New author Karsten Knight

Wildefire by Karsten Knight

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Life is tough enough when you’re adopted, your trouble-maker sister is expelled and runs away, and you look different from everyone at your school. Then your boyfriend cheats on you, you lose your temper, throw a few punches, your sister appears out of nowhere, and … you decide you need a fresh start at a boarding school where you discover your mood swings are more powerful than you thought. Ashline Wilde—Volcano Goddess. Karsten Knight does a great job of mixing folklore and legend across cultures. It reminded me of a cross between Harry Potter and X-Men. The language does get crude at times and there are some sexual situations. I still think it’s a great story and Knight is a talented writer. I would definitely recommend this book and hope to see more from this author.





I won this free ARC from Simon and Schuster.





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Too fast-paced, too honest

The Maverick Experiment by Drew Berquist

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


The Maverick Experiment by Drew Berquist is about a secret team of the best soldiers who act outside the rules. Though they are formed and hired by the CIA, they don’t really exist and nobody knows what they are doing where. While the idea is thrilling and exciting, the action becomes so fast-paced that it can be hard to follow. Is this supposed to be some far-fetched idea of the author as the only way to get certain things done? Or is Berquist giving us a peak into the way the government really works? Either way, I think the presentation is too much information, a little too honest. Once the men on this Maverick team are given a vague assignment, they seem to act through anger and passion in the heat of the moment rather than with logic. There is way too much crude language even for a war novel.





I discovered this as a free e-book and I’m glad the only thing I’m out is some time. I wouldn’t spend money on this book and I would not recommend it to anyone. In fact, if you’re interested in a military thriller, check out Michael Angley (Child Finder series) or James R. Hannibal (Wraith). Both are much better written and much cleaner.





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A fascinating read with beautiful historical illustrations

The Story of the Bible: The Fascinating History of Its Writing, Translation & Effect on Civilization by Larry Stone

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Story of the Bible by Larry Stone is a chronological account of how the Bible came about. It begins with the early days of record keeping via stone, copper, papyrus, and parchment. Next came the development of scrolls and then codex—the predecessors of the book. Stone describes the protocols and procedures that were put in place to ensure the accuracy of future copies of chapters and books of the Bible. As each ancient record is discovered, analyzed and placed in the historical time line the validity and accuracy of the scriptures is proven over and over. The original manuscripts of the Bible have survived raids, wars, washings and re-usings, fires—and yet there is still enough left for scholars to study and marvel at the consistency of the man-made copies. The locations of the discoveries show that copies were dispersed and circulated. The early church had to deal with false teaching without the benefit of an established Bible.





I’ll admit I have not finished reading this book. It is big and packed with information. The portion I have read is fascinating and I look forward to reading more, gradually and seeing more of God’s sovereignty revealed as He has obvious overseen the survival of so many puzzle pieces. I plan to make this a permanent part of my home library and I’m sure I will refer to it as I do various Bible studies.





I received this book free from Thomas Nelson to read and give an honest review.





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