Book Review: Rose of Admirias by Charis Joy Jackson

by Jeanette O'Hagan

The Book

The Rose of Admirias is a full-sized novel retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in a fascinating and fresh fantasy world.  It is currently available as part of the limited release boxed set On the Horizon (available on Amazon, Kobo, ITunes and other retailers).

Averie Rose has lived the life of a peasant, so when she discovers she’s actually the lost princess of a mythical kingdom - Admirias - she must choose between running from a man who seeks to kill her, or run towards him and claim her rightful throne. 

The Author

Charis Joy Jackson works as a missionary with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) a non-profit organization & is part of The Initiative Production Company as both scriptwriter and actor. She loves creating stories, with stories published in three anthologies - Glimpses of Light, Tall People and other collected stories, and Like a Woman. Her first novel, The Rose Of Admirias, was released this May in a limited release box set called On The Horizon - 22 authors, 22 novels. 

www.charisjoyjackson.com

My Thoughts

When Averie's father doesn't return from a sea-trip, she finds herself in deadly danger from those she trusts. Meanwhile, in his beleaguered kingdom, Brun bewails the curse that has given him a beastly form until such time he fulfils the promise he betrayed. Averie and Brun are destined to meet and must choose whether to acknowledge their faults and fight for what is right and the future of a shattered kingdom.

I was entranced by The Rose of Admirias, which is told as a three braided tale, with hidden secrets and past tragedies weighing heavily on the present and the possibilities for the future. I love the characters --- Averie, as she discovers her secret past, her father Dumont with his dour strength, Brun angry and bitter, Boice wise and faithful in service, and mysterious Ilyria. I also loved the settings, from Averie's simple village life by the sea, Brun's brooding and strange fairy-tale kingdom, to the wonder of Admirias floating on the Ocean. The threads of the story are skilfully woven together with several layers all working together to produce an enthralling tale of secrets, betrayals, broken promises, despair and forgiveness.

This is a wonderful story for lovers of fantasy and fairy-tale retellings with deep Christian allegory.

The Book Bundle On the Horizon contains a range of 22 science-fiction and fantasy novels and, while many are definitely not Christian Fiction, I think it was worth buying (for a couple of dollars) just for Charis Joy Jackson's wonderful debut novel The Rose of Admirias. And I'm looking forward to reading others in the bundle like Aiki Flinthardt's 80AD (since reading her Aurealis Awards finalist science fiction short story A Little Faith in Like a Woman anthology), and I have already enjoyed Connor Sassmannshausen's hard-hitting dystopian thriller, From the Ashes, Judith Rook's fascinating Planet Woman and my own Akrad's Children.)

Jeanette recently published a collection of fantasy and sci-fi Nardvan stories, Ruhanna's Flight and other stories. She started spinning tales in the world of Nardva at the age of eight or nine. She enjoys writing secondary world fiction, poetry, blogging and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, time and cultures. They involve a mixture of courtly intrigue, adventure, romance and/or shapeshifters and magic users. She has published numerous short stories, poems, two novellas and her debut novel, Akrad's Children. Find her on Facebook or at her webpages Jeanette O'Hagan Writes or Jenny's Thread.

DEVOTION: Perfect Grace

By Leila Halawe

If you have been around church for a while, you likely would have heard someone say something along the lines of, ‘I need Jesus every day to get through.’ When I first started going to church 10 years ago, I used to find that statement a little odd however as the years went on, it started to make sense and I started to understand it. Until a couple of years ago, when I found myself completely disagreeing with it. I had reached a point where I didn’t feel that I needed Jesus every day but every hour. Fast forward a few more years and I am finding that I need Him every minute.  Day to day, I find myself leaning on Jesus a lot more to get through what the day is throwing at me, whether it is good or bad.

I am also finding that I am learning to lean into His grace. More recently, I found myself having to relearn what grace looked like as I had not only forgotten how to accept it but also how to extend it. And the person that I forgot how to extend it to was myself.

If you are anything like me, it is easier to be kinder to others than myself. I find it a whole lot easier to be gracious and forgiving to others than I do to myself and as such I am my biggest critic. But God in His mercy and grace has been helping me shift that a little. And by a little, I mean He has smacked me across the head with it.  Over the last few months, I have found myself lacking the grace for myself that I easily extended to others and I have had to relearn it; I have had to step back and allow myself to get up. To sit at His feet and just be, me. To stop striving to be strong or perfect or needed or anything other than what I truly am, a flawed girl loved by a perfect Heavenly Father.

