I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thank you to author Barbara Hartzler.
This book has the potential to be a 5 star rating. I really enjoyed the characters and the setting and the plot. I found myself confused in the beginning because the scenes seemed to jump around and sometimes I felt like I had missed something, like I had skipped pages. I found myself going back to make sure I didn’t actually skip around. There were also many instances of grammatical errors that distracted me.
After getting through the first couple of chapters I began to fall into the rhythm of the book. I would second guess Bryan and Will’s motives. I found it strange that Will “cared” so much for her the same day he met her. Bryan was fiercely protective immediately. Lucy was as confused as me but at 16 found herself crushed between two insufferably cute guys (because come on, what is more important at that age) and then discovers she is part of a larger destiny. She handles it better than I would have expected but finally develops her sense of self and where she will belong in the world and how important she will be. I could sense the “Nexis personality” in her mom and wondered how that was hidden from Lucy’s childhood.
The reader was drawn into the world of good and evil with the idea that Lucy would get to choose after being “Switzerland.” I didn’t sense any suggestion that she might choose the side of Nexis from the beginning. Even without being guided throughout her childhood or appearing to have a religious background her stance was determinedly grounded on the side of right versus wrong.
It will be interesting to see if she can or will be swayed by Nexi since she saw the angel standing resolutely at Bryan’s side.I get the feeling that the next book will have more action and this one was in essence a prologue of the rest to come. I appreciate Mrs. Hartzler’s take on good and evil and her faith shows prominently in the development of Lucy. I am actually looking forward to the next installment to see how the characters will grow in their abilities to fight the war that is inevitably coming.
Amanda's Book Nook 