"The Gifting" by K. E. Ganshert {Teen Week!}

{Welcome to Teen Week! Every quarter we're going to try and do a Teen Week! A week where every weekday has a new review of a Christian book written just for teens! You’re reading the third day of this quarter's! :) } {Day One Here!} {Day Two Here!}

About this book:

  “ “If science is right, then I am crazy. And crazy is dangerous.”
  In a world where nothing supernatural exists, Tess Eckhart is positive she’s going crazy. After her complete freakout at a high school party, her parents worry she might be right. So much that they pack their bags and move across the country, next to a nationally-renowned facility for the mentally ill.
  Tess is determined to fit in at her new school, despite the whispers and stares. But when it comes to Luka Williams, a reluctantly popular boy in her class, she’s unused to a stare that intense. Then the headaches start, and the seemingly prophetic dreams that haunt her at night. As Tess tries harder to hide them, she becomes increasingly convinced that Luka knows something—that he might somehow be responsible.
  But what if she’s wrong? What if Luka Williams is the only thing separating her from a madness too terrifying to fathom?”


Series: Book #1 in the “Gifting” series.

Spiritual Content- All about supernatural, angels, demons, evil spirits & prophetic dreams;  A few talks about God & a spiritual realm; A ‘H’ is not capital when referring to God; Mentions of prayers; Mentions of church; Mentions of the end times; Mentions of religions & rituals; A mention of being a Believer; The government has removed God from everything, saying that humans have no souls and there is no life after death (many mentions & talks about that. Tess isn’t sure she believes that.);

*Note: Seeing demons & spirits (semi-detailed); A séance & an Ouija board (semi-detailed); Mentions of ghosts & talking to evil spirits; Mentions of dark magic; Mentions of atheists; A few mentions of the Salem Witch Trial, being burned at the stake, talking to a spirit in the night & then barking at someone; A mention of reincarnation; “your life will become a living hell.” is said.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘freaking’, a ‘holy cow’, a ‘sheesh’, a ‘shut up’, two ‘jeez’s, three ‘oh my gosh’s, three forms of ‘pissed off’, four ‘stupid’s, six ‘dumb’s, and six ‘idiot’s; Mentions of a teacher who cusses; Sarcasm; All about nightmares, darkness, corpses, skeletons, & deaths (up to detailed); Many mentions of bombings, suicides, the Holocaust, genocides, guns, murder, carbon monoxide poisoning, kidnapping & car accidents (up to detailed); Fighting & Blood (semi-detailed); Evil presences (semi-detailed); A party with vodka; Mentions of drugs, marijuana, stoners & alcohol; Mentions of tattoos; A snake (up to semi-detail); A mention of bleeding from the head or a severed limb; A mention of peeing on a pair of pants; A mention of a tongue being forked; A couple mentions of vampire teeth; A few mentions of goths;

            *Note: A mention of Calvin Klein.

Sexual Content- an almost semi-detailed kiss and an almost border-line semi-detailed // detailed kiss; two border-line semi-detailed // detailed kisses; Touches & Nearness (semi-detailed to detailed); Hand holding & mentions of it; Lots & lots of Noticing, Staring & Smelling (semi-detailed); Butterflies & Blushes; a ‘slutty’, two ‘hotties’, and five ‘sexy’s; Many mentions & talks about pregnancy screenings, fetal modification & aborting; Mentions of weight; Many mentions of flirting & cute boys; A mention of a seductive wave; Many mentions of dating, boyfriends & girlfriends; Mentions of puppy love; Mentions of kisses, kissing & good kissers; Mentions of teenage hormones; Mentions of girls in guys’ rooms; Tess’s mom lets her brother (15yo) be alone with an older girl in his room; Watching a couple make-out (barely-above-not-detailed);

           *Note: Mentions of a lime green bra & legs that “go on for eternity”; Mentions of costumes that are skimpy or show a girl’s figure; A mention of “wiping their butts”, “I fall with a sharp thud on my butt” and guy who’s skinny jeans that “sag halfway down his butt.”.

-Tess Eckhart, age 17
                                         1^st person P.O.V. of Tess

                                                 Fantasy
                                                        322 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating- 

{Spiritual realms and battles are major parts of this book, ratings reflect content.}

As y'all probably know, I'm pretty sensitive to the whole spiritual world thing. I have very mixed feelings on it all. Therefore, I have very mixed feelings on this book. I wouldn't call “The Gifting” a dystopia, more of a book-that-could-happen-in-less-than-fifty-years future-y kind of plot. I was really reminded of Melody Carlson's “The Secret Life of Samantha McGregory” series with the angels vs demons plot, supernatural, almost paranormal, prophetic dreams. I've been meaning to reread that series, due to having remember really liking it and it's been over three years since I first read it.

With “The Gifting”, I really have mixed feelings. I feel like this might have been boarder line—if not crossing—my comfort zone of these topics. I'm really not sure what to think. I did not like that those parts were pretty detailed, with all the skeletons and creeps-with-no-eyes. (Probably not the best thing to read about at night.) I'm really disappointed in the language, I was more than a bit shocked and not thrilled at all when it was repeated again and again, as you can probably imagine. There also were those kisses at the end, that made me uncomfortable due to the ages of the characters being near mine, but that's just me.

All that said, the plot and Tess really interest me and I plan to continue the series. I'm just hoping it will be cleaner.

See y’all Tomorrow with a new Teen Week 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.