Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief (Ernest Cunningham #4)
By: Benjamin Stevenson

[Fulfills the prompt: ‘Book with a door on the cover’ for the Shelf Reflection 2026 Reading Challenge]

[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2026]

“There’s more you can steal from a bank than just money.”

Oh Ernest… you’ve done it again…

What is it this time?

“how bout a bank manager locked out of his own vault, a bank robber who doesn’t seem to care about money, a guard who doesn’t care about protecting it, four dead bodies, a priest who can’t talk, and a talking bird that won’t shut up?”

Ten heists. Lots of suspects. Spontaneous human combustion. A mysterious apostrophe. This book has it all.

The complexity of the mystery, the humor, and the creative and clever writing style made this book a very enjoyable read; but by now, I’m not surprised. Kudos to Stevenson for the consistency in this series. We know exactly what we’re going to get but at the same time we have no idea what’s coming.

Benjamin Stevenson provides his WhatsApp number in the author’s note and invites readers to message him their guess after reading Chapter 40. My initial thought was: let’s do this! But then I read that far and I didn’t want to embarrass myself so I refrained.

I was so close to finishing, I didn’t want to take the time it would have required to go back through all the clues I highlighted and figure it out. I actually did manage to guess the right person/s and had the right clues but I did not put it altogether.

This one is pretty complex, I’d be impressed by anyone who could nail it down! I would love to see the mapping Stevenson did to write this thing.

If you don’t know who Ernest Cunningham is by now, you really should go back and read the series in order. I do think you could get by with reading this as a standalone, but it’s going to be a better experience if you understand Ernest and Juliette chronologically.

At this point in Ernest’s life, he has solved three murder cases that he just so happened to get himself involved in. And then he wrote books about them (because he’s a Golden-Age mystery writer).

He’s now trying to set up a legit detective agency but requires a loan for that to be realized.

“One banker told me my books were only shelved in bookshops as ‘murder mysteries’ because there isn’t a section for ‘insurance nightmares.’”

He has not had luck securing a loan so when a banker from Huxley, Australia (fictional city near Byron Bay— I probably would have gone with Mullumbimby… for obvious reasons) approaches him with an offer, Ernest jumps at the chance to check it out.

“‘You’re in need of a bank. And it just so happens I’m in need of a detective.’”

Winston, the bank manager, cannot open the bank vault. His brother Edward (co-manager) changed the vault code and has now disappeared. Winston needs Ernest to find Edward so he doesn’t have to publicize the vault debacle.

Of course, Ernest finds himself in quite the predicament when suddenly a bank robber strolls in and takes him and a bunch of other people (including a priest, a sick woman with an IV pole, a teenager with a piggy bank, and the Hollywood producer who is optioning one of Ernest’s books to film) hostage.

Ernest’s missing person case just got a lot deeper.

But Big Ern is not one to back down from a challenge. He’s going to solve this case even if it costs him his life. Which isn’t as heroic as it sounds considering he makes some pretty stupid decisions in the book.

But at least he admits it:

“remember, I’m an idiot, not a psychopath.”

Thus, we immediately find out in the book that he’s writing this all down from inside a vault from which he cannot escape and is running out of air. How’d he get himself in there? And does he know who the thieves slash robbers slash murderers are?? Will he be able to get out in time to have a dramatic parlour scene where he reveals all the things?!?

You’ll have to read the book to find out!

As mentioned before, Stevenson is just a clever writer and I thoroughly enjoy his creativity and sarcasm. Ernest’s character is so good. I was trying to figure out who to compare him to and the best I could come up with is: the wit, down-to-earthness and self-deprecation of Nate Bargatze mixed with half of Tony Stark’s intelligence (maybe a fourth, I don’t know if I fully grasp Stark’s genius) and a dash of Owen Wilson’s confidence. Perhaps a bit of Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar character too.

It’s like a more likeable version of Adam Sandler’s character in the Murder Mystery movies.

It’s like he was raised by Steve Martin’s Pink Panther character but turned out (mostly) normal.

Clearly I’m still workshopping this.

Anyway, here are a few funny lines in the book to give you an idea of Stevenson’s writing style:

“Juliette has a list of careers as long as the rib-cage tattoo of a poetry-loving surfer.”

“I was as surprised by Winston Huxley’s words as his head seemed to be to have hair on it.”

“‘If you’d have just died like you were supposed to, you wouldn’t be so offended.’”

“[Byron Bay] where positive thinking meets negative gearing and people walk barefoot to connect with Mother Nature, provided that Mother Nature is the name of their wi-fi network.” (and is the home to the Hemsworth boys)

Amidst the chaos and Ernest’s weird case-solving energy, we do get a existential moment of clarity from Ernest that I appreciated, however short it ended up being:

“I would rather die with a reason than live without one.”

Wise words.

Okay, I finally have some new Australian lingo to share with the world!

Let’s see if you can figure out what they mean by this sentence:

If they would have stopped telling porkies about the weather I could have grabbed my brolly before I carked it from getting too wet.

Those who live in Australia (and possibly the UK) would agree— people are sayin’ this stuff allllllll the time.

So yeah porkies are lies. A brolly is an umbrella. and to cark it is to become a carcass. I mean die.

Seriously, Australians are so much better at slang. In America all we get is bro and 6 7.

Speaking of language… this book brings up leetspeak. Which is wild because I just read the book Fatal Intrusion by Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado and that’s a big theme in that one. So if you’re interested in books with the obscure combination of leetspeak and crimes, check it out.

Speaking of things from this book that are in other books, there was a quote from Everyone in This Bank Is a Thief that sounded very familiar to me:

“This is no longer a murder mystery. It’s a rescue mission.”

I figured out why. The quote I chose from the book Gone Dark by Ryan Steck was “This wasn’t a rescue mission anymore. It was a crime scene.” So I just read the inverse story apparently!

Speaking of the future… I have a guess at what Stevenson is going to write next.

He keeps making comments about whether someone is going to die at their wedding or not, so I’m going to guess that’s what the next book will be about: Everyone at This Wedding is a Cheater. Actually that would be terrible to read about.

Let’s get obscure: Everyone at this Wedding is a Detective.

And everyone’s trying to solve their own little mystery that brought them to the wedding but it’s all going to be related to one thing… Spoiler: it was an elaborate challenged planned by Ernest, himself, as a wedding gift to his guests. And of course it goes all wrong and someone ruins the cake and another one dies (by natural causes), but hey, you can’t have it all. Anyway, Stevenson, let me know if you want to write this one together ;)

P.S. Why did Ernest ask if Edward knitted or crocheted?

Recommendation

Totally.

[Content Advisory: 5 f-words, 3 s-words; no sexual content; we do read about some human combustion and their face melts off and a few other grotesque things but it’s science-y so don’t have feelings about it… ]

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

This book just released March, 2026. You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

The Cross of Christ
By: John R.W. Stott

“I try to show that the cross transforms everything. It gives us a new, worshiping relationship to God, a new and balanced understanding of ourselves, a new incentive to give ourselves in mission, a new love for our enemies, and a new courage to face the perplexities of suffering.”  

This is a theologically rich book that will deepen your understanding of the cross and why it is necessary, beautiful, victorious, and a revelation of God himself.

John Stott first wrote this book in 1985. I read the 20th Anniversary Edition that was republished in 2005 with a new foreword by Alistair McGrath. The Cross of Christ has long been considered a staple read for Christians (kind of like Knowing God or Mere Christianity) and I concur with that. I’m not sure there is another book out there that is more detailed and comprehensive regarding the cross and atonement.

I’ve had this book on my shelf for a few years now, always intending to read it, but knowing it would take me awhile, continuing to push it off. I’m glad I finally picked it up. Especially because recently I’ve been encountering more and more people rejecting penal substitutionary atonement (most recently in The Myth of Good Christian Parenting) which has baffled me.

I, like Stott, am surprised by how unpopular substitutionary atonement is. I then learned about all these different ‘theories’ of atonement, which I somehow hadn’t heard of before, but felt a little overwhelmed. I had no idea when I started Stott’s book that he would lay them all out for me, showing me what is appealing about each, where it is based in a truth, but most importantly, where they are incomplete.

That alone is worth reading this book because I think the average church-attender might not know how to discern distortions of the atonement. But there is so much more to this book than that. I took like 60 pages of typed notes while reading this book, folks. Even for someone lacking in brevity, that’s a lot of pages for me.

Stott’s writing, though a little dense at times, is very clear. It’s almost like a whole bunch of sermons in one book. He will have three reasons for such and such or four things we learn from this or four pictures that illustrate this, etc, and many summary statements that make it easy to follow along. If you wanted to outline the entire book (for some reason) it would be very straightforward to do.

One thing that is great about the book (at least in the anniversary edition— not sure if it’s in the original) is the Study Guide at the end. I didn’t notice it until I was a good chunk of the way through or I would have utilized it more, but it would be very useful for people wanting to read and discuss the book together or, individually, as a way to sum up and remember the main points of each chapter as you go along.

If you’ve ever wondered… why is the cross what most symbolizes and represents Christianity? why did Jesus die? why couldn’t God just forgive us? is the Old Testament God full of wrath but the New Testament God full of love? how do we reconcile God’s anger with his love? can God suffer? can God die? what’s the difference between justification and forgiveness? how is the cross glorious? why is the Lord’s Supper important? why would God allow us to suffer?… then this book is definitely for you.

It answers far more than these questions and even presents questions that I didn’t know I wanted the answers to.

Stott divides his book into four sections: Approaching the Cross, The Heart of the Cross, the Achievement of the Cross, and Living Under the Cross.

I’ll just share a few of the things in the book that really stuck out to me and my ultimate recommendation is at the end.

In the section about approaching the cross where he talks about why Jesus died and looked at the role of Judas, the high priests, and Pilate, he reminds us that we can’t fully separate ourselves from what happened on the cross. It’s worth quoting at length:

“If we were in their place, we would have done what they did. Indeed, we have done it. For whenever we turn away from Christ, we “are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace” (Heb 6:6). We too sacrifice Jesus to our greed like Judas, to our envy like the priests, to our ambition like Pilate. ‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’ The old negro spiritual asks. And we must answer, ‘yes, we were there.’ Not as spectators only, but as participants, guilty participants, plotting, scheming, betraying, bargaining and handing him over to be crucified. We may try to wash our hands  of responsibility like  Pilate.  But our attempt will be as futile as his. For there is blood on our hands. Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us  (leading us to faith and worship) we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance). Indeed, ‘only the man who is prepared to own his share in the guilt of the cross,’ wrote Canon  Peter Green, ‘may claim his share in its grace.’”

In the section on the heart of the cross he gets right down to one of the hardest parts to understand about the cross and forgiveness. Why did Jesus have to die? Why couldn’t God just forgive us?

Much is said about God’s love today, and rightly so because he is love. But what is missing about this description is what Stott calls his ‘holy love.’

“His love is “holy love”, love which yearns over sinners while at the same time refusing to condone their sin. How, then, could God express his holy love— his love in forgiving sinners without compromising his holiness, and his holiness in judging sinners without frustrating his love?”

The answer is the cross.

“On the cross divine mercy and justice were equally expressed and eternally reconciled. God’s holy love was ‘satisfied.’” 

The only response to sin by a holy God is justice. But because of his holy love, instead of making the guilty parties pay the cost, he substituted himself in our place.

As Stott goes through the other views of atonement, he shows that:

“All inadequate doctrines of the atonement are due to inadequate doctrines of God and humanity… The essential background to the cross, therefore, is a balanced understanding of the gravity of sin and the majesty of God. If we diminish either, we thereby diminish the cross. If we reinterpret sin as a lapse instead of a rebellion, and God as indulgent instead of indignant, then naturally the cross appears superfluous.”

For example, the view of atonement often called Ransom to Satan or Christus Victor originates from the idea that the cross was necessary because God had to satisfy Satan, that somehow he owed something to the devil because of our sin. But the cross was not a transaction with the devil as if he lorded any debt over God. It’s God we have sinned against.

Ambrose’s view of atonement is that Christ had to satisfy the law and that God had his hands tied, forced to require punishment for disobeying the law. But God is not imprisoned by his own law, he is the creator of the law and the law “is the expression of his own moral being” which is always self-consistent.

Anselm’s view is called the Satisfaction Theory and rightly accounts for the gravity of sin, the holiness of God, and the perfection of Christ and his voluntary death for us, but it seems to put Jesus and God on opposing sides, almost painting God as a “feudal overlord” demanding honor that Jesus, apart from God, decides to satisfy.

Abelard’s Moral Influence view emphasizes the cross as a demonstration meant to inspire repentance rather than an actual payment of sin.

“In differing degrees, all these formulations are true. The limitation they share is that unless they are very carefully stated, they represent God as being subordinate to something outside and above himself which controls his actions, to which he is accountable, and from which he cannot free himself. Satisfaction is an appropriate word, providing we realize that it is he himself in his inner being who needs to be satisfied, and not something external to himself. Talk of law, honor, justice and the moral order is true only in so far as these are seen as expressions of God’s own character. Atonement is a ‘necessity’ because it ‘arises from within God himself.’” 

God must satisfy himself. And Jesus, as a member of the Trinity, is never at odds with the Father or the Spirit. They are one.

“We must never make Christ the object of God’s punishment or God the object of Christ’s persuasion, for both God and Christ were subjects not objects, taking the initiative together to save sinners… their wills coincided in the perfect self-sacrifice of love.”

Stott says that he hasn’t seen a more careful statement about substitutionary atonement as this one by Dr. Charles Cranfield:

“God, because in his mercy he willed to forgive sinful men, and, being truly merciful, willed to forgive them righteously, that is, without in any way condoning their sin, purposed to direct against his own very self in the person of his Son the full weight of that righteous wrath which they deserved.” 

Stott then spends time talking about the Old Testament sacrificial system and the Passover to underscore what substitution means, who was eligible to make it, and why it was just.

Stott takes on all the objections and arguments and does a great job leading us through Scripture to show how essential the principle of ‘satisfaction through substitution’ is for Bible-believing Christians. He has strong words against anyone attempting to remove these from their theology. We can be sure that there is nothing immoral about penal substitutionary atonement (Christ taking on the legal punishment for our sin) because the substitute for us was “the Lawmaker himself.”

Again, I’ll quote at length here because it is a good summary that I’ll probably refer back to:

“The cross was not a commercial bargain with the devil, let alone one that tricked and trapped him; nor an exact equivalent, a quid pro quo to satisfy a code of honor or technical point of law; nor a compulsory submission by God to some moral authority above him from which he could not otherwise escape; nor a punishment of a meek Christ by a harsh and punitive Father; nor a procurement of salvation by a loving Christ from a mean and reluctant Father; nor an action of the Father which bypassed Christ as Mediator. Instead, the righteous, loving Father humbled himself to become in and through his only Son flesh, sin and a curse for us, in order to redeem us without compromising his own character. The theological words satisfaction and substitution need to be carefully defined and safeguarded, but they cannot in any circumstances be given up. The biblical gospel of atonement is of God satisfying himself by substituting himself for us.”

In the section on the achievement of the cross, he covers three things the cross did: rescued us (salvation), disclosed himself (revelation), and overcame evil (conquest).

He goes through four ‘theology’ words with helpful and easy to understand illustrations that help us see a complete picture of salvation:

“Propitiation introduces us to rituals at a shrine, redemption to transactions in a marketplace, justification to proceedings in a court of law, and reconciliation to experiences in a home or family. My contention is that ‘substitution’ is not a further ‘theory’ or ‘image’ to be set alongside the others, but rather the foundation of them all, without which each lacks cogency.” 

“Each of these four New Testament images of salvation highlights a different aspect of our human need. Propitiation underscores the wrath of God upon us, redemption our captivity to sin, justification our guilt, and reconciliation our enmity against God and alienation from him.” 

He declares that ‘substitution’ is not a ‘theory’ of atonement but the very essence of it.

In the section on living under the cross, I really enjoyed the chapter about self-understanding.

Many today confuse self-affirmation with self-love. He does a great job of showing how it is biblical to both deny yourself and affirm yourself:

“The self we are to deny, disown and crucify is our fallen self, everything within us that is incompatible with Jesus Christ. The self we are to affirm and value is our created self, everything within us that is compatible with Jesus Christ. True self-denial is not the road to self-destruction but the road to self-discovery.” 

“the cross is the God-given measure of the value of our true self, since Christ loved us and died for us. On the other hand, it is the God-given model for the denial of our false self, since we are to nail it to the cross and so put it to death… we see simultaneously our worth and our unworthiness, since we perceive both the greatness of his love in dying, and the greatness of our sin in causing him to die.”

(These truths align so well with Galatians which I just happened to be studying while reading this book. It was a pleasant surprise that the Conclusion went through the entire book of Galatians!)

The cross not only corrects our view of self, but is also the foundation for how we love our enemies.

This chapter was the practical ‘how to live in your community’ with this knowledge part.

The last chapter looks at how the cross informs our view of suffering. I thought this part was really good too. I’ve read a lot of books on pain and suffering— which I can only imagine must mean God is equipping me for something down the road— so this wasn’t necessarily new information but it is always good to be reminded how suffering is attached to growth and maturity. Suffering, however painful, is not Godforsaken; God is there with us. We share his sufferings that we might share in his glory when all is made right.

When we change our mindset to expect suffering, knowing God is refining us, pruning us, we can endure for our loving God is producing a holiness in us that is made for heaven.

“The cross does not solve the problem of suffering, but it supplies the essential perspective from which to look at it. Since God has demonstrated his holy love and loving justice in a historical event (the cross), no other historical event (whether personal or global) can override or disprove it.” 

Some other quotes:

“whether we like it or not, we are involved. Our sins put him there. So, far from offering us flattery, the cross undermines our self-righteousness. We can stand before it only with a bowed head and a broken spirit. And there we remain until the Lord Jesus speaks to our hearts his word of pardon and acceptance, and we, gripped by his love and full of thanksgiving, go out into the world to live our lives in his service.”  

“that Christ died for us, for our good; that the ‘good’ he died to procure for us was our salvation; that in order to procure it he had to deal with our sins; and that in dying for them it was our death that he died.”  

”It is altogether an error… to suppose that God acts at one time according to one of his attributes, and at another time according to another. He acts in conformity with all of them at all times… It is a case of combined action, and not of counteraction, on the part of these attributes, that is exhibited on the cross.”— Thomas J. Crawford 

“What looks like (and indeed was) the defeat of goodness by evil is also, and more certainly, the defeat of evil by goodness. Overcome there, he was himself overcoming. Crushed by the ruthless power of Rome, he was himself crushing the serpent’s head. The victim was the victor, and the cross is still the throne from which he rules the world.” 

“In fact, all three of the major explanations of the death of Christ contains biblical truth and can to some extent be harmonized, especially if we observe that the chief difference between them is that in each God’s work in Christ is directed toward a different person. In the ‘objective’ view God satisfies himself, in the ‘subjective’ he inspires us, and in the ‘classic’ he overcomes the devil. Thus Jesus Christ is successively the Savior, the Teacher and the Victor, because we ourselves are guilty, apathetic and in bondage. [1 Cor 1:30] ‘justification, sanctification, and redemption’… some may gravitate to the great Deliverance, some to the great Atonement, and some to the great Regeneration’ yet all are part of the Savior’s total accomplishment, ‘the destruction of evil, the satisfaction of God, and the sanctification of men.’” (Forsyth) 

“To sum up, the gospel includes both the death and the resurrection of Jesus, since nothing would have been accomplished by his death if he had not been raised from it. Yet the gospel emphasizes the cross, since it was there that the victory was accomplished. The resurrection did not achieve our deliverance from sin and death, but has brought us an assurance of both.”  

“To be an enemy of the cross is to set ourselves against its purposes. Self-righteousness (instead of looking to the cross for justification), self-indulgence (instead of taking up the cross to follow Christ), self-advertisement (instead of preaching Christ crucified) and self-glorification (instead of glorying in the cross)— these are the distortions that make us ‘enemies’ of Christ’s cross”

Recommendation

This will not be a light or fast read, but I do believe it to be an accessible and essential read to expand and deepen your understanding of the cross.

I think I’ll be coming back to my notes a lot as different questions come up. This book is a classic for a reason and I recommend it whether you are a pastor, a layperson, or even an atheist who wants to know what the heck the deal is with all the cross stuff.

Rest assured, the cross does not put God’s wrath at odds with his love, but presents the most beautiful combination of them— his holy love— that is our path to freedom and to life and leads us to worship and service in gratitude that he made a way for us that we did not deserve. Thank you, Lord.

You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

Daughter of the Rebellion
By: Jamie Ogle

[Fulfills the prompt: ‘Book about a historical event that’s not from WWII’ for the Shelf Reflection 2026 Reading Challenge]

[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2026]

“‘We trust that right will prevail in the end. It is rarely easy, always costly, but never hopeless.’”

It’s been awhile since I’ve read something set during the Roman empire! I was going to say that was a fun change of scenery but it’s about gladiators and gladiatrixes so fun is not the right word.

This was a fictionalized telling of the historical Telemachus and his influence in ending the gladiatorial games in Rome.

Daughter of the Rebellion is a love story filled with pain, bravery, vulnerability, honor, and heroism. It shows that we can trust God even with our darkest moments.

That “‘Just because something seems impossible doesn’t mean we do nothing.’”

The gladiator system might have touted valor and honor, but it is empty and false because it rejects the dignity of image-bearers. Christianity entreats us to honor God who is the source of both strength and mercy, justice and love. Part of honoring the Lord is honoring his creation— his image-bearers— and treasuring life.

It’s always humbling to think about Christians before me and the persecution they faced (and still face around the world). The Christian life is not an easy one, but it’s the only one with true hope. This book gives us a good example of how to stand and resist what is contrary to God’s design. What a legacy of faith and trust Christian martyrs leave behind!

The cover image is a little misleading. Our main character is a female— Adelgard— but she is a prisoner of war sold to a ludus and forced to be a gladiatrix. Pretty much the entire book revolves around that situation. The cover makes it seem like she is living this calm, fancy life when in reality she spends her days in the sand fighting for her life and her honor.

