Book Review | Liana's Dance by Rosanne Hawke

Review by Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

Liana Bedford is half Australian and half Pakistani, and has spent most of her life in an international boarding school in the north of Pakistan while her parents work in the rural villages. She speaks the language and is comfortable in her surroundings ...

Until the bomb.

Mikal Kimberley has never left Australia before. Now he's got a job as a music teacher in an international school in Pakistan, near the Himlalayas. He doesn't speak the language or know the culture. But he has an ulterior motive: to find the father and sister who don't even know he exists.

Both are caught up in the worsening political situation as the local population seeks to rid the area of of Amriki—Americans. No matter that Liana, Mikal, and many of the others students and teachers are British or Australian. The attacks get closer and closer to the school, until the decision is made to evacuate the children to the safety of their national embassies.

That's when the trouble starts ...

Nothing goes according to plan, and Liana and Mikal find themselves hiding in plain sight, trying to rescue Liana's missing classmates while knowing the consequences of being caught.

Liana's Dance is a fascinating insight into another culture, and into the lives of missionaries and other international workers in countries hostile to the gospel. It's also an insight into the sacrifice they and their families must make, as they are separated for long periods during the year.

The writing is strong, and I enjoyed the occasional touches of humour, like the reference to the temperature being "a cool thirty degrees centigrade". I think that's about ninety degrees Farenheit. Thirty is definitely a warm summer day here in New Zealand!

I recommend Liana's Dance to anyone who wants to better understand the challenges for expatriate workers and their children, for anyone looking for a strong young adult novel with plenty of adventure, and for anyone who wants to expand their own knowledge and understanding of other cultures:

Isn't that food for thought?

Thanks to Rhiza Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

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Book Review: The Boy in the Hoodie by Catriona McKeown (and Giveaway)

Review by Iola Goulton

The Boy in the Hoodie is the debut from Australian author Catriona McKeown, and winner of the 2016 Omega Writers CALEB Prize for an unpublished manuscript. It was a well-deserved win, because it's a great coming of age novel about making mistakes, paying the price, and becoming a better person through the experience.

Here's the description from the back cover:

One girl. One boy. And a friendship that could save them both.

Good-girl Kat knew drinking alcohol at school would have serious consequences. But to protect her friend from being expelled, Kat lands herself a terms worth of detentions.

Inside the detention room, she meets a strange boy who obsessively draws dark pictures and covers his head with a grey hoodie. Little does she know, the hoodie hides a dark past ...

An unlikely friendship forms between Kat and the boy in the hoodie. When she discovers a sinister truth hes been hiding, she somehow feels compelled to help him but at what cost? And how much is she willing to risk in order to keep him safe?

The Boy in the Hoodie is a real, unforgettable story about past scars and how the ones we love can sometimes heal them.

My Review

I enjoyed everything about The Boy in the Hoodie. Aussie setting, strong characters, solid plot, and excellent writing with enough humour to offset the often-serious nature of the story. Like this line, where Kat is wishing she could leave her current high school and go to a private school:

Well, I thought it was funny.

The set-up could have come across as contrived, but it didn't. I think this was because the story was told in first person from Kat's point of view, so we could see both why she lied for her friends, and what she thought about it. It was also interesting watching her get to know the boy in the hoodie and find out more about what the adults thought about her misdemeanor.

The boy was also an interesting character, and first person worked well in that I (as the reader) didn't know any more about him than Kat did, and got to know him as she did—for better and for worse.

I almost read The Boy in the Hoodie in one sitting—yes, it was that good. The 'almost' is because the tension got too much towards the end, so I had to take a break. I definitely recommend The Boy in the Hoodie for young adult and not-so-young adult readers.

Any chance of a sequel? I see Paige had issues and I want to know more ...

Giveaway

Cate has offered to give away two copies of The Boy in the Hoodie - one paperback copy to an Australian postal address, and one Kindle copy to an international reader.

If you'd like a chance to win, leave a comment and your email address, and tell us whether you ever got a detention in high school. If so, what was it for? 

We'll announce the winner next Friday, 2 February.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Book Review: Dealing with Python: Spirit of Constriction by Anne Hamilton

Review by Judy Rogers

For years I have listened to Anne Hamilton speak on destinies, thresholds, names and covenants. Covenants that date back to Biblical times—covenants that have guided and destroyed men and women. Covenants that have guided and destroyed Nations. Covenants that have released blessings and hope and promise. It has been this book, ‘Dealing with Python: Spirit of Constriction’, that has consolidated this information and turned on the light in my mind.

