A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

fiction

Night Fall

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Night Fall) through Nuts about Books.  Affiliate links will be used in this review to help support my time in bringing good books to you.  🙂 

Night Fall is a riveting book by Nancy Mehl which I already know won’t appeal to all my readers.  But I love a good murder mystery!  Having to figure out who “done it” just thrills my readers’ heart.   Throw in a touch of faith, where people ask hard questions and don’t get blithe easy answers.. all the better!  

night fall by Nancy Mehl

The Basic Facts

Nancy Mehl is the author of Night Fall, the first in a series called The Quantico Files. Published by Bethany House, this 329 page book was provided for me by Mind Games.   Can Alex as part of the Behavioural Analysis Unit figure out who is killing people?  Can she get past the pain of the past to solve this heinous crime? 

Author Nancy Mehl also wrote Mind Games that I reviewed last year.   She is the author of more than 40 books and has won a Christy Award and has been nominated for the Carol Award. You’ll often find her on facebook communicating with fans and sharing book information. 

Looking Deeper into Night Fall

Sometimes ones past can help you solve the problems of the present and give clues to future issues.  This is the case for Alex, profiler with the BHA unit of the FBI.  Her history provides a direct connection with a series of murders.  Can Alex face her past?

Is Night Fall one to Get?

Nancy Mehl introduces us to Alex and Logan, and she takes the time developing their characters so that as the story progresses you can anticipate what is going to happen.  The development of the secondary characters were also well done.  It’s actually the one fault I have with this read.  I enjoyed getting to know the characters, but before I reached the concluding chapters I knew what the end result was going to be.  So it was a bit of a let down to know that I was right in my suppositions. 

You’ll find the text a nice size for reading, and the story rolls along nicely making it an easy read.  I got it finished in about four hours or so?     I put a bit of a review up on Instagram.  

If you like like suspense, this book will definitely fill that quotient for you.  I found it a bit dark, but not scary.  It is darker than most faith-based romantic suspense, which may be why I liked it!   Most I find to be way to predictable or the romance aspect gets in the way of the story.   

In Night Fall, the story came first, the romance came second and felt like an extension of who the characters were. The questions about God and how faith is lived out and what the future holds were natural without trite responses, kinda like the questions you’d get from real people, and real Christians trying to give an answer.    

An enjoyable read, if you like suspense, and like a romance or a faith element mixed in, get Nancy Mehl’s latest book. 

Unknown Threat

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Unknown Threat) through Nuts About Books. 

I have long been a fan of Lynn H. Blackburn’s books.  Even though over time, I have developed a distaste for romance, particularly Christian romance, I like her books as generally they focus less on the romance and more on the events of the story.   I finished this particular story overnight.  YES!  I wanted to know what happened and if they could find the person responsible for killing so many Secret Service agents.   Unknown Threat is a fast-paced read that keeps you interested until the end.

Affiliate links will be used in this review.  Supporting my blog offers me encouragement and costs you nothing.  🙂 

Unknown Threat

The Bare Facts

Author is Lynn H. Blackburn of Unknown Threat, the first in the Defend and Protect series.   The genre is Christian romance and romantic suspense.  The storyline involves Faith Malone, FBI agent, tasked with discovering who is killing Secret Service Agents from the Raleigh office.  Three down and the rest attacked, who could be behind such a devastating attack?  Luke Powell, SSA, helps her with the investigation.  Romantic interests flare as an investigation ensues.   Will either situation be resolved well?   Published by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, an adult fictional read running at 354 pages. 

The Details of Unknown Threat

The very first thing that caught my attention with Unknown Threat is the cover.  That intense gaze by the woman on the cover, caught in the crosshairs?  When you enjoy a good mystery, such a cover will draw you in.   I have to admit that the blue is deeper colour, and feels more intense, in real life but my photo-sharpening skills couldn’t bring that out.  (sorry)

This is an easy-read.  Granted I do tend to read fiction books speedily, but it took me about five hours from start to finish.  The pace moves it along well as the action is fast-moving, with a deep need to resolve the situation before anyone else gets hurt. 