I had never heard of Telemachus before. In my own research it seems we don’t know a lot about it and some stories differ from one another. That’s probably why Ogle opted to imagine her story focused on two other characters— a gladiatrix and a medicus— that knew Telemachus rather than make him the true focal point.

I don’t know if the final publication will include an author’s note at the end that shares which parts of the story were true. I read the advanced readers’ copy and to my chagrin, that version did not. I would love to know what Ogle found in her research! Based on the details of the gladiator life she wove into the story, it’s clear she did a lot of it.

[UPDATE: I have confirmed that the final publication has an author’s note that separates fact from fiction]

It is hard to read about the gladiatorial games because we do know the true history and horror that played out in those arenas; Adelgard’s plight is heartbreaking. Having visited the Colosseum in Rome, it was sobering to look around and imagine people treating violence and death as a form of entertainment.

At the time of Telemachus’ ‘event’ (I won’t say exactly what it is because I feel like that’s a spoiler) Rome was ruled by young Emperor Honorius who was recognized as a Christian. At this point in history Christianity was the established state religion. Telemachus is appalled that Christians would still be allowing, promoting, and enjoying the despicable practice of the games and was urging the emperor to stop them.

In the story Adelgard is a Visigoth, a people group from the Balkans ruled by Alaric at the time. Though, historically, Alaric was responsible for the sack of Rome in 410, Ogle used his animosity a little differently in the story and the timeline is different. I’m guessing this is fiction, but in the book Alaric is threatening to attack Rome if the emperor does not release his people who were captured, including his own wife and daughters.

Telemachus tries to press upon this information and persuade Honorius to meet Alaric’s demands. In this story Telemachus, a monk from the East who spent time as a gladiator earlier in his life, had been with the Visigoth people teaching them the Scriptures. He knows Adelgard personally and because of his own experience, knows what she’s going through as a gladiator.

Meanwhile Adelgard is telling herself that she doesn’t mind being a gladiatrix. Feeling betrayed during her capture, previously ostracized by her people, and feeling unwanted by her own father, she views her role as a gladiatrix as something purposeful, a way to achieve her own worth.

She thinks she is being taken care of by the Romans, fed and clothed, and because of her fame, loved. No one has ever fought for her before so she is perfectly fine to take her life into her own hands and work her way up to a better life.

“The only way to stop fighting forever was to prove herself worthy and earn a place among the magistri— or die trying. To be unable to even try… That offered a fate worse than death.”

Enter character two: Felix. Felix, schooled as a doctor in Alexandria, left the family business at the ludus because of his Christian beliefs. Now he would do no harm. But when his father disappears after accumulating a big debt, Felix feels forced back to the family business to provide for his mother and sisters. He becomes one of the doctors to the fighters.

This is where he meets Adelgard. And where we get the romance aspect of the book.

Felix becomes close to Adel and cares for her. He eventually teams up with Telemachus and some other monks to try to help Adel and the other captives escape their fate.

“‘I do not know if anyone can survive what is coming. You have given us hope, Felix. And that is a better gift than any I have ever received.’”

Adel unknowingly helps give Felix the courage and strength to do the right thing, and Felix helps Adel know her worth, that not every man will lie to her and take advantage of her:

“‘You, Adelgard, are a woman worth fighting for.’” *cue swoon

Jamie Ogle has written a compelling story that makes you feel like you’re there. Even though it’s a heavy atmosphere, she still manages to include some humor and lightheartedness. I enjoyed Felix’s relationship with his sisters and the banter he shared with Adel.

I loved the themes that explored courage and love and how the characters realized they were both justifying something wrong because they weren’t trusting the Lord for what they needed (Adel justifying her own abuse, calling it love; Felix justifying being part of a murderous organization because he needed provision).

It’s a dark part of history, but Ogle shows us where the light is.

Recommendation

I thought this was a great read, especially if you enjoy historical fiction or books set in the Roman empire.

We might not find ourselves in a Colosseum like Adelgard, but we still must be on our guard against compromising our beliefs for what is popular. We have our own battles to resist the lure of sin, of complacency, of fame, of self-sufficiency. This story reminds us that though our journey is hard and costly, it is never hopeless.

‘The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.’ (Psalm 33:10-11)

This was my first Jamie Ogle book, and I’d read another.

[Content Advisory: No swearing or sexual content (there was some sexual harrassment); Many of the fights are described so there is a lot of violence and some death but I wouldn’t say it’s super graphic or gratuitous.]

**Received an ARC via Tyndale House Publishers**

This book releases May, 2026. You can pre-order/order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

Fatal Intrusion (Sanchez & Heron #1)
By: Jeffery Deaver & Isabella Maldonado

[Fulfills the prompt: ‘Book with a title that would make a good excuse for being late’ for the Shelf Reflection 2026 Reading Challenge]

“The man lying at his feet hunted snakes, but this time he’d been the one hunted. And by a far superior predator— a spider.”

If you didn’t have arachnophobia before, you might after reading this book. The antagonist, aka Spider (a person, not the creature), is a serial killer who fashions his kills like those of various spider species (the creatures). I was blissfully unaware of some of these facts and now my bliss has been stolen.

Not only did it remind me of my spider fears, but it also unlocked some new fears in regards to cyber security and hackers. So that’s neat.

I’m now concerned that the customer representatives I speak to on the phone about my appliance warranty is going to use my personal information to plan an attack and then plant fake emails in my inbox to distract the police from finding my suffocated body. But whatevs. I’m cool. It’s cool. It’s not real. Is it real?

Serial killer and thriller books don’t usually bother me because I know that it’s NOT REAL. But this book felt on the edge of reality because I don’t actually know what the hacker scene is out there. Can peoples do these things right now?!

The real problem in this book— which I can’t reveal— is crazy scary. How can people live with themselves when they do these things?

I just want to keep believing that my email is secure and my locks will keep the bad guys out.

It was bad timing that while reading I also happened to watch a YouTube video (which I hardly ever do) about the potential partnership with Ring doorbells and sidewalk cams to use for facial recognition and some sort of neighborhood watch collective that sounds like a really terrible invasion of privacy.

“The dangers of video surveillance and facial recognition occupied three solid hours in his course.”

Jake Heron would be turning over in his grave right now. (If he were real and also dead).

This book was a little more gruesome and disturbing than I was expecting. I’ve read a lot of Isabella Maldonado books— she’s one of my auto-reads which is why we’re here— and her books have some disturbing serial killers, but there was just something about this book that felt different.

Maybe it was Deaver’s contribution? It had twice as much swearing as Maldonado’s ‘usual’ amount. It’s hard to put a finger on why this book felt worse. Maybe it’s just the spiders. I don’t know. But I do think there will be some readers that might not get into this one because of some of the disturbing parts.

ANYWAY.

Overall, this story, set in California, had a bit of a slow start but there were some great twists and turns that ratcheted the intrigue and conflict up in the second half when you suddenly realize that things aren’t what they seem.

This book had layers and I liked that.

I also liked the partnership between Sanchez and Heron.

Carmen Sanchez’s skills, intellect, and character are pretty on par with Maldonado’s other series (Nina Guerrera and Daniela Vega). She’s the tough but brilliant federal agent who will stop at nothing to capture the killer. Also because the killer attacked her sister, but she would have done it anyway, you just know.

Professor Jacoby Heron is a cyber security genius who can write righteous code (that’s what it’s called, I’m not tapping into my inner-Crush) and is obsessed with ‘points of potential intrusion.’ But it’s precisely this intrusion knowledge that is essential to identify who the killer is.

“‘The first step toward analyzing a crime is identifying the Points of Potential Intrusion. How the victims were selected and targeted. That’ll lead to the perp’s motives and eventually identities. We need to keep looking for PPIs. They’re there, and I can find them. It’s what I do.’”

Of course, it’s not just any partnership. We learn there is some sort of history between the two that they will need to resolve.

“‘Active dislike bordering on open hostility… but we trust each other.’”

But considering it’s a series, you know it somehow works out because they’ll be together on another case in the future. And beware, it could get romantic (based on all the sexual tension talked about in this book).

I do think the reader gets to know Heron better than Sanchez. Heron has a more interesting personality. He is quirky and funny. Maybe it’s because Heron has a civilian role and we only get Sanchez ‘on the job.’ We get some snippets between her and her sister that try to add depth, but largely her character just feels a little one-dimensional compared to Heron’s.

Hopefully in the next one we can see some of her flaws or her quirks, a little more personality.

There is also something with her family that is left unresolved in this book and I hope that gets picked up in the next one too. That will probably help shape her into a more interesting person.

Some other random thoughts and comments:

Most books leave the villain nameless and mysterious because it’s another character in the book that you would least suspect. This is not one of those books.

This one is about the chase. The reader knows the name of the killer pretty much right away. I’m not always a fan of that because it feels like it removes too much mystery. But this one is less about who the guy is and more about what he’s part of. The mystery is in the game of cat and mouse and if they uncover what’s really going on. It worked okay here.

If you’re wondering about potential points of intrusion, here’s some of what Heron covers in his class: “Crime, for one. All criminals intrude. Then war… Then there’s political intrusion. All laws and regulations affect us, and some consider those intrusive. Government snooping? Intrusion. Corporate data mining? Intrusion. And what about religion? When does a comforting sect step so far into your life you find yourself in a cult or a terrorist cell?”

Also, “humor was one of the most dangerous forms of intrusion. If you made people laugh, you owned them.”

See? Isn’t this fun? We can even be afraid of funny people!

Similar to the points of intrusion is geographical profiling. I loved this reference because it reminded me of Steven James’ serial killer series The Patrick Bowers files which is so good and the main killer-catcher-guy (Patrick Bowers… like Jack Bauer… but… Patrick…) does geographical profiling for the FBI and it’s awesome.

I probably already knew this but I verified that this is real-life-happening-today. Electronic detection canines are real. It’s wild! They can sniff out a chemical component used to create electronic devices. I’m not a dog-lover, but I love that dogs can do this. And that someone figured out that dogs could do this.

Another thing I learned is the difference between a labyrinth and a maze. There is only one way through a labyrinth, you get to the middle eventually. But a maze has branches off and dead ends: “A maze could trap you forever.” Does this have any bearing on the book? Nope. But you can annoyingly correct the next person who uses them interchangeably now.

Recommendation

So I had The Grave Artist (the next book in this series) on my to-read list without realizing it was a series so I obviously had to come back and read this one first. They do set the next book up quite well so sure, I’ll read the next one. Let’s see what other security blankets Deaver and Maldonado can destroy for me. Should be fun.

Sarcasm aside, I will read the next one, but depending how that one is, I may not read further. I will probably just stick to Maldonado’s solo books which are somehow less disturbing for me. I don’t make the rules.

If you have an intense fear of spiders or are grossed out by someone possibly being boiled up like a stew or would like to avoid knowing about all the cyber-scares out there haunting us, then this book could be a fatal intrusion on your life you could probably do without.

For all others: good luck.

Keep an eye out for my review of book two and we’ll see where my list of fears is at.

[Content Advisory: 22 f-words, 43 s-words, 12 b-words; some sexual innuendo and crudeness]

You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

Humility: The Joy of Self-Forgetfulness
By: Gavin Ortlund

“Humility is the nourishing, calming acceptance that you have a small place in a much larger story: that your life is being guided by something far bigger than your plans or controls, and serving something far bigger than your ‘sole benefit.’”

This book is not to be confused with Tim Keller’s book, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, which is also a great read. Ortlund has written this nice little book (95 pages) that is super practical for both leaders and non-leaders to kill pride and foster humility that can’t help but turn into joy.

While there is naturally some overlap, they look at humility from a little different angles.

If I’m remembering Keller’s book correctly, it focuses a lot on achievement vs rest and how our identity is not wrapped up in what we do right or wrong.

Similarly, Ortlund does touch on how the gospel message fuels our humility. Both authors also make distinctions between self-love, self-hatred, and humility.

However, Ortlund goes a little further than I believe Keller did by giving a lot of practical action steps. He gives ten steps to kill pride, and he has chapters written specifically for humility in leadership (which includes parents), humility towards our peers, and humility towards leaders (as church members).

Both books are short and valuable so go ahead and read them both!

Ortlund begins his book with addressing three misconceptions of humility that are very important. I think we get these wrong a lot!

He says that humility is not “hiding,” “self-hatred,” or “weakness.”

It’s been said that humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. It’s not about self-degradation or puffing yourself up, but having a correct view of the self.

Ortlund advises, “Whatever else humility will require of you, it will never rob you of your dignity as an image bearer of God.”

We can still take care of ourselves and view ourselves in a healthy way that recognizes our dignity as God’s creation.

Because our identity and worth is in Christ and not in our achievements or appearances, “it frees us from the restricting needs of the ego— the need to be in charge, the need to look good, the need to defend ourselves, and so on.”

Ironically, self-hiding, self-hatred, and self-protection all cause us to still be pre-occupied with ourselves. Humility frees us from self-preoccupation.

When we think about how the gospel is the foundation and the fuel for humility, Ortlund points out that we need to face these sobering thoughts first:

“The gospel teaches us to measure our pride by the cross of Christ… our pride put the Son of God on the cross… our sins put Jesus on the cross.”

“We bow twice… We bow first before God because we are creatures and he is Creator; then we bow again because we are sinners and he is Judge and Savior.”

We must see this reality first, and then we can move on to the next reality: the gospel also says that those sins are covered.

We have been given new life; we are new creations. We have been offered forgiveness for those sins and the gift of Christ’s righteousness. None of this is our own doing, but rests solely in the power and hands of Jesus. Our ego can have no foothold.

All of this is proof that we are so tenderly loved by God, so we are humbled and filled with joy that we can just be part of God’s bigger story of redemption. We are free from having to tell a better story that puts us at the center. The joy of humility and self-forgetfulness.

I won’t list them all but some of the ways he recommends to kill pride was to become better listeners, to practice gratitude, to learn from criticism, laugh at yourself, and enjoy life— gratefully accepting right pleasures as gifts from God.

When Ortlund talked about humility in leadership he was clear and transparent about the failures of so many leaders who used their position of power to abuse and hurt others. He believes these things can ultimately be traced back to lack of humility.

“I’d put it this strongly: if you are in a position of authority, you will become either a servant or a bully. Your authority will be experienced by others as either freedom or oppression, depending on whether it is marked by humility.”

His strategies for maintaining humility as a leader (including parents) is to be unthreatened by others’ success and abilities, to be able to delegate to others, make a practice of encouraging others, correct in gentleness, and be willing to apologize.

I don’t hold a corporate place of leadership but as a parent, I recognize how these are so important and relevant to leading my kids. I need to do a better job of those last three and I think that will make a big difference in my relationship with my kids. I think we forget that it’s easy to become a bully of a parent rather than a servant because we think that’s the only way to teach obedience, but it’s definitely not. Humility is such a key to good parenting and I needed that reminder!

The chapter about humility towards peers zeroed in on combating envy. I thought it was good how he showed the danger and miserableness of envy. I think we downplay it way more than we should.

To fight envy, we can pray for the blessing of others. Another way— this is his epilogue— get off social media. Get off any platform that puts you in an endless cycle of seeing all the things you don’t have but want, seeing what everyone else is doing that you’re not, seeing what everyone else’s friends or spouses are doing that yours aren’t. All it does is sow discontentment and envy which steals your joy so easily.

Ortlund doesn’t say to get off of it. He more so addresses self-promotion and meanness, which are also good reminders, but I think some people might be so entrenched in the social media world that they need to take a hiatus to see how much it really is affecting them.

The last chapter is about humility towards leadership. This is a tricky chapter because the main theme is ‘submission’ which always makes people flinch— myself included. I’ve had bad experiences with church leadership where it made submitting really hard.

Ortlund reminds us: “Submission does not mean blind acceptance or passive reception of whatever the leadership says or does.”

Instead, a better way to look at submission is “accepting something you otherwise would not choose. It means turning, changing, adjusting.”

It takes a lot of discernment to know when the leadership is just doing something you wouldn’t choose or when it has crossed the line into something that needs church discipline, etc.

We can pray for discernment, but another way Ortlund encourages church members to submit to leadership is to simply be teachable: “you want to be the kind of person to whom it is easy to give advice, who really listens to and values others’ feedback.”

I thought this was a really good, but convicting, piece of advice: “Instead of saying ‘I will support the leadership if I have a good reason to’ say, ‘I will joyfully support the leadership unless I have a good reason not to.’”

Recommendation

It’s a little book that packs a punch and gives actionable steps to embrace humility whether you pastor a church, parent a family, or interact with peers.

I would definitely recommend this book.

The Ortlund brothers have written some great books, if you’re interested in more you can see what I’ve reviewed at these links: Gavin Ortlund, Eric Ortlund, Dane Ortlund.

You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

A Curse Upon Tides (The Empyreal Guardian Saga #2)
By: A.M. Daylin

[Fulfills one of the two for prompt: ‘Two books by the same author’ for the Shelf Reflection 2026 Reading Challenge]

“‘While the future we see when we choose to hope can never be guaranteed, it gives us the strength we need to endure today— to help us draw closer to that potential outcome.’”

This book makes me want to throw the elbow. Which means nothing to you unless you went to college with me, but I assure you, it is a good and exciting thing.

Our great adventure from These Hallowed Binds continues in A Curse Upon Tides! This was a roller coaster of ups and downs as our beloved characters continue their quest to save their world from the curse. I hope I don’t have to wait too long for the next book!

I just love the characters of this book and their mission. Daylin does a fantastic job of continuing and developing all the character arcs. I don’t always love when books change POV from chapter to chapter, but I love all her characters and enjoy each piece.

Each one of them is struggling with real and relatable things. Daylin doesn’t shy away from hard questions, but provides natural and truthful guidance that speaks to readers’ hearts as well.

This series reminds me of why I loved Ted Dekker’s Circle Series so much. There is a real battle for our souls and books like these help us see it more tangibly, to recognize that the quest for truth and salvation is all that matters. Following Christ is hard, but the best thing we’ll ever do.

A Curse Upon Tides sounds like a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and thus is well-titled because they do find themselves on a ship— complete with first and second-mates and a crow’s nest and even some swashbuckling (depending on if my definition of this word in my head is correct or not)— on a cursed sea as they set out to find Toaph— the Guardian they believe is their only hope for their world’s restoration in defeating Ta’Nathel.

In short, These Hallowed Binds left off with the exciting news that Toaph is alive! Calden, Nori, Alani, and Elias have reached the Citadel. Nori is to begin her ward training. And Calden now suspects his ‘curse’ is actually Toaph trying to communicate with him. He is trying to figure out how to access that information without triggering the violent outbursts that usually come with the visions. It must be the key to finding Toaph!

In long, see below.

If you haven’t read the first one, this review might feel confusing to you. Do yourself a ginormous and fun favor and start there first!

[I’m just going to use the same organization I used from my review of the first book because that makes the most sense in updating what we know about each thing.]

Summary/ Plot Points

A Curse Upon Tides begins just days after These Hallowed Binds. Nori’s induction ceremony is at hand. And while she doesn’t quite achieve all the marks, the council decides (with the persuasion from Calden) that she is ready enough. She can finish learning on the ship. They need to begin their journey to Raevre.

Why?

Elias shares some important information with Calden. This war that King Arlo and the Raevreans are fighting is because of a vortex that was discovered in Raevre in The Valley of the Four Winds. The superstitious people of Raevre are interested in hidden magic, but King Arlo is afraid of magic and would like to prevent anyone from obtaining it.

The winds from all directions have converged, creating an unrelenting vortex. Of dust. Dust like what Calden sees in his visions. The winds are too strong for anyone to explore it: could this be Toaph? Could he be calling Calden to come to him?

Perhaps we will also learn more about Nori’s father and his death as we continue on— he was one of the first spies to investigate Raevre. Maybe he found something out he wasn’t supposed to know. Did he somehow share that information with Nori and she hasn’t realized it yet?

As I suspected, we do meet our other Bind members. First is Odessa, Calden’s sister. Her personality is a bit standoffish and ‘I’m above you’ kind of thing. Somewhat similar to Zuko’s sister, Azula, in Avatar (yes, I’m still referencing Avatar…), but without the evilness. At least that we know of. Part of me wonders if she is actually going to be the one to betray them.

Odessa’s Master Talent is to take vitality from other living things to strengthen her vitality wards and make them last longer. Technically she could draw vitality from other people to their own demise which is partly why I think Odessa might be more dangerous to the Bind than we first suspect. How pure of heart is she?

Big news in this book (it happens early on so I don’t feel like it’s a big spoiler): Calden’s father is alive. And he is the Oracle! That was shocking news for him that shook everything he knew about his father and his mother and his sister. How could they keep this information from him?

Turns out his father turned to corrupt magic because he was trying to help Calden with his search.

“It wasn’t for evil that he forsook us. It was for love.”

His mother and sister kept this information from him (and everyone else) because they feared Calden might try to follow his father— you know, because of his rebellious nature and tendency to push boundaries and question traditions that don’t make sense.

Calden finds out this information by running into his father in the tunnels (with Elias). And his father plants seeds of doubt in his mind. The Oracle claims that Toaph is actually the one who cursed the world. Ta’Nathel came to help but Toaph caged him. They need to free Ta’Nathel because he’s the only one that can defeat the corrupted Toaph. Calden has it backwards, he says. He lures him in with the promise of freedom from his curse (from Toaph) and accuses Toaph of wanting to limit and control the people.

Dangerous lies. Or are they?

These lies play into Calden’s internal struggle. Wrestling with his lot in life, the burden of bearing his ‘curse.’ He expresses this to Zamirah:

“‘I’m just thinking how much simpler life would be if El-Alam made me a scout rather than a prince. And a cursed one at that.’”

He feels like his life has never been his own.

And now he has to wonder if he’s gotten everything wrong this whole time.

I won’t give details, but a main event in this book stems from the fact that they are all vulnerable to be on the sea with Calden and his unpredictable curse. If he blasts a hole in the ship, they are at the mercy of the sea and all the creatures it contains.

Can they arrive in Raevre unharmed?

Let me just say, that no, they cannot. We lose a most valuable and loved member of the team and it is the worst.

