Where the Forest Meets the Stars Review

 

Where the Forest Meets the Stars

By: Glendy Vanderah

Synopsis:

In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again.

After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.

The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child’s home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay—just until she learns more about Ursa’s past.

Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren’t Jo and Gabe checking the missing children’s website anymore?

Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.

My Review:

Where does one start when they are writing a review of probably one of the best, most intricate novels they’ve ever read? Seriously, I wasn’t expecting this book to be what it was. Not for any reason other than that it was a debut novel by an author I’ve never heard of and it was adult contemporary fiction which I do enjoy, but never thought of as a favorite genre.

This novel blew me away. I’m tearing up right now just thinking of things that occurred in the pages. The emotional rollercoaster that I was on did not disappoint in the slightest. It was revolutionary. It was powerful and raw and quaint and hilarious and comforting and hopeful. The main characters, each with their own perfect character arcs kept me interested from start to finish. The world building was even more than others I’ve read in this genre. I felt like I was there with Jo, Ursa, and Gabe. I wanted to grab a hold of each of them and hold them and cry or laugh with them.

The research for this story was thought out. The story unfolds flawlessly. I want to be careful to say anything else because I do not want to spoil anything for anyone, but please read this novel! You will love it. You will recommend it to everyone you know.

Review and Giveaway - The Girl Behind the Red Rope by Ted and Rachelle Dekker

The Girl Behind the Red Rope

By Ted Dekker &

Rachelle Dekker

Published by Revell

Goodreads Synopsis:

Ten years ago, Grace saw something that would forever change the course of history. When evil in its purest form is unleashed on the world, she and others from their religious community are already hidden deep in the hills of Tennessee, abiding by every rule that will keep them safe, pure--and alive. As long as they stay there, behind the red perimeter.

Her older brother's questions and the arrival of the first outsiders she's seen in a decade set in motion events that will question everything Grace has built her life on. Enemies rise on all sides--but who is the real enemy? And what will it cost her to uncover the truth?

For the first time, bestselling authors Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker team up and deliver an intense, tightly focused ride through the most treacherous world of all.

My Review

I knew that a book by father/daughter duo, Ted and Rachelle Dekker was going to be amazing, I just didn’t realize how stellar it was going to be. I read through this book in two days and was glued to every single page.  The setting was perfect for this dystopian/post-apocalyptic story, one of my favorite kinds. The dialogue between the characters was complex but simple, full of wisdom and fear.  Fear.  What this book is really about, at least to me, is the fear that we all live with every day of our lives.  Fear of loss, fear of failure, fear of forgiveness, fear of any and all things grabs hold of us and strangles us with their dark shadowy claws. I thoroughly enjoyed how the Dekker's explored this life stressor and dissected it for each of us to be able to apply it to our own lives in one way or another.  For me, it was more than one!  

In the beginning I felt the MC, Grace to be naive and weak, but really she was controlled and manipulated.  She was controlled by her own fear and the fear of those she loved and respected.  I know so many people that can relate to this! We are a product of our environments and that shows to be true in The Girl Behind the Red Rope but that doesn't mean we can't break the mold.  The description of the Fury were spot on to what I would expect when these times come to pass. I think that because the possibilities that these events can really occur, made the story that much more suspenseful and engaging.  The light that shines throughout this book comes in such an expected way that really pulls at the reader’s heart strings and I couldn’t be more satisfied. There are so many book club questions that reappear and one is, "Did the book change you?"  I can say without a doubt that this one did.  This one opened my eyes to my own fears.  This one opened my heart to forgiveness.  This one changed me.  I was completely enthralled in this story and I cannot wait to read another book by these fantastic writers!

GIVEAWAY

 I'd love to giveaway my copy of this book to someone who truly wants to experience this story!  Just share this blog post on any social media platform and comment below the link to where you shared it! 

Thanks for reading! 

Love, 

Justicereads

One of the Best Historical Fiction Novels I've Ever Read!

You Will Not Regret Reading This One

Between Shades of Gray

Ruta Sepetys

Goodreads Review: 

It's 1941 and fifteen-year-old artist Lina Vilkas is on Stalin's extermination list. Deported to a prison camp in Siberia, Lina fights for her life, fearless, risking everything to save her family. It's a long and harrowing journey and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive?

My Feelings:

Where to begin with this masterpiece?  

This historical fiction based on a tremendous disaster of imprisoning people in Europe and forcing them into slavery to work the lands of Russia, caused by Joseph Stalin was written delicately and expertly.  

Not a moment went by while reading, that I felt anything other than captivated.  I was there with Lina. 17 year old Lithuanian who was forced onto a train car with her family without even a hint of what was happening or where she was being taken.  Sepetys put me in the train cars in that moment.  The descriptive words used really drew me in and held on tight.  I could smell the smells.  I could hear the crying.

  Tears fell down my cheeks as I read through the harsh conditions these innocent people were forced to bare.  Sepetys brilliantly highlights some of the deepest secrets of Stalin’s deadly war path.

It’s hard to imagine that anyone could build friendships or even relationships during such a trying time, but that’s precisely what had happened.  Her characters come to life on the pages and and place you in that time, at those camps, starving with them.  Wishing you could reach your hand through the book and into the past and give them extra water, food and clothes.  All the while, reading that some of these victims still had kept forgiveness in their hearts for their captors and held onto this false hope of ever being released.

What’s most important to me, while reading a historical fiction, is that these fictional characters are based off of real people in real situations that had no outs, no escapes.  If anyone is looking to be completely and fully enveloped by a book, Between Shades of Gray is that book for you.