The text is a nice size to read.  Consider this, I need glasses for everything, yet I could lie in bed and enjoy a cozy read without needing to wear my glasses. Don’t of course, ask me how late I stayed up reading!  🙂 

You’ll find the characters decently developed with enough questions left for a follow-up read.  Hints were provided for who might be the next romantic interest in future volumes. 

The action takes place over about a week. Honest dismay felt in that the romantic interest progressed as quickly as it did.  In this regard, unrealistic.  I wasn’t convinced that either party were truly believers, though prayer was occasionally thrown into the mix.  if they are, they do need a better understanding of who God is. 

Should you get Unknown Threat?

Sure!  Honestly, it was a fun quick read.  A bit of romance, a bit of suspense, a good bit of mystery.  Everything came out good in the end, which is exactly what you want in a lightly suspenseful read.   Unknown Threat is a perfect read for a lazy Sunday afternoon, or a take-along for camping.  The characters are mostly likeable, solid people that it would be good to know in real life.  Occasionally they come across as too good… but real-life flaws are apparent which makes for believable characters.    

Miriam’s Song

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Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Miriam’s Song) through Nuts About Books. 

How human do you want biblical characters to be?   In Miriam’s Song the humanity of Miriam is brought to the forefront, the lessons she learned, the depth of love for a brother, and renewing obedience to God.  This is her story, this is, in essence, her song. 

Miriam's Song

The Details

Revell (a division of Baker Publishing Group) is the publisher of this 408-page trade paperback read.   Written by Jill Eileen Smith, this is a fictionalized account of Miriam, the sister of Moses.   It is the third in her series The Heart of a King.   She has written many fictionalized accounts of people in the bible.  This is Christian historical fiction written with the adult reader in mind. 

I am reviewing Miriam’s Song on behalf of Nuts about Books. 

Point of view changes between characters, you need to pay attention to chapter heading to be alert to who is speaking.  It’s not that difficult to figure out though as each character talks in their own voice. 

Each character is developed well.  As you meet each main person you get to feel like you know them and can sort of predict how they will respond in a given situation. 

With a writing voice that is informative as well as interesting, you want to read just to find out more.   I was intrigued by the idea that part of the plagues was to encourage Israel as well to follow the one true God as well. 

I particularly enjoy when author’s share what they deliberately changed in the story. Of course sometimes, to tell a good story, you need to change details to make the story more robust. 

Should you Get Miriam’s Song

Should you get it?  Honestly, I don’t know.  Let me explain why. 

I was eager to read Miriam’s Song.  To catch a deeper glimpse into her life, to see the events are linked together easily for me to read.  

But about 1/3 of the way through I started to feel like I really didn’t know why I wanted to read this.  The abundant use of dreams, the gushing “oh, Moses is so special, we’re going to pin all our hopes on him” from Miriam and Aaron.  When the biblical text doesn’t support that.  Once Moses left, he was out of the picture so to speak.  Could Miriam and Aaron have wondered what happened with their brother?  For sure.  I guess I just didn’t care for the dreams and gushing certainty that he was the answer. 

I also didn’t like the spin placed on Zipporah.  The understanding is there that it gives a possible meaning to why Moses might not have circumcised his one son, but it just.. I don’t know… didn’t set well.   

But what doesn’t set well with me might be okay for you.   Honestly, you might be able to accept more easily the spin Ms. Smith puts on Miriam and Aaron. More easily accept that Moses only sent Zipporah away because she begged to go back, and so forth.   It might, like me, drive you to the scriptures to verify details, to suss out why the author wrote as she did.  There is much speculation and the story was told, and I can see how it was a difficult story to write.  There are many gaps and unknowns in the story, and when one writes a complete story you want to/need to fill in those gaps.  Perhaps a different way of filling the gaps would have left me wanting to read more.  