‘As far as the word threshold goes, whenever it is used in a spiritual sense here, it denotes the entry point into our destiny. It’s essentially the ‘doorway’ or the ‘opening’ into the individual calling God has appointed for each of us before the foundation of the world’ 

‘This book focuses on one of the most common of all threshold issues: a sentinel spirit known as Python.’

Discover his rights, his tactics, his colleagues and his downfall.

Do you ever find yourself on the brink of a new venture or a new project only to find it go belly-up just as you are ready to step into conquest? Maybe through constriction, silence or ambiguity. Maybe through intimidation, seduction or illness. Maybe through wasting or rejection. Maybe the world seems like it’s shutting you down. This book may help you sort through to your victory.

Do you want to understand more about thresholds, threshold covenants, name covenants and what just might be holding you back in life? Anne will show you how to recognise the blockages, how to overcome them and how to walk in victory through the Power of the Lord who is the Name about all Names.

Although this book is easy to understand, it’s not a book to be read in one sitting, or two sittings or three, but it is a book to be read. Read and mulled over, read and prayed over, read and rejoiced over.

If you read it and heed it—your life will be changed.

Book Review - Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

By Ian Acheson

Jessica Townsend is a Brisbane girl and if you weren’t aware she is the latest given the moniker “next JK Rowling”. Nevermoor is the first in an eight or nine part series and has been getting big raps since a bidding war took place at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2016. It’s already been sold in multiple languages, hit the New York Times Besteller list in its first week and the movie rights have been optioned, a director and scriptwriters been assigned.

So I decided to see what all the fuss was about. I don’t usually feature non-Christian works on ACW but I thought this was a good one to be an exception. I apologise if this is an issue for anyone reading the blog.

BLURB

A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world--but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination 

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks--and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.

But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor.

It's then that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city's most prestigious organization: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials against hundreds of other children, each boasting an extraordinary talent that sets them apart--an extraordinary talent that Morrigan insists she does not have. To stay in the safety of Nevermoor for good, Morrigan will need to find a way to pass the tests--or she'll have to leave the city to confront her deadly fate.

Perfect for fans of the Harry Potter series and Neil Gaiman, this fast-paced plot and imaginative world has a fresh new take on magic that will appeal to a new generation of readers.

MY REVIEW

This isn't my typical read and have had little experience with reading middle-grade lit but I loved Nevermoor. It was just so much fun to read. Even though 450 pages I found I couldn't put it down as I wanted to find out the next development in Morrigan's trials.

Morrigan Crow is an 11-year-old girl who has been led to believe that she is cursed and is the cause of many things going wrong around her. She's been born on a special date (think 29 February me thinks) and told that on her next birthday she will die as all children born on that date do. It's soon Eventide and as she prepares to die she is soon whisked away by the strangest man, Jupiter North, who kidnaps her to another world. A world full of surprise and fantasy where magical umbrellas transport you.

Jupiter has apprenticed Morrigan to apply for the Wundrous Society where entry requires passing 4 different trials (hence the book's title). Along the way Morrigan meets various characters including Fen, a Magnificat (a big cat) and Hawthorne who she befriends, he being another entrant in the trials. She stays in Hotel Deucalion that is full of mystery and wonder. I particularly love how her bedroom changes based on her mood.

Throughout this Morrigan wonders what her "knack" is, a prerequisite for the final Show Trial and entry into the Society. She presumes it's her cursed nature. But Jupiter won't tell her requesting she simply trust him as her guardian.

The story moves at a good pace, Morrigan's inquisitiveness gets her in spots of bother, and her friendship with Hawthorn is delightful.

Besides the magic and the fun, there are some good topics explored including we're not all that we appear, evil manifests itself in different ways, some seemingly innocent, others not-so and the notion that we all have a "knack" irrespective of our upbringing or position in life.

I thoroughly enjoyed Morrigan and can't wait to see where Jessica takes her in Book 2.

Book Review: Folly by DL Blackmore

Review by Carol Preston

‘Folly’ by D.J. Blackmore is the first book in quite a while that I haven’t been able to put down. Set in the 1820s, in Newcastle, NSW, this story is positioned at a perfect time and place to explore some of Australia’s early history, especially that related to the struggle of those who, having once been convicts, are trying to find their place as free Australians.

I was delighted to follow once more the story of Emma and Tobias, whose romance began in Deirdre’s earlier book, Charter to Redemption. While it is not necessary to have read the earlier novel to enjoy this new one, it certainly gives a great background for this story and these were two characters I felt I already knew and loved.

