Books for Christian Girls: by C.J. Darlington

Showing posts with label by C.J. Darlington. Show all posts

Monday, June 26, 2017

"Alison Henry and the Creatures of Torone" by C.J. Darlington

About this book:

“After being picked on at school yet again, Alison Henry seeks refuge in her favorite place, the woods behind her cabin home. Her day couldn't get any worse. At least that's what she thinks before she spots the magnificent buck. Desperate to protect the deer from a teenage gang out to shoot him, Ali has no idea she's about to begin the adventure of a lifetime. This buck is no ordinary deer, and it turns out Ali is no ordinary girl.
When she suddenly begins to hear the buck talking in her head, she thinks she's going crazy. She certainly can't be The Interpreter this buck named Artemis says she is, the one destined to bring together the men and creatures of his realm. She's just a kid who misses her deployed father and gets teased at school for wearing the wrong clothes. But Artemis is convinced. She must follow him.
Before the full moon sets Alison Henry finds herself in the strange land of Torone where evil beasts trap and devour the creatures of the woods and the rightful heir to the throne is hunted and on the run. What can one girl possibly do?”

Series: Hopefully Book #1 in a series…? ;)

Spiritual Content- Good vs Evil story-line & Ali is determined not to let the evil side win; A couple Scriptures are mentioned; Talks about God; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of those & events in the Bible; Mentions of churches/chapels, a vicar, & a christening; A couple mentions of when Ali challenged a teacher who said that God didn’t exist; A couple mentions of faiths; A couple mentions of blessings; A couple mentions of godspeed; A mention of a nun;

*Note: Mentions of evil & evilness; Mentions of mythological animals; A few mentions of dark arts (magic & spells), which aren’t allowed in Torone; A mention of a demon scream.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘darn’, a ‘shut up’, two ‘idiot’s, and twelve ‘stupid’s; A couple mentions of curses (said, not written); A few mention of words Alison isn’t allowed to/shouldn’t say; A bit of eye rolling & sass; Fighting, fights, threats, swords, arrows and shooting them in self-defense, & killing beasts in self-defense up to semi-detailed); Watching fighting & fights (up to semi-detailed); Pain, blood/bleeding, a fever, passing out, & a mean boy threatens Ali with a knife and ends up cutting into her leg (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of killing, dying, fighting, fights, shooting, threats, & deaths of beasts (barely-above-not-detailed to semi-detailed); Many mentions of deaths, wars, battles & fighting (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of blood/bleeding, injuries/wounds, stitches, scars, pain, screams, & passing out (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a planned execution (that didn’t happen); Mentions of murders of humans, animals, & a murder that was ordered, but didn’t happen; Mentions of a family betraying & willing to kill each other for a title/kingdom; Mentions of traps that hurt an animal very badly before it’s killed (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of fighting to the death; Mentions of violence & killing in self-defense; Mentions of a murder, body, & blood (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths & bodies (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of bloodshed & terror; Mentions of the thought of dying or being eaten; Mentions of evil beats & the smells (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of dungeons; Mentions of hunting, poaching, knives, & a deer is almost shot (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of hatred; Mentions of rumors; Mentions of mean girls & their comments; Mentions of lies & lying; A few mentions of a woman who was trampled to death (barely-above-not-detailed); A few mentions of smoking, cigarettes, & cigars; A couple mentions of wanting to slap/punch someone; A couple mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of jealousy; A mention of poison; A mention of drinking wine; A mention of manure; A mention of urine;

*Note: A mention of FedEx; A mention of Star Wars; A mention of the Jonas Brothers: A mention of L.L.Bean.

Sexual Content- A mention of a man looking at Ciara’s figure; A mention of a woman saying to a man that propriety isn’t her strength to a man at her room door (he doesn’t come in, though);

*Note: A mention of a busty woman in a movie; A mention of kicking someone’s butt.

-Alison “Ali” Henry, age 12
P.O.V. of Ali
293 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

I’ve said before many times that I’m really not a fantasy girl—but this fantasy I got into. This one was FUN! The characters (three words: Talking fantasy animals!) were great and Ali made me laugh many times with her comments. There was a bit more violence and fighting that I was expecting (which is why that even though Ali is 12, the Pre-Teen Age Group would only be okay for), but it is a Good vs Evil plot. Quite honestly, the parts that were semi-detailed were only barely barely-above-not-detailed, so it wasn’t over the top at all.

Sooooooo….where’s book #2? Because that ending was such a cliffhanger!

See y’all on Wednesday 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.