The Way Past Winter

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Grit, determination, and just a little bit of magic fill the pages of The Way Past Winter.  An old enemy plays his hand.  Can the survivors find a way to put an end to it all? Affiliate links will be used in this review, held on behalf of Raincoast books. 

the way past winter

The Basic Details

Kiran Millwood Hargrave is the author of this Chronicle books published middle school read entitled The Way Past Winter.  Youths grade 5 and up will be delighted with the bravery of Mila as she faces her greatest foe.   A mage Rune helps her along the way.  It is a page-turning adventure the shows the resilience of family, magic and friendship.   Will it be enough to see them through the end?   Will it see them past to the end of winter?    I received an advanced reader’s copy of this 284-page book.

The Way Past Winter

Based on Slavic folktales, this children’s sibling book from Chronicle books is a fast paced novel guaranteed to keep the reader interested in what will happen next.  As an adult reader I finished it in about an hour (mind, I am a fast reader).  

You’ll find five different images delineating each chapter heading, they show the progress in the story.  Scattered art work also help introduce the different sections of this tome based in fantasy and magic.  Since I received an ARC copy I don’t know if the images will be in greyscale in the final copy.

sample page, the way past winter

Font size was larger, making it an easy fast read.  Very comfortable for a youth 10 and up to engage with. 

the way past winter

I really liked the variety in the girls characters, so very different from each other and yet very focused on helping each other. It was in essence… family being family despite their differences.  This makes for a good read.  🙂   

Should you get it?

Yes.  I think so. 

I enjoyed it although the story went in a different direction than I thought it would.  My thought was it would all be about respecting the earth and the things of the earth. It was less about that, and more about family and combatting the things which made life difficult. 

The Way Past Winter shows the resilience of family and friendship. A determination from three unremarkable girls to make things right again. 

It would be interesting to use it as a character study as each of their girls, their brother and the mage are quite different.  Or as a way to jumpstart a conversation about how to care for the earth, or looking into Slavic folklore and how it influences different genres of books.   It’s a good story to just stand on its own as a fantasy novel. 

 

The Nightmare Thief

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Nicole Lespereance has put together a book that honestly.. I’m going to give you a mixed review on.  The Nightmare Thief gave me the willies when I started reading but I found myself compelled to read on until I saw a good solution coming about.  I’ve learned to do this with books so I don’t get bad dreams!  Mind…I am easily put on edge by books and this one did a good job of doing that for me, yet… it contained good themes and for the right reader would be an excellent fit.   Affiliate links will be used. 

the nightmare thief

Themes I Liked

I loved the quirkiness of the parrot, the family connectedness, the love of family, the willingness to reconnect with old friends, and the alertness to potential danger in people.  LOVED those aspects.   I loved the determination of Maren (the female protoganist) to solve her problem and not be beaten by a very creepy antagonist.    Those aspects, for the right reader, make this a very doable middle school reader.  

Sourcebooks is the publisher of Nicole Lespereance’s read, The Nightmare Thief.  Running at 288 pages, the intended audience are children 8-14 years old, though I see it better for youth 10+.  I am reviewing an advanced readers copy for Raincoast. 

What Do you Get?

A novel!  That’s what you get!  🙂   Yes I know, stop being silly. 

But seriously, in The Nightmare Thief, you’ll find the characters are well-protrayed.  With a very creepy villain who couldn’t let go of her past and clung to her hurt.   Who gave the protagonist a reason to rethink some of her thoughts.  Our protagonist has a love of family and developed a willingness to reconnect with old friends (letting go of the hurt).

sample page, the nightmare thief

Very little art work grace the pages.  It gives a great image of what a dream packet might look like eh?

Such an interesting concept presented.  Using dreams both to heal and to be a weapon.  Could you imagine such a thing?  And the nasty villain had such a unique way of delivering them.  NOPE.. no spoilers in this post! 

Should you get?

As I said when I started this review, a mixed opinion.  