Their continuing journey is absorbing and touching, their romance threatened and thwarted and yet steadfast, the challenges they face frightening and very real. The story has a great diversity of characters; from the innocent, endearing child to the vilest of offenders, authority figures with the greatest of integrity to the most self-serving and corrupt, neighbours we would all hope to have through to those whose bitterness and prejudice is galling, characters who were so steeped in their past they were never going to change and others who were moved to growth and maturity. All of these I found believable and well developed, consistently portrayed.

While the story is in no way ‘preachy’, Parson Brown and his wife are wonderful representatives of God in their faithful friendship, love and acceptance and a powerful witness to the benefits of honouring God in one’s life.

The story moves at a good pace, keeping me turning the pages without revealing so much that the mystery and suspense were too soon revealed or solved. For readers who love romance, history, mystery and crime, it’s all here in this great story which I highly recommend. I’ll certainly be on the lookout for Deirdre’s next novel.

About Folly

It is 1822. The colony bells of Newcastle chime for a wedding but Emma Colchester is uneasy. Her cousin is nowhere to be found. A red satin ribbon unearths the truth, and the family face their worst fears. Fingers of blame are pointed too close to home and Emma's future with Tobias threatens to unravel. The walls of The Folly standing by The Hunter River hold the clue, and Emma risks everything in finding out the truth.

About Carol Preston

Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry in Australia from the First Fleet. They include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian, Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Two of her earlier novels, Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream, were re-released by EBP.  Next of Kin was released in 2015 by Rhiza Press and the sequel, Beyond the Fight, was released in 2016. Most recently, with the help of Book Whispers, Carol has re-released Price of Peace, the third novel in the Oakes Family Saga which includes Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream. You can see more about Carol and her novels on her website, her Amazon author page or FB author page.

www.carolpreston.com.au

www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston

www.facebook.com/writingtoreach

Book Review: Unspoken Rules by Lora Inak

Review by Iola Goulton

Natalie is a Syrian Orthodox Christian, the child of immigrants to Australia, currently in her final year of high school. Her older sister wants nothing more than to marry a Baba-approved man from the Syrian expat community, but Natalie is falling for a guy from school. An Australian. And she wants to become a journalist and travel the world, not get married and start her own family.

She has many of the same struggles as normal seventeen-year-old girls, but she also has the struggle of straddling two worlds—the conservative patriarchal culture of her Syrian family and community which is full of unspoken rules, and the more liberal Australian culture of her school. And things are difficult at home. Her older sister is moody, but that’s nothing new. Her mother is acting out of character. Baba carries on making bad jokes.

Natalie might hide her Syrian culture from most of her schoolmates, but she can’t hide it from the reader. 

Instead, we see that the girls at her church are just as focused on clothes and boys as the girls at school. What was good to see was that none of the characters experienced any racism—although that could be more because racism wasn’t the focus of the book than because it doesn’t exist in modern Australia.

One thing that bugged me was that while the family were strict Syrian Orthodox Christians, the focus seemed to be on the cultural aspect rather than the spiritual. Natalie’s sister was the only character who seemed to pray—I never really understood whether Natalie believed in what the church taught or not. Sure, she followed the rules, but that’s a matter of outward behaviour, not inner faith. I guess I’d have liked to have understood that a little better.

Unspoken Rules was a fascinating insight into other cultures—the Syrian Orthodox culture, the tightknit Syrian community (which can’t really be separated from the Orthodox), and modern Australian teen culture. And it’s a warts-and-all insight, told from Natalie’s point of view. The writing has a slightly foreign flavour, especially when Mama and Baba are talking. But that makes sense, because their first language is Arabic.

A fascinating and engrossing Young Adult novel that shows growing up is hard no matter what your culture.

Thanks to Rhiza Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction. Visit my website at www.christianediting.co.nzto download a comprehensive list of publishers of Christian fiction. 

I also write contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist—find out more at www.iolagoulton.com.

You can also find me on:
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ACRBA Tour Unnoticed by Amanda Deed

5 - 9 May 2017

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is Introducing 

Unnoticed

(By Rhiza Press, 1 March, 2017)

By 

Amanda Deed

About the Book:

Plain Jane O’Reilly is good at being unnoticed. Detested by her stepmother and teased by her stepsisters, Jane has learned the art of avoiding attention. That is until Price Moreland, an American with big dreams, arrives in her small town.

Does she dare to hope someone might notice her?