We can so easily find ourselves striving to be better, to do more, be more to more people, but more than anything, Jesus wants us to just be. I found myself taking the posture of Martha and running around trying to be all things to all people when what I really needed was to be like Mary and sit at the feet of Jesus. To be present and listen to His sweet whisper. To rest in His grace that is freely given. Instead, I found myself struggling with emotions and slips ups and stumbles and all that lead to a feeling of defeat. Sound familiar? Yeah, I hear you.

But God. No matter what season we are in, God always shows up.

In His infinite mercy and love, God met me where I was and covered me with His grace. He poured His love out and reminded me that I am an imperfect child that is perfectly loved by a perfect Father. And that was all I needed, then, now and in the days to come. His grace is freely given to us, we are to just accept it and it is more than enough. In our weakness, His grace is sufficient. In our joy, His grace is sufficient. In all things and all seasons, His grace is sufficient for us and is all we need to get through. May His grace permeate your heart and soul today and bring you the peace and joy that only comes from knowing Jesus. 

Leila (Lays) Halawe is a Sydney based coffee loving nonfiction writer and blogger. She has published a short devotional, Love By Devotion (https://www.amazon.com.au/Love-Devotion-Finding-Comfort-Through-ebook/dp/B010607E6Q), and shares her views on life and faith via her blog page Looking In (www.misslays.com). You can connect with her via Facebook at Leila Halawe Author (https://www.facebook.com/misslays/) 

and via Twitter at Leila Halawe (@LHalawe).

Book Review: Saving Grace by Jennifer Westall

Through years of poverty, racial tension, and legal battles, Ruby Graves has suffered the worst the Great Depression could throw at her. But an enemy she couldn’t possibly imagine awaits just over the horizon. After she and her brother, Henry, escape to the tropical paradise of the Philippine Islands, Ruby volunteers as a nurse at a medical clinic in Manila. Although surrounded by beauty, Ruby can’t shake her guilt over leaving Matthew behind, even if it was for his own good. And even worse, God hasn’t spoken to her since the fateful day at Cold Spring.

Meanwhile, Matthew Doyle arrives in the Philippines with the Corps of Engineers, determined to live the life of faith that Ruby would have wanted for him. Despite the rumors of impending war, he’s drawn to the islands’ promise of adventure, and, like many of his fellow soldiers, believes the superior forces of the United States would quickly thwart any attack from Japan. But everything changes on the morning of December 8, 1941.

As the Japanese close in on American forces in the Philippines, Ruby, Matthew and Henry are swept onto the jungle peninsula of Bataan in a desperate attempt to hold out for reinforcements. New enemies emerge, testing their strength beyond anything they could have ever thought possible. Can Ruby and Matthew find their way back to each other, and survive the onslaught of the Japanese assault? 

Review

After having read and enjoyed the two novels preceding this one; Healing Ruby and Breaking Matthew, I was really looking forward to this third story, hopeful of a happy ending for this pair. While I was disappointed to find this was not the end of their story at all, and I now have to wait for another installment, I was very engaged and enthralled by this story. 

Saving Grace is set in the Philippines, so a completely different setting to the first two, which are set in the southern states of USA. While there were some interesting historical aspects in the first two about life in that part of the world, especially around racial issues, this third story takes a deeply moving, tragic and honest journey into WW11. I think Westall has done her research well and has not held back from describing the ravages and terror of war. So this is not a light read. 

Westall's writing is unashamedly Christian. Ruby and Matthew's faith journeys are central to the story, and I found this very real and challenging, more so in this third novel than in the first. Of course, the romance between these two takes many twists and turns and is threatened, not only by the dangers they face, but by their personal inner struggles. As a reader there are times of frustration and annoyance with the path of their love story, but they are both great characters, both heroes in their own right, and believable. There are plenty of villains in the story too, so it's got a good balanced. 

I now look forward to the next installment of this couple's story. As Saving Grace ends in Melbourne, Australia, the next book will have particular appeal. Although I've enjoyed all of these stories, I'm hoping the next will include the happy ending I'm sure all readers would like Ruby and Matthew to have. I'm not used to reading series which take such small chunks of characters' lives and carry it through three or four books, so this is new for me. 

