"Chromatic" by Ashley Bustamante

About this book:

  “Light is Found in Every Hue
    Magus is dying from the inside out, and only the destruction of the barrier can save it. Even color magic can't defend against earthquakes, strange weather patterns, and erratic wildlife behavior.
    After discovering hundreds of captive Yellow magic-users, Ava and Elm fight to set them free. However, new dangers and unexpected enemies await at every turn, forcing them to face their greatest challenges yet. The calamities inside the barrier slowly manifest in the outside world as well, pulling citizens from both sides of the battle into the fray. In this new war, they may not all make it out alive.
    Elm and Ava must confront the growing darkness and create a future in a world that has been all but stripped of hope. Can Magus be restored, or is it already too late?”


Series: Book #3 in “The Color Theory” trilogy. Review of Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- Elm hands his feelings over to a “higher power” at one point when upset; *Major Spoilers* After wasting away to nothing in the villain’s tank, Ava hears “the core of Magus. The heart of Maugus and the Creator of all its magic” talk to her, guide her to save everyone, and she realizes that evil was never going to win; When her task is done, she is told the choice is hers to either stay in the peaceful place she is in (called Magus’s core) or go back and shift people’s hearts *End of Spoilers*; Mentions of the Creator (in the last few chapters); A mention of a Holy Bible; A mention of meeting someone again who has passed; A mention of being blessed; A mention of people in this world being “created with three magic types” (later said by that they were created by the Creator of Magus); 
             *Note: There are magic and spells in this book and those words are used frequently: Everyone is classified into a type of color magic (Red, Blue, & Yellow) and have a special stone they wear to be able to draw from it’s power (they can also draw from items around them in their color and also have “colorsticks” to use); When all three color magics are used together, it can summon White Magic; Those with Yellow magic are able to get into someone’s head and plant suggestions to do something (similar to mind control and are also able to permanently destroy someone’s mind), do illusions (including to deceive others), & go into someone’s dreams; Yellow magic users’ abilities have been outlawed/banned because of the possible mind control & some are trying to genetically remove it from people; Ava and others cast spells for agility, strength, & healing (for herself and others, up to semi-detailed); Ava and other Yellow magic users are able to control someone’s mind, put suggestions in others’ minds to do something (also called manipulation), put some to sleep, & create illusions (this also happens to Ava with someone planting suggestions in her mind, up to semi-detailed); Ava and Elm goes into each other’s dreams and other people’s dreams (said to be entering the “dreamscape” and everyone has a “portal” to their dreams); Elm uses his Yellow magic to control others in a battle to have his enemies fight between themselves; Elm is able to create a fireball from his hands; Ava and the others use invisibility cloaks; Mentions of those using Yellow magic on someone and losing control to where the person goes insane; A few mentions of evil people & someone being “dark at the core”; A few mentions of a little girl calling Ava a “fairy” and using a magic wand; A couple mentions of luck; A mention of ghost story books.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘darn’, a ‘dumb’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘why the heck’, three ‘blasted’s, and eight ‘stupid’s; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Quite a lot of Being attacked/hit, Fighting, Pain, Injuries, & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Being attacked by giant creatures in a dream (up to semi-detailed); Being locked in a prison and a tank (*Major Spoilers* Ava is captured, chained up, and then put into a life-sucking tank that eventually makes her waste away to nothing and says her goodbyes to everyone in her mind; Elm nearly loses control and thinks that it would be so simple to destroy the villains, but thinks about Ava believing the best about him and stops; Elm thinks that he could justify killing someone who has caused been harm for years, but does not and feels peace about it; Elm doesn’t believe that she’s died though everyone else does and eventually Ava returns after talking to the Creator of Magus *End of Spoilers*, all up to semi-detailed); Seeing deceased loved ones, thinking a loved one has died, & grief (no details on the bodies but up to semi-detailed on the grief); Seeing others killed, die, & take their final breaths (up to semi-detailed); Seeing others attacked, injured, in pain, blood/bleeding, & forced to attack others because of Yellow magic suggestions/controlling (up to semi-detailed); Earthquakes (up to semi-detailed); *Spoiler, but Suicidal Thought note* When being used by the villains, Ava wonders if she should kill herself to stop their plans and while it’s not something she’s “ever wanted”, she would be willing if it saves everyone else; There is nothing for her to hurt herself with, however, and does not do anything *End of Spoiler*; Villains use children as shields & are controlled to listen to them and do their bidding (Ava and the others refuse to fight or hurt the children); Villains easily kill others who are standing in their way & suck the magic power from others (up to semi-detailed); A main villain is genetically experimenting on people and using human test subjects (which make them look unhuman and disfigured while being in major pain, up to semi-detailed); *Major Spoilers* At the end, Ava is able to use White magic to cleanse them and return them to their original appearance; Another villain injects himself with a vial (semi-detailed) and when Ava offers to save him because it’s not up to her to decide who matters and who doesn’t, he decides to jump off a cliff and die instead *End of Spoilers*; Elm uses his Yellow magic to control others in a battle to have his enemies fight between themselves; Ava uses someone’s blood (with the person’s permission) to fight with her Red magic power; Elm uses intimidation/threats on someone to get answers; Many mentions of others being held captive, tortured, murdered, & threatened (for their magic, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wars, battles, attacks, people being captured, & murders/deaths; Mentions of earthquakes, fires, floods, injuries, & deaths (including murders to look connected to natural disasters); Mentions of human test subjects for a villain’s genetic experimentation & their pain (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of grief & deaths of loved ones (including deceased parents and grandparents & a mother for her missing son, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of child labor (that the villains doing in order to gather the children’s magic, though the children are mostly well-taken care of, up to semi-detailed); Mentions of fighting, pain, injuries, & blood/bleeding (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of prisoners & jails; Mentions of people disappearing & children being taken away from their families; Mentions of ailments, pain, & implanted devices causing harm; Mentions of crimes & criminals; Mentions of thieves, stealing, & robberies; Mentions of hatred & deceit; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of possible executions; A few mentions of someone going insane because of Elm losing control when messing with her mind; A few mentions of possible drownings & being concerned for others drowning (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of a dog being mind-controlled and attacking his owner badly (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); A couple mentions of finding a dead body; A couple mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A mention of bullying; 
             *Note: A villain wants to erase history & get rid of anything yellow (including Yellow magic users); Mentions of hatred & prejudice towards those with Yellow magic (a couple on-page insults as well); Mentions of book titles & authors (classics); A mention of a brand name (Jell-O).
 
 
Sexual Content- A fingers-to-lips touch, a nose nuzzle, two hand kisses, a cheek kiss, a head kiss, an almost (unwanted) kiss, three not-detailed kisses, and four barely-above-not-detailed kisses; Touches, Embraces, Cuddling, Dancing, & Hand holding (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Blushes; Ava is uncomfortable with two different guys trying to be too touchy with her (Elm stops one from kissing her and she bites another one when he grabs her, barely-above-not-detailed); Ava goes into a teenage boy’s dream for a test and feels a bit of guilt when he fawns over her (because she’s already with Elm); Elm thinks that he could smile at a young woman to persuade her, but does not; Mentions of crushes & blushes; Mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of handsome guys; A few mentions of winks; A mention of a couple being very close & touching; A mention of a woman’s feelings for a man; Love, being in love, & the emotions.
 
-Ava Locke, around age 18/19
-Elm 
                                1^st person P.O.V. switches between them 
                                                        320 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

{Ratings are based on content, not the magic elements as every family has different views on magic in books.}

It took me a bit to get into this book despite being curious to see how this series would wrap up. I think it was mainly because of trying to remember all the names and how everything was connected. That said, I was really glad it started right where the second book left off! I wish I would have to read these back to back though as very little is explained or people reintroduced. Good for binge reading, bad for those who had to wait in between releases. I feel like I should have reread at least the last few chapters of the prior book before starting this one. 

 

This series a different kind of fantasy because it feels very normal, contemporary with mentions of personal devices (cell phones) and fried foods, but then there’s magic. It’s interesting because this feels like such a light fantasy world because it, so the plot feels light, but then you have the villains murdering and easily killing people because of and for their powers—including genetic experimenting on people—so there’s a bit of a heaviness to it. 

 

Elm is, in all regards, an odd duck. He’s been tortured and held captive for years, but when he escapes he is a proper gentleman down to his cane and top hat. Most male leads in that situation would be the rough, gruff type even towards the main girl. Elm is completely the opposite so it’s a little strange (and perhaps unbelievable at times) but I have to admit that I do like that he isn’t the solemn type and has a sense of humor. 

 

The faith content there at the end was interesting. I wish there would be been a little more of a build-up prior to that scene and explanation. 

 

Overall, this might not be a new favorite fantasy series for me, but I did like a lot of parts about it. Definitely a binge-able trilogy and one best enjoyed back-to-back, but the last chapter and epilogue of this book made it better for me. Perhaps it was all wrapped up in a nice little bow, but I like bows so that’s a-okay with me. 😉

 

 

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.

"Guardian" by Cathy McCrumb

About this book:

  “The Recorder's fate has been sealed, but the Consortium is not the only enemy.
    Labeled an aberration by the Consortium, the Recorder is not yet free. Time is running out as an engineered bioweapon wreaks havoc on friend and foe alike.
     Stopping both the biological agent and the people who created it is no easy task, especially since the Recorder and her friends are trapped on a research station infested with behemoth insects. Without Consortium technology, the probability of neutralizing the threat falls to nothing. In order to save her allies, the Recorder must activate a drone, but her success might destroy any hope for freedom, a future, and a name.”