However, Price Moreland may not be the prince that the whole town thinks him to be. Was his desire to be a missionary a God-given call, or just a good excuse to run from his past?

Complete with an evil stepmother, a missing shoe and a grand ball, Unnoticed takes the time-old Cinderella fairy tale and gives it an Australian twist.

About the Author:

Amanda Deed has penned several Australian Historical Romances, including The Game, winner of the CALEB Prize for Fiction in 2010. She resides in the South Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne with her family, where she works full-time in her local church office.

Outside of work and family, Amanda loves to write stories filled with intrigue and adventure using her favourite themes as a backdrop: Australia, heritage, romance and faith. Her books include Unnoticed, Ellenvale Gold, Black Forest Redemption and Henry's Run. For more information, go to www.amandadeed.com.au.

Book Review: Unnoticed, by Amanda Deed

Review by Andrea Grigg

Plain Jane O’Reilly wants nothing more than to go about her business ‘unnoticed’. Not much chance of that, seeing she’s tall, has an abundance of unruly red hair, and big feet ‘that poke out like a dead tree on a barren landscape’. (I loved that line!)

Her mother died when she was a little girl, her stepmother is nasty, and so are Jane’s two stepsisters who swan around the homestead and get Jane to do everything for them. Sound familiar?

If you’ve guessed ‘Unnoticed’ is based on the story of Cinderella, you’re right. I really enjoyed the parallel, not just because it’s different to any other I’ve read, but because it’s set in Australia. In the town of Hay, New South Wales, in 1877, to be precise. And while Jane is obviously Cinderella, there’s a lot more to her than a fairy tale character. She grabbed me from the first page.

Jane comes across as vulnerable yet strong, hopeful even though she’s been continually let down, and, like us all, she simply wants to be loved. She doesn’t think she deserves it though, and the reasons for her misbelief made me want to slap some sense into a few people on her behalf.

Prince Charming, a.k.a. Price Moreland, is a barber-surgeon – interesting combination – and has come from America because … well, I’ll let you find that out for yourself. Whilst I found him interesting, I didn’t feel there was as much depth to him as there was to Jane. However, Jane finds him tall, dark and gorgeous, and he thinks the tree-climbing Jane is tall, beautiful and intriguing, so that’s all that matters.

The rest of the story takes them both on a spiritual as well as romantic journey. I particularly enjoyed the following passage:

            “Aunt Ruby, why would God love me?”

            Without hesitation, her aunt’s face it up with a broad smile. “Because you breathe,     lovey. He don’t need any more reason than that. Because you breathe.”

Beautiful, isn’t it?

In my opinion, Jane and her idiosyncrasies make the story sing. (Wait until you find out the names she’s given her beloved animals.) As I read, I envisaged her played by a young Judy Davis. (Anyone remember My Brilliant Career?) Or, going back even further, Katherine Hepburn.

So. ‘Unnoticed’. A beloved fairy tale with quirky characters and an Australian twist … what’s not to love?

  Andrea Grigg lives on the Gold Coast, Queensland, and is author of two contemporary Christian romance novels, and a novella. She would love to connect with you via: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.andreagrigg?ref=hl

Twitter: @andreagrigg https://twitter.com/andreagrigg

Email:    andreagrigg@live.com

ACRBA Tour Activate by Adele Jones

3 - 7 April 2017

Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance

is Introducing 

Activate

(By the Rhiza Press, 1 November 2016)

By Adele Jones

About the Book:

Josh Hammond’s not who he says he is. To stay alive, he must guard his identity, existing isolated from his former life and those he loves. The one enemy he can’t outrun is his failing health, and time is short. Desperate for a solution, Josh leaves the protection of his safe house unapproved. Instead of a cure, he’s left powerless against a cunning adversary. Determined to reclaim his life, he grasps an opportunity for escape, but things go drastically wrong. Can he find a way to expose the lies of a criminal mastermind, or will he be silenced? Forever.

About the Author:

Adele Jones lives in Queensland, Australia. Her writing is inspired by a passion for family, faith, friends, music and science – and her broad ranging imagination.

A strong believer in embracing life's journey, Adele delights in sharing that adventure with others, be that through the pages of a story or engaging in a social or professional context. Through her broad personal and professional interests, she has welcomed diverse engagement opportunities, including science based student experience sessions, conference presentations, literary readings and musical exploits.