I'd recommend Westall's novels to those who are looking for a thoroughly faith centred, historically focussed, gripping romance. 

Carol 

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 2016. 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

When the Finger points!

Have you had someone’s finger pointed at you? Was it your mother’s, a teacher or even a policeman?  There’s a threat in the pointed finger as well as a warning. As I read the Bible I notice that there are a couple of times where the ‘Finger’ of God is described. When you assemble them there’s an interesting story to tell.

The first mention is found in Exodus. However I’d like to suggest the Psalmist actually points us to the original ‘pointing of God’s finger’. In Psalm 8:3 he tells us his reaction to meditating on the heavens. David considered them the arrangement of God’s fingers. We are told in Genesis 1 that the Lord spoke and creation took place. Was David’s comments inferring that our Creator Lord did some rearranging of the moon and stars?

This brings us back to Exodus 8.16-19. The Egyptian magicians could not counter the third plague God sent as a judgement and testimony of His intentions. They confessed, “This is the finger of God!” I find it interesting and significant that this realisation came on the third judgement. (Do you?) Sad feature of this encounter is seen by their refusal to humble themselves upon their recognition and confession. Sounds familiar for our day and age.

The next mention is at Mount Sinai when Moses receives the Ten Commandments. These are specifically declared to be written in stone by the Finger of God. He doesn’t need a laser beam. This became the framework for their Covenant relationship, which they repeatedly smashed. When the first generation died in the Wilderness, Moses told the second generation the same fact of the importance and inscriber of the Commandments. How distressing it is for Christ’s people today to witness Christendom’s calculated desecration of the work of God’s ‘finger!’ What He wrote for Humanity’s welfare turns into their condemnation.

What none of us would like to experience befell Belshazzar. As the ruler of Babylon (his father being elsewhere) this arrogant man played fast and loose with Yahweh’s temple vessels. God’s patience had reached its end. He would use it to fulfil His promise regarding the return of His captive nation to Jerusalem. In the palace a finger appeared and wrote the Babylonian epithet. ‘Mene,Mene, Tekel, Parsin’ Belshazzar’s kingdom had been weighted, found wanting, and divided by the Medes and Persians.

The penultimate verse is found in Luke 11:20. Jesus was being accused as being in cahoots with Beelzebul, a pseudonym of the Devil. Jesus refutes their assumption by a bold and maybe overlooked assertion. “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the Kingdom of God has come to you.” Is this an oblique pointer by our Lord to His deity in human form? Surely, we are confronted again and again by the Scriptures about who Jesus is. I cannot get away from Thomas’s confession to Jesus in John 20:28 “My Lord and my God!”

The climactic reference to the finger of God is found in John 8:1-11. It is in the story of the woman taken in adultery (where was the man?). The Scribes and Pharisees in their self-righteous attitude tried to embarrass Jesus and make Him break the law. We will never know what the finger of Jesus wrote in the dirt. Whatever it was ended up scattering the ‘would be stone throwers’. Jesus was the only one who could condemn but he forgave her with a warning not to continue in sin.

As I assemble these accounts I find myself imbedded in them. I too stand in awe of creation yet took the creator for granted. (Did you too?) I’ve seen and heard of His power but was left unmoved. (What about you?) I’ve broken His Commandments and I’ve had His ‘finger’ condemn me. What a wonderful day it was when I heard my Lord say to me “You’re forgiven!” How? Because the ‘finger’ on the hand of Jesus was nailed to the cross and He took my unbelief, my rebellion, my condemnation (and yours) upon Himself.  His nailed pierced hand then reached out to me (and you) with a ‘no condemnation' offer. By faith I grasped it (as you did) and in the words of Thomas I bow and say, “My Lord and my God!”

©Ray Hawkins Oct 7^th 2016.

Ray's newest 31 day devotional. Available at Christians bookshops or direct from Rochelle Manners (Rhiza press, Wombat books) and Ray Hawkins.

