GENRE: Adult, Fantasy, Christian
PUBLISHED: May 12th 2017 by Phoenix61 Publications
PUBLISHED: May 12th 2017 by Phoenix61 Publications
SYNOPSIS:
(Courtesy of Amazon)
Orphaned in childhood, Mara has always done
what is necessary to survive--even pledged herself to a sinister spirit named
Rivka. When Mara's sister is struck by a mysterious illness, Rivka offers Mara
a choice--watch her sister die, or become a slave in exchange for the medicine
needed to save her.
Mara sells herself to Zev, an old friend who
shares her sordid history with Rivka. Motivated by revenge and a lust for
power, Zev coerces Mara into a life of prostitution and espionage in order to
find Eleora, the magical gemstone necklace guarded by the Council of
Ambassadors. Trapped in a tangled web of Zev and Rivka's schemes, Mara's life
becomes a never-ending spiral of seduction and treachery until a kind young
healer on the Council unexpectedly offers her freedom. In her new life, Mara
finds healing, friendship, and even love but knows she must rid herself of
Rivka to be truly free.
Now Mara must choose whether to fulfill her
oath and betray her new friends or double-cross Rivka and risk losing her
sister forever.
REVIEW:
This book dug its way into my heart and plowed
it to pieces. Mara is a fiery, strong-willed, and scrappy character who
sacrifices herself for her sister in so many ways. She does what she believes
is the right. But what she chose really hurt to watch [read]. I was really upset
as she sold herself into sex slavery. But when she is freed from that life, and
her wounds began to heal, I healed with her. I forgave with her.
This story digs right into the dirt and grime
of humanity and shines a brilliant light at what is wrong in this world. It
sheds hope where there is no hope and brings mercy to those who don’t deserve
it. All the wrongness was hard to swallow. It bothered me for days. But a book
hasn’t done its job if you’re not thinking about it when you’re doing something
else. Even if you’re just asking questions. What was Mara thinking?! How could
Zev do that?! Where is this mysterious King?! And why does Mara deserve all the
love and compassion from all these good people? I love the answer to that
question from a character in the book, “What does it mean to deserve something?”
RATED:
This is classified as a Chrstian novel. But I have to say it is not preachy Christianity. There is no cliche' character "saying the sinner's prayer" in the end. Thank goodness! What is present is the love of God. It is woven expertly into this story.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I normally review Young Adult books and make recommendations whether it is actually appropriate for teens. This is a book for adults only. It is definitely a rated R book. The main
character is sex-trafficked, abused, and verbally degraded. The story would be lost without these details and sheds light on
the dark world of human trafficking, so it is a valuable part of the story. Author, Melissa Keaster, references a
ministry in her hometown helping trafficking survivors, I think it’s worth a
click: www.p41ministry.com.