Series: Book #3 in the “Children of the Consortium” trilogy. Review of Book #1, Here! and Book #2, Here!


Spiritual Content- A couple references to Scripture (“things work together for the good” and “no fear in the future”); 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 handful of times later in this book as well (including weighing the value of a soul); That same person tells Recorder that she must have confidence that Someone greater than them shapes the worlds and is directing our paths; Someone else says that whether we are stardust or creation, everyone is unique; Recorder thinks about a side character’s “unquantifiable God” and is disappointed when the girl doesn’t talk about Him and is concerned that the girl might have lost her assurance in her God (which makes Recorder sad because the girl has held on to them and provided her a foundation and hope); Recorder wonders what having hope means and if it’s an act of faith; Recorder prays briefly for someone (not said to Who the prayers are towards); Someone says that he isn’t sure if “faith is the building block of hope, or vice versa, but maybe without it, the universe isn’t worth much”; Mentions of God; Mentions of a cross necklace & is being like a lifeline for someone; Mentions of having faith & hope; A few mentions of prayers & praying; A few mentions of being blessed & a blessing; A couple mentions of a side-character having olive wood beads and running them through his fingers when stressed/worried (could be a rosary); A mention of trying to convert someone; A mention of someone saying he is “going home” right before he passes; A mention of the sins of the parents going to their children;
             *Note: Recorder is concerned with someone being killed before having the opportunity to change; A side character thinks that the idea of souls is “metaphysical rubbish” and an “old-Earth relic of whatever religions” the Founders of their current society had fled; Mentions of being lucky; A few mentions of evil people & their actions; A mention of a talisman.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘like blazes’, an unfinished ‘where the—', a ‘why on any known planet’, two forms of ‘blast it’, two forms of ‘idiot’, three forms of ‘shut up’, six ‘blasted’s, and twenty-one forms of ‘stupid’; Made-up cursing for this fictional world includes: an ‘Eldest spare me’, a ‘plague take you’, a ‘space it’s, a ‘what on all the worlds’, a ‘what on New Triton’, a ‘what the void’, a ‘why on any known planet’, two forms of ‘spaced (screwed)’, three forms of ‘moons above’, three ‘rotted’s, six forms of ‘dross’ (used as an insult), seven forms of ‘founders’ sakes/founder’s oath’, eight ‘trog’s (derogatory), eleven forms of spacing (used for emphasis), twelve forms of ‘void it/ void take it’s, fourteen forms of ‘stars above’, fourteen forms of ‘voided/voiding’s, twenty-two ‘moons and stars’, and forty ‘stars’ (exclamation); A couple other possible curses are cut-off; Many mentions of curses (said, not written); A couple lies; Sarcasm & Eye rolling; Trauma from being in prior near-death and high pain related places again, Explosions, Fighting, Being held at knife-point, Being hit, Being shocked, Being very sick/ill, Being shot with a virus, Pain, Injuries, Bleeding, Passing out, & Throwing up (up to semi-detailed); Panic and Anxiety (up to semi-detailed); Fighting, Facing down giant man-eating bugs, thinking you may die, & seeing someone almost eaten (up to semi-detailed); Remembering past events (including nearly dying), seeing deaths, & pain (up to semi-detailed); Seeing others killed by an authority figure and drones & the bodies (up to semi-detailed); Seeing others fighting, ill, in pain, injured, bleeding, & shot with a virus (barely-above-not-detailed); Seeing other being attacked & fighting (including giant cockroaches, up to semi-detailed); A side character is grieving the sudden death of her father in a flashback chapter; *Spoiler* Recorder tells a drone to rescue someone being held hostage & the drone ends up killing the abductor by crushing his skull (this causes her major guilt & thinking about it often and thinking herself as a murderer, up to semi-detailed on her thoughts and guilt); She feels as if his family is calling out for her blood, but someone tells her that the debt of blood as already been paid (implying Christianity) & that there is evil in the world *End of Spoiler*; Recorders are punished (shocked) by their drone if they do not act like they are supposed to (such as being emotional) and we see this happen on-page a handful of 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 (though less often) when she’s trying to think of something; An enemy group orders a hit on Recorder & she hears the orders (barely-above-not-detailed); Someone is bitter about being shot with the virus and makes comments about dying & waiting for death; Someone says she hopes a terrorist is recycle (killed); Some side characters are disrespectful to “shells” (bodies) and are called out on it; *Major Spoilers* The terrorists with the virus plan to take out the next generation of Recorders which are currently children and in gifting tanks; Many Recorders are killed but the children and infants are okay; Those in the Hall of Reclamation tanks do not make it *End of Spoilers*; Many, many mentions of deaths (including of family members and partners), grief, a virus being created to be a biological weapon, being injected with it, the symptoms (including weeping blood from their eyes), & the terrorists/creators and their hatred for the Consortium (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of the Hall of Reclamation (which is where organ donating with rows of deceased donors and live Recorders to serve with their bodies happen); Many mentions of the possibly of dying/being killed, giant man-eating cockroaches, them attacking and eating people, & the remains of those they’ve attacked and others losing limbs and/or dying from the injuries (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of weapons, weapons being aimed at others for threats, being shot, explosions, bodies, fights, beatings, weapons, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding (semi-detailed); Mentions of murders, murderers, & trying to figure out to did it (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of bodies & people being “recycled” (cremated); Mentions of explosions, earthquakes, & deaths (including of family members); Mentions of kidnappings, being held hostage, & shot with a virus; Mentions of survivor’s guilt; Mentions of citizens getting “removed” (either killed or sent to a hard labor area and not heard from again); Mentions of Recorders and others being shocked and strangled by drones & in pain; Mentions of pirates, mutineers, attacks, criminals, & crimes; Mentions of thieves & stealing; Mentions of blackmail & threats; Mentions of alcohol, drunken behavior, & drinking (including someone saying that they need a drink); Mentions of hatred (that some have towards the Consortium and others towards citizens who want to harm the Consortium); Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; A few mentions of stabbings; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of bullies; A few mentions of tattoos (on those who have been sentenced and deemed as criminals); A couple mentions of others committing suicide by a pill instead of getting caught by their enemy; A couple mentions of Consortium staff being like slavery; A couple mentions of an electrocution; A couple mentions of gossip; A couple mentions of urine; A mention of suicidal thoughts (someone asks Recorder if she is suicidal because of her plan); A mention of someone thinking that a husband murdered his wife; A mention of execution (being illegal); A mention of someone being “spaced” (murdered/exiled); A mention of arrests; A mention of illegal drugs; A mention of a woman’s nails looking like they were dripping blood (nail polish); 
             *Note: Prejudice, Bigotry, & Belittling all happen towards Recorders, Consortium staff,  and those raised in a certain area that is where criminals are sent (rude comments are on-page and also towards Recorder); 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 (It’s said that the Consortium welcomed them when their biological donors “discarded” them and feeding hatred towards some citizens who hate them as well); A child who is training to be a Recorder laughs but quickly stops for fear of being punished; A child is called a liability because of her biological father; Many mentions of giftings, the children being abandoned, & children with “genetic disorders” being gifted as well; Mentions of eugenics, genocide, & an attempted genetic cleansing a hundred years prior to the book starting; A few mentions of a man not being able to have an opinion on what happen with his children because he didn’t have a contract (partnership) with the mother, so she was able to choose what happened to their twins and she gifted them (the man has been looking for them for years); A few mentions of bigotry (towards the Consortium and Recorders); A few mentions of a grandfather saying mean things to his grandson; A few mentions of a young man wearing earrings; A couple mentions of vaccines; A couple mentions of horror vids (movies).
 
