened if she wasn’t gifted; Later, an Elder says it was the most moral choice the biological parents could make); Someone says that because he didn’t have a contract (partnership) with a woman, she was able to choose what happened to their twins without his opinion mattering and because one was said to be “defected” she gifted them (the man has been looking for them for years); Someone thinks that “heading out on one’s own” was when “life really started” (thinking of a friend who is too loyal to a family member); Mentions of eugenics, genocide, & an attempted genetic cleansing a hundred years prior to the book starting; A few mentions of a young man wearing earrings; A couple mentions of a girl’s biological mother didn’t want her and was going to give her to the Consortium “like most college students do” but she was adopted by family members; A mention of trying to find either a cure, antivirus, or a vaccine for the virus.
 
 
Sexual Content- A forehead kiss; A few kisses on-page in side characters’ chapters (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Remembering and Dreaming of touches, hand holding, & nearness (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing & Staring (barely-above-not-detailed); Marriage is not a concept in this world, but people have “contracts” and become “partners”; Someone is embarrassed to share that she is reading a historical romance book but clarifies that it is not banned or “even rated orange”; Mentions of the assault (in Book #1) where a guy forces a kiss on Recorder (this was also considered attempted murder because of a virus; Recorder has to tell an Elder about it and says that she was assured it was not kissing, but there was an exchange of saliva; She adds that she didn’t report is because “it seemed a small thing. He was young and I did not believe it was in his character to repeat it.”); A reference to what Poseidon did to Medusa (in regards to a painting of Medusa having to beautiful since Poseidon did something (unnamed) to her); Seeing couples kiss, embrace, & hold hands (barely-above-not-detailed); Three ‘babe’s; A woman calls a young man ‘doll’ twice and he blushes; Mentions of the assault & forced kiss; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends & dating (these terms aren’t used but the idea of them are); Mentions of couples, hand holding, embraces, & kissing; A few mentions of blushes; A few mentions of crushes & jealousy; A mention of someone acting like they saw a long-lost lover; A bit of love, being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Recorder notices that a young woman has gained weight but does not say anything because she was told that’s impolite to comment on; A side character tells another that he should eat up because “there will be plenty of time in your future to curtail the input of calories, but you aren’t there yet”; A side character (teen girl) is irritated that a guy can eat and eat and still be lean; A side character is teased about ogling others (he’s actually skin-shy) & blushes when seeing others’ bare skin (midriff and arms); A side character says that she trusted someone and was in love with the person, but ended up stuck with consequences (no more is said but could imply an out-of-wedlock pregnancy based on other comments); Mentions of growth hormones for an animal (insect) experimentation; A mention of testosterone levels.
 
-Recorder, age 24
                            POV switches between Recorder (1^st person) & flashbacks to others’ POV (Eric, James, Freddie, Lorik, Kyleigh, & Elliot all in 3^rd person)
                                             Sci-fi
                                                        354 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{ Older Girls who enjoy sci-fi books may enjoy this book more and could add a full star to that rating. }

I thought it would be best to continue this trilogy while the information from the first book was still fresh in my mind and I’m glad that I did that because whew! Lots of things (but also not a lot of things in hindsight??) happen in this sequel and lots of new faces entered in. Like in the prior book, there’s a lot of characters with many names and you have to keep up with it all—which I struggled with at the beginning of this book as well.

 

I never thought a sci-fi book could make me tear-up but when you have a rag-tag group with clashing personalities that have each others’ backs regardless of their differences like only the Found Family trope can do, you might as well pass me the tissues. I found myself tearing up at a couple touching moments and then a sad moment as well. 

 

These two books have been very interesting for me. I’m engaged into the story while reading it and once I finished both books I’m thinking that I enjoyed it, but I’m having a hard time saying why I enjoyed it. Is it because it’s different from my normal reads? Or because it’s an intense ride that I don’t know what will happen next? Particularly with the first book, I liked it but I didn’t like some elements and wished there was more hope as it felt depressing at times. I suppose it’s hard to have hope when you’re a Recorder in this world, though. We do see a bit more of that element in this second book, which I was grateful for. 

 

My major hope for the third book is that the government is burned to the ground in it. We see glimpses of the terribleness they do in the first book, but this second book really heightens what atrocious acts they are doing.

 

On the romance, it’s definitely not the main focus of the plot which I like, but at the same time feels a little shoe-horned into the plot. I’m curious to see what will happen in that regard in the final book because while they like each other (or as much as our Recorder can figure out with her new emotions being allowed to show) they don’t have much time for discussions and are really just a source of comfort and strength to the other. Which is cute, but I was expecting a bit more in that regard. Not a compliant at all about the light romance, but it has been interestingly done. 

 

I do have to ask: why do sci-fi books have to have giant creepy, man-eating bugs? I can count on one hand how many sci-fi books I’ve read (and I’ve seen even less sci-fi movies or TV shows), but that seems to be a standard element and frankly I don’t like it. I already loath cockroaches but this series is making me dislike them even more, so a heads up for others who do not do bugs. 

 

I’m hoping the third book will enter in with more Christian Faith content because so far it’s been more of a Clean Fiction book written by a Christian with a few faith hints—which is fine, but I feel like this world needs Jesus pronto! 

 

 

 

See y’all on Monday with a new review! 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.