New Characters:

Rhys and Rhiana are siblings and serve the royal family in the Citadel

Odessa- Calden’s sister and fellow bind member

Echo- the canyx (wolf-dog-fox-thing) they rescue in the tunnels that was supposed to be accursed but seemed to be kind; Is Calden blinded by his compassion and needs Elias to save him from Echo’s deception with his wisdom and scrutiny? Or is Echo the real deal and Elias needs to learn about trust and vulnerability?

Zamirah- crew member who can send messages across the sea

Willian- crew member who can control the wind

Sidenote: I noticed that with the alternating POV chapters, each character has their own symbol with their name. Zamirah has a bird (obviously), Elias has a lyre, and Nori and Calden have their bind mark arrows pointing in different directions. I was hoping that the arrows would move to new directions depending on where their ‘interal compass’ was pointing, but that would probably be too crazy to actually accomplish. So each one always points in the same way.

Biblical Allegory?

The allegories continue in this book (see These Hallowed Binds for more):

Part of Nori’s induction is being endowed with the tears of El-Alam (the God-figure in this world). In order to access his power which is behind all of their ‘magic’ wards, they must accept his tears of both joy and sorrow. I really liked this aspect. It’s like saying how we, as Christians, must take up our cross and follow Christ. Our road is not promised to be easy. In fact, we are told to expect hardship and persecution, but the road is still good.

To follow El-Alam is to acknowledge and accept a road with both sorrow and joy.

We get a bit more information on my speculations regarding Calden and Toaph that I share in the ‘How it Ended’ section as it’s kind of spoilers. We still don’t have definitive answers but we’re learning more and more about how deliverance will come.

I just think what Calden is going through is a confusion that a lot of people can relate to. It’s not exactly parallel to Scripture— God cursed the world, not Satan, though Satan obviously played a big part in introducing sin to Adam and Eve. And God’s curse was not unjust.

So a little different, but the idea that we have to discern lies from truth in a world where a lot of the lies sound right at first blush is relatable. Calden is also undergoing a lot of pain and internal hardship which is when we are the most vulnerable and susceptible to believe lies. When we hurt we always question the love and purposes of God. We think because every good thing comes from God (which is true) that any bad thing we face cannot have come from or be ordained by God.

Our view of goodness is so limited by our finite minds and volatile feelings. I think Daylin did a good job writing about this struggle because even as a reader I feel like I’m second guessing whether Toaph is good or not. What if everything IS backwards? (in this story— I’m not actually questioning God)

Which is why one thing I really hope is that Toaph is actually good in the story. I think that’s going to be really confusing for readers who are parsing out the allegory. The wardens are presented as the true followers of El-Alam, endowed with his power. If they’ve been believing a lie this whole time, that would really ruin the allegory I believe Daylin is writing. This isn’t the place for a twist like that and I don’t think Daylin would do that. I think she will expose the father of lies and have her characters hold fast to what is true, even when it hurts.

But we have not seen it put to the test and we have not been given definitive answers on the identities and purposes of all the players. We shall see.

Love Triangle

Daylin squashed the love triangle pretty quickly and handedly in this book, and I’m not mad about it!

I shared in the last review that if we’re going to have to pick a team, I’d pick Elias. And the reasons why I thought that felt very confirmed here.

Elias and Nori finally share their true feelings with one another:

“I’m here anytime you want to pretend you’re home.”

Nori was confused because of what she felt when Calden healed her, but once that’s sorted out she realizes her affection was also misunderstood. Her romantic love is rightly placed with Elias. Her home. *me making my hands into a heart

Calden realizes that he was only in love with the idea of Nori, not necessarily Nori herself. She was someone who saw the person behind his curse. Someone who wasn’t afraid of him. He’d been longing for that.

I love his honor and loyalty to Elias.

“Even if Nori never chooses him, me attempting to win her over would be a death sentence for our friendship. A treason of the highest order.”

He tells Elias: “What I felt for her before discovering who she is to you was only an ember of what you feel. And I will not fan into flame a fire that will burn you, my friend.”

[group hug]

Thanks Daylin! We can love them both!

And Calden is not doomed to be alone. Enter Zamirah. Her Master Talent is sending messages across the sea (using melody). She has been privy to everything regarding Calden from sending Calden’s mother’s messages trying to find a cure for him. Yet she does not fear Calden either. She is a strong and compassionate confidante for him.

She tells him- “‘Even the greatest blessings can come with consequences. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still blessings.’”

She is instrumental in helping Calden process his struggles and pointing him back to the truth of El-Alam and his purposes for his people.

I’m excited for both of these relationships and that Daylin chose not to maintain the conflict that strained the friendships.

Alani also gets to find a partner! She finds her match aboard the Celestella ship— Willian. Another sea-farer. Also a perfect match for her. They are epic ship-people because Alani’s Master Talent is controlling water (ahem, water-bending?) and Willian’s is controlling air (you get it).

We don’t get many details on their interactions. They just pop-up in the background with dancing, lovey-dovey eyes, sweet nothings, and the love of the sea binding them together. We see you, Alani!

[I just keep coming back to the fact that Odessa is not as bound to anyone as the others. If she doesn’t betray them, I will be shocked.]

The Magic

We get more information about how the wards work, and I love it!

“‘The power in the wards is alive as the God who grants it’… Her casual comment reminds me again that I’m not just drawing pictures, I’m stewarding a great and holy power that only a small percentage of humanity has ever been entrusted with.”

“Your mind commands the energy, your body conducts it, and your heart releases it. If your heart disagrees with the action, it will not release the energy.”

I like this idea of ‘stewarding power.’ It’s a more tangible representation of how we, as Christians, have access to the power of the Holy Spirit. Not to shoot vitality balls, hide doorways, or heal each other, but power to resist evil and to overcome the sin in our lives. Real, living power that we are entrusted with.

We were left with the question of how Calden was able to heal Nori and Elias couldn’t. We find out that it wasn’t because Calden loved Nori more deeply than Elias. But he was able to heal her by being a conduit for El-Alam’s love. The love Nori felt when she was being healed was El-Alam’s, not Calden. That’s why they were confused about their love for each other.

But this speaks more into Calden’s abilities as a warden. He has some sort of stronger access to El-Alam’s power than the other wardens. Probably tied to his ‘curse.’

Pronunciation Guide

I’m notorious for mispronouncing things so I had to find out how some of these things were said. She has a video for pronunciation for this book and the next on THIS Instagram post. I’ve added the ones for this book at the end of the previously compiled list:

Calden: Cal-den

Elias: ih-lie-us

Norielle: nor-E-elle

Alani: uh-lah-nee

Toaph Elbara: tow-off el-bar-uh

Ta’Nathel: tah-nah-thel

Behria (Nori’s hometown): buh-ree-uh

Lake Daleia: duh-lay-uh

Silvirdia (world): sil-ver-dee-uh

Alémor (kingdom): ah-lay-more

Raevre (enemy kingdom): Rave-ree

Rimrir: rim-rear

Zamirah: zuh-meer-uh

Willian: will-ee-an

Celestella: cell-es-tel-uh

Ashtera: ash-tair-uh

Critiques

My only critique is that I’m not holding book three in my hands right now.

How it Ended

Again, this section will have spoilers because I need these details later, especially since I have to wait awhile for the next book. Skip if you haven’t read this book yet.

Okay, the first spoiler is HUGE. And terrible. But then hopeful!

After Calden’s episode blasts the ship apart and everyone escapes in boats, they’re attacked by the sea sentinels and they’re all fighting to try and save Calden from drowning. Elias jumps in after him but then gets grabbed by the sea monster. He’s dead.

For real. I was like— what the heck. This cannot be.

But wait! His bind mark is still there, just very very faint. They believe the sentinel took him to his lair under the island of Raevre. Elias might still be alive! PTL. In what shape? We don’t know. Was the sentinel somehow trying to save or rescue Elias? We also don’t know. They will have to go find him when they get there.

During Cal’s episode, Zamriah shockingly helps him by not restraining him or fighting him in that state but holding him and helping him feel safe.

This then allows Calden to finally see a clear vision. Of Ta’Nathel ‘slaying’ Toaph and Toaph disappearing into a blue wisp that travels across the land until he finds baby Calden with his parents. He tells his parents to put the baby down. He enters Calden and then Echo shows up, puts him in a basket and carries him away. We don’t find out anything else about his parents. (Which… I do need more information about this encounter because it didn’t feel like a loving situation, it felt like a desperate one)

I could have put this in the biblical allegory section, but that would have been a spoiler: I love when Calden realizes “I’m not cursed. I’m a vessel harboring the soul of an immortal being.”

I don’t think I fully grasp the gravity of the privilege we have as Christians that God no longer needs the Tabernacle to dwell in— his presence, his Spirit lives in us. We are now the temple. His presence stays with us. We don’t harbor his soul in the same way as Calden and Toaph, but we are his vessels that carry his Spirit and that changes everything!

Throughout the book we are wondering if Calden will be persuaded by his father to turn to the dark side— hello Luke Skywalker— or if he will hold fast to what he’d been taught about El-Alam and Toaph.

I believe we get an answer— and I love it! Calden sets his face toward Raevre and determines in his soul:

“Whatever Toaph’s alignments, El-Alam is where my loyalties lie, and an enemy of El-Alam is an enemy of mine. For it was by His hallowed hands that my life was given, and to Him my life belongs. Even if He has imprisoned me in this purpose of mine, taking from me the pleasantries of a common life, I will surrender to His far greater sovereignty. For I am foremost His vessel, whether the Guardian inside me is wicked or pure.”

Chills.

So they get to Raevre and we think Calden is going to go in there and get the ball rolling with the Raevre wardens and save the day. Except he walks right into a trap. It’s not the wardens he meets in the secret tunnels. It’s the Oracle. There hasn’t been wardens there for years. And now they’re all captured by the one set on freeing Ta’Nathel to destroy Toaph.

Calden’s only bargaining chip is that only a few people know that Toaph is inside him.

Dun. Dun. Dun.

I’m guessing Zamriah will be able to send a secret message back to Calden’s mother to send help and tell them what happened but it will take them weeks to traverse the sea. They might be on their own in the next book. But something tells me the Raevre wardens aren’t truly gone but were just forced to be even more hidden. I bet they’ll arrive at just the right time to help.

I also suspect that Nori and Elias will have to face some stuff from their fathers’ pasts in the war. But at least they’ll have each other! Perhaps whatever showdown happens will lead to Nori getting an epic Master Talent.

Recommendation

I echo my thoughts from These Hallowed Binds: I continue to whole-heartedly recommend this book and this series! It’s a meaningful and creative world that champions compassion and sacrifice and truth. The characters and the quest and the allegories are all so good!

I plowed through the first two books back-to-back and am sad I have to wait for the next one!

It looks like this is marketed to a young adult audience and I affirm that; readers as young as 13 would probably be fine reading this as well. And obviously also adults because that’s me and I love it!

If you are curious about her other books, A.M. Daylin has a new stand-alone romantasy book that is releasing this fall called Eventide that I am interested in. I decided to join her Kickstarter campaign for it. She is also an artist so one of the options for that is an illustrated copy with her one-of-kind artwork and I caved!

She also has started the Luminors trilogy (Where Darkness Cannot Follow) if you want to check that out.

You can be sure that I’ll be reading and reviewing some more of her books!

[Content Advisory: no swearing or sexual content; some death/violence but nothing gratuitous]

**Received a copy via the author in exchange for an honest review**

You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

These Hallowed Binds (The Empyreal Guardian Saga #1)
By: A.M. Daylin

[Fulfills one of the two for prompt: ‘Two books by the same author’ for the Shelf Reflection 2026 Reading Challenge]

“‘Please don’t let a lie steal your destiny. El-Alam summoned you knowing every action you’d ever take or fail to. And I need not remind you, He’s not one to make mistakes.’”

This is a new-to-me author and I am loving this series! (I already started the second book before I started writing this review so hopefully I can keep my thoughts here to this book specifically.)

The first line of the book says, ‘Children are swimming in the lake that murdered my father, but no one else seems to care.’ And I was immediately invested in this story!

In short, this is the story of a girl, rescued from the same fate as her father and called on a quest to save her world from a curse that threatens to destroy it.

Daylin has created a really interesting world with unique characters. It explores themes like found family, identity, hope, bravery, and belonging.

This book falls into the YA Christian fantasy genre but even if you are not a Christian, I think you can really get into this story. Everyone enjoys a good good vs evil story, an adventurous quest to fulfill a destiny, and magical powers! With the added romantic interest, there is something for all kinds of preferences.

Further down I’ve shared images from the back of the book that show the four main characters’ bios. I really liked that Daylin included that. It will help us follow along on each character arc as they encounter conflicts that tap into their biggest fears and desires or play to their strengths.

I’ll give some background and plot points (future reference for myself in keeping all the fantasy series I read straight) and then share some comments about the allegory in the story, the love triangle, the magic system, and what I expect to come in the next book.

Summary/ Plot Points

The world of Silvirdia, created by El-Alam, is watched over by their Empyreal Guardian— Toaph Elbara. Until Toaph is slain by the corrupt and immortal Ta’Nathel. Ta’Nathel unleashes a curse over the entire world, trying to destroy it so that he can be released to go elsewhere.

The Sentries (wolf-like characters) went from being protectors to hunters. The Wardens, endowed with power from El-Alam himself, are the only protectors left. But King Arlo and many of his people (wrongly) believe them to be working with Ta-Nathel and has sent out Hunters to kill any Warden they find. The Wardens must now work secretly.

Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Alémore, and the city of Behria, 18-year old Norielle has found herself an outcast. A year ago her father was killed in Lake Daelia when the lake suddenly became sentient and pulled him down to the bottom, wrapping his legs in seaweed and holding him down until he drowned. Nori managed to escape, but no one believes her when she tells them what really happened.

They believe their city has been favored and protected by El-Alam from Ta’Nathel’s world-wide curse. She is given an ultimatum— stop telling people the lake can come alive and murder people or leave town; if you stay and keep bringing it up, we’ll take away the allowance your widowed mother needs to help feed your brother and sister.

She decides to face her fear and go back in the lake and see if she was right. Again, the lake tries to pull her down and drown her. But this time, she is rescued by a young man. Turns out he had been given a vision and had run for days to get there in time to save her. He tells her that she has been called by El-Alam to join him in his group (his Bind) on a mission not yet explained.

When she goes home and tells her mom about the lake and her mom still doesn’t believe her (even though her sister witnessed it too) she realizes the only decision to be made: she must leave.

But she can’t tell her mom the truth about where she is going. The man who rescued her— Calden— is a Warden… and the Warden Prince.

So the rest of the book is about her journey with Calden away from home to the hidden Citadel where she will be inducted into the Ward and begin her quest for El-Alam. Of course, the journey back is not easy and they must face Hunters, cursed beasts, and Blood Wardens (those who defected from the Ward to use corrupted power instead).

She ends up meeting Elias, a scout and friend to Calden, who accompanies them back, and Alani, another member of their Bind who comes from a naval family of wardens.

Still dealing with the guilt of ‘abandoning’ her father at his death, Nori is both anxious and determined as she explores what her new role and life will look like. Her faith and resolve will be tested.

“‘It is better for the whole world to perish while upholding its faith in El-Alam than to turn against our Creator in worship of Ta’Nathel. For one death is temporary, and the other, everlasting.’”

I’m going to add here that I loved the character of Ila. My closest late great-aunt was named Ila and had a big impact on my life, including my love of books and puzzles. Characteristically, I’m not sure how similar my Ila is to the book-Ila, but just reading her name made me smile.

Biblical Allegory?

Of course no allegory is perfect, but I really loved the way Daylin weaved into this story the gospel message. (It’s possible that was not her intent, but I couldn’t not see it) A Creator (El-Alam) who desires to rescue us from the curse (of sin) and give us the power to resist evil. He calls us to something greater and wants to work through us to draw more people into his kingdom (the Ward).

We like to see ourselves as the hero when we read stories like this, and that’s all well and good, but what I think is going to make this series special (if I’m correct) is that Daylin is not necessarily setting up the four main characters as the true heroes but just preparing the way for Toaph Elbara— what I wonder is the Jesus figure— to be the hero and to come back and break the curse, restoring the world.

“‘El-Alam is never late… the next Guardian will be presented in just the right time to save this world before it’s lost.’”

Another thing I started to speculate on was the character of Calden. He was found in a basket by the lake and adopted by the Sovereign Mother (think Warden Queen). This made me think of Moses. Calden has an unexplainable curse that manifests somewhat like the avatar state in Avatar: The Last Airbender and Calden had a similar experience to Aang hurting Katara with his power. Calden can’t control this curse and is also worried about hurting others.

We find out more about that in the second book, but when I was reading this first one I wondered if Calden is a Moses-like character who will be tasked with ‘delivering’ the people from Ta’Nathel.

I also wondered if he was Toaph Elbara incarnated as a baby to grow up and be the Jesus-figure, sacrificing himself for his people. I don’t really know what kind of beings the Empyreal Guardians are and if they’re material or spirit. If Toaph could be slain then maybe Toaph was already the Jesus-figure and Calden is his resurrected being that has not revealed his identity yet. But that doesn’t fit as well with Calden’s character since he is unaware of what’s happening to him. It also doesn’t really fit with the love triangle that Daylin has fashioned.

So all of this is speculation; we’ll see where the story takes us.

Love Triangle

There are many opinions about love triangles. They always seem to pop up in YA books. I’m not diametrically opposed to them, but I’m also not obsessed with the idea of them.

Nori has the classic rescue-fantasy-attraction to Calden. But then Elias enters the picture. At first Nori just sees him as smug and annoying. And then she realizes he is Kieran— a childhood friend her father had actually chosen for her to marry eventually. But Kieran’s parents died and he was sent away to live with his grandparents.

After realizing who he really was, their friendship is rekindled and their previous closeness comes back.

Now Nori has attractions to both of them.

I honestly like both of them and could see both paths being good, but if I HAD to pick a team, per expectations, I would choose Elias. I’m a fan of longtime friendships turning into romance. Plus her dad taught Elias how to play the lyre and Elias was playing her father’s music so it’s a connection to him that is really sweet. We aren’t given a lot of details on their childhood relationship so perhaps I’m exaggerating a relationship that wasn’t super deep, but nonetheless it seems to me a firmer foundation than the ‘trauma bond’ type of connection it seems like her and Calden started with.

I think Calden is going to have to do something sacrificial later on so I don’t think romance is going to be able to get in the way of his mission. I also think his feelings for Corene are still too fresh for him to move on yet.

While this love triangle has created some tension in Calden and Elias’ friendship, I do like that Daylin seems to be maintaining that relationship. (This might be more prevalent in book two)

The Magic

There are lots of different magic systems throughout the fantasy genre. In this particular series we have magic manifesting through wards which are specific symbols drawn and then activated by the mind. They are drawn with a special pen that is fueled with the tears of El-Alam. I’m not sure how they got his tears or if there is some sort of ‘blessing’ of water that turns it into tears? That wasn’t really explained.

The defectors no longer have the power of El-Alam so they create magic by using the drained blood of the Accursed. Sometimes defectors can be restored and brought back, but every time they use the corrupted magic their corruption becomes more and more permanent in their souls.

One part of the magic in this story that I love the most is the healing ward. Someone can heal another person with this ward, but they must absorb the person’s pain into themself. It’s a sacrificial thing. Which is so biblical. In order for justice and forgiveness to happen, a debt must be paid. Someone absorbs the cost of that. Biblically, it’s God who does this— that was the cross. So this magical healing process is a reflection of that. There is a cost to healing and someone has to absorb it, thus you must love the person you’re healing or you wouldn’t be willing to take on that pain.

We learn more in the second book about this process and exploring why Calden was able to heal Nori but Elias wasn’t.

Daylin added a section in the back for the Wards with pictures of the symbols and descriptions of what they do. I thought that was a helpful guide to have too!

Pronunciation Guide

I’m notorious for mispronouncing things so I had to find out how some of these things were said. She has a video for pronunciation for this book and the next on THIS Instagram post. I’ve put down the relevant ones for this particular book below:

Calden: Cal-den

Elias: ih-lie-us

Norielle: nor-E-elle

Alani: uh-lah-nee

Toaph Elbara: tow-off el-bar-uh

Ta’Nathel: tah-nah-thel

Behria (Nori’s hometown): buh-ree-uh

Lake Daleia: duh-lay-uh

Silvirdia (world): sil-ver-dee-uh

Alémor (kingdom): ah-lay-more

Raevre (enemy kingdom): Rave-ree

Rimrir: rim-rear

Critiques

So do I have any critiques? Not really. I do think there could have been more descriptions to help me picture the world. I’m not sure I can visualize the setting as strongly as I have been in other series.

I also think there could have been more explanation for what the Guardian Empyreals are/do— and are there other worlds and other Guardians? I’m guessing it’s hard to do that in an organic way since there’s not a narrator, and perhaps more will be revealed in future books, I’m just not entirely sure what the possibilities are with that part of the world’s dilemma.

Otherwise, no qualms!

How it Ended

I usually need this section when I’m about to start book two and can’t remember what happened last. If you don’t want the potential spoilers, scroll past!

Okay, so by the end, Calden has saved Nori from a crypt-crawler death but had to kill Corene in the process. They made it back to the Citadel where Nori finally meets Calden’s mother, the current Sovereign, and delivers the good news: while Nori had been captured and questioned by the Blood Wardens they revealed that Toaph Elbara is alive. They are trying to find him to get rid of him, but this knowledge is the hope everyone needs that freedom of the curse is at hand!

We also discover that Toaph may be trying to communicate with Calden and that his curse is not actually a curse but some sort of experience connected to Toaph, wherever he is.

Thus, the speculation is that their mission must be related to finding Toaph Elbara and helping him restore the world.

In the next book we will most likely meet the other Bind members, Nori will start training, she will wrestle more with her conflicting feelings about Calden and Elias, and will get a better idea of what her role will be in the Bind. Perhaps she will be able to pick a Master Talent (I love this concept), but that may be more of a book three thing.

At least I think there will be more than two based on how much of the story I believe is left to tell and what size of book the next one is…

Recommendation

I definitely recommend this book and this series! It’s a meaningful and creative world that champions compassion and sacrifice. The characters are easy to be invested in and the quest and adventure looms large.

It’s a very compelling read and I’m very glad I had the second book on hand to start right after finishing this one.

This book is a great introduction and launching point in the series and I look forward to all that is to come.

It looks like this is marketed to a young adult audience and I affirm that; readers as young as 13 would probably be fine reading this as well. And yet, even as an adult I’m excited about the series!

If you are curious about her other books, A.M. Daylin has a new stand-alone romantasy book that is releasing this fall called Eventide that I am interested in. She has a (more than funded) Kickstarter campaign for it that I’m eying! She is also an artist so one of the options for that is an illustrated copy with her one-of-kind artwork!

She also has started the Luminors trilogy (Where Darkness Cannot Follow) if you want to check that out.

You can be sure that I’ll be reading and reviewing some more of her books!

[Content Advisory: no swearing or sexual content; some death/violence but nothing gratuitous]

**Received a copy via the author in exchange for an honest review**

You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

The Liar’s Treasure (A Speranza Team Novel)
By: Connie Mann

[Fulfilled ‘A book that takes place in 3+ countries’ prompt as part of Shelf Reflection’s 2026 Reading Challenge]

[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2026]

“‘You have been deemed a liar. You proclaim your desire to do good in this world, yet you sin under cover of darkness. The price for your transgressions is death.’”

Just like its predecessor, The Crown Conspiracy, The Liar’s Treasure reads like a movie! It’s a thrill ride from start to finish as Mann takes us from New Orleans to Italy to Germany and the Bahamas on a dangerous treasure hunt.

There is some overlap in characters from the first book as it is a Speranza Team Novel, but where The Crown Conspiracy focused on Sophie and Lise, this one centers on team member Camille and her daughter Cass.

The Speranza team is made up of all women— a centuries old ‘organization’ of women specializing in secretly helping women and children.

Of course, with a global adventure of danger and treasure, the team comes to her aid and we get Sophie, with her forging, thieving, and lock-picking skills, Mercy, the nun with the medical expertise, and Hank, the vehicular expert/driver/pilot/MacGyver person back in action.

Picasso is their research/tech gal but apparently she had recently undergone some surgery related to her mysterious scars and was unavailable to help. Considering there is not much time spent on this in the book, I would assume it might related to whatever story comes next. I like the continuity in the series and threads that continue in other books, so if it is actually not part of anything, I’ll probably be annoyed because why else include it here. If it’s not going to be anything in the future, then they should have just had Picasso helping them. So let’s hope it’s foreshadowing!

Sidenote: I’m not sure what Camille’s niche/role in the group is… She is a photographer but I don’t think that was her special set of skills. Is it fighting? Fill me in.

The Crown Conspiracy happened in the art world. The Liar’s Treasure happens in the ‘pirate’ world! Like The Crown Conspiracy, the book begins with a prologue that takes place in the 1700s. On a ship. Where pirates encounter a book carried by a girl. It supposedly judges motives of whoever touches the book (harking back to the biblical account of Ananias and Sapphira who lied about their money). Those unworthy to handle the book and the treasure it points to, fall over dead. Which is exactly what happens to one particular pirate, right before the girl jumps overboard and escapes with the book.

Fast forward to present day when Camille’s daughter, Cass, is given an old pirate diary from her treasure-hunting, indebted to mobsters uncle, Marcel. Because she’s a teen, she obviously posts pictures of it on Instagram unwittingly leading all kinds of dangerous treasure hunters to their doorstep to intercept the diary which allegedly contains clues to where the Book of Days (the judging book) and the Liar’s Treasure can be found.

They spur into action and Camille is torn between wanting to be with Cass to keep her safe and needing to lead people away from Cass and make sure the treasure doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

Unfortunately, Camille’s mother, Octavia (who also works for Speranza and is tasked with watching over Cass) makes a really dumb decision to meet someone 'with information’, takes Cass, and of course walks right into a trap and Cass is kidnapped. The stakes are even higher for Camille as her motivation is now finding the treasure to get her daughter back.

Because there were so many different groups of people going after them and the book, it was a little challenging knowing who was with who and what their motives were.

The secondary plot that gets woven in is a school friend of Camille’s, Jolie, who needs help. She works at a non-profit organization that has water projects building wells in other countries. One of her colleagues was suspected of poisoning one of their newest wells in Romania and then is found murdered.

Mann connects this plot with the treasure part, and there ends up being a Liar’s Trial at the NPO’s summit which is the climax of the book. But the connection between the well situation and the treasure situation felt a little tenuous and distracting. The epilogue wrapped up some of the loose ends but not really in the most satisfying way.

As with The Crown Conspiracy, The Liar’s Treasure has to have it’s own romantic plot line. We already got Sophie and Mac’s story (Mac does have a short cameo in this book so we know they are still a thing).

Now we have Camille and Lucien. Camille’s first husband, JT, was killed while deployed in the military. Lucien was best friends with JT in high school and feels responsible for his death, believing he convinced him to join the military.

Apparently Camille and Lucien shared a kiss back in high school while Camille was still with JT. It’s been years now— JT died right before Cass was born— but feelings are rekindled for Camille and Lucien. Oh yeah, Lucien is in the mix because his family most likely descended from pirates and they’re after the Liar’s Treasure. Actually both Camille’s and Lucien’s family believe have a aright to the book because they descended from the original family who owned the Book of Days.

Thus Lucien is partially forbidden love because he is also their opposition in locating the treasure. Lucien’s loyalty to his grandpa seems at odds with his feelings for Camille and wanting to keep Cass (JT’s daughter) safe, and he has to work through that tension.

Plus ANOTHER side plot— I guess this book had more layers than I thought— is this vigilante person who has taken it upon themself to exact justice on those who are corrupted and hiding their ‘sins’, lying about their virtue. That person said the quote I put at the beginning of this review right before he killed them.

The showdown between all the different parties occurs at the Liar’s Trial when all is revealed.

It’s a lot to pack into a book so some parts get a little lost or are hard to follow, but I bet if I read it through a second time, more things would come together— just like watching a layered movie again.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the teenager-ruining-things-by-posting-stuff-online-and-texting-her-friends trope or of Octavia’s decision to meet for information as if they really needed any, but for the most part I was fine with how the story played out.

I enjoyed the different settings of the book— New Orleans is a fun starting point. And then we go global— I like to read about real places and what they have to offer.

I’ve been to Florence and walked up to the very top of the Duomo so that was a nostalgic reference for me.

Some other things that caught my attention:

The Moon Church of Oradea in Romania that has a mechanism in its spire that tracks the phases of the moon. It reminded me of the astronomical clock I saw in Prague last fall that is featured in Dan Brown’s newest book, The Secret of Secrets.

There was reference to Florence in the 1500s and a ring of women who used poison to get rid of their husbands. I think this is a disputed historical claim, but it did remind me of the premise of Sarah Penner’s book, The Lost Apothecary, if that interests you.

The Heidelberg Castle in Germany that has the world’s largest wine barrel. They talked of a dance floor on top of it and it helped to google this because I was having a hard time picturing what was described in the book. My research says it was rarely used to actually store wine so I’m not sure how much of what was included in this book was legend or historical fact.

I think some readers have read this as a standalone and thought it worked that way, but I do think it would be helpful to read The Crown Conspiracy first to understand more about the team and how it works.

I wouldn’t say the faith theme is super overt but the phrase ‘putting feet to my faith’ was prevalent. I do like the idea that our faith is not a passive thing but an active thing— that we are called to live it out, not wait around for stuff to happen. That we often need to step out in faith even when things are unsure.

Now, did these characters HAVE to find the treasure and put their faith into action in that way? I’m not so sure. I guess once Cass was kidnapped and they needed to solve the murder of Jolie’s coworker before more people were hurt, then it became a necessity, but the beginning part of this journey seemed a little dicey in that regard.

Nonetheless, I appreciate a good clean, exciting story that emphasizes faith and family while we’re out gettin’ the bad guys. Plus the whole treasure hunt for the Speranza team was not financially driven which was good too.

Recommendation

All in all, I love the Speranza team and seeing their varied skills at work. I love the action-packed writing style. There were a few parts that were hard to follow and not all the layers fit together as nicely as I would have liked, but this was still a really enjoyable read and a series I’ll continue to read!

The more books we get in this series, the more full each character will be. There are a lot of possibilities for this series to expand so I’m excited to see where else Connie Mann decides to take it!

[Content Advisory: No swearing or sexual content, some violence— it’s not every day a nun bashes a guy with an altar piece]

**Received a copy via Tyndale Publishing in exchange for an honest review**

This book releases in March, 2026. You can pre-order/order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

Psalms: Singing with Jesus: 7-Session Bible Study
By: Christopher Ash with Alison Mitchell

The Good Book Company has a whole series of little devotionals like this one that go through entire books of the Bible in 6-8 sessions. They have companion books with more commentary if you want deeper study as you go along.

I previously did their study on 2 Corinthians that I reviewed HERE. Obviously psalms are usually impactful to go through so it could just be that I like that book of the Bible better, but I liked this study a little better than the 2 Corinthians one. I think the reason for that is that in this study there was more cross-referencing other Scriptures and comparing the psalm with another Bible passage.

I liked that it helped me connect the psalm with the Old Testament context it was written in. I think the way they go through the psalms would also be helpful if you wanted to continue studying other psalms in a similar way.

As the study is only seven sessions, they do not go through all 150 Psalms. They actually looked at 9 different psalms (two weeks had two companion psalms). If you are interested in which ones they cover: 1 & 2, 22, 23, 42 & 43, 84, 90, and 145.

David wrote at least 73 of the psalms, so several of the ones covered in this study are his. It was neat to study how so many of King David’s writings were prophecies pointing to the great King to come.

It was also interesting to think about Jesus singing these songs. For some reason that’s not something I’ve really thought about before. But many of these psalms were sung corporately as a body of believers. So Jesus would have been singing these songs knowing they were about him.

Each session covers 1-2 chapters with ten questions. There’s always an icebreaker type of question first about personal experience (related to the content). Then there are some ‘investigate’ questions that seek to understand what is happening in the passage, and ‘apply’ questions that take what we learn from the passage and see how that affects the way we are living and thinking.

There are some ‘getting personal’ optional sections that are self-reflection questions and opportunities to be more vulnerable about what we may struggle with or be susceptible to.

Each session ends with prayer.

Now that I’ve done two of these I can confirm that they would be great small group options. Its often challenging to find something to study in a small group because you have varying preferences on homework or reading or worrying about how to lead a discussion, etc.

They include a leader’s guide in the back of the book that provides answers and suggestions for every question with a few other group exercises thrown in that would definitely help someone facilitate a group discussion.

I don’t think everyone in the group would even need their own copy of the book, but if they wanted their own they’re only like $8. You could have them read the Scripture ahead of time but there really wouldn’t be much prep and the questions are conducive for discussion.

Depending on the leader and the type of group, I think it might be beneficial for the leader to have the corresponding commentary and read it on their own in case there are certain things that stick out to them they want to bring to the group. But even without that, there is plenty to reflect on in these psalms. You could even go through this study as a group and then just pick other psalms and continue studying more of the psalms as a group and following a similar framework. It would take a little more work from the leader to find other passages ahead of time, or you could do that part together as well.

I’m a bit notorious for doing solo devotionals and really kind of skimming the questions. I think I answer them in my head but in reality I think my answers trail off and I move on without forcing myself to really think through them. While using these studies, I’ve forced myself to write down my answers to the questions and that has been a good exercise for me even if I didn’t have a group to talk about it with.

As with the study in 2 Corinthians, the book begins by explaining- Why read this particular book of the Bible?

Why Psalms?

I love what they say here so I’ll quote it at length:

“The Psalms are God’s chosen way to engage our thinking and our feelings in a way that is passionate, thoughtful, true and authentic. They show us how to express our varied feelings; but, more than that, they reorder our disordered affections so that we feel deeper desires for what we ought to desire, more urgent aversion to that from which we need to flee, and a greater longing for the honor of God in the health of Christ’s church. The Psalms form within us a richer palette of rightly directed emotions. It is not so much that the Psalms resonate with us as that they shape us so that we most deeply resonate with the God-given yearnings they so movingly express.”

A couple of the main takeaways for me this time around were how good it was to go through Psalm 23 more carefully. Having memorized it, you stop thinking about the meaning of what you’re saying. It inspired me to have my kids memorize it now and to show them how to use it as a framework for prayer. The Lord is our Shepherd and that has so many great implications for us.

I also really enjoyed studying Psalm 90, written by Moses, where he prayed that God would “establish the work of my hands.” To focus on the eternal impact of what we are doing with our time, our words, our money. It was good to study how first we need a right understanding of who God is and who we are in relation to him. And then we can see that what we can do here on Earth is not futile but in the hands of the powerful and almighty God, can have big kingdom impact. I need to be seeking to do the Lord’s work with an eternal perspective.

Recommendation

I definitely recommend this devotional— for personal or group use— and also recommend checking out their entire collection to see if there is a different book of the Bible you or your group are interested in studying.

I’ve read lots of Good Book Company books and so far I have not taken issue with any of their theology— they have been very gospel-centered and uphold the Bible as our ultimate authority. (Their statement of faith can be found HERE if you want more specifics.)

Now that I’ve done two of their studies, I can pretty confidently recommend them and I plan to do more of them in the future.

**Received a copy via The Good Book Company in exchange for an honest review**

You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

The Queens of Crime
By: Marie Benedict

[Fulfilled ‘A book with a queen’ prompt as part of Shelf Reflection’s 2025 Reading Challenge]

“I had no idea that the despicable behavior by certain male Detection Club members would spur us into solving actual crimes.”

“‘Never forget that we women aren’t what you call us— witches or crones or madwomen or surplus or nobodies. We are all Queens.’”

This book, set in London in 1930, is a fictional story about historical figures: namely Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Emma Orczy. All five women were crime writers in their own right and were part of the Detection Club, created by Sayers.

The club is real, the characters are real, but the plot of the story is fiction.

(Fun fact: G.K. Chesterton—Gilbert— was the first president of the club.)

This was a cozy mystery for me. Not one that was particularly hard to solve or suspenseful in writing. I was most interested in imagining writers of mystery novels using their own skills or knowledge and solving a real life mystery. I was also interested in Sayers’ and Christie’s actual lives. Unfortunately, the execution was a little drab for what I was expecting.

(I am not familiar with Marsh, Allingham, or Orczy but maybe I’ll have to find something they wrote.)

But if you love a good ‘women power’ story, you might enjoy this. More on that later.

These authors were working during the ‘Golden Age’ of detective fiction. There are some modern writers who have attempted to mimic this style, including Benjamin Stevenson, Tom Mead, or Charles Finch.

The oath they take as part of the Detection Club suggests some of the rules they abide by in writing their mysteries:

“I vow that the detectives I create will actually detect the crimes and mysteries presented to them using the intellect I grant to them, and I will not allow those detectives to use hocus-pocus, trickeries, superstitions, epiphanies, acts of God, skullduggeries, or divine intervention. All detectives will use fair play in solving their mysteries.”

The Detection Club was started to try to increase support and validity for mystery novels:

“Above all, I hope the rites inspired members to extol one another’s talents, support one another’s novels, collaborate on books, and elevate our genre so reviewers see that our detective novels are every bit as good as so-called literary fiction.”

So why are these five women solving a real mystery?

Well a big theme of this book is the view of women vs men during this time period. Sayers wanted more women in the Detection Club, so she went off on her own to gather some other female authors to join without having it approved by the other members. The women just show up to the meeting and take the oath.

They aren’t welcomed in with open arms, though, and feel ostracized from the group because they are women.

In an effort to prove themselves worthy of being in the group, Sayers thinks they should try to solve a real crime.

“No one would dare slight us or question our place in the club then.”

The case at hand is about a missing nurse— May Daniels— whose body was just found in Boulogne, France. Her disappearance was somewhat of a locked room mystery— she went into the bathroom at a train station and never came out.

Dorothy’s husband, Mac Fleming, is a journalist and is sent to cover the story. Dorothy tags along and the other Queens (as they call themselves) discreetly meet her there. Together they do their own investigation and sleuthing, trying to figure out what happened and get justice for May.

The five women have distinct characteristics that are usually emphasized by their clothing throughout the book:

“Emma, our stately matriarch… Ngaio in her wide-legged pantsuit and Margery in a flowery frock… Agatha sits alone in the upholstered chair to my right, hiding her strength behind frumpiness as always…”

I agree with some other reviewers that said they would have liked less information about food and dress and more depth to the women’s intellect and who they were as people. I was intrigued by the New Zealander but come away just thinking she really liked pants.

May’s body was found with a syringe and all the journalists— including Mac— and police officers (who are men) are tainting her name, accepting that it was some sort of drug deal gone wrong. She is depicted as a loose, unsavory kind of woman.

“‘So missing young women are either labeled surplus and disregarded or labeled whores and disregarded?’”

In this time period, so many men had died in WWI that the prospects for marrying were slim for women. These single women were called “surplus” and looked down upon.

“a young woman attempting to earn a living in a society that frowns upon unmarried working females, even when the dearth of men makes finding a husband nearly impossible.”

“The terrible injustice done to May unfolds before me. Anger and anguish course through me in equal measure, and I will not allow her to go unavenged. Like so many other women who’ve gone before her. Like me.”

And so the book is the story of how they sleuth their way to get justice for May and deem themselves worthy of being in the male-dominated Detection Club.

The side plot of the story is that Dorothy keeps referring to her secret and her shame.

“Mac knows all my secrets. Even the one I am determined to keep hidden from all others forever.”

If you are familiar with her life you probably already know what it is, but I wasn’t so that was a part that I was waiting to be revealed.

Now I am pro-women. I know how smart and capable women are. I also cheer the feminism that enabled women to support themselves and to vote, and to be looked at as equal to men in their standing and their intellect. In history past women have been disregarded and taken advantage of with little to no recourse.

We have come a long way and I am glad for that.

I enjoy reading stories of women who did great things or who may have been overlooked. And I respect the uphill battle people like Sayers and Christie had in their careers. But I’m not really a fan of books that have a man-hating vibe.

I know there were many terrible men that did many terrible things. And they should have to answer for them. But a lot of times books that set to expose that do no counterbalancing of decent men.

In this book, there were no noble men. All the men in power were doing a terrible job and belittling women. The other men were depicted as clueless or bumbling or ‘boys’ club’ men. Even Dorothy says this of her own husband:

“How could a man who supports my career, a man who has daughters of his own, harbor such shameful and antiquated views of a young woman?”

Here are a few more quotes that on their own, I have no problem with, but taken altogether throughout the book feel a bit heavy-handed:

“Perhaps Emma was correct when she pronounced that May’s murder needed to be solved by women, in part because only female sleuths properly credit female witnesses.”

“Headlines like ‘THE SUPERFLUOUS WOMEN ARE A DISASTER TO THE HUMAN RACE’ routinely run in newspapers such as the Daily Mail…”

“The male members of the Detection Club would certainly not deprive themselves for a second: in fact, I doubt they’d make themselves uncomfortable in any way”

“‘Men are so often put on a pedestal, and women are taught to prop them up there. But we only learn about our humanity and develop empathy from our mistakes— and we could do with more doses of humanity, here and elsewhere.’”

I think what puts me off with these books is not so much that I think they are untrue (though I believe there have always been decent men in history) or because I don’t think women like May need justice (they absolutely do!) but more so that in contrast to first wave feminism, modern feminism is not something I champion in the ways our current culture is promoting. It’s no longer about making women ‘equal’ in worth to men but in trying to raise women as superior and above men by tearing men down.

Even though this book is historical and in a time period where women were disregarded or viewed shamefully as superfluous, the vibe that I felt reading it seemed more in line with modern feminism. I think we can elevate women to where men are without tearing men (as an entire group) down.

There’s more to be said on that because I’m approaching this topic with a biblical worldview that I know is controversial to modern ears, but I won’t get into it.

I’m merely trying to iterate why this aspect of the book hit different for me than it probably does for a lot of other readers. And that could very well just be a personal thing and nothing necessarily wrong with the story. I just would have liked to see more decent men depicted in contrast. Even G.K. Chesterton was not really written as a man open to the woman’s plight but more as just cluelessly falling in line with what Sayers was doing with the club—which gave me pause. I don’t know enough about his personality and character but is that even accurate?

So anyway— that would be my main critique.

Moving on to more fun things.

If you want to take in the ‘sites’ of the book: The Vole Hole is still a restaurant in the oldest building of Boulogne and Simpson’s in the Strand is set to reopen this month! (It closed in 2020 due to Covid)

I had the pleasure of googling what a Ner-A-Car looked like and finding out it was named after Carl A. Neracher which was a pun on his last name and the phrase ‘nearly a car.’ Which is amazing.

I’m becoming more and more familiar with British slang and older vernacular for things, but this book threw me for a loop with this one:

“I ignore the dog’s breakfast I’ve made of the flat.”

Hahahaha. Why did we (I’m British now) stop using this? Dog’s breakfast means a total mess. My house is a dog’s breakfast all the time. Why do I just think of vomit?

Many of the characters’ books were mentioned throughout the book, including Peril at End House and Have His Carcase. I read online that The Nine Tailors was one of Sayers’ standout novels if you want to get a taste of her reading.

I had heard of Dorothy Sayers in a Christian context so I was surprised to find her connection to Agatha Christie, just as I had with G.K. Chesterton.

In my side research I found that Dorothy Sayers stopped writing detective novels after 1939 and did mostly religious dramas and nonfiction. She spent years translating Dante’s Inferno into English. She was also friends with C.S. Lewis, as was Chesterton. In fact, C.S. Lewis credits Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man for his conversion. calling it the best defense of the faith he knew.

I would have liked an Author’s Note at the end that tells what parts were true and where she embellished. Based on some other reviews, it’s probably because I read an ARC and it looks like the published version has that.

Recommendation

This wasn’t a book that necessarily sticks out as a favorite or a must-read by any means. But if you really enjoy historical fiction, cozy mysteries, and female empowerment stories this would be a great fit for you.

I enjoyed stepping into the lives of these five women; it seems Benedict did a lot of research to incorporate historical facts about their lives and their personalities. I also liked that it spurred me to look things up and see the setting and understand the historical context, etc.

I think the simplicity of the mystery, the shallowness in the characters we came to see, and the somewhat heavy-handedness of the women vs. men theme made this less riveting for me personally.

I had planned to read The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict at some point and am now rethinking if I take the time for that or not.

This is one of those books that I’m like— not my fav, but others might enjoy it. There are plenty of positive reviews of this one, just depends what you’re looking for.

[Content Advisory: No swearing; mention of rape and miscarriage but no details described]

**Received a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

2 Corinthians: The Gospel in all of Life: 7-Session Bible Study
By: Gary Millar

The Good Book Company has a whole series of little devotionals like this one that go through entire book of the Bible in 6-8 sessions. They have companion books with more commentary if you want deeper study as you go along.

I did this book on my own and was happy with my experience, but I it is more geared for small groups.

Each session covers 1-2 chapters with ten questions. There’s always an icebreaker type of question first about personal experience (related to the content). Then there are some ‘investigate’ questions that seek to understand what is happening in the passage, and ‘apply’ questions that take what we learn from the passage and see how that affects the way we are living and thinking.

There are some ‘getting personal’ optional sections that are self-reflection questions and opportunities to be more vulnerable about what we may struggle with or be susceptible to.

Each session ends with prayer.

I’ve only done one so far (at the moment I also have the Psalms one to do) but I think these would be great small group options. It seems challenging to find something to study in small group because you have varying preferences on homework or reading or worrying about how to lead a discussion, etc.

At the back of this book is a leader guide that provides answers and suggestions for every question with a few other group exercises thrown in that would definitely help someone facilitate a group discussion.

I don’t think everyone in the group would even need their own copy of the book, but if they wanted their own they’re only like $8. You could have them read the two chapters of Scripture ahead of time but there really wouldn’t be much prep and the questions are conducive for discussion.

Depending on the leader and the type of group, I think it might be beneficial for the leader to have the corresponding commentary and read it on their own in case there are certain things that stick out to them they want to bring to the group. But even without that, I felt like I got a better understanding of 2 Corinthians just in this little book.

I’m a bit notorious for doing solo devotionals and really kind of skimming the questions. I think I answer them in my head but in reality I think my answers trail off and I move on without forcing myself to really think through them. This time around I forced myself to write down my answers to the questions and that was a good exercise for me even if I didn’t have a group to talk about it with.

Now, why 2 Corinthians?

“… this letter is the place to go in the New Testament for a description and embodiment of what gospel ministry is all about. For Paul, gospel ministry is what we all do. It is walking with, speaking for, and serving Jesus in all of life… 2 Corinthians takes us through how to live by faith in our broken world. It’s the key to embracing our weakness and living in the strength which God himself supplies.”

In this second letter to the Corinthian church that Paul first established, you see the messiness and complexity of church in a pagan society. False teachers stirring trouble and leading people astray, Paul having to remind them of what they were first taught, having to remind them of his own God-given authority as an apostle, the loving rebuke from a man who sacrifices his own health and body for the spread of the gospel and the ministry of reconciliation for others to God, and the charge to boast in weakness, allowing God to be our strength.

The tone of this letter was interesting to read because you sense the frustration and sarcasm regarding things we aren’t given specifics about but can imply by the way Paul is responding to what must have been said. It’s a side of church no one likes to talk about, but if we really love people and see them with an eternal mindset, an eternal soul, then it should matter to us if they are adhering to false doctrine or living in unrepentant sin.

My one critique is that because they only have 10 questions in each section, there are parts of the Bible passage that aren’t necessarily covered. I was disappointed that we largely skipped over 2 Corinthians 10. Of course, in a group you can do what you want and spend time there in your discussion, but I would have liked that to be included in that session’s guide. There’s a lot in that chapter about spiritual warfare and destroying arguments and taking our thoughts captive that I think are important things for us today.

Recommendation

I definitely recommend this devotional— for personal or group use— and also recommend checking out their entire collection to see if there is a different book of the Bible you or your group are interested in studying.

I’ve read lots of Good Book Company books and so far I have not taken issue with any of their theology— they have been very gospel-centered and uphold the Bible as our ultimate authority. (Their statement of faith can be found HERE if you want more specifics.)

**Received a copy via The Good Book Company in exchange for an honest review**

You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

Platforms to Pillars: Trading the Burden of Performance for the Freedom of God’s Presence
By: Mark Sayers

“Instead of examining technologies in and of themselves, this book will explore the ideologies behind our gadgets and the consequences of the platform self and the platform society. It will also invite us to consider the alternative to staring down obsessively at our screens. That is, looking up and seeing a greater vision of the grand pattern God is writing, the building of spiritual pillars in today’s world.”

“The failures of the platform society are causing many to question and a growing number to explore faith.”

This was a super interesting read! I learned so much. I loved the incorporation of history and all the connections Sayers made throughout the book.

It is a very layered book and sometimes feels like it jumps around a lot, but it was helpful that he frequently put in ‘key point’ pull outs and then listed them at the end of each chapter to summarize what was said.

I found this book highly relevant. It offers a lot to think about as we figure out how to live in God’s world.

When I listened to the author talk about his book on the Ministry Deep Dive Podcast they called this book a work of cultural apologetics. Cultural apologetics is a way of looking at the gospel and the Christian faith, not merely to prove the existence of God but to answer ‘is it good, beautiful, and life-giving?’

In this particular book, Sayers looks at how we became a platform society. A platform society intensifies individualism, elevating self and the needs of the self and replacing institutions that are viewed as restrictive.

Sayers says that a platform is “a mentality, a way of approaching life, that promises to reinforce our uniqueness, deliver on our desires, and offer validation and visibility.”

Carl Trueman studies “The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self” in his book titled thusly, tracing the roots back to the 60s and 70s when institutions (like church or the family unit) were seen as obstacles to true self-expression. (Strange New World is a shorter version of this material and is a good supplemental read to Sayers’ book.)

Trueman’s focus in looking at individualism connects with the sexual revolution; Sayers’ focus is looking at individualism’s effect on leadership and community and how the promises of the elevated self are not actually delivering, leaving people feeling isolated and unfulfilled.

He calls it the ‘platform pain point’— its failure to “deliver our wants, desires, and needs in the face of real-world challenges.” Our expectations were not met. Now we’re stuck in this performative, isolating world of self-worship.

What’s interesting (and ironic) is that individualism began as a way of expressing autonomy, being a unique individual and standing apart from the crowd. But today, everyone has a platform to some degree. The digital platform itself has not created unique individuals, but ingrained a more herd-like mentality and preoccupation with what everyone else is doing and thinking. It is actually undermining individualism and independence.

Technology and the digital platform are obviously part of the discussion, but what was really interesting to me was how Sayers traces these ‘platforms’ all the way back through history to the Egyptian culture. While secularists may think we are progressing forward, we are actually regressing into ancient forms of power and social structures.

“Many of the roots of the platform society can be found in the ancient past. This is most evident in the religious longings that operate underneath its surface.”

A tour guide at a museum in Rome told me Egypt matters for nothing, but apparently it matters for something, because our society is mirroring the Pharaohs’ attempts to become god. To elevate the self, to attempt to escape into something greater. A seemingly limitless paradise.

Platforms

There are several historical platforms that Sayers talks about, drawing connections to the modern world.

The first is the ‘dais’ platform. Used for British royalty, it actually is a continuation of Egyptian practices: “The anointing of the king, the crowning, the giving of oaths, and processions were also used in the coronation rituals of the pharaohs.”

The dais is a physical representation of how the monarch sat upon their throne, atop an entire social structure, ruling their kingdoms. Their desires were what was most important. And their job was to bring order to chaos.

But again, the irony is that in today’s world where equality is king, the platforms we feel we all deserve promotes inequality instead.

“We expect fairness, but the platform frame creates constant social comparison and competition. This works against community cohesion, creating social chaos and conflict.”

We live in a society “that attempts to elevate us and empower us with godlike ability, yet that also detaches us from reality and leads us into self-deception.”

A second platform we’ve mimicked is the Greek stage.

“We have returned to something like the situation in ancient Greece, a culture in which the line is blurred between stage and everyday life, acting and authenticity.”

[Sidenote: Sayers blew my mind here— did you know the Greeks had the first robots?! They created automatons: self-moving structures using steam, water and air pressure. That’s nuts.]

The natural effect of a platform saturated in performance and having to measure up or appear a certain way is no doubt a lot of shame, anxiety, fear of rejection, and addiction. Further, it takes things that were previously just areas of pleasure and turns them into ‘content fodder.’ Eating a meal, reading a book, taking a walk all become a labor that must be presented or performed, broadcast to the world.

This stage even makes protesting the performance into a performance.

A third historical platform that remains intact today is the market (banca). Ancient markets and banks had raised platforms where they would do their business. Our platform society has a major function of market: everything is for sale. Sayers said in the podcast, if something is free— YOU are the product. Our eyes are targets for consumption.

The collection and selling of data is a primary market today.

“Data is now a resource that rivals oil and gas in its distribution and value. This helps us understand why billions of dollars are being invested into AI, for the scale of data being harvested is too vast for humans to handle.”

The market facet of our platform society blurs the lines between the private life, civil society, the state, and corporations.

He talks here about the introduction of the credit card and the financialization of the world that promoted indulgence and instant gratification. He connects it here with the sexual revolution, calling that and the market revolution as two sides of the same coin of hyper-individualism. A competing pursuit of 'having it all’ with no consequences.

“our economic and social order, built upon large digital platforms, creates a new dynamic of exploitation that is highly effective ‘because it does not operate by means of forbidding and depriving, but by pleasing and fulfilling.’”

It is convicting to think about this market as being a seduction, luring us in under a pretense of freedom that ultimately leads us to giving away our time, attention, and emotion for their profit. Sacrifice is at the center of every culture, but as Christians, on what altar are we sacrificing?

Which is the segue into a fourth historical platform emulated today: the altar. The raised platform in temples— the location of “ritual, belief, and worship.”

“Societies that live by the flesh will be places that worship influential individuals, tribal dynamics, and the sexually powerful and attractive. Material gain and displays of violence and military power will be normative.”

Paul reminds us in Romans 12 that as Christians we offer our bodies as living sacrifices, as an act of worship. Meaning what we do with our bodies and our minds matters. When we live faithfully and obediently, seeking to be holy as God is holy, we are offering ourselves, making our lives a sacrifice for King Jesus and his divine kingdom.

A platform society wants us to sacrifice ourselves in an exploitative way that returns us no lasting benefits. It is a meaningless existence atop a human pyramid.

If we are looking for something good and beautiful and life-giving, what Christ offers us fits the bill. In stark contrast, our platform society boasts only a futile, anxious, isolated, exploited, and unstable existence.

Pillars

Most of the book is spent dissecting the various platforms and looking at the history and ideologies behind them. But this book does not only deconstruct the platforms in our lives, it builds something as well.

The counter to a platform society are pillars. You can conjure a picture in your mind of what a ‘pillar of the community’ might look like.

Sayers describes the functions of pillars: to be supportive, to work in unison, and to create space.

“Through their resilience, courage, and fortitude, pillars bear loads for others by taking responsibility and offering support and encouragement. They work with other pillars to pass down the generations’ vital knowledge and wisdom through instruction and the example of their lives. Living this way, pillars create space for others to succeed and flourish. They do this through service, sacrifice, self-denial, and living for the greater good. These truths operate in any human culture or community.”

That is the essential call to action in this book. To step off of our individualistic platforms and seek to be in community, building one another up, sharing truth, and enabling others to flourish.

We will have to bear the social pressure of going against the cultural flow. We will have to be content with supporting even the seemingly small and insignificant, trusting God’s work in the building process.

He pulls out the imagery in Revelations 3 when God says he is going to make his people pillars of his new temple in the New Jerusalem.

Scripture says that we are now the temples. We no longer need a temple building to offer sacrifices for our sins. Jesus destroyed the temple and rebuilt it in three days when he died and rose, paying our debt. Now his Spirit lives inside us. We are the temple and our bodies are the living sacrifice. We are the pillars in God’s temple.

“Our lives matter. When we live them for God, He uses them as building material for the living temple in the world.”

Mountains & The Exodus Pattern

“Platforms are human-made mountains, attempts to create ladders to heaven. Their origins are religious—to create glory for humans.”

Sayers reminds us of the Tower of Babel, a story we’re familiar with. The ziggurat structure mirrors the shape of mountains. Other cultures all over the world created similar structures.

“Ziggurats were seen as heavenly elevators that enabled the gods to descend from heaven. The tower was not built for humans to climb to heaven and leave the earth. Instead, it was a way for the gods to come down and set up heaven on earth. A ziggurat, with its small room atop where the gods could dwell on their way to earth, was a kind of divine stamp of authority, justifying the regime below and marking the monarch as divinely ordained to rule.”

This is such an important connection for us to understand in our platform society:

“The society that dethrones God will always revert to the temptation to enthrone humanity atop the human pyramid.”

I thought it was cool when Sayers talks about the role of mountains in the Bible. He said it could be argued that Scripture is the story of four mountains: The Mountain of Eden (didn’t know Eden was on a mountain!), Mount Sinai, Mount Zion (the temple was on a mountain), and The New Jerusalem.

Mountains were symbolic of heaven and earth meeting— humanity with the divine. God met with his people on mountains.

In Exodus, after the Israelites leave Egypt, they stop at Mount Sinai where Moses meets with God and gets the terms of God’s covenant with his people. Throughout this book Sayers keeps pointing back to Exodus— just like Scripture. The cross is the central to Scripture and the Gospel, but God’s deliverance of the Israelites form Egypt was a sign of what was to come.

Sayers emphasizes the ‘Exodus pattern’ as our path to being a pillar.

“In the Exodus pattern, God delivers His people from chaos, idolatry, and exploitation so they can worship Him upon His holy mountain. As they encounter Him, they are called back to their original vocation: to be a royal priesthood, imprinted by God, and imprinting the world with His ways.”

The opposite of the Exodus pattern is the pattern of exile. When we move away from God’s mountain and seek to build our own, we enter into false worship:

“Often, these compromises happen incrementally, yet their direction is always the same—a journey to false worship. Worshiping the creation rather than the Creator. False worship inevitably leads to captivity. Captivity leads to oppression.”

God's Word shows us how to live faithfully and obediently. How to worship him as Lord.

The platform society is a performative existence that seeks social power and profit, and demands wanton sacrifice.

God’s way is the path of true freedom where our identity is secure and eternal in the family of God, and all our needs are met in the perfect Savior who delivers us from ourselves.

One Critique

If I had one critique of this book it would be the small amount of Scripture and gospel truth. Granted, this book is a historical overview and cultural commentary and not meant to be a theology book. But I think it could have done more to show what freedom in Christ looks like today.

In some ways the application is a bit vague. But perhaps to get too specific takes away from personal conviction in people’s specific and unique spheres.

Maybe we could have heard more stories about people living as pillars now and quotes from them on the challenges and blessings of doing so.

I also couldn’t tell if Sayers was wanting to focus more on the digital platforms, but I think there are a lot of people who aren’t on social media and may think this book doesn’t apply to them. It might have been helpful for more thoughts on what shape platforms can take if you don’t have a big digital footprint… unless those people are more immune from the the effects of platform society?

Obviously the scope of the book can’t be too broad or the book would be hundreds of pages and my review just as many, so I don’t stress this critique too much. I think the book still accomplished what it set out to do.

Recommendation

My review was so long you probably feel like you don’t need to read the book at this point, but I do still think you would benefit from reading it in its entirety. There is more I didn’t bring up and Sayers explains things better than I’ve done here.

It’s actually not too long and reads fairly quickly.

I believe the message is one we all need to hear. The church is trying to figure out how to live in a platform society and a digital era. This book reminds us of what is vital to thriving communities and our need to be in the presence of God.

I think even being in the habit of asking of ourselves— ‘is this a platform lifestyle or a pillar lifestyle?’— will be essential as we make decisions about how to spend our time, our resources, and our minds. We are all under immense pressure to do life according to the rules of culture and we feel the rush of the rat race in building and using a platform.

And God may choose to give people platforms, but even so, this book offers a solid foundation and good reminders for how to avoid doing what Herod did with the Temple Mount when he leveled God’s mountain and created something different that fed his ego.

“We are called to more than avoiding the pitfalls of our platform society; we are called to live as pillars, patterned by God as He builds His living temple in the world.”

[Random Fun fact from the podcast episode linked above: I learned that the word ‘selfie’ came from Australia which makes total sense because Aussies like to slang words with -y and -ie. I had also recently learned that they call electricians sparkies. They just have a much more fun vocabulary over there…]

Further Relevant Reading

I just listened to a podcast where Brad Edwards talks about his book The Reason for Church: Why the Body of Christ Still Matters in an Age of Anxiety, Division, and Radical Individualism and there’s a lot of overlap and connection. He even mentioned Mark Sayers so this would probably be a pretty good tandem read.

The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness by Timothy Keller

How Church Could (Literally) Save Your Life by Rebecca McLaughlin

Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution by Carl R. Trueman

God, Technology, and the Christian Life by Tony Reinke

12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke

Do Not Be True to Yourself by Kevin DeYoung

Rediscover Church: Why the Body of Christ is Essential by Collin Hansen, Jonathan Leeman

**I received a copy of this book via Moody Publishing; this is my own honest review.**

You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

Every Spiral of Fate (This Woven Kingdom #4)
By: Tahereh Mafi

[Fulfills prompt: ‘Book with sacrificial love’ for the Shelf Reflection 2026 Reading Challenge]

[Nominee for Best Young Adult Fantasy/ Sci Fi for the 2025 Goodreads’ Choice Awards]

“True justice requires the retention of compassion.”
”Our armor is our hope / Our weapon is the truth.”

Gah! I need book five ASAP as possible.

My main qualm with this series has been that there’s not a lot of action and plot movement and I’ve been waiting and waiting for things to get going and to get answers to all my questions. To quote a line from the book that sums it up: “Every day was shades of anticipation and suffering.”

Soooo much anticipation. And lots of suffering and longing. Cyrus being tormented by the devil. Alizeh longing to find her magic and save her people. Cyrus longing for Alizeh but restraining himself thinking he was just a means to an end and she had to kill him anyway.

And FINALLY!

We went somewhere! We find out about the curse! We find the magic! Kamran’s mom shows up (still a crazy lady, but hey, she’s around)! There’s a quest! And there’s a climax where everything feels lost!

Admittedly, this book had a slow start. We have the anticipation of the wedding and Alizeh’s suffering for Cyrus’s suffering. And then a few chapters for the wedding. And then we finally call the dang dragons to take us away from here: to the mountains! And then we have a bunch of anticipation before we actually approach the mountains, but the last fourth of the book was all action and worth the slow beginnings.

I’ve been saying that a lot of my thoughts of this book hinge on if it goes anywhere. I’d say this book was the turning point I needed. I wish all the books were more like this. A couple of the middle ones seem a bit forgettable. I don’t think I’ll forget this book as easily.

This is book four of the series, so I’m assuming those reading this review have already been reading the series and may have even read this one. If you haven’t read any other books, you will find some spoilers here. (With having to wait so long in between books I’ve realized I’ve needed some refreshers on previous books and so I write these reviews to remind myself what happened and what I’m looking for next.)

Basic Plot Points

All This Twisted Glory ends with the blood oath between Cyrus and Alizeh. The terms of the oath ensure that Cyrus can’t touch Alizeh unless she wants him to and solidifies that he will not abandon her and will stay true to his word to marry her and give her his kingdom.

Every Spiral of Fate begins with Cyrus locked away from everyone, enduring the effects of the blood oath, and Alizeh feeling helpless because he refuses to see her.

Part of the torture of the blood oath is that it binds Cyrus and Alizeh together and her physical presence or absence causes intense feelings.

“When she moved, he fought to remain still; when she breathed, he wanted to draw breath. Every aspect of him was now tuned precisely to her; and like a compass searching for true north, he felt frenzied when she was out of sight. In her absence he felt pushed to the very edge of lunacy; in her presence he felt unhinged. The mere sight of her sent his pulse pounding with a speed that scared him.”

They need to marry but Cyrus keeps delaying the ceremony. Alizeh is anxious to go to the Arya Mountains to find this long-held magic that is destined for her to help save her people (the Jinn).

After the very public wedding ceremony, a threatening message delivered through Deen (which actually seemed more comical than dangerous) alerts them to leave for the mountains with the cover of night and readiness for opposition when they arrive.

Thanks to Hazan (and Kamran’s mom), they have a hidden base camp at the mountains. Alizeh is stunned to be returning to the place of her childhood and already begins to feel the effects of being proximity of the magic. Once they find the entrance to access the magic, they believe Alizeh’s magic book will give them further instructions in what to do and where to go.

Will Alizeh find her magic? Will Cyrus (or anyone else) betray her? What tricks does the devil have up his sleeve?

A Review of Characters (and my predictions)

Alizeh is the destined savior with both a sense of justice and compassion. Her past has molded her into what she needed to be to take on this role.

“The last six years of her life had been marred by endless strings of attempted murders or else sickness, poverty, cruelty, debasement, and abuse. Alizeh’s life was so colors by suffering that she was often surprised by her ability to carry on. Injustice raged at her from every corner of the earth. It was indeed astonishing to her that the pain of life itself had not already killed her. And yet— She’d begun to realize that it was pain that had built her; pain that had both softened and scarred her; pain that had prepared her most for this moment.”

Cyrus is publicly hated by many, believed to have murdered his own father and others and now beholden to the devil’s schemes. But as a reader we see there is more to him than meets the eye. Of course we love how much he, the poet, cares for Alizeh (although obsession would also be an appropriate word to describe his feelings) but we also sense a spirit of sacrifice in him. A willingness to endure suffering for the good of others. Unlike Kamran, he doesn’t have a sense of entitlement but a humble strength and incredible restraint.

“‘I will say this once, Angel, for I feel you should be warned. No man alive has ever loved a woman the way that I love you, and I would rather die, damned as I am, than disgrace us both with the pitiful, unrequited performance of my heart.’”

Basically, as Akbar says, “‘the man is still a legend!’”

Kamran thinks Alizeh will marry him once she kills Cyrus as planned. But we just want him to chill out. Cyrus had an epic burn on Kamran— “What do you know of sacrifice?”— that is probably the kickstart to some character development on Kamran. He has his strengths and faults and though there was a moment of connection between Alizeh and Cyrus in the first book, we now know that Kamran should really be with Huda even though they actively hate each other. Alizeh doesn’t love Kamran the same way and I’m guessing the next book should rightly place Kamran friend-zoned and courting Huda in a comically awkward enemies to lovers situation.

Huda is still her dramatic best-friend-side-kick self keeping an eye on Alizeh and sharing all her indignant thoughts without a filter. Her found connection with Kamran’s mom regarding her stepmom is another link in the Kamran/Huda sideplot. I think Huda is going to do something surprisingly smart in the next book that requires her to get dirty.

Omid and Deen are also comic reliefs. Twelve-year-old innocent, loyal, and surprisingly perceptive Omid, mothered by Huda and reminded to go to the bathroom before long trips. And Deen the quirky genius apothecary that is bumbling, sincere, and level-headed all at once. Omid will continue to be brave. Deen will continue to be their on-call scientist/knowledge knower.

Hazan is the steady right-hand man who leads armies, plans for continginecies, and whose main objective and devotion is serving Alizeh and Cyrus in both patriotism and friendship. He is security, calm, and a believer in Alizeh and Cyrus as a couple. No love interests in sight for this one, but he’s not one to need them. Especially because there is mystery here about Hazan’s ancestry that has not yet been revealed. There is information he hasn’t fully divulged and will most likely have big implications in the next book.

Princess Firouzeh is Kamran’s crazy mom who is “incapable of even a moment of maternal normalcy.” She’s like a cross between a gypsy, Paul Atreides’ mom in Dune, a Real Housewife, and Inspector Clouseau. I don’t think I can make it any clearer. Alizeh says this to her:

“I’m genuinely fascinated by the artful way you dispense your verbal poisons, or else I’d never be able to tolerate your comany.”

I was glad to learn more about her, but she still has another role to play. I don’t think it’s betrayal. I think it’s going to be a surprise sacrifice uncharacteristic to her perception by others. And I don’t think it will be for herself or her own son. Probably Huda or Omid.

The Bargain

This section will have spoilers if you haven’t read Every Spiral of Fate yet, but I need them here for future reference. Scroll to the next section to avoid them.

Cyrus has been suspected of killing his father. His brother has been MIA. He is not allowed to speak the terms of his bargain with Iblees or he forfeits. All this time he has been plotting and trying to outwit the devil, thinking he has been successful, when it all comes crumbling down on the mountain. He realizes he is caught between two impossibilities. If he’s going to die, he might as well reveal the truth about his deal so Alizeh knows what’s coming.

Tulan’s kings long long ago made a deal with the devil in order to gain the security and protection their oft-ravaged kingdom needed to survive. They just had to agree that one of their descendents would do the unmentioned favor Iblees needed at some undetermined time in the future.

Cyrus’ father was the one Iblees eventually called upon. He refused (his punishment being sent to Purgatory, which, apparently, he can possibly come back from). Cyrus’s brother was next in line and decided to run from it. It then fell on Cyrus. The consequence of refusing would be the entire annhilation of Tulan. His training to become a Diviner prepared him for such a sacrifice, though he didn’t know at the time the extent to which he would endure such suffering.

Besides the regular mind and pain torture from the devil, he was tasked with five things: Crown himself king of Tulan, pinpoint the magic’s location, kill King Zaal, kill the royal Diviners of Ardunia, and marry a bride of the devil’s choosing.

Between these terms and his wedding vows, he is eventually put in a place where he can’t let Alizeh move forward and enter into harm, but if she doesn’t, then he can’t unlock her magic and thus cannot fulfill his end of the bargain. Either way he fails, and the result: Iblees takes over his body and tries to kill his soul. The inhabiting of the body was the original request of Iblees that Cyrus’ father refused.

Iblees desired to possess a human body and by inhabiting Cyrus’ he would be married to the Jinn queen and could put her in some sort of trance like state and be able to use her magic and power to enact his revenge on all the Clay people for what they did to the Jinn.

The Prophecy

We get the full poem of the prophecy:

Melt the ice in salt
Braid the thrones at sea.
In this woven kingdom, clay and fire shall be.

Beyond this barren cave,
infinite threads are found.
All this twisted glory, in braids and binds abound.

Innocents torn asunder,
kingdoms born of hate.
High time to knit together,
with every spiral of fate.

As you can see , the titles of all four books are found within. I don’t fully grasp everything about it yet.

The ice and salt part has to do with Alizeh’s blood mixing with Cyrus’ but we still don’t know its significance. The braiding and the binding allude to the mixing of the Clay and the Jinn kingdoms and being woven together— possibly like her blood?

We have no idea what’s been going on in Ardunia during this entire book (or the last one?) but it appears war is on the horizon and with the end of this book Alizeh has made an enraged enemy of Iblees. Does the next book take place ‘at sea’ or in another kingdom entirely?

Her desire is to protect her people and free them from the oppression of the Clay (because of the Jinn’s powers) but it seems like her destiny is more so about uniting them.

I noticed that Mafi put a lot of ‘spirals’ into this book that I don’t think are necessarily plot-sgnificant but were nice additions in keeping with the theme. There were the spirals of their wedding bonds, spirals of flowers growing, spirals of snow at the Arya mountains, spirals of steam from the fortune telling teapot, the castle in the mountains was spiraled, and Cyrus’ mind was spiraling out of control.

One could speculate that all of these are threads that lead to a specific fate.

Questions

I still have more questions that need answered.

One overarching question continues to be— what/who is the foil to Iblees? It seems odd to have a world where the only unkillable, unseen force is Iblees (the devil) and no counter. Diviners are the gatekeepers of magic but it seems like Jinn or Clay people can become Diviners, they aren’t actually ‘divine’. Is there some ultimate Diviner out there we have not yet known? No other god seems to exist. Alizeh has a huge amount of power, but she wasn’t born until 19 years ago. With the displays of power I saw in this book, I find it hard to believe that Iblees can be ultimately defeated. I’m interested to see what that showdown looks like…

Omid seemed convinced that the Ardunian Diviners knew Cyrus was going to kill them and let him (back in prior books). Cyrus seemed bothered that Omid revealed that. We were never told why the Diviners would let Cyrus kill them. That seems like an important piece of information we should get in the next one.

We also don’t know why the natural world (animals/insects/dragons) would be pledging loyalty to the Queen. The dragons are keeping some sort of information from Cyrus about that. Will they be involved in whatever final battle happens?

What has Cyrus’s brother been doing? If he comes back, now that the bargain has been satisfied, can we trust him?

Why did Iblees want Cyrus to kill King Zaal? Is it just because he was deluded into thinking it would please Alizeh since King Zaal killed her parents? Or is there some other plan he has for Ardunia?

Why did Hazan have a connection to the Nosta?

What was it about Alizeh being born that made it the catalyst for Iblees to call on Cyrus’ dad for his favor? They made it seem like the earth decided to give Alizeh her special powers… why then? Why not before? I need more information on all the timing of everything.

Are Kamran’s mom’s fortunes actually true?

Recommendation

This book was the one I needed to confirm that it was worth it to keep reading since This Woven Kingdom. Mafi definitely strings us along throughout the series with only moderate payoff, and I do wish that part was different, but this book gave us a big push. It might be my favorite of the series. Maybe tied with book one.

Even though there are slower, character-driven parts, the characters have unique personalities and good banter that still make those parts enjoyable. I tend to be a more action-centric reader, so those who read more for characters will probably like this series even more.

Throughout this whole series, after each (previous) book I had said- I’m not sure what really happened but somehow I still enjoyed reading it. This book I can tell you all the things that happened AND say I enjoyed reading it.

I am really looking forward to the next one! I’ve had to wait so long in between each book that I might have to find my way to an advanced reader’s copy of book five I can read earlier!

[Content Advisory: 12 f-words, 1 s-word; sexual tension throughout, but nothing overly graphic, one scene in chapter 33 that’s the height of the sexual tension and would be fine to skip, there is no actual sex]

You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

The Girl Upstairs
By: Jessica R. Patch

[Fulfills prompt: ‘Book without swearing’ for the Shelf Reflection 2026 Reading Challenge]

[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2026]

“We all harbor secrets, cover up sins with lies and learn how to deceive others and ourselves.”

“‘Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’”— Benjamin Franklin (the classic guy to quote in your thrillers)

Another great read from one of my favorite new (to me) authors, Jessica Patch!

This is a standalone psychological thriller set during Halloween in Cold Harbor, Maine— a Star’s Hollow look-a-like— with a haunted house, a marriage on the rocks, cold case child abductions, and an ex-detective narrator harboring secrets (probably coldly)!

I’m usually not keen on psychological thriller tropes that are basically just— ‘is the main lady crazy or not crazy?’ Those tend to feel boring, repetitive, drawn out, and not real surprising. But I need not have worried— Patch delivered a more layered, suspenseful version of the trope with plenty of surprises and a great redemption arc.

I think I still like The Garden Girls and The Other Sister a bit better than this one, but this, by all means, is still a great read!

While it did have a slower start, it picked up in the second half and took me down the path I was hoping she would go. I figured out one of the twists by 17% of the way through, but it was not the only one and the other ones surprised me!

“I think people remember what suits them— and twist the rest to fit whatever story they need to believe. Sometimes it’s to erase what they’ve done, sometimes to justify it. We all have our own way of evicting the truth we can’t live with and redecorating that space with the version we wish had happened instead.”

Our main character is Gwen. We get clues that something in her recent past forced her to leave her position as detective. Her, her husband Stephen, and baby Tara are relocating to the small town of Cold Harbor to start fresh and leave the past behind.

But the house they move into has a history of tragic and mysterious deaths and Gwen’s detective nature cannot pass up the opportunity to investigate.

“something evil happened here. I feel it in the floors, in the walls, in the silence.”

But also because she hears phantom baby cries, jumpropes, bouncing balls, discovers the words ‘I AM NOT CRAZY’ carved into her attic floor, and finds a hidden room under the stairs. Also a human bone was just found on their property.

“Since the beginning. Since Abel’s blood screamed for justice in the dirt. Whoever was buried in my woods— disturbed, hidden, taken— they deserve the same. Justice. A name. A reckoning.”

Stephen is not too happy about her interest.

“‘Don’t ruin this for us. We have a lot to lose, Gwen. You know it more than I do.’”

We gather she has an obsessive personality and they already agreed to lay low in this new place lest someone look too deeply into their backgrounds. She is also battling depression, grief, and anxiety from a series of miscarriages and a particularly painful experience with children on one of her last cases.

Hence, the psychological part of this book: is Gwen hallucinating because of her meds and trauma? Is she reading too far into things that are mere coincidences? Can we trust her judgment and gut feelings? What secrets is she hiding? Are the townspeople really all hiding some sort of nefarious operation she’s poking around? Is she in actual danger? What is real and what is not? Who can she trust?

The layers that Patch constructs help supplement the internal struggles that Gwen is wrestling with.

One particular layer is that she develops a friendship with a gal named Cady who is a barista slash true-crime podcaster looking into the disappearance of her older sister, Candy— in the spotlight again now that a small human bone has been found. (Having been born after Candy went missing at 13, Cady never knew her sister.) Gwen and Cady team up to look into the bone and her house and see if there is any connection or information that could lead to finding out what happened to Candy.

There are concrete pieces of evidence that her and Cady discover so not everything in the book is abstract, which is nice. We’re still wondering what’s going on with Gwen, but we have this real mystery we’re also trying to solve.

Another layer to the book is on the character development side— her marriage. We know things are not great, but we don’t yet know why. There are possibilities of infidelity on both sides, but we don’t find out any details until later in the story.

“I can’t deny that ours is walking a fine line, a loose and flimsy line that stretches across a chasm that’s graveyard-dark. A place all dead marriages go to die.”

I do appreciate what Patch decided to do with their marriage. I don’t want to reveal too much but I like the arc of the marriage storyline and how it’s portrayed and worked through.

“Is solving this mystery worth losing my marriage?”

Similarly to the marriage storyline, we have Gwen’s grief that she is working through. She experienced three miscarriages and a stillbirth. Knowing my faith journey and personal grief with my own miscarriage, I relate to a piece of what Gwen’s experiencing and the struggle with believing God is good.

Some of what is connected to her pain and her experiences as a homicide detective following that pain is hard to read. As with Patch’s other books (which involve serial killers) there are certainly parts of this book that don’t shy away from the darkness in our world where people abuse other people. Where tragedies aren’t just fictional hypotheticals.

That’s one of the things I like about Patch’s books, though. They expose and acknowledge real evil, but they also point to light. To redemption. To grace and second chances. To truth and justice. She doesn’t always present an overt gospel message, but you can find it in these pages. In the person she saw as an enemy but was actually a protector. In the person she thought abandoned her but was actually there the whole time.

“Darkness bumps into us all. It’s what we do with the darkness that matters. Those who live under its shadow adopt its attributes, but those who look to the light and let that sweet light transform them lift the weight of the oppression… they use that for good things.”

Switching gears, let’s talk about birds. (I’m great at segues.)

I hate them.

But also, they’re a little fascinating.

I don’t know if authors are like— I heard this crazy thing about birds today, I’m going to put it in my book. Or if they’re like— I need an unusual fact about birds. Let’s go find one… but I genuinely enjoy discovering random trivia and facts, so however they find their way into books, I approve.

Patch drops some wild knowledge about black-capped chickadees and crows.

Turns out crows hold grudges. Generational grudges. They can recognize human faces and will remember the ones that wronged them. They will harass those humans and teach their offspring to do the same. I don’t know if this was discovered before or after a group became a ‘murder’ of crows, but they earn their name! Seriously. Birds are the worst. Do yourself a favor and avoid crows.

On the flip side chickadees are helpful little creatures that scientists study to learn about memory encoding and neural plasticity.

“‘The part of their brain that supports spatial memory— the hippocampus— expands in the fall in order to bank memories, and then it shrinks back to its normal size in spring. These little birds are special— they’re survivors.’”

When chickadees cache food, certain neurons fire that basically create a barcode that later reactivates when the bird comes back for the food. Some make up to 5000 stashes per day. This is an essential part of their ability to survive a winter.

I’m always intrigued by memory research. If there is a documentary on this bird, hook me up, I am pretty sure I’d watch it.

If you read this book in a book club, it would be an interesting discussion to see how you can connect these contrasting bird traits to the actual characters and the plot of the story. I’m sure Patch chose them with intention. I won’t share my thoughts because of spoilers, but here’s a quote to get you thinking:

“I think of the chickadees— how they shed old memories like feathers, making space for new ones. Maybe that’s why they seem so weightless. There’s freedom in the way they flit from branch to branch, trust in their eyes, joy in the beat of their tiny wings. Not like the crows. The oppressive birds hold on.”

And one last quote, that doesn’t necessarily have plot significance, but I just really liked it. It’s about our expectations. Our idols.

“‘Sometimes, we see something, and we fixate on it— dreaming about all the possibilities it holds. We think it’s going to change us, make us new, give us hope. We build it up so high in our minds, it becomes like… I don’t know… a kind of sanctuary. A place of worship. But then, when we finally get there, when we bow to it, it’s nothing like we imagined. We’re disillusioned.’”

Our hope is only as good as the thing/person it’s in. And there is only one Person we can worship who can offer real transformation and real hope. (Even though he created crows…) Everything else will disappoint.

Recommendation

Unless you have strong triggers with child abuse and miscarriage, I would definitely recommend. And even if those are triggers for you, they are not glorified or used gratuitously in this book. I think you will still find some justice and light in this book.

I really enjoy Jessica Patch’s thrillers and— I’ve said this before, but it’s still true— am glad to have found an author who can write great, twisty thrillers without swearing and sexual content, thus making it a great option for both those who prefer Christian fiction and those who just want a clean thriller.

The Girl Upstairs will probably give you new fears of park rangers and crows but otherwise it’s a fantastic thriller about secrets and justice and those that help us feel safe.

P.S. I don’t know if Jessica watches Survivor, but I had to laugh at the busted can of biscuits line, which is how Elaine described herself in season 39

**Received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This book releases in April, 2026. You can pre-order/order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

Good News for Parents: How God Can Restore Our Joy and Relieve Our Burdens
By: Adam Griffin

[Fulfills prompt: ‘Nonfiction book about something that means a lot to you’ for the Shelf Reflection 2026 Reading Challenge]

“Sometimes the relief is not in changing what you are doing but in embracing why you are doing it.”

I recently read The Myth of Good Christian Parenting which was not super encouraging (arguably it wasn’t trying to be), but it made me excited to read this book that I knew was waiting for me on my shelf.

The Myth of Good Christian Parenting criticizes several Christian parenting books (and Christian figures), pointing to ‘misguided’ theological beliefs as the problem. Having read and been encouraged by a lot of Christian parenting books, I disagree with the idea that parenting shouldn’t be ‘Christian’. I think there is a way to parent from our theology and I think it’s very important we do so.

Whether or not we call it ‘Christian parenting’, the gospel message has to be so central to our parenting or we are left with a lot of discouragement, feelings of failure, and hopelessness. There’s nothing like parenting to make you fully realize how little control you have over anything.

All that to say, I am very glad to have read Adam Griffin’s book because it is indeed good news for parents and I think all parents need some good news in the midst of our daily battles and worries!

In Griffin’s introduction he explains why he wrote this book. He knows there are books that give strategies or techniques to help with your parenting (he isn’t trying to replace those), but he was noticing that many parents still just felt overwhelmed by it all.

“How do you balance all these systems, liturgies, strategies, and new techniques? Someone is trying to offer you wisdom, but all you see is your mistakes, and all you hear is accusatory criticism…I wanted to write so I could offer you something… that will help you be able to hear what it takes to honor God while attempting to be a great parent and not feel overwhelmed by it. We will miss out on so much if we are so anxious, so stressed, or so discouraged that we can’t receive guidance without feeling more lost.”

I found Griffin’s writing to be super relatable. From the not eating the ends of the hotdogs (me… as an adult) to the sleepless nights, the wild imagination of being an adult, and just all the ups and downs and struggles of navigating all the information we’re getting from all the sources— he gets what it’s like to be a parent:

“… a never-ending list of straightforward yet urgent and seemingly unattainable, almost contradictory principles. It’s avoiding too much of this while not doing too little of that at the same time… It’s simple: Parenting is important and impossible.”  

Important and impossible feels exactly right.

His antidote to the anxiety, stress, and despair is what he calls operating from the belief that we are “home-free.”

This refers to the relief of knowing that “nothing can defeat you… the race is already won…” It’s the boat coming out of a storm and seeing the shore. Not quite there, but home-free.

“It’s an invincible contentment that comes from believing the promises of God for those who trust in Christ… The worst thing that could happen to you will not happen, and the best thing that could ever happen to you is totally guaranteed. Though suffering may not be less common or less painful for you, though you will still face temptation and sin in this life, truly nothing can prevent you from reaching your ultimate destination. You live content and at peace persevering in affliction, because you are home-free.”

We are not running a race, hoping we win. Our kids are not our opponents. Other parents are not our opponents. We don’t need to panic or worry if we believe Jesus’ work on the cross. He won, so we don’t have to. He is the sovereign Lord, in control of everything. We can’t save our kids, only he can.

This means we have— through the Spirit— (and these are the chapter titles):

Freedom: relief from shame

Love: relief from stress

Joy: relief from despair

Peace: relief from anxiety

Patience: relief from exhaustion

Kindness: relief from bitterness

Goodness: relief from inadequacy

Faithfulness: relief from fear

Gentleness: relief from conflict

Self-Control: relief from people-pleasing

I thought it was really cool how he took the fruit of the Spirit and pointed out what it relieves us of. There are a lot of books written on the fruit of the Spirit for a good reason. They are the blessings we get from abiding in Christ, being attached to the vine, the source of growth. This book does a great job showing how they can manifest for us as parents.

I got so much from every single chapter, but I think a few that stuck out for me right now were the Love, Patience, and Kindness chapters.

Each chapter ends with a prayer and some reflection questions. The prayer on page 47 in the love chapter is one I could see myself praying every day. Each prayer is very genuine and is a helpful action step to take after reading.

The patience chapter re-framed for me what patience means and how to instill a better definition of it for both my kids and myself.

“Patience is the ability to put up with a lot for a long time and still be okay. It’s stamina. Fortitude. Moxie. Endurance. Perseverance. Determination… We use the word ‘patience’ as a synonym for ‘timidity,’ while in the Bible it’s more like ‘tenacity.’ Patience is as much about grit and guts as it is about calm and composure.”

Lots of encouragement in this book but also a lot of conviction. That’s what the kindness chapter was for me— a recognition I needed to adjust some of the things I was saying or doing.

I think every parent will find that this book relieves so much pressure we face to be perfect parents. It eases the guilt we feel about times we’ve messed up, and it brings home the truth that we aren’t (and shouldn’t be) doing this parenting thing alone. We have the power of the Holy Spirit to relieve this burden for us. Not so that we do nothing, but that we joyfully and faithfully do the work he has called us to. When we are under his yoke— instead of one forced upon us by ourselves or those around us— it is easy and light.

The chapter that surprised me was the one on self-control. I thought this was going to go in the direction of restraining yourself in discipline or in coping methods during stressful seasons. But this chapter was actually about exercising self- control in not conforming to worldly parenting decisions.

He said we actually do want stubborn and strong-willed children because we want them to be able to stand up against the current of culture.

“As much as many forms of obstinance are totally undesirable in a child, if we are raising kids the way God called us to, we actually want to foster and cultivate a resolute, holy stubbornness. We want to raise our kids to be defiant. Yes, we want rebellious children. We are trying our best to form strong-willed children… In whatever ways that the world is opposed to the things of God, we want our kids to choose God instead of the world.”

As Christians we will be different from the world. There will be temptations to give in and go with the flow, but we have to be self-controlled to parent different.

This was a new way to look at self-control that was good. I liked that it provided a way to look at my strong-willed kids and show them how God gave them that as a gift and they can use it for good.

I’ve said this book is relatable, and it is— if I didn’t know better Adam Griffin is one of our closest friends and used our family’s struggles to write this— but there was one thing I had to narrow my eyes a smidge bit.

He was asked on a podcast what popular parenting advice he would disagree with and his answer was actually also in the book. He has a problem with parents who say that they don’t go on vacation with their kids they go on trips. I’ve literally said this.

What he’s getting at is that parents have a tendency to treat their kids as burdens instead of blessings. Treat them like inconveniences that ruin things instead of make things better. And I get it— looking at parental responsibilities as chores and obligations takes the joy away and we need to remember to love and treasure our kids. Totally agree.

But I do think I have to change my mindset when I go on a vacation/trip with my kids vs when I go on one without them. I do have a lot of fun with them and we make a lot of good memories, but the mindset is different; your body literally feels different than when you come home from a vacation/trip with uninterrupted sleep and no vomit to clean up vs the opposite.

Nonetheless, still a good reminder that I don’t want to be sending my kids a message that they impede my life in ways I regret. Because that’s not true.

I could go on and on about the information I gleaned, but I suggest you read it for yourself. Here are a few more quotes to convince you:

“It feels like a relief to ignore our responsibilities, to procrastinate or forsake them altogether. It can stress us out if we refuse to do them! But neglecting our parental duty will never bring true relief since the work needs to be done and we are the ones to do it. Relief isn’t the same thing as being excused from doing hard things. Love doesn’t always lead us to less labor. Sometimes love is the very reason to take on challenges and overcome them.”

 “God’s freedom is not permission to make performance and comparison our measure of value, nor is it freedom to pursue disobedience or take God’s place from him. That would be returning to a ‘yoke of slavery’ (Gal 5:1) You have been set free not only from something but also for something. Christians are saved from sin and death so that they can do good works. God set us free so that now, instead of always running towards sin, judgment, and condemnation, we get to run toward him and the gospel gifts he offers.”

“As your Master, God gives you strength to face temptations and leads you to choose what is good, even if it leads to a harder life.”

“We can do all this, confident that he sees each little task, he sees us, and he is pleased with our living sacrifice. So in that way, love for our God relieves the stress of doing all the things for our kids because regardless of what the temporal task is, it’s all worship to the eternal Lord. It is all significant. It all matters.”

“If you are struggling with stress from life’s pressures, the relief you need isn’t found in procrastination. It’s not found in productivity. It’s not found in meeting the expectations of others. Those are false relief. The relief you need is found in faith. Faith in Jesus Christ. Faith that, because of his love, you are home-free… he is eager to relieve your burdens…”

“We overestimate the threats our family faces, and we underestimate the God who is for us, not against us. Doing that will always lead to anxiety.”

“As Christian parents, we should be undaunted not because we never expect to fail but because we have faith that even in every failure, mistake, and grief, God is working out a greater triumph.”

Recommendation

Awhile back I wrote a blog post about how I thought that ‘relief’ was the best emotion. My exploration meanders around relief and lands on hope, and having now read Good News for Parents, I think my original thoughts stand. Relief is one of the greatest feelings and we have relief from so many things because we have hope. This book offers that feeling— that truth— to parents.

Relief and hope that is grounded in Christ’s work on the cross and his gift of his Spirit. Hope that will not disappoint.

As Griffin reminds and assures us— we may not have a hurt-free home, but we can live in a home-free home.

I whole-heartedly recommend this book to all parents. It’s not a replacement for ‘practical’ parenting books that share techniques and strategies and advice, but it is a necessary supplement that allows us to hear advice without feeling overwhelmed or doomed.

It’s a book I will be revisiting multiple times to remind myself how to live home-free.

I received a copy of this book via Crossway Publishing, but this is my own honest review. You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

Bible Reading in the New Year: Where Do I Start?
By: Brittany Shields

It’s the beginning of a new year!

With that comes a fresh start. The motivation to do something we’ve been putting off. The inspiration to make healthy habits and better ourselves.

One of those things so often put off is reading the Bible.

For some reason it’s something that is hard to keep in our schedule or stay motivated to stick with.

I’ve been there. I know the struggle.

So let me encourage you— you can do this!

Reading the Bible is the primary way God communicates with us. It’s so important to our relationship with Him that we stay in His Word. To hear His voice and bury His truths in our hearts. To keep hearing the gospel message over and over again!

So where do we start?

I wanted to share with you some options that may help you read your Bible more or more consistently.

And remember, it’s not a box to check off and it’s not something you do to earn God’s love. We do our best. We struggle. We miss days of reading. We may miss weeks or months. But there is grace every day and we try again. Set achievable expectations, push yourself— either way, any time you spend in God’s Word is time well spent.

If you would rather listen to Scripture then reading, I would recommend this podcast called Abide where Pastor Doug (okay… he’s my dad) reads a chapter of Scripture and offers commentary. They’re usually 10-15 minutes and easy to squeeze into the day while driving or multitasking. There’s more about that below— you can jump in where they are now or jump around to different books of the Bible you’re interested in that they’ve done in the past.

The Good Book Company sells a lot of Bible Studies on different books of the Bible that you can browse HERE.

Crossway Publishing also has a series of Bible Studies that are book-specific or topic specific that may be good resources as you read through Scripture. You can browse those HERE.

HERE is a link to all the devotional studies I’ve read and reviewed.

Some other popular options would be to access content through the YouVersion Bible App, Bible Project, or The Bible Recap or peruse The Gospel Coalition or Ligonier Ministries resources.

The Story of Redemption by The Daily Grace Co.

This is a four volume series that is reading through the entire Bible. It is about 3 chapters a day with a short commentary in the book.

When you purchase the book you also get access to a digital version in their app so you can read on the go, or still read it even if you forget your book in a rental car somewhere in Arizona like I did!

I haven’t finished the entire program but I did finish the New Testament books in 2025.

The Daily Grace Co. has a lot of pretty studies that are very accessible, but they can be hit and miss on depth. I would recommend them in moderation but would recommend branching out every now if these are your go-to studies.

For the Love of God by D.A. Carson

This is a two volume ‘read the Bible in a year’ type of plan. There are a couple ways to use the plan— I opted to spend two years, which meant I read through the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice.

What I loved about this option is that D.A. Carson provided commentary on each day’s reading that was really helpful to understand what I was reading, especially those Old Testament books that are really confusing or boring. It helped me stick with it!

A link to the second volume is part of this review linked above.

Another similar Bible reading plan option is one that my dad has put together called ABIDE: Living Daily in the Word.

They just finished their 4 year plan that you can still access in the archives. But this year they are doing a 1 year plan. Not reading the entire Bible, but reading select chapters from Genesis to Revelations chronologically.

As with the 4 year plan, it is one chapter a day, six days a week. The sixth day of reading is always a chapter from Psalms.

Like Carson, he includes a devotional commentary for each reading to break down the passage and make applications.

You can download this reading plan HERE.

Cover to Cover Bible Journal by The Storehouse

I haven’t used this resource yet but it came highly recommended to me recently and I’m considering getting started with it.

If you’re interested in reading through the Bible chronologically at your own pace.

“This journal is designed to make the seemingly daunting task of reading the entire Bible not only attainable but also enjoyable and impactful. Divided into 16 smaller sections based on significant events, it provides a structured framework that guides you through the entirety of God's Word at a comfortable pace.”

It’s set up to read 3-5 chapters a day. You can check out more pictures and features HERE.

Seamless: Understanding the Bible as One Complete Story by Angie Smith

If you’re not as familiar with your Bible, this might be a really good option for you. She covers all 66 books of the Bible in a 7 week study.

This may seem overwhelming but it’s a bird’s eye view. She doesn’t get in too deep but you will learn all the main characters, themes, and how everything is part of the story of Christ.

There are fill in the blank and short answer questions throughout to help you learn what you’re reading.

It’s a great book to give you the basic framework of the Bible and see how it all fits together and why it’s important to know about. My linked review will show you some pictures from inside the book!

The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms by Timothy Keller (with Kathy Keller)

The Psalms are a favorite book of the Bible for many people. It’s one of those books where we hear the echoes of our hearts. Where we often feel seen and understood.

If you need something shorter each day or would like to meditate on the Psalms for a year, this is a great option!

Keller takes a verse or few at a time and provides commentary as well as cross-referenced passages.

We may think of David when we think of Psalms, but each day Keller points us to Jesus and shows that even in Psalms we are hearing the gospel message.

He also suggests a way to meditate each day by using these words— Adore, Admit, and Aspire— to help us think about what we learn about God, what we can repent of, and how we can act on what we read.

Lastly, he includes a prayer each day that is helpful to remind us how to pray the Scriptures!

Earth Psalms: Reflections on How God Speaks Through Nature by Francine Rivers

If doing something every day is too much, this is a more manageable option.

It’s a 52 week devotional— one per week.

FYI- It is not about Psalms. Psalms in the title is more like ‘songs’ of nature. She takes passages from throughout the Bible and reflects on how we can learn about God through nature.

It’s not super deep but it’s theologically sound and has good questions to think about throughout the week.

It also is a very beautifully designed book if you want pretty pictures to look at!

Romans: The Gospel of Grace by Kristin Schmucker, The Daily Grace Co.

If you would like to just focus on studying one particular book of the Bible, I would highly recommend this two volume series on Romans.

Romans is one of my favorite books of the Bible because it is so rich in theology and there’s always something new to glean from it.

Each volume is 8 weeks long with 5 days of reading/homework (a.k.a 3-4 questions per day).

My linked review above includes pictures of inside the book and a link to the second volume.

One unique thing I liked about this study was that it incorporated Scripture memory so by the time 16 weeks is up, you will have memorized Romans 8 (a few verses a week).

[The Daily Grace Co. puts out a lot of devotionals for other books too if you are interested in this type of study but not this particular book.]

1 Peter: A Living Hope in Christ by Jen Wilkin

The Daily Grace Co. is a great place to get studies on particular books of the Bible, but Jen Wilkin’s studies are some of my favorite!

Her studies have a bit more homework but they go deep, doing word studies and asking difficult questions.

This one is 9 weeks. I did it as part of a church Bible study so we also had access to video sessions Jen Wilkin did for each week. I’m sure you could gain access to these online. They were a great addition to the book study.

I would also highly recommend her books In His Image or Ten Words to Live By as good devotional books. They aren’t necessarily written as devotionals but they are good biblical studies with a lot of meat!

Knowing God by J.I. Packer

This is not a Bible reading plan or a devotional book but it was one of my favorite books ever and one that is worth reading multiple times.

Packer differentiates between knowing about God and knowing God and has written this book to that end.

He covers so much. It can be dense at times but so rich with truth. I have so many quotes from this book that I come back to regularly.

He talks about the triune Godhead and goes through many of God’s attributes. He challenges us to ‘Behold our God!’ and indeed his book helps us to do that.

If you just want to grow deeper in your relationship to and with God, you can’t go wrong with this choice!

Becoming a Woman whose God is Enough by Cynthia Heald

This one is geared toward women, obviously.

I’ve read this book several times and did it as a study with a group of high school girls over the course of 5-6 weeks.

There are a lot of Scriptures to look up and questions to go with each chapter.

What I love about this book is that it reminds us why God is enough for us. It sounds simple but we don’t often live as if God is enough for us. We have anxieties and fears and insecurities and we like to have control.

This book will challenge you to see God for who he is and realize you can trust him and his promises because of who He is. He is enough for you.

You Can Handle the Truth: Making Sense of the Bible in 3 Simple Steps by Chad M. Mansbridge

If you just want to be able to read you Bible and understand what it’s saying and learn how to study Scripture, this might be a good option for you!

The simple steps referred to in the subtitle are: What does it say? What does it mean? What does it matter?

Within each of these sections of the book he provides various acronyms or pneumonic devices to help us think through a passage we are reading and be able to understand it.

There are a lot of valuable insights in this book.

It is a good introduction to this type of study, however there are some caveats to reading this and I describe them in my linked review above.

The main heart behind this book is that the Bible is for everyone, God calls us to correctly handle the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15), and Mansbridge has written this to equip you!

Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin

Similar to the book above, this book is written to help readers learn how to read the Word for themselves. It’s not the ‘right’ way but is Wilkin sharing what she has found helpful and what she uses when she writes her Bible studies.

Regardless of what Bible reading method you choose, this may be a good precursor to come to the Bible with the right mindset. To read the Bible the way it was intended and not reading our emotions or our circumstances into it.

It does feel overwhelming at times, but you don’t have to do it exactly what she proposes. I think it’s definitely a method worth reading, considering, and trying. Take however long you need to to work through it. It’s not the easiest option on this list, but if you are wanting to learn how to read your Bible on your own and understand it, this is a great resource!

These are just a few suggestions to get you started. I’m sure I will read more in the future that I could add to this list.

In the interim, you can also browse through the buttons below.

We should never substitute man’s words for God’s Word, but there are numerous benefits of reading Christian Living and Theology books and lots of them study Scriptures specifically.

There are many ways to grow in our walk with the Lord, and all of these books will cause you to meditate on God— who he is, what he has done, and what that means for us in all areas of our lives!

Here’s to hoping something here can spark interest and can help you begin the year in the best Book there is!

Happy New Year!

2025 in Review: 81 Book Breakdown
By: Brittany Shields

2025 is in the books! (I say this every year…)

Thanks to StoryGraph I have some fun graphics to showcase my year of books. What’s crazy is that the fiction/nonfiction and page number graphs look almost identical to last year! I guess I’m a consistent reader…

This year I read 81 books and 24,200+ pages from 73 authors.

23 books were part of a series, 11 of which were first books of the series.

I read books that took place in 28+ states and 17+ different countries.

I’ve listed every book I read below, conveniently divided by genre. Plus I added some ‘superlatives’ to some of them to make things more interesting. Each book is linked to my full review if you want more information.

Also Check Out:

Shelf Reflection’s 2026 Reading Challenge

Best Books of 2025

Most Anticipated Books of 2026

Candy-Themed Reading Challenge

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

If you don’t already, make sure you follow my Facebook page to stay up-to-date with all my latest reads, reviews, recommendations, and any giveaways I do in 2026!

You can also find me on Storygraph, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Feel free to check out my SHOP where you’ll find unique bookish shirts, hats, blankets, etc that I was inspired to make at some point— perfect for book lovers. Many designs are even hand drawn!

Shelf Reflection Update

Thanks to all your support, my website traffic continues to grow! The number of unique visitors to my page went up to over 330,000! I don’t have any goals set in how many people my website reaches— that’s up to God— but a larger audience provides me eligibility for advanced reader copies and entrance into reviewer programs with publishing companies.

My continued goal and plan for Shelf Reflection is just to be faithful in what I’m already doing: providing honest, (often humorous), faith-based feedback on popular books and introduce people to new books they may not have considered before.

However he chooses, I pray that God would somehow use this page for his glory.

Thanks for being part of Shelf Reflection and I wish you all the best in the year 2026!

AND NOW….

2025: Books by Genre

[To see all of these books in chronological order and see images of their book covers, browse this link: 2025 Books]

Cultural

Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers

No Time to Be Dumb: Letters to Teenage Girls by Rachel Jankovic

Most Likely to Ruffle Feathers:
Raising Conservative Kids in a Woke City by Stacy Manning and Katy Faust

Walking in Unity: Biblical Answers to Questions on Race and Racism by Krista Bontrager & Monique Duson

Historical Fiction

Most Appalling (DNF):
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

One Woman’s War by Christine Wells

Ace, Marvel, Spy by Jenni L. Walsh

All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee

The Artist of Blackberry Grange by Paulette Kennedy

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

Best Newly Discovered Author:
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (YA)

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

A Killing on the Hill by Robert Dugoni (legal thriller)

James by Percival Everett

Suspense/Thriller

Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight

A Killer’s Code (Daniela Vega #3) by Isabella Maldonado

A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

Most Viewed Book Review:
Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

Out for Blood (Matthew Redd #3) by Ryan Steck (Christian Fiction)

Nobody’s Fool (Detective Sami Kierce #2) by Harlan Coben

Best Twist:
The Other Sister by Jessica R. Patch

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay

A Dead Draw (Tracy Crosswhite #11) by Robert Dugoni

Falls to Pieces by Douglas Corleone

Longest Book:
The Kill Artist (Gabriel Allon #1) by Daniel Silva

Photograph by Brian Freeman

Most Likely to Make a Good Movie:
Gone Dark (Matthew Redd #4) by Ryan Steck (Christian fiction)

Beyond Reasonable Doubt (Keera Duggan #2) by Robert Dugoni (legal thriller)

Creepiest:
The Laughing Dead (Steinbeck & Reed #3) by Jess Lourey

The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark

Non-Fiction

The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell

Beside Every Successful Man: A Woman’s Guide to Having It All by Megan Basham

Honest Prayers for Mama Bears by Hillary Morgan Ferrer & Julie Loos

Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James & David Thomas

Art and Faith: A Theology of Making by Makoto Fujimura

Most Awe-Inspiring:
The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of the Glories of God by Seth Lewis

Most Likely to Have Taken Me Longer to Read Than It Should Have:
Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley

The Myth of Good Christian Parenting: How False Promises Betrayed a Generation of Evangelical Families by Marissa Franks Burt & Kelsey Kramer McGinnis

Van Gogh Has a Broken Heart: What Art Teaches Us about the Wonder and Struggle of Being Alive by Russ Ramsey

Memoir

Funniest Book:
Sparkly Green Earrings: Catching the Light at Every Turn by Melanie Shankle

Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

YA

Second Most Likely to Make a Good Movie:
Heist Royale (Thieves’ Gambit #2) by Kayvion Lewis

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood (DNF)

The Wilde Trials by Mackenzie Reed

Rift (Rift Trilogy #1) by Steven James

The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) by Brittany Cavallaro

Psychological Thriller

The Locked Ward by Sarah Pekkanen

Fiction

Most Likely to Be a Book Club Book:
Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

My Dear Hemlock by Tilly Dillehay

This Promised Land by Cathy Gohlke

Romantic Comedy

Some Like It Scot by Pepper Basham

First Love, Second Draft by Becca Kinzer

Mystery

A Chain of Pearls (Martha’s Vineyard Murders #1) by Raemi A. Ray

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect (Ernest Cunningham #2) by Benjamin Stevenson

How to Solve Your Own Murder (Castle Knoll Files #1) by Kristen Perrin

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (Hercule Poirot #20) by Agatha Christie

Humor

Most Disappointing:
Be Funny or Die: How Comedy Works & Why It Matters by Joel Morris

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze

Fantasy

Fairest of All (Villains #1) by Serena Valentino

Most Popular/Shelved:
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games #0.5) by Suzanne Collins

Most Imaginative:
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas

Odriel’s Heirs (Odriel’s Heirs #1) by Hayley Reese Chow

Den of Liars (The Devious #1) by Jessica S. Olson

Science Fiction

Future’s Dark Past (Time Forward Trilogy #1) by J.L. Yarrow

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton (mystery)

Christian Living

Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full: Gospel Meditations for Busy Moms by Gloria Furman

Most Likely to Talk About Food:
Broken Bread: How to Stop Using Food and Fear to Fill Spiritual Hunger by Tilly Dillehay

Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds by Jen Wilkin

Theology

Keep in Step with the Spirit by J.I. Packer

Most Encouraging:
The Steadfast Love of the Lord: Experiencing the Life-Changing Power of God’s Unchanging Affection by Sam Storms (Christian Living?)

Shortest Book:
The Nicene Creed: What You Need to Know about the Most Important Creed Ever Written by Kevin DeYoung

Holier Than Thou: How God’s Holiness Helps Us Trust Him by Jackie Hill Perry

Devotional

The Risen King: 40 Devotions for Easter by C.H. Spurgeon, Jeff Medders (editor)

The Story of Redemption (Vol. 4) by The Daily Grace Co.

Grateful: 30 Days of Growing in Thankfulness by Allison Brost

Best Devotional/Bible Study (that I did this year):
Jude: Contending for the Faith in Today’s Culture by Jackie Hill Perry

Poetry

Most Likely to Confuse You About Poetry:
Save Me an Orange by Hayley Grace

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas (Hercule Poirot #20)
By: Agatha Christie

“‘I can’t help feeling that the manner of my father-in-law’s death was somehow significant. It—it was so very unEnglish.’”

Apparently this is the first time I’ve reviewed an Agatha Christie book and it’s been long overdue. I’ve watched more Agatha Christie books to film than I’ve read her books, sadly. I get distracted by all the new and shiny and the in-the-vein of Conan Doyle and Christie that I forget to go back and just read the originals.

I waited to read this book until it was actually Christmas so I could be vibin’ at the right time. Well, it’s a murder, so not exactly a jolly time. And in her dedication Christie said this was for James who “yearned for a ‘good violent murder with lots of blood.’” So… you know… real Christmas-y!

There was indeed lots of blood— a decidedly slashed throat— in this locked room mystery where everyone has a motive to have killed the dastardly old rich guy.

Other than it happening at Christmas time (which was the reason for the old man to gather his family) there really were no Christmas vibes. So if you’re looking for a cozy atmospheric Christmas book for the holidays, I don’t think this will do it for you.

But you will get a good mystery!

I always think I’m going to figure these things out, but it’s just too murky. Too many viable possibilities. While I do enjoy when they put these books to film, I don’t think they’d be able to pull this one off or the ‘answer’ would be given away too easily. It made it difficult to solve while reading, though, and that’s good with me.

The basic plot of this one:

Simeon Lee (the old guy I’ve been talking about) has called his four sons and their wives home for Christmas. The request was out of character so suspicions are already raised. Then two new people show up— the daughter of Lee’s deceased daughter who married a Spaniard (Pilar), and the son of Lee’s deceased business partner in South Africa (Stephen).

His son Alfred (and wife Lydia with “swift intelligence and greyhound grace”) live with him. Alfred is the loyal (to a fault) son wanting his father’s approval.