With a long standing interest in historical fiction, Adele based her Master's dissertation on this topic and is currently anticipating release of her first novel in this genre, A Devil's Ransom (www.roseandcrownbooks.com). She has also had a variety of poems, short stories, inspirational meditations, devotions and magazine articles published. Her first YA novel Integrate was awarded the 2013 Caleb Prize for unpublished manuscript, and is due to for release in September 2014. Replicate is the second book in this series and was released in October 2015.   

More information:
Adele Jones: www.adelejonesauthor.com

We are a trusting lot

By David Rawlings

The world is currently experiencing a great shift in an element of basic humanity. Something that has underpinned hundreds of generations is eroding. As we see more and more people do this less and less, it’s now becoming a media issue that holds the flitting attention of breathless journalists and seriously-browed newsreaders.

This is something writers naturally do every day. In fact, we spend most our of our waking writing hours doing it. It’s integral to our writing process. We can’t afford to let it go.

Trust.

As I’ve embraced my emerging identity as a writer, I’ve talked to hundreds of authors and found there is a common thread between us all, regardless of whether we’re writing a thrilling whodunit with a clever twist or the story of a waylaid tourist falling in love with an Amish farmer.

Trust.

There are so many ways writers cling to trust as a way to stave off the waves of self-doubt that lap at the shoreline of our confidence.

Trust in the idea. 

Our story sounds great in our head, doesn’t it? If I could find a way to download the story as it resides in my mind, it would be perfect. But who’s to say that it’s a good idea out there in the rough-and-tumble world? I’m sure you’ve felt the fingers of doubt drumming on your thinking as you spruik your story idea to someone and watch them be less impressed than you thought they’d be. I know I have.

Trust in the process. 

Writing is a process as much as it is a creative pursuit. We trust in the way we’ve established our writing regimes – that they deliver the writing in the best way possible. We trust that the twelve months we’ve invested in the story will produce the best story we can.

Trust in the feedback. 

Apart from being trusting souls, writers can also be quite fragile. When our writing goes to others for their input (whether that’s a critique group or friends who want to read your work), we trust that what we get back will be useful, representative of wider readers and give us the feedback we need to improve, deepen or fix our stories. This is such a critical step of trust I wrote about the feedback that I value the most in another post on my blog.

Trust that someone will publish it. 

To me this was painfully obvious in the waiting room for editor/agent appointments at the ACFW Conference in Nashville. I sat with dozens of writers who all looked like an angry Principal had called them into his office. Talking to them, I heard some great stories, read some amazing turns of phrase and saw the potential in their writing. 

But we all sat there as if one knockback after a fifteen-minute speed date with an agent would blow over our writing careers.

 This is one of the biggest trust exercises a writer can undertake. There is no guarantee it will be published – even for experienced, contracted authors. Imagine if other vocations started work on a massive project with no guarantees. “Yeah, we built the $3 billion highway but it turns out the road’s not needed.” But that’s what writing can sometimes be.

Trust that someone will buy it. 

If you are contracted or do get published, there is a trust that your hunch (and your publisher’s hunch) is correct. Even if you ARE on print, you are trusting that people will buy it.

Trust that someone will like it. 

As reviews are the lifeblood of an author’s cashflow, we trust that after buying it the reader will like it. If they don’t, one negative review can be enough to knock your self-esteem flat.

But there is one last area of trust that puts these others into perspective and, in a way, removes them from our thinking. As Christian writers, we need to cling to this trust more than anything else.

Trust in the God who gave you a story to tell. 

The Bible is filled with stories of people who overcame enormous odds (and impossible situations) because they trusted God. This is one part of the writing journey that challenges me; around which I need to wrap my rational, logical head. God has given me the idea, the ability, the time, the framework, the network around me and the opportunity to tell a story that will honour Him. Once I deal with this, suddenly the questions that can keep you up at night – “who will publish this?” or “who will buy this?” – are answered. Not directly, but in a “you really don’t need to worry about this” kind of way.

I’ve often heard Christian writing can be more difficult because it’s more niche or less marketable. But I’ve discovered that in one area of writing, being a Christian and a writer is invaluable. I have the ability to trust in God and leave the rest of those trust elements in His hands while I just go about my job of writing.

Do you?

About David Rawlings

Based in Adelaide, South Australia, I am a sports-mad, married father-of-three with my own copywriting/communication business who reads everything within an arm’s reach. I can see a typo from across the room and always – always – make sure my text messages are grammatically correct.

Oh, and I love cooking, comedy and surfing. Over 25 years, I’ve made writing my career and paid the bills with words. It’s not a big leap from the six-year-old writing short stories instead of doing homework.