Monday, October 3, 2016

"Jupiter Storm" by C.J. Darlington

About this book:

“Only a week ago Grey Alexander thought she and her sister were orphans. And like everyone else she believed Jupiter was uninhabitable. Now she’s standing on its surface, reunited with her mom and dad and on the brink of an interplanetary war. The government of Mazdaar is ruthlessly determined to claim Jupiter like they already have Earth, but Grey has joined her parents and Commander Fleur March in the Yien Dynasty’s resistance effort. Jupiter, where extinct animals roam free and seem to have an uncanny ability to communicate with her sister, is the last hope for the freedom of mankind.
When Mazdaar unexpectedly descends with a fleet of their terrifying Triangle jets, Grey and her family barely escape with their lives. Cut off from reinforcements and traveling in a ship full of strangers, who can they trust? Surely not Dana Yurkutz, the traitorous prisoner who even though she inexplicably saved Grey’s life is still loyal to Mazdaar.
Deception is their enemy’s most powerful weapon, and light and darkness soon blur on this new frontier. Nothing is as it first seems, and Grey and Dana must each choose sides before it’s too late.”

Series: Book #2 in the “Jupiter Winds” series. (Book #1 review Here!)

Spiritual Content- Prayers; Scriptures are quoted, mentioned & remembered (Dana gets annoyed when a couple pop into her head); Talks about God, peace, forgiveness, truth & light vs dark; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Grey wants to believe in God, but has a hard time understanding; Many mentions of light vs darkness; Mentions of God, His creation & hope; Mentions of reciting Scriptures; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of faiths & peace; A few mentions of a cross necklace; A couple mentions of Grey wondering if she’s right with God; A couple mentions of those in the Bible; A mention of St. Nicholas;

*Note: A mention of some saying that an animal has been extinct for millions of years; A mention of a book saying that another animal has been extinct for millions of years; A mention of wherever a dead person ended up.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘son of a—‘(not written out, cut off like so), a ‘stinkin’’, a ‘what the—‘, ‘where the blazes’, two ‘idiot’s, three ‘shut up’s, five forms of ‘stupid’; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling & sarcasm; Grey has a hard time with the thought & guilt of killing; Lots of Pain, willing to die for someone, fighting, shooting, being attacked, being slapped/hit, being shot, injuries/wounds, scars, bleeding, blood, shock restraints, passing out, explosions, trials, & sand wind storms (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of pain, fighting, striking, shooting, being shot, blood, wounds, murder & explosions (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of torture, witnessing torture, beatings & shock cuffs (up to semi-detailed); Many mentions of killing, murder, dying & deaths (boarder-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Many mentions of a war coming, the war happening, fighting & enemies; Many mentions of prisoners/criminals, traitors, & cells; Mentions of death sentences, executions & trials; Mentions of preserving bodies; Mentions of almost dying & being saved (in Book #1); Mentions of weapons & ones that can kill (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deadly (sometimes wild) animals & dying from an attack (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of kidnapping in Book #1; Mentions of blood, bruises, wounds, injuries & restraints (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of threats of murder & harm; Mentions of unconsciousness & a coma; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of drinking and scotch & wine (Dana drinks some wine); A few mentions of an assassination; A few mentions of poison & syringes; A few mentions of being drugged; A few mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of a suicide mission; A couple mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of hunting; A couple mentions of manure; A couple mentions of eating zorse (zebra & horse hybrid) steak;

*Note: A mention of a wizard in a fantasy series.

Sexual Content- A blush; A tiny bit of noticing; A couple mentions of handsome young men; A couple mentions of flirting; A couple mentions of a parents’ falling in love story; A mention of a child walking in on her mother & a man doing something she shouldn’t have seen (no details); Dana finds out her mother was sleeping with her subordinate & fathered her child (Dana) (He also cheated on another girl’s mother with Dana’s mom);

*Note: A mention of kicking a man in his groin; A mention of someone kicking butt.

-Grey Alexander, age 17

-Orinda “Rin” Alexander, age 14

-Dana Yurkutz
P.O.V. switches between them & Paul (twice)

Set in 2160 {Dystopia}
277 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Wow. Just wow. I didn’t know what to expect with a sequel to the great “Jupiter Winds”, but “Jupiter Storm” met and surpassed my expectations as a sequel. While I still feel like #1 was more emotional and edge-of-my-seat-exciting, this sequel sure gave it a run for its money! C.J. Darlington wrote the best follow-up book I have ever read and, of course, I would love to see this two-book-series be made into a trilogy. Or a series of four books. Or more. I wouldn’t complain. At all. ;)

{And for those who don’t follow BFCG on Instagram (@lindseyfrombfcg), this was the post & caption I posted when I received this book. Highly excited? Oh, yes.