START SOMETHING THAT MATTERS

AN AMAZING READ FOR TEENS BY A TEEN

When I discovered I had the chance to read HADES by ALEXANDRA ADORNETTO, I grabbed the opportunity. My fourteen-year-old daughter read HALO, the first in the sequel, some months ago, and insisted that I read it as well. I was pleasantly surprised with HALO.

I found HALO to be a refreshingly different read from the typical romance I’m accustomed too. The writing was amazing, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the faith and evil aspect was presented without being preachy. I appreciated the lack of foul language and inappropriate behavior.

I was shocked to discover the author ALEXANDRA ADORNETTO is just a teen herself. I don’t particularly care for a lot of detail, but I was in awe of Ms. Adornetto’s unique description as well as her distinct characters and accurate portrayal of teens.

Where HALO had many five and four star reviews on Amazon, HADES had only one. If the lack of stars wasn’t deterrent enough, the reviews were. But I’d already committed to reading HADES and after HALO, I needed to know the rest of the story.

As I began to read HADES I was shocked to discover it not only to be good but better then HALO. The poor reviews baffled me, because it was just as well written as HALO and for me, the story itself was intriguing and captivating. For a period of time, HALO’s pace was slow, though wonderfully written, where HADES was packed full of action that didn’t cease until the last sentence.

In HALO, Bethany Church is sent to Earth with her siblings to keep dark forces at bay. Angels weren’t supposed to fall for human but that’s exactly what happened when Bethany met Xavier Woods, the High School good guy. Jake Thorn, a demon, has other plans for Beth.

In HADES, Jake tricks Beth into his underworld, a world no Angel has ever gone before. Beth is forced to make a decision that could quite possible destroy her, and threaten Xavier’s love for her.

I highly recommend HALO and HADES not only for preteens and teens, but for adults as well. As an aspiring writer I found myself wanting to reread these books to capture the author’s unique play on words.

And talk about a cliffhanger…

NO WORDS NEEDED

WHAT'S IN A COLOR?

Glad to see a movie and book about this subject. It's so needed. It's too bad we have sight yet can't really see. Skin color is just that. A color. It's what's on the inside that matters.

THE HELP

A WONDERFUL TWIST

FAIRER THAN MORNING by Rosslyn Elliott threw me for a loop and took me by surprise. I felt as though I was taken back to the early 1800’s with Ms. Elliot’s amazing description and play on words. With three possible hero’s, I was kept guessing who would end up with the heroine, a unique twist from the stories I’m accustom to reading.

Ann Miller is pursued by Elie Bowen, a man any woman would be proud to marry. But there are lingering concerns, and when Ann travels with her father to Pittsburgh on business, she encounters two other men. Allan Burbridge, obviously smitten with her, but it’s Will Hanby that captures her curiosity.

Will, a saddle-maker’s apprentice, has suffered from loss of his family and abuse from his master. Upon his meeting Ann, the compassion he sees in her ignites in him hope that he long thought was dead. When Will is no longer able to endure the abuse of his master, he flees in hopes of finding Ann and her father.

The compassion of a few good Christians as well as Will’s growing faith was one to be admired. Ms. Elliott did a wonderful job conveying the hands and feet of Jesus in a natural and convincing way. I was truly humbled to read of their acts of Christianity as well as Will’s determination and faith despite his horrific circumstances.

As is often the case with me, I failed to read the back cover of FAIRER THAN MORNING, for if I had I would have realized the shocking information revealed in the final pages. I won’t give it away in case you’re like me, and love a good surprise.

THE THREE MORTAL SINS OF FICTION