Kara G. reviewed on + 82 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
My Comments
Ive never read this author before, but when I heard about this book, even without a summary available I knew I wanted to review it. Then I found out that it was about a young man who could see into another dimension and has skills beyond normal human beings. I really thought of authors like Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker who have written supernatural stories and speculative fiction and figured this story might be similar to their writing styles. I was very wrong. Ive never read a book like this before.
FIRST PART OF DREWS JOURNEY-----TRAGEDY
Drew Carter is 8 years old when the book starts and his father, an army special forces soldier, has been killed in combat. Drew knows his life will never be the same again. Then Jake visits them, he was Ryans best friend and made a promise to Ryan that he would take care of his family in any way he could. Jake makes good on that promise and becomes a lifeline to Drew as a father and brother.
The first few chapters are summarized (some other parts are summarized also), which I normally would be unhappy about, but with Black this really works. This author wants to introduce a character to us without going into too much detail until later in the story when things REALLY liven up! Drew doesnt live a normal life and his story is filled with sadness. I didnt cry in any of it, but much of it stunned me or had me in disbelief. The first part of the book I simply couldnt believe all he endures, but I couldnt put the book down. There is so much tragedy and adjustment he has to deal with, but all the while I couldnt help feeling that he was being protected by God. And for every hardship he has to face, something beautiful does come out of it.
NEXT PART OF DREWS JOURNEY-----TRAINING
Drew meets Benjamin in high school and they become allies at first. By the time Drew graduates from high school, they have become best friends and that loyalty stays strong in both of them. They end up at the same college together and one day Ben confides in Drew about something sinister that has taken place and asks him to accompany him to the lab Ben works in. Something goes terribly wrong, theyre both badly injured, and this is where Drews journey REALLY begins. My favorite scenes in the book were with Ben, hes such a great character and the only one who believes Drew. They both take great risks for one another and rely on each other greatly. They couldnt be more opposite in personality, but their intelligence and skills complement each other. More than once, Drew comments how strange their friendship and conversations are, but this friendship makes up most of the plot and enhances the story line greatly.
It was difficult for me to believe that a science experiment is what causes Drew to see the supernatural world. One is physical or metaphysical and one is spiritual yet despite me not completely understanding that part of the story, it came together nicely in developing Drews capabilities. Its obvious hes chosen for a special purpose in life way beyond getting a college degree or playing football.
The three things that I found compelling in the story as well as unique.Drew is seeing into the supernatural, but he doesnt believe in God. The author still creates Drew to be a GREAT character because he has morals and cant walk away when he sees others helplessly in danger. He calls the supernatural beings invaders and unknown attackers, the good ones he calls light invaders. I got a kick of these nicknames and two of the main ones he gives official names.
Another thing, the girl in the story, Sydney, has strong chemistry with Drew and they also become solid friends. Sydney also takes great risks to help Drew and Ben. However, Sydney is in love with Christ and wont make promises to Drew since he doesnt believe. She repeatedly expresses her concern for Drew and promises to keep him in prayer.
The last thing I thought was interesting in Drews lack of faith, he doesnt have the right methods in fighting/escaping/defeating these invaders WITHOUT belief in God. I thought it was obvious that he was seeing demons, but he has to analyze their presence with Ben and while off the grid to figure out what hes dealing with. The best thing he uses is ignorance. Drew doesnt realize that in his unbelief, hes in the most danger. He describes these entities as unearthly, dressed in black clothing and a trench coat, carrying a sword on their back, and their movement is incredibly fast.
HYPERSENSITIVITY= HIGHLY OR EXCESSIVELY SENSITIVE (IN DREWS CASE, ALL 5 SENSES EXPERIENCE HYPERSENSITIVITY TO HIS SURROUNDINGS)
Drew spends much of the plot coping with his hypersensivity (which the doctors cant understand), searching for Ben, and getting away from invaders while helping citizens caught in their traps. In this book, both angels and demons can be killed. Drews enemies include the FBI and gang members in Chicago as he searches for Ben. The story ends quite abruptly hinting that much more of Drews journey will be continued in Book 2. The ending was completely unexpected and Drew is warned that more invaders will be coming for him. There is considerable violence in the story, but nothing gory. I couldnt put the book down and it ended far too quickly as things intensified!
Even though this story is incredibly written and draws the reader in quickly, I would only recommend it for those who like speculative fiction (unconventional stories with supernatural beings and a young man with remarkable fighting skills). Drew, Ben, and Sydney are easy to love and cheer for, but much of the story is harsh for Drew as he deals with one tragedy after another. Its not difficult to see why he has trouble believing in God, but this only causes the reader to feel sympathy and hope for Drew that one day he WILL believe. He just has to deal with losses and injustice first. His character was made for greatness and it will be epic what ends up happening to him next. The last impressive thing about Book One is that even though this is a Christian book, two of the main characters DO NOT believe in God, yet the story is preparing their testimony for when they DO believe. THAT will make the sequel even BETTER!