I don’t get why people read books to scare them. I definitely wouldn’t understand someone wanting to buy a scary dream.  Not my thing.  

But I do get that people like to read and do and live with some fright in their lives.  I suppose it’s good to get the old heart pumping eh?  

With that in mind, I would say older elementary students through middle school just might enjoy reading The Nightmare Thief.  Enjoy a creepy villain, be delighted by a girl discovering her courage, and using her skills. 

Just Like That

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Two troubled teenagers.  One running from trouble, one recovering from a close friends death.   A boarding, a head mistress, and add the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the 1960’s.  Mixed all together you have the makings for a good story in Just Like That.  Just so you know, I’ll be using affiliate links as I go through this review.

just like that

Details for Just Like That

Gary D. Schmidt wrote Just Like That.  This professor at Calvin College is a Newberry Honor winner. This middle school read runs at 400 pages, with 40 chapters. Published by Clarion Books (a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), I am reviewing on behalf of Raincoast books. 

You’ll find the font is comfortable for reading.   There is no decoration or illustrations to be found.  Just a good, comfortable in your hands book to read.   I received an ARC soft-covered version, it comes in kindle, audio or hardcover so however you like to read you are covered.  🙂 

What do I think?

I enjoyed this read.  It is not as light-hearted as some middle school reads.   Sometimes life hands you some hard-shakes and you need to figure out how to work your way through them.  In Just Like That we are privileged to watch two teens work their way through. 

Some really bad stuff happened with one teen but readers never witness to it, more like after the fact information.   I did not read every word as I wanted to get this review out to you, but I didn’t run into anything that raised flags. I love watching growth happen in characters, to see them become more than.   Don’t you?

You need to understand that Just Like That is set during the 1960’s so revolution and change were a big part of the history.  Difficult things happened, peoples lives were changed dramatically and sometimes it was very difficult.  

A friend commented that the cover looked scary and when you consider the time that the book is set in, it’s makes sense.  It was scary in a lot of ways.  Changing societal norms, war, protests, and so much change.  It was scary.  But that’s just the backdrop.  It’s not the STORY.  The story is two teens working through hard stuff and coming out in the end just like that.  It’s a good story and needs to be read in light of what it going on in the world around them.  Just as it should be. 

Go out and get it.  It’s a book well worth reading and will introduce your readers to some of the struggle of the 60’s.    

Outside In

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Sometimes you run across a book that can be read in different ways.  Outside In is one such book. Between the images, and my take on text used, I had one impression, but when I read the description, I can see another vantage point.   Books like this linger with me, perhaps this one might linger with you as well.   This is my review.

Outside In Review

What I am Reviewing

Deborah Underwood (best selling New York Times author) wrote Outside In which has been published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  Cindy Derby used a mixture of dark dreary colours with bright pops of colour to illustrate this hardcover picture book.   Written for primary school children, at 40 pages it is a nice book to share with a lap-child or for beginning readers to pick up.  

Because of the different perspectives, you can take with Outside In, it’s an imaginative book with good nature themes. 

Reviewing on behalf of Raincoast Books. 

The Details on Outside In

Cindy Derby’s artwork has left me feeling very conflicted about which way I should read this book.  Parts feel very low and depressive, and other parts feel very bright and ready for almost anything.  At the same time nature abounds, making this tome a place of exploration and dreaming.   It makes for an intriguing look-see.

Outside In

Ooh… the colours in the leaves eh?  Juxtapositioned against the bleakness of winter.  How sad and quiet it can be in the winter, unless we look for the colour and life within it. 

Outside In

Too often that bleakness stays with us.  Bring the light in, bring nature in, rejoice in the colour and life!

The large text size makes it easy for child and adult to read easily. 

sample page outside in

Should you get it?

Outside In is such an interesting book.  Nature, colour, and emotions.  There is much to see and discuss in this picture book. 

Bring nature indoors whether with light or colour.

Don’t get stuck in a rut of quietness within.