 
Sexual Content- Two hand/palm kisses, seven forehead kisses, a not-detailed kiss, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and two semi-detailed kisses; A few kisses on-page in side characters’ chapters (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Hand holding, Nearness, & Smelling (including sitting in a guy’s lap, up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss, touch, embrace, & hold hands (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” (there are mentions of permanent contracts and some thinking others are odd for wanting to be with the same person for the rest of their lives); A hint to a contracted couple sharing a bed/room; Seeing couples kiss, embrace, & hold hands (barely-above-not-detailed); Four ‘babe’s; *Spoilers* As hinted in the prior book, a side-character is pregnant out of wedlock; She finds out the older man she’s been dating has an “open but exclusive contract” with another woman (allowing affairs but not another partner) and does not care what the side character does with the baby, thinking that gifting isn’t a bad decision; She calls his partner the “older, cast-off model”; He says that he loves her but also adds that “love is a complicated construct when we are but biological machines with chemical responses” adds that the pregnancy is her mistake as she’s the one in the “predicament”, and has already gotten what he wanted from her; She goes on her student trip in the early stages of her pregnancy and a friend wants to offer her a contract, but she doesn’t want a pity contract; She keeps her baby at the end *End of Spoilers*; Nathaniel comments on Recorder looking nice & noticing her legs when she’s just wearing a nightshirt; Mentions of the assault & forced kissed that happened without Recorder’s consent (Book #1); Mentions of couples, hand holding, embraces, & kissing; Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, dating, dates, & break-ups (some of these terms aren’t used but the idea of them are); Mentions of liking someone & crushes; Mentions of blushes & winks; A couple mentions of a forbidden love between a citizen and a Recorder; A bit of love, being in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: *Spoiler* The Consortium has made sure that Recorders cannot have children *End of Spoiler*; A young woman asks a side character if he would still love her if she was fat (she asks this because her father canceled their contract when her mother got fat); A few mentions of using a drone to find the pheromone levels (breeding areas) of the cockroaches; A few mentions of guys’ muscles; A couple mentions of shockings from a drone possibly harming someone who is pregnant; A mention of a man not knowing about the existence of his daughter.
 
-Recorder, age 24-25
                            POV switches between Recorder (1^st person) & flashbacks to others’ POV (Tia, Alec, Elliot, Julian, Kyleigh, and another all in 3^rd person)
                                             Sci-fi
                                                        412 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. }

 

That ending was all great and good but was sorely missing a lack of fire. Of buildings on fire. Particularly government buildings on fire. Where’s the narrowing eyes emoji when you need it? 

 

This trilogy ended up being my hurricane buddy, the series I binged as we went through a hurricane prior, during, and after when I had no Internet. It definitely sucked me in and I wanted that in a series. I have to say, though, that it didn’t meet the expectations I had for it. Which could totally be partially my fault and hyping it up in my head and comparing it to the “Anomaly” series by Krista McGee, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be. It’s still definitely had its good moments, and obviously I’ve binged the series so I definitely was interested in it, so I don’t wanna make it sound like it was bad, but I was disappointed by the ending. I suppose I am too 21st-century American because I wanted certain political and government events to happen. I guess I’ve come to expect when there is a corrupt government doing evil things, we’re going to burn it down. And I get highly disappointed when that doesn’t happen. The ending was good and very practical for this world, so I cannot fault the author for going in that direction. I still just have problems with certain elements.

 

This being really the first full series I’ve read that would be under the sci-fi genre, I’ve come to the conclusion that sci-fi is just weird. There’s giant bugs for some reason, outer space stuff, and other such things. It’s not my kind of read as someone who never was interested in wars in space nor tracks through the stars, so I’m a little shocked that I became so interested in the series, but I think it was mostly because answers were not given in the first book and I wanted those answers. There were different things I really thought that would’ve been revealed or happened that ended up not happening in this third book, which was interesting. It ends in an almost open ending way where the author could write a spin off series or a companion novella down the line.

 

This is definitely been a series that while I enjoyed the adventure this book puts you through and I felt many emotions from tears to suspense, I didn’t like every element of it. It’s not going to be one I’ll probably talk about or recommend often, unless you really, *really* like science fiction. I wish there would’ve been more faith content throughout the story especially because while it’s clean fiction I feel like those who read secular science fiction books would probably say it wasn’t “edgy” enough. 

 

I’ve binged the series and yet I didn’t give them high ratings. That may really confuse a lot of people, but that just means is I need answers and I don’t handle not getting them well. This series has fans for it but I couldn’t just Google my answers to find out like I could for a major secular series, so I was invested in finding out the answers. Particularly I wanted to know what name she would pick. 

 

Overall thoughts? I don’t know. This has been an interesting one to read and review, for sure. I think it goes back to you if you’re an older teen that really likes science fiction books and do not mind giant man eating bugs, you may really enjoy this book. It’s not what I’m going to recommend here on Books for Christian Girls, though, because of the lack of faith content. If you’re looking for a clean fiction read that is completely out of my norm (it might be your norm), you could see about it.

 

 

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.

"Operation Bungaree" by J.D. Peabody

About this book:

  “Mystery and danger abound in book three of The Inkwell Chronicles, a fast-paced middle-grade fantasy series about magic ink, a secret society, and a boy who learns to make his mark.
    In Operation Bungaree, the third and final book in The Inkwell Chronicles, Everett and his little sister Bea find themselves drawn even more deeply into the secret world of the Inklings, those who seek to protect the world's rapidly diminishing supply of magic Ink. Everett, separated from the group in an improbable, perilous predicament, fights to find his way home. Meanwhile, Bea and the other Inklings search desperately for ways to help him, as increasingly clever enemy operatives close in from all sides. With time and Ink dwindling, will Everett find his way back home? Fans of The Silver Arrow, The Bookwanderers, and Inkheart will love this classic battle of good and evil that pits creativity against the forces that would seek to blot it out for good.”


Series: Book #3 in “The Inkwell Chronicles”. Review of Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned & remembered; A couple hymns are played; Everett & his family live in a vicarage as his father (Marcus) is a Reverend; Everett recalls his father’s sermon on the Israelites wandering the desert for forty years (which he can’t recall the lesson his dad drew from the Bible story); Bea recalls her father giving a sermon about the lost sheep (which made her happy that the little lamb was rescued); Everett remembers a Scripture about “turning to the left or to the right” and how his father added “You know, Ev, at times there is no right path until you take a first step. You never see the trail when you’re the one blazing it.”; Bea tells someone that she is still talking to Everett in case he can hear her & saying her prayers every night, but doesn’t understand why nothing is working; Towards the end, Marcus is angry with God for not answering his prayers & yells at the sky; Mentions of hymns (Marcus plays many in hopes that Everett can hear them); Mentions of churches/cathedrals & church going; Mentions of an abbey/nunnery (which has an invisible building the Inklings created to avoid the Blotters); A few mentions of those & events in the Bible; A few mentions of prayers, praying, & saying prayers; A mention of a Sunday service & homily; 
             *Note: The special Ink in this story is what is behind all the greatest creative works (stories, paintings, music, etc.), that it unlocks someone creativity when used (also said to be the source of all the stories where good triumphs over evil); Some people can use Ink to heal others’ injuries (by applying it) and it’s mentioned a few times; Ink is used in multiple ways, mainly for someone to draw something (typically in the air) to help them on their mission; Those that use Ink are called “Inklings”; Bea hears the Ink tell her that Everett is okay because he did “Leap Reading” into the comic book page; “Leap Reading” is when Everett focuses on a page and is able to go into the book (introduced in Book #2); An adult says that an “outside force” must have orchestrated those events where Everett is willed into the stories; Someone gives Bea and a friend an “Inkourager” which are two halves of a whole that you can send good wishes or a “positive sensation” to the other; One new character says that rescuing a soul (in this case, Everett’s) is a battle & that they fight with Ink rather than fire; A side character, Marigold, an Elemental Fomentori who is connected to the earth, went into dormancy in Book #2 and in this book, Bea plants her seedpod into the ground which makes a tree grow very fast (Bea goes to talk to her often; *Spoiler* Towards the end, Marigold comes out of hibernation and later turns herself back into a tree to anchor someone during a storm *End of Spoiler*); Because of her connection to nature, Marigold is able to feel the earth and if there is Ink hidden underground (including hearing from the ground if they can take the Ink or not); Other Fomentori are introduced including a grizzly bear, a harp that can play itself, and other humans; Someone refers to a cord of three strands (recognizing it as a Scripture) and says that three of the Fomentori characters are those strands for their mission to bring Everett back; A side character says that love is “the most powerful force in the universe”; *Spoiler* Everett sees a spark that turns into a physical form of his father’s muse, which is Everett’s late mother with wings and he is sad to leave her to go back to everyone else *End of Spoiler*; “Blotters” are the villains in this story who are creatures that have inhuman eyes, despise the Ink (since they hate all that is good and creative, they called it “the Stink” and their pupils change once they smell it), and some of them have batlike wings between their shoulder blades and can fly; Blotters and other creatures cannot enter into a house of worship as that is a safe place for those trying to flee from them (if they enter, they will instantly become gargoyles); The villains have created a new type of Ink called “Inkanto” which changes people’s personalities and brings out the worst in them or corrupts an item; Inkanto is also used to wake up “swamp dragons” the villains have & un-freeze Blotters that were touched by Ink (up to semi-detailed); A side character learns how to do “The Loud Quiet” which harms Blotters’ ears, but wears the musician out; Blotters use “Mind Murk” to makes humans not see their true appearance and forget about seeing them; A Blotter sends his shadow into the church to plant a listening device by sending his shadow with the device into the building (up to semi-detailed); Blotters use “fire crystals” to communicate with each other (by throwing these crystals into a fire, they can then see the blotter they wish to talk to; Done once on-page); Everett uses the “dowsing sticks” to find his way (He uses them on-page by touching “the ends of his sticks together for any indication of which way to go. They pulled Everett directly into a wall.”; Book #1’s spoiler tells more about these sticks; A villain calls them the “Witching Sticks”); A side character uses a hair from his mustache as a way to connect to Ink (energy) Waves and uses it to create a storm; A side character thinks that Everett could have fell into a portal to another universe; A sea monster argues and grounds his disrespectful son; Bea asks someone if her old book is a “book of spells” (because she likes magic tricks; it is not); A few mentions of “Pinches” in the universe that “could bring far-apart places closer together”; A few mentions of people going through different dimensions when traveling; A couple mentions of “magic” items; A couple mentions of Martin Luther; A mention of prehistoric fossils.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’ and two ‘bah’s; A few mentions of curses (by villains, said, not written); Some eye rolling & Sarcasm (mostly by villains); Almost being taken by a villain, Being threatened, Pain, Passing out, & Being stuck in quick-sand-like Inkanto (up to semi-detailed); This book starts right after the ending of Book #2 where Everett falls into a volcano (the villains are glad about it as it’s one less Inkling they have to deal with, but Bea and the others are very upset; Bea, however, knows that Everett went into a comic book page and they are all determined to rescue him; *Spoiler* A villain gets ahold of the page and burns it, which makes Bea sob hysterically, but Everett is protected by Ink in the page *End of Spoiler*); Everett feels relieved that he “cheated death once again”, but is concerned that he won’t find his way home, will starve to death, sobs with sadness, gets very angry, & has some negative thoughts because of the Inkanto (which tells him that he isn’t worth caring about and is a failure); *Spoiler* Towards the end, Everett is threatened by the main villain and told that if he follows him, the villain will save him (Everett feels as if there are spiders skittering across his brain when the villain touches him and it’s implied the villain can read his mind; Everett has an urge to take the villain’s hand, but does not *End of Spoiler*); The villains in this series are fine with harming and killing Inklings (including our main characters which are children); The villains threaten harm, withhold needed Inkanto, push and hit, and are mean and belittling to each other (It’s said that Blotters are backstabbers and self-serving); One of the Blotters hates the Inklings and wants revenge on the one that caused him to cut off his foot; A villain’s minion threatens to harm others for him; A villain tries to do a heist and grab a hostage, but it doesn’t work out for him; A side character struggles with continuously remembering seeing Everett being pushed into the volcano; Two minions of the villains accidentally push their boss (who was turned into stone) into the ocean (another sees this and compliments them, but they correct him and get their boss back); Marcus (Everett and Bea’s father) has lost weight and is under a stress with what has happened to Everett (Bea catches him crying at one point and he has a weight of grief on him); Everett thinks of his father’s negative view on pinball machines as he considers them a “negative influence linked to gambling halls” (Everett thinks that some of his friends who play pinball do not seem to have ill effects, but when he gets sucked into playing, he realizes the dangers of it being addicting); A sea monster argues with and grounds his son (on-page arguing and disrespect); Mentions of grief & the passing of a loved one; Mentions of a ferryman who takes “dearly departed blotters” to “the other side”/”the netherworld” (which he calls the “rubbish heap in the far reaches of [his] cave”); Mentions of pain & passing out; Mentions of fires; Mentions of stealing, stolen items, & thieves; Mentions of prisons & arrests; Mentions of eavesdropping; Mentions of a wine bottle; A few mentions of wars/battles; A few mentions of fights & fighting; A couple mentions of crimes; A couple mentions of blackmail; A couple mentions of lies & lying; A couple mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of pies & smoking; A mention of a villain’s breath having the “scent of death” in it; 
             *Note: Everett has a bit of PTSD (not named) when falling because it brings back memories of other times he nearly fell to his death; Mentions of writes, books, & fictional characters (such as Euripides, Archytas, Edgar Allen Poe, ‘The Door in the Wall’, ‘Peter and Wendy’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’, & Winnie-the-Pooh); Mentions of songs (‘O Danny Boy’and ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ by Bing Crosby); A few mentions of Sophie Germain and how she couldn’t “pursue the career she wanted because society at the time considered a woman’s work to be in the kitchen, not in academia.”; A few mentions of brand names (Cartier, Dior, and Tiffany & Co.).
 