The theme of this devotional: What the Bible reveals about itself. This is the sixth in his series of Biblically Themed Devotionals. Chech his blog to view the others.
http://rayhawkinsauthor.blogspot.com.au

Book Review: Carry Me Home by Dorothy Adamek

Blurb

Finella Mayfield hates two things: liars and thieves. And she's determined to marry a man who's neither. Chasing her dead father's dreams, the twenty-year-old English bride arrives in Australia in 1875 for an arranged marriage. Anticipating her future as village preacher's wife, she records her thoughts in her Everlasting journal. But instead of her fiancé, Finella is met by Shadrach Jones, a poor farmer sent to collect her from the busy Melbourne pier.
 
This is not what her father planned. And it's only the beginning of the unraveling of Finella Mayfield ~ the bride with no groom. All Shadrach longs for is rows of mustard and chicory. He's busy growing a farm near the Phillip Island fishing village of Cowes, and caring for Molly, his simple sister. Far from the brutal life they remember with their ex-convict father, Shadrach's building something new. But he's also made a promise to a dying friend. To collect and marry the English girl destined to never be a preacher's wife.  Can Shadrach convince Finella she has a future with a farmer?  their future?

My Review 

This is definitely one for sweet romance lovers. The story, written alternatively from Finella’s and Shadrach’s points of view, follows the ups and downs and frustrations of their sometimes tender and cheeky and other times fragile and fraught relationship. Both characters are likeable and engaging and both have deep issues which take the story through many twists and turns. Shadrach’s young sister, Molly, is completely endearing, probably my favourite in the story. There are very emotive issues around her character and a reader should expect to shed tears at a number of points.

The setting on Phillip Island is well described. I could sometimes feel the sand or mud between my toes as I read. And there’s an interesting historical and cultural side story about mutton bird egg gathering, which provides some lightness and a good distraction from the interpersonal conflict and agonising over the outcome of the relationship.

Dorothy addresses the Christian and spiritual values and needs of the characters in a well- balanced, meaningful and sensitive way, which gives a good message without being preachy. The issues of developing trust, adjusting to change, loss and grief, and forgiveness are all woven thoughtfully and realistically into the story, which is still essentially about falling in love.

An excellent first book in a series and I’ll look forward to reading the sequel.  

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. Her earlier novels Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream were re-released by EBP. Her new novel, Next of Kin, was released last year by Rhiza Press and her latest novel, Beyond the Fight was released this April. 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

The Christmas Story

By Carol Preston

As Christmas approaches there’s a plethora of Christmas stories bought to our attention. Books to buy, movies to see; mostly focussing on family togetherness, holiday fun, the generosity of the human spirit; all great things, but often skirting around the central story of Christmas. 

I recently heard a speaker from the Dickens Society talking about the stories which Charles Dickens wrote about Christmas; A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, to name a few. A Christmas Carol, perhaps the most well-known, has been read and re-read, modernised, seen on stage, screen and DVD. I wonder if it’s better known and paid more attention than the real story of Christmas – the birth of the Saviour of the world.

Could there be a more compelling, moving, joyous story than that of Jesus’s birth? Especially when we know that it’s a never ending story, a life-giving and life-changing one for millions upon millions of people.

There are many beautiful aspects of the Christmas story which can be explored and applied in novels, movies, poems, pageants, plays and song. Themes of forgiveness, joy, grace, acceptance, love, reconciliation, peace can be brought to our attention in beautiful, challenging and moving ways. These are the themes I want to write about in all my novels, in the hope that a reader will be challenged to seek God.

However, Christmas gives a special opportunity to speak to hearts and minds that at other times of the year might be quite closed to these ideas. Many hundreds of people will sit at a Carol’s night in a park and sing songs about the baby Jesus, the Saviour of the World; people who may never talk of such things in their everyday life. People who don’t usually go to church will attend a Christmas service and hear the Biblical story, or watch a Christmas pageant, or gaze on the nativity scene. No doubt God’s spirit can do wonderful things with such an opportunity.   

I love this quote from Dicken’s Christmas Carol. “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present and the Future. The spirit of all three shall strive with me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.” 

How wonderful if more people could really honour the Christmas story – the coming of Christ to a broken world – all year, and allow His spirit to bring new life to them all year round. I pray this Christmas, the central truth of His story will begin in the hearts of many who have not really heard it before. 

Carol's novels are historical fiction, based on her family ancestry in Australia, dating back to the First Fleet.

You can find Carol on her website  www.carolpreston.com.au

Or on her FB author page www.facebook.com/writingtoreach

Or see her books on www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston