"People tell you their darkest secrets and then regret it and then all they want to do is get away so they can pretend it never happened.”

--Jodi Taylor, Dark Light

Jodi Taylor's compelling supernatural thriller series continues with the second installment.

Synopsis from Goodreads

From the frying pan into the fire.

Betrayed, terrified and alone, Elizabeth Cage has fled her home. With no plan and no friends, she arrives at the picturesque village of Greyston and finds herself involved in an ages-old ceremony that will end in death.

And that might be the least of her problems – the Sorensen Institute would very much like to know her whereabouts. And Michael Jones is still out there, somewhere, she hopes. No matter how far and how fast she can run, trouble will always find Elizabeth Cage.

My reaction to this novel...

I’ve admired Jodi Taylor since I first read Elizabeth Cage’s first novel. As an author, she has a tremendous gift for having her readers feel what the characters are feeling in the novel. When I first read the first volume in this series, I was terrified and couldn’t sleep. The same goes with this novel. I appreciate how she got me nervous about the first nine chapters. I felt terrible for the terrified Elizabeth Cage. It was both terrifying and exhilarating, making me want to read the book all at once. I was blown away by her tale concept. It was fantastic.

But, after those terrifying and spine-chilling chapters, it all devolved into a dull middle tale. All of the episodes happened at once, as if the author was rushing through them while including inconsequential lines that I considered cheesy and unconnected. It sounded nothing like Elizabeth Cage. I’m not sure why the author abruptly chopped those nice sections, and I think it would have been better if she kept them till the finish. Even if she returned to those fantastic scenes in the last chapters, the stories in the middle were so uninteresting that I was inclined to skip the entire thing.

I had a lot of trouble finishing this one. Do other reviewers read the same book that I did? There were a ton of 5-star reviews, which baffles me. There are several unconnected side tales. I’ll definitely read the third one, but I’m hoping she settles into these characters and their tales. Because the basic idea, that the protagonist, Elizabeth, had some psychic skill that an evil institute intended to utilize for dark ends, morphed into a tremendous hodgepodge of otherworldly pandemonium, I truly felt that this novel went badly off the tracks. And I was quite dissatisfied as a result.

Anyway, I’ll probably read the third book sometime, just not right now. In order to start over on the third one with fresh eyes, I believe I still need to wipe off my negative thoughts about this sequel. Since I’m so dissatisfied, I’m not sure whether I’ll give it a high recommendation, but if you’ve already read the first book, you must read the sequel to support Elizabeth’s journey.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐✨ (2.5/5)

 “There is much more of God available than we have ever known or imagined, but we have become so satisfied with where we are and what we have that we don’t press in for God’s best.”

― Tommy Tenney, The God Chasers: Pursuing the Lover of Your Soul

A God chaser is someone whose unwavering desire to experience God's presence drives them to pursue the unattainable in the hopes of being discovered by the uncatchable. A child follows after a devoted dad until, all of a sudden, the father's powerful arms embrace the pursuer.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

What is a God Chaser? 

A God chaser is an individual who hunger exceeds his reach. A God chaser is a person whose passion for God's presence presses him to chase the impossible in hopes that the uncatchable might catch him. A child chases a loving parent until, suddenly, the strong arms of the father enfold the chaser. The pursuer becomes the captive; the pursued the captor. 

Paul put it this way: "I chase after that I may catch that which apprehended me" (Phil. 3:12). Job was a God chaser. He said, " Oh that I knew where I might find Him!" David was one; he said, "My soul followeth hard after Thee." Paul was one too: "That I may know Him...." The passionate paths of God chasers can be traced across the pages of history from Moses the stutterer, David the singer, and Paul the itinerant preacher, to contemporaries like A.W. Tozer, Leonard Ravenhill, and countless others who share one common bond: an insatiable hunger to know their Lord. These are people who relentless, passionate pursuit of Christ often made them appear foolish in the eyes of others.

My reaction to this novel...

This book was lent to me by our Pastor at the worship center. He knew that I enjoy reading, so he lent it to me because it is one of his favorite books about Christianity. The book is thin, so it can be read in one sitting, but it took me three days to finish it because I was busy and wanted to fully understand what I read.

At the beginning, I found it somewhat difficult to understand because there were words used that were quite profound. There were also parts that I didn't grasp initially, but after some time, I understood what the author intended. There were numerous scenes in this book that truly made me reflect and marvel, as it turns out that such events can happen to a believer like myself. 

I was really amazed by the part where a believer simply passed by, yet many people were moved to tears because they felt the presence of the Lord in that believer. He didn't need to speak anymore to spread the Word of the Lord, because His presence was already felt in his life. For me, that is one of the desires of a believer like me – to live in a way that shows we are following the Lord, and for His light to shine through us so that others may see it.

I also have a favorite part there, where we shouldn't be surprised if our relatives or acquaintances who get to know the Lord still don't believe, because they might not see in our lives that we are following Him. So why would they believe our testimonials, when we haven't really changed, right? How will they believe if they don't see in our lives that we are followers? It's like we're fooling ourselves. Honestly, when I read this, I asked the Lord if He sees in my life that I am following Him. So I really thought about it and started praying that the Lord would guide me and see in my life that I was walking and obeying His Word. 

For me, this book is an eye opener on how to pursue the presence of the Lord. There are times when people think that simply praying is sufficient. Sometimes, it seems like they just squeeze in prayer amidst their busy schedules. But in this book, it provides readers with a way to realize that quick prayers are not enough, and even attending church every Sunday is still insufficient to draw closer to the Lord. There are other things that need to be done to get closer to Him. Usually, these things are overlooked or simply ignored. It's just sad because there are also things mentioned here that I involuntarily do, so it's an awareness for me to be more diligent not only in seeking God's hand but more so in seeking His face. I highly recommend this book to people, especially believers, to read it because there is a lot to learn from it and it can also be a tool for self-evaluation.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)

"When you care about other people, it takes the spotlight off your own drama.”

--Holly Godlberg Sloan, Counting by 7's

Released in 2013, Counting by 7s is the debut middle-grade book by Holly Goldberg Sloan. This modern tale, a New York Times bestseller, incorporates elements from Sloan's personal experience. The story takes place in modern-day Bakersfield, California, which Sloan claims is "emblematic of the characters" while being frequently disregarded.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life…until now.

Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read.

My reaction to this novel...

This book is fantastic! It reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant. I had no idea this book would be so good, that I would like it so much. It was incredible. It’s fantastic. The narrative was simple to read and had many endearing characters as well as teachings on loving those who chose to love you and the unpredictability of future. I had a great time reading this.

Actually, I had this book for so long that I had already forgotten it was even there. However, while I was looking for my next book to read, I came across this one and decided to give it a go because I was in the need for something quick and simple. I initially considered that perhaps I wouldn’t like it. This book may be intended for teens, but after I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down and found myself grinning.

Willow was my favorite character. Her thoughts on life and people were interesting to me. She is a one-of-a-kind and amazing child who is fortunate to have parents that unconditionally love and support her despite her challenges and peculiarities. I appreciated her character growth as the story progressed, and I also liked the other individuals she met as they became more and more essential in her life following the trauma she goes through. Even though they all had flaws, I felt all of the characters were fantastic.

I really like story for so many reasons that it’s difficult to put them all into words. It was quite touching, and the author thoroughly defined the personalities to me. Though I did not weep as much as other readers, I felt both sad and happy about this book. I also laughed out loud at the depiction of other individuals and their lifestyles. It’s as if I’ve met them in person. The author’s writing style was stunning.

I suggest this book to anybody who appreciates a compelling novel with various characters and a plot line about coping with being an orphan as well as discovering what it means to be a family.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨(4.5/5)