I want to thank Multnomah Books/WaterBrook Multnomah for the review copy provided. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Ive never read this author before, but when I heard about this book, even without a summary available I knew I wanted to review it. Then I found out that it was about a young man who could see into another dimension and has skills beyond normal human beings. I really thought of authors like Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker who have written supernatural stories and speculative fiction and figured this story might be similar to their writing styles. I was very wrong. Ive never read a book like this before.
FIRST PART OF DREWS JOURNEY-----TRAGEDY
Drew Carter is 8 years old when the book starts and his father, an army special forces soldier, has been killed in combat. Drew knows his life will never be the same again. Then Jake visits them, he was Ryans best friend and made a promise to Ryan that he would take care of his family in any way he could. Jake makes good on that promise and becomes a lifeline to Drew as a father and brother.
The first few chapters are summarized (some other parts are summarized also), which I normally would be unhappy about, but with Black this really works. This author wants to introduce a character to us without going into too much detail until later in the story when things REALLY liven up! Drew doesnt live a normal life and his story is filled with sadness. I didnt cry in any of it, but much of it stunned me or had me in disbelief. The first part of the book I simply couldnt believe all he endures, but I couldnt put the book down. There is so much tragedy and adjustment he has to deal with, but all the while I couldnt help feeling that he was being protected by God. And for every hardship he has to face, something beautiful does come out of it.
NEXT PART OF DREWS JOURNEY-----TRAINING
Drew meets Benjamin in high school and they become allies at first. By the time Drew graduates from high school, they have become best friends and that loyalty stays strong in both of them. They end up at the same college together and one day Ben confides in Drew about something sinister that has taken place and asks him to accompany him to the lab Ben works in. Something goes terribly wrong, theyre both badly injured, and this is where Drews journey REALLY begins. My favorite scenes in the book were with Ben, hes such a great character and the only one who believes Drew. They both take great risks for one another and rely on each other greatly. They couldnt be more opposite in personality, but their intelligence and skills complement each other. More than once, Drew comments how strange their friendship and conversations are, but this friendship makes up most of the plot and enhances the story line greatly.
It was difficult for me to believe that a science experiment is what causes Drew to see the supernatural world. One is physical or metaphysical and one is spiritual yet despite me not completely understanding that part of the story, it came together nicely in developing Drews capabilities. Its obvious hes chosen for a special purpose in life way beyond getting a college degree or playing football.
The three things that I found compelling in the story as well as unique.Drew is seeing into the supernatural, but he doesnt believe in God. The author still creates Drew to be a GREAT character because he has morals and cant walk away when he sees others helplessly in danger. He calls the supernatural beings invaders and unknown attackers, the good ones he calls light invaders. I got a kick of these nicknames and two of the main ones he gives official names.
Another thing, the girl in the story, Sydney, has strong chemistry with Drew and they also become solid friends. Sydney also takes great risks to help Drew and Ben. However, Sydney is in love with Christ and wont make promises to Drew since he doesnt believe. She repeatedly expresses her concern for Drew and promises to keep him in prayer.
The last thing I thought was interesting in Drews lack of faith, he doesnt have the right methods in fighting/escaping/defeating these invaders WITHOUT belief in God. I thought it was obvious that he was seeing demons, but he has to analyze their presence with Ben and while off the grid to figure out what hes dealing with. The best thing he uses is ignorance. Drew doesnt realize that in his unbelief, hes in the most danger. He describes these entities as unearthly, dressed in black clothing and a trench coat, carrying a sword on their back, and their movement is incredibly fast.
HYPERSENSITIVITY= HIGHLY OR EXCESSIVELY SENSITIVE (IN DREWS CASE, ALL 5 SENSES EXPERIENCE HYPERSENSITIVITY TO HIS SURROUNDINGS)
Drew spends much of the plot coping with his hypersensivity (which the doctors cant understand), searching for Ben, and getting away from invaders while helping citizens caught in their traps. In this book, both angels and demons can be killed. Drews enemies include the FBI and gang members in Chicago as he searches for Ben. The story ends quite abruptly hinting that much more of Drews journey will be continued in Book 2. The ending was completely unexpected and Drew is warned that more invaders will be coming for him. There is considerable violence in the story, but nothing gory. I couldnt put the book down and it ended far too quickly as things intensified!
Even though this story is incredibly written and draws the reader in quickly, I would only recommend it for those who like speculative fiction (unconventional stories with supernatural beings and a young man with remarkable fighting skills). Drew, Ben, and Sydney are easy to love and cheer for, but much of the story is harsh for Drew as he deals with one tragedy after another. Its not difficult to see why he has trouble believing in God, but this only causes the reader to feel sympathy and hope for Drew that one day he WILL believe. He just has to deal with losses and injustice first. His character was made for greatness and it will be epic what ends up happening to him next. The last impressive thing about Book One is that even though this is a Christian book, two of the main characters DO NOT believe in God, yet the story is preparing their testimony for when they DO believe. THAT will make the sequel even BETTER!
I want to thank Multnomah Books/WaterBrook Multnomah for the review copy provided. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.
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