 
Sexual Content- Bea is excited to be told a story that has an engagement because she’s “always eager for details when it came to romance”; A side character has an obvious crush on another (they both blush); A mention of a sweetheart in a song.
 
-Bea
-Everett, age 12 (?)
                P.O.V. switches between him, Bea, & others (including villains and their minions)
                                           Set in 1953
                                                        352 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

As I started this book, I did have a time trying to remember who everyone is! Some backstory would have been nice, but if you binge read these books it can be nice that there’s no catch-up in the way. But a little explanation would have been nice too for those who had some time in-between books. I was able to pick up on the details of past events as this third book continued, but it definitely would be best to read them back-to-back.

 

The family aspect and how tight knit the three Drakes are is probably my favorite thing about this series. It’s really shown in this book especially, as they try hard to get Everett back. 

 

This is going to be a series that some Christian families will really like and some may avoid because of the magic and items in this fictional world. Me? I’m a little undecided. I like the middle-grade whimsy charm of this series, but I’ll admit to not loving all the magical content. I think if a family is okay with broad magic/fantasy content then this series may be okay for them. I didn’t care for a couple comments/suggestions towards the end about three special characters (called Fomentori) as the three strands of a cord that they need to save Everett. I understand where they were coming from, but it felt disrespectful to the Scripture. 

 

It sounds like this is the final book in the series, which is a bit disappointing as it’s left very open ended. That’s not a bad thing—particularly if there isn’t any more books coming out, but it would have been nice to have a few more of the villains truly defeated.

 

 

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.

"Into Thin Air" by Sandra Orchard

About this book:

  “Veterinarian Harriet Bailey’s life becomes more hectic than usual when she reopens her grandfather’s art gallery. Between coping with an invasion of gray squirrels in the gallery’s loft, the many tourists lining up to get a glimpse of Grandad’s famous paintings, and the mysterious illness affecting a local farmer’s cattle, Harriet isn’t sure how much more she can handle.
    But when her cat, Charlie, discovers a crying infant hidden in the bushes outside the clinic, Harriet’s other problems pale in comparison. Harriet met the baby’s mother earlier that very day, when the woman stopped in for an appointment with Harriet’s Aunt Jinny. So where is she now? As Harriet scrambles to find clues to help the police, she discovers that one of Grandad’s paintings is missing too! Are the two disappearances connected? With the help of her aunt and her trusty assistant, Polly Thatcher, Harriet is determined to chase down every lead and reunite this little family—before it’s too late.”


Series: Book #3 in the “Mysteries of Cobble Hill Farm” series. Review of Book #1 Here! and Book #2 Here!


Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are mentioned quoted, & remembered; Prayers; Church going & a sermon (with Scriptures; Harriet does get distracted during the sermon and whispers to someone, but then focuses on the sermon); A few talks about God; 'H's are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God, Jesus, His will, prayers, & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, a pastor, sermons, & services; A couple mentions of those & events in the Bible; A mention of God giving someone peace in a scary situation; A mention of a prayer chain; A mention of a church’s Bible camp; A mention of a guardian angel; 
             *Note: A mention of a bad omen.
 

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a form of ‘stupid’; Being threatened & held at gunpoint (barely-above-not-detailed); A bit of eye rolling; Harriet & Polly go into someone’s house under somewhat false motivations and Harriet feels guilt about it; All about & many mentions of a found infant (including some thinking the child could have been abandoned), the mother either disappearing or being kidnapped, kidnappers, crimes, criminals, smugglers, stolen items, thieves, a possible heist, & a robbery; Many mentions of injured and sick animals (including a fox getting into a chicken coop, cows being poisoned, a dog being hit by a car, & cats being in dangerous situations; all animals are fine; up to semi-detailed) & Harriet’s veterinary clinic treatments (including vaccines); Mentions of injuries & the possibility of someone being shot; Mentions of search-and-rescue operations; Mentions of possible break-ins; Mentions of alcohol, drinking, pubs, & bars; Mentions of drugs, poisons, & someone being drugged/poisoned; Mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of arrests; A few mentions of people smuggling & refugees; A few mentions of two suspicious men having guns (which makes Harriet uncomfortable); A few mentions of a deer being hit by a car (and not making it, up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of a goat getting into antifreeze & dying afterwards; A couple mentions of someone possibly being held at gunpoint; A couple mentions of World War II; A mention of the possibility of a body being dumped; A mention of stampeding cattle causing injuries and even death; A mention of a car accident; A mention of a bomb; A mention of a ransom call; A mention of acting drunk; A mention of tobacco; A mention of rumors; A mention of a stoat eating someone’s guinea fowl; 
             *Note: Harriet is concerned about the baby being abandoned and thinks they should call the authorities, but her aunt says that the baby will be fine with her (because she’s a temporary foster care parent and the mother has been struggling with postpartum depression); Mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of someone who was diagnosed with OCD; A mention of mental trauma; A comment at the very end of the book in the bonus content mentions TV shows ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ & ‘The Yorkshire Vet’.
 
 
Sexual Content- A woman comments that if a certain man was her husband, she’d be paranoid with all the traveling he does for work because he’s “gorgeous”, though, she quickly backpedals that she doesn’t think he would “stray” away from his wife; Mentions of dates, dating, break-ups, broken hearts, crushes, & blushes; A mention of a married couple kissing; A mention of a young woman being a “hunk magnet”;
             *Note: Mentions of a mother suffering with “baby blues”/postpartum depression; A mention of a couple being unable to have children and how much they care for their cat because of it.
 
-Harriet Bailey, age 33
                                P.O.V. of Harriet 
                                                        270 pages

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Pre Teens- 

New Teens- 

Early High School Teens- 

Older High School Teens- 

My personal Rating- 

This was actually the book I’ve been most curious about in this series because I’ve enjoyed many books by Sandra Orchard over the years. I do think Harriet let her imagination run away with her at times which we haven’t seen in the prior two books—such as thinking what could have happened to the missing mother and it felt like some pretty big leaps for Harriet. I will admit that I was lost at times keeping up with everyone that’s new in this book—I definitely made use of the search feature in my Kindle book! All that said, I liked this book still a bit more than the second book, but not quite as much as the first book. It kept my attention, though, and I know I’ll be continuing this series soon. :)

 

 

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.