His son George is a stingy Parliament man with a gold-digging wife (Magdalene with her “meretricious airs and graces”) pressuring him to get more ‘allowance’ money from his father.

His son David (and wife Hilda with “solid comfortable strength”) renounced the name because of the way Simeon treated David’s mother and went on in “his music and his dreamy ways” to pursue art “or some tomfoolery of that kind.”

His son Harry was the prodigal son returning home from his worldwide adventures pursuing any passion in the wind. He appears to be looking to settle back in, but the other brothers are not quick to make room.

Of course there’s talk of Simeon’s will being changed.

“‘It amused him to— to appeal to the worst instincts in human nature. There was— how can I put it? — a kind of diabolical impishness about him.”

And then the next thing you know there’s a loud kerfuffle in his locked chambers, a haunting scream, and a very bloody crime scene. And also his stash of uncut diamonds has been stolen.

Who comes to aid the sergeant in the investigation than the famous Hercules Poirot! And at Christmastime, no less!

Well it’s a very good thing he’s there because he does his clue finding and conversational investigation thing and delivers the results with everyone gathered and all is well. Well, mostly.

It was a little hard to keep the proper wives to husbands straight but overall it was a good mystery.

I think the first quote I included sums up the feel of this book quite well. It’s all very English until it’s unEnglish. And then it’s back to English.

If you’ve read Agatha Christie before you know exactly what to expect and you settle in. If you’ve only read modern thrillers and mysteries, this will probably feel slow, dialogue-heavy, and stationary. I think the entire book takes place in the house, most details are given my character telling them, and there’s not a lot of action.

But once you understand what you are picking up, I think you can enjoy it for what it is.

I did learn a pretty crazy fact about Agatha Christie that I did not know: she is the third most widely published author of all time with 2-4 billion copies of her books sold, which puts her only behind the Bible and Shakespeare. That’s pretty wild. That means if you haven’t read one of her books yet, you should probably join the masses of people who are all about it.

Recommendation

I would recommend it for those who are interested in a true ‘Golden Age’ mystery. I can’t really think of a reason not to read this book unless you are a person who is easily bored.

If you enjoy this style and are interested in the modern-writing replication of it then I would check out Benjamin Stevenson’s books, Tom Mead’s books, or Charles Finch’s books.

You, like me, may also be ready to check out Marie Benedict’s The Queens of Crime which is a historical fiction book ABOUT Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and some other women who solve an actual murder. Apparently it’s inspired by a true story in Sayers’ life.

[Content Advisory: no swearing or sexual content; yes, there’s a bloody crime scene but this book is far from being ‘gory’ in my opinion]

You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.

Shelf Reflection’s Most Anticipated Books of 2026
By: Brittany Shields

“Pleasure is found first in anticipation, later in memory.” - Gustave Flaubert, French novelist

It’s the time of year where you get to look to the next year for all kinds of things, including…. BOOKS!

I should probably stop doing these lists because I’m obviously not done reading through the previous year’s list since I always have a bajillion unread books staring me in the face every day. But where’s the fun in that?

As usual, I have done the research for you and compiled a list of books that I am looking forward to next year! It’s the longest list I’ve done yet so I changed the formatting a little and didn’t provide as much detail about each one. As I read, I’ll link my reviews that will provide those.

There are a lot of lists put out about this, so I do look at those, but I like to think my list is a bit broader than the mainstream go-tos. I don’t read only book club books or whatever Reese Witherspoon and Jimmy Fallon tell me to. I’ve found some lesser known authors that I really like so you’ll see some of that.

Of course there will be some big names and there are more thrillers than other genres because I enjoy those the most. But I’ve pulled books in from pretty much all genres except horror. I also don’t read much romance, but I did find some rom-coms that look good.

Most of these authors I for sure stand behind, but to broaden the horizons a little there are also a few new-to-me authors and a couple debut books that intrigued me.

A few other notes:

• The second half of the year of new books isn’t always publicized very much so I might have to add more for the end of 2026 once I become aware of them

• I came across a few conflicting publishing dates on these so I could have a few wrong or they may be subject to change.

• The science fiction and fantasy genres are little tricky for me to gauge what I want to put on my list. I try to avoid devils, witches, intense romance, and LGBTQ stories so it’s pretty hard to determine what new books I want to promote. A lot of new release books in these genres are part of series that I haven’t read yet and I’m not sure if I can realistically start so I try to find standalones if I can, or books from series I’ve already started. If you can vouch for a really good fantasy or science fiction standalone or series feel free to let me know about it.

You should also check out these other book lists and challenges as you prepare for another year of glorious books!

• Best Books of 2025

• Shelf Reflection’s 2026 Reading Challenge

• Most Anticipated Books of 2025

• Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

• Candy Reading Challenge

• Shelf Reflection’s 2025: Year in Review

Thanks for sharing in my love of reading! I’m looking forward to another year of reading and reviewing and helping others find their next read! I hope you’ll join me :)

If you don’t already, follow me on Goodreads, Storygraph, or Facebook to get my latest reviews and recommendations. There is also a Facebook Group for the Reading Challenge where you can share with others what you’ve selected for the prompts and how you liked it. I’m trying to build a community around it and would love to have you there.

January Releases

February Releases

March Releases

April Releases

May Releases

June Releases

July Releases

August Releases

September Releases

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The Best Books of 2025: My Top 20ish Favorites
By: Brittany Shields

The first ‘Best of’ list that I put together in 2021 I was able to narrow down a list of 80 books to my top 13. What a magical ability I once possessed. I’ve pretty much lost that skill by now. This year I read 83 and my list of top reads exceeds 20. So sue me.

I’ll never be good at favorites, but since everyone asks about it, I’ve done my best.

As usual, I read across many genres and authors, discovered some new authors, started more series that I’ll never have time to finish, and eagerly picked up books from my auto-read authors. Most of these were published in 2025, but not all. I pick the best of what I read, not the best of what was published in the entire world.

I hope this list can help you find some new great options to read in 2026. Feel free to comment your favorite books from the year!

There is a brief description next to the book cover, but click my review links to get more details and my thoughts on each book!

ALSO……….

Follow me on Facebook to stay up-to-date with what I’m reading and recommending. You’ll also see some book giveaways I do and more. I’m a pretty fun person, so hang out with me via my website and social media.

AND FEEL FREE TO SHARE THIS LIST TO YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA! (I don’t do Tiktok or Instagram so I rely on other methods of sharing)

Other things to check out:

2024’s Best Books

Shelf Reflection Reading Challenges

Shelf Reflection’s 2025: Year in Review

Most Anticipated Books of 2026

AND NOW… the best books I read in 2025 in absolutely no particular order.

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

“Diamonds have witnessed the past, and they will witness a future we can’t begin to imagine.”

At this point I’ve read five of her books and loved them all. Harmel just has a way of storytelling that is so compelling and touches on all your emotions. She has a knack for finding and creating unique WWII stories around regular people doing heroic things to help others.

In The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau Harmel explores how people stole from the Nazis in order to help the Resistance. In this particular dual-timeline story, Colette Marceau is a jewel thief, taught by her mother before her mother was betrayed and arrested during the war, which led to the death of her sister. Now 89, Colette still wonders what happened all those years ago. A bracelet resurfaces that might bring her answers.

I loved the themes she explores in this book: How is right and wrong determined? Is our identity more than what we do or more than our ‘destiny’? Can a lifetime of good wash away a long-ago sin? How and to what extent do we let our history shape our future?

Lots of layers of themes and emotions yet easy to read and enjoy with likeable characters and a great ending!

Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister

It’s a little strange putting this one on the list because after reading Wrong Place, Wrong Time, I wasn’t sure if I would read any more of her books because of all the f-words, but here I am reading and enjoying another one of her books.

Getting past the swearing, I was able to enjoy (as usual) the way Gillian combines both mystery/suspense with the emotional mom/wife stuff in her books.

Famous Last Words is described (by her) as “a love story set in a hostage situation.”

In both books, she does a good job of drawing you into the character’s dilemma and emotional struggle with the conflict at hand and the internal risks of coming to terms with reality. In this book we have a wife (and mother) trying to figure out why her husband sieged three people, killed two (unidentified), and disappeared after leaving a note that simply says- “It’s been so lovely with you both.”

I guess read at your own risk, but to quote myself from my review of her other book: “Swearing aside, I can’t think of a reason not to read the book.”

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson

“to tell your story was to experience a kind of freedom…”

“This was the true miracle of life, he thought. No so much to be born as to bear up under what comes your way. To find a way forward. To embrace what was good.”

This one was hard to put down. It is a well-crafted story that explores grief and trauma and the way family history shapes our identities.

There have been many books written to explore the lives and treatment of African American slaves, but Wilkerson wanted to touch on a couple areas of labor that are not often talked about in other books: pottery and sailing. She fuses them together in the Freeman family history.

At the center of this book is a cherished family heirloom, broken during a home invasion that also killed Ebby’s 15 year-old brother. Now as an adult, unfortunate circumstances force Ebby to confront the past in more ways than she anticipated: her family tragedy, the jar, and her ruined wedding vows all clash and Ebby has to find a way to move forward.

This is definitely a book worth reading. Wilkerson gives readers a lot to think about and threads the themes together in such a compelling way. I also think this would make a good book club book and included discussion questions in my full review.

The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of the Glories of God by Seth Lewis

“Nature gave the word ‘glory’ a meaning for me. I still do not know where else I could have found one.” —C.S. Lewis

If you are not already a nature lover, this book just might turn you into one. And if you already feel the wonder when you sit in nature, this book is going to strike all the right chords!

I knew the Bible talked about a variety of nature-related things, but I feel like this book illuminated a lot of those passages (and more) for me in a new way.

Why do we experience awe and wonder at the roaring waterfalls, majestic mountains, the infinite stars, the unique array of creatures? Because we were created to. We are the only created things that notice and are mesmerized by its beauty.

In this wonderful little book, Seth takes the seven days of Creation (including the day of rest) and looks at how each thing God created communicates something to us about who God is and who we are.

He articulates so well things we probably sense every day but don’t know what to do with. He reveals our Rosetta Stone and connects us to the source to interpret what God has made plain. It will make you feel awe, and thankfulness, and stability, and hope.

Seriously. Pick up this book!

Sunrise on the Reaping (Hunger Games #0.5) by Suzanne Collins

“That’s part of our trouble. Thinking things are inevitable. Not believing change is possible.”

This is the second prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy, the sequel to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

BoSaS was kinda a weird prequel because it was President Snow’s ‘origin’ story and so you aren’t sure how to feel sometimes while reading, knowing what he turns into.

But Sunrise on the Reaping is Haymitch’s story— a beloved character— and so there are no mixed feelings, just rooting for him. And I liked it more for this reason. Everyone wants to love the hero.

Again, we know he doesn’t die and that he wins his Hunger Games, but we also know he turns into an aimless drunk. So what happened to him that leads to that? This book shows you a whole new side of Haymitch, yet one you knew was there all along.

One of my favorite things about this book were all the familiar faces showing up! It’s set 24 years prior to the first Hunger Games book and 40 years after BoSaS but there are crossover characters from both segments. I also enjoyed seeing the parallels between Haymitch and Katniss.

There is just something about the world of Panem that somehow has a beauty to it even amidst the tragedy and the violence. Somehow Collins keeps us coming back for more, even though we know we’re in for feeling sad and angry.

The Other Sister by Jessica R. Patch

“I assumed I was walking into a happily-ever-after, but now… now I can’t help but think I might have walked into a horror film.”

Gasp. That was intense! What a brilliantly crafted thriller!

I loved this book. Although it had dark themes, I thought Patch did a great job shaping it into a redemption story and bringing the light into the darkness (just like she did with The Garden Girls). And the twists were spot on!

The title is perfect, the premise compelling, and the execution thrilling.

After her mother’s death Charlotte discovers she has a twin (Acelynn)! They meet up in Chicago where everything goes horribly wrong. Charlotte witnesses Acelynn’s murder and is in danger herself. Her only escape route is to lay low at Acelynn’s house until she can find a better way to disappear. This requires her to pretend to be Acelynn, living the dream life Charlotte had always wanted.

Until things begin to go wrong in Acelynn’s life too— a serial killer is on the loose nearby and Acelynn had gotten herself into some trouble before visiting Charlotte. Charlotte’s abilities and street smarts are put to the test as she maneuvers a life and circle she doesn’t know with a target on her back.

The web woven in this book was phenomenal and strong. I wish I could read it for the first time again!

Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone

“When I left Rio, I thought I was leaving behind the biggest challenge of my life. I had no idea that the next two years would be even harder. And to reach joy, I had to go through trials too big for me to face on my own.”

I wouldn’t be caught dead running on a track.

Scratch that, I would most definitely be caught dead if I was running on a track because I’m a firm believer that running— especially my hardest— would kill me.

So no, I didn’t read this book to help me get off the starter blocks better or get my legs over hurdles in a graceful way—I pulled a hamstring just writing that sentence—but her story did really resonate with me and it was a true joy to read.

Because even though she’s a 4-time gold medal Olympian with world records, she’s just like you and me. She struggles with fear, anxiety, identity, and the desire to find meaning and purpose in life.

This book chronicles not only her literal races and Olympic experiences, but the race the author of Hebrews refers to: “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (12:1)

Far Beyond Gold is Sydney’s story that beyond her gold medals, she found freedom and life she never knew existed and now could never live without. And she wants you to know about it too.

It’s genuine. It’s real. It’s hope. It’s truth. And I think we could all use a little bit more of that!

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

“His father had once told him that there was only one measure of how well a person spent his day. It depended on how much of the day you spent pining for the future or regretting your past.”

Somehow this book was both dark and whimsical!

I really enjoyed this story. It has deep themes, imaginative world building, suspense, tragedy, and even a glimmer of hope. It’s not a complete happily ever after for everyone; it holds some tension with the idea that our choices have consequences and we can’t just write them all better by the end.

It explores themes like sacrifice, contentment, freedom, choice, desire, and regret.

The story revolves around a magical pawnshop in Tokyo. Clients might think they are about to enter a restaurant to eat ramen, but instead find themselves in a pawnshop where Hana and her father are there to help them pawn off a choice they’ve hated living with.

The main conflict in this story is the disappearance of Hana’s father the morning after he retires from the shop and a missing choice from their inventory. Hana, with the help from a customer, will go to the ends of her world to find her father and the missing choice and set all things right.

It was such a creative and imaginative story! A story where someone ‘folds time’ is not a new concept— even Matthew McConaughey can fold a piece of paper in half and stick a pencil through it— but I haven’t seen anyone do it with an origami crane made from minutes from another world under a night sky lit up with kites made from people’s hopes.

I think this book’s value is in the escapism nature of fantasy and magic, the creativity in the world building, and in the pondering of its themes— an invitation to explore an imaginative world that actually speaks about the real one.

(I also include book club discussion questions for this one!)

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze

This book is part memoir, part funny story-telling. Nate says from the very beginning that there is not really an overarching message:

“This book is never trying to say anything even close to important… you can open it to any random chapter you want and you’ll be just fine. There isn’t any real order. No rhyme or reason behind much of anything.”

And I would say he delivered on that. In a good way! It’s an easy, enjoyable read that will make you smile. It’s something you can come back to and read part or all of again whenever you just want something light and funny to escape from the chaos of the day.

There is a little bit of overlap with what has been in his shows but there were lots of new stories or details and background to previously mentioned moments that kept it fresh. There are even pictures— although I wish they would have been in color so you could see them better.

If you’ve seen him live or watched one of his Netflix specials (do it) then reading this book will feel a lot like the show. You can hear his voice and delivery as you read, the same straight-faced humor about weird jobs, his dad being a clown, the dynamics between him and his wife, and his love of McDonald’s.

I totally recommend it.

Also, shoutout to P.P. Hopefully I can hear the story behind your name sometime.

The Steadfast Love of the Lord by Sam Storms

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (Jn 6:68) If God’s love isn’t real and steady and ultimately steadfast, what hope do any of us have? To what philosophy of life will we turn?”  

Sam Storms begins his book by confessing that he doubts the love of the Lord. He sees the tragedy and evil in the world and he, like I think most of us, wonders where God is and what he is doing. Is his love for us real?

We might never be able to explain all the evil or the tragedies and hardships we encounter, but I love what he says here:

“I cannot, I will not, allow my intellectual shortcomings to account for the problem of evil to blind me to the bright light of the everlasting, unchanging, soul-saving, steadfast love of God.” 

And so this book looks at what Scripture tells us about who God is and how he loves us from talking about ‘love is love’ to what ‘steadfast’ means, to suffering, to knowing if our salvation is secure or in how to experience God’s love.

If we have lost our hope, then we need to do a better job of calling to mind the truths that God has revealed to us about himself. And Sam Storms does a wonderful job clearly communicating, even hard truths, and reminding us of so many different facets about God’s love.

I found this book to be very encouraging, giving me lots of truth to meditate on.

Truly, we can’t fully comprehend God’s love, but he has given us minds and hearts to know him in some capacity and this book brings to the forefront some very comforting truths— the Lord’s love is steadfast and gives us assurance in salvation and in the blessings that come with abiding in Christ.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

“His words still haunt me. ‘You’re Cristian Florescu and I know what you’ve done.’”

This was a good but hard to read book.

‘Good’ meaning: very compelling, fast and easy to read story about a character you instantly love and feel for.

‘Hard to read’ meaning: eye-opening to the way of life and terrible happenings in Romania under the totalitarian government of Nicolae Ceaușescu (1989).

“Nicolae Ceaușescu. Our beloved leader. Our hero. Maverick of the grand Communist Party of Romania and vampire to the necks of millions.”

Goodreads describes it correctly like this: “A gut-wrenching, startling window into communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation”

I think this is a must-read book. Cristian’s story and the things he was forced to endure, even being asked to betray his own family, remind us of the atrocities done to humanity and help us never to repeat them.

Based on the author’s note, this book is well-researched, and though it’s historical fiction, there’s a lot pulled from people’s true stories. You’ll feel a lot of feelings in this book and it won’t take you long to become invested in Cristian’s story.

I think this book is good for young adults or regular adults and will hopefully inspire readers to understand the importance of critical thinking and courage to stand up for truth.

A Killer’s Code (Daniela Vega #3) by Isabella Maldonado

“If you’re watching this, I’m dead. And others will be soon if you don’t act fast.”

Maldonado is an auto-read for me. I’ve really enjoyed this Daniela Vega series: A Killer’s Game took Dani into an undercover ultimate escape room style only one person gets out alive situation; A Forgotten Kill has Dani simultaneously chasing down a serial killer and getting to the bottom of her father’s murder.

A Killer’s Code brings back the man she went undercover with in book one (Gustavo Toro). As a hired assassin he kept an ‘insurance policy’ on those who hired him, a treasure trove of evidence and information the FBI would love to get their hands on. With his final days he set up a ‘treasure hunt’ of sorts with clues and puzzles to lead the FBI to the stash in an effort to keep it safe from those who don’t want to be exposed. From New York to Las Vegas to Arizona’s Superstition Mountains, the hunt is on for the prize.

Like most of her books, this was a fast-paced read and full of action. I would definitely recommend this book; there are no caveats. Maldonado is just a great author! (For best reading experience, though, read the series from the beginning.)

Out for Blood/ Gone Dark (Matthew Redd Thriller #3-4) by Ryan Steck

“This wasn’t a rescue mission anymore. It was a crime scene.”

I didn’t read the first two in this series, but didn’t find it hard to get into these two books. These were great action-packed thrillers with a Bourne Identity type of main character.

Matthew Redd is the epitome of a hero character. Someone who protects and sacrifices himself for others. He is an ex-Marine with a particular set of skills that enables him to be outnumbered and still come out on top.

These books have tactical maneuvering, danger, shootouts, and seemingly-impossible-to-survive-lone-man scenarios, and they take place in Montana.

These books read like movies moving from one dangerous scene to the next.

It’s nice to read a book where everyone isn’t dysfunctional and a plot can revolve around positive heroism instead of figuring out which dysfunctional person is the worst of the bunch.

The book ends on a cliffhanger and I’m already itching to get my hands on the next installment!

The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell

“We’re living in what they call the ‘Information Age’, but life only seems to be making less sense. We’re isolated, listless, burnt out on screens, cutting loved ones out like tumors in the spirit of ‘boundaries’, failing to understand other people’s choices or even our own…

Faced with a sudden glut of information, cognitive biases cause the modern mind to overthink and underthink the wrong things. We obsess unproductively over the same paranoias, but we blitz past complex deliberations that deserve more care.”

I enjoyed Montell’s book, Cultish, even though there were some problematic areas because I thought there were some really interesting and important things to think about. I think my conclusion for this book is about the same.

It reminded me some of The Coddling of the American Mind (which I loved) as both talk about cognitive biases.

I think the idea that people are irrational overthinkers intrigued me because I like to try to understand why people reach different conclusions or decisions than I would, especially when the choices don’t make any sense to me.

Some of the biases she talks about are the halo effect, proportionality bias, sunk cost fallacy, zero-sum bias, survivorship bias, the IKEA effect, and more.

There was mixed reviews on this book, and I address them in more detail in my full review; even though I don’t share the same worldview or theology of Montell I can still benefit by putting my own thoughts and beliefs under the microscope of these cognitive biases. It never hurts to recalibrate our thought process and evaluate our methods of knowing truth.

I’m a big fan of finding truth and I think this book helps to that end. (I’ve also included book club discussion questions for this one!)

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect (Ernest Cunningham #2) by Benjamin Stevenson

“Seven writers board a train. At the end of the line, five will leave it alive. One will be in cuffs.”

This is my third Ernest Cunningham novel— yes I read the Christmas one out of order. That being said, I would definitely recommend reading them in order. Especially the first two.

This series has a very consistent tone and writing voice that I love. They’re all told first person from the perspective of Ernest Cunningham, a writer who keeps having murders happen around him that he just so happens to be good at solving.

The schtick of the series is that these are all ‘Golden Age’ mysteries. He describes it in detail in book one, but basically it’s supposed to be like an Agatha Christie novel where all the clues are available to the reader to solve the mystery, the narrator doesn’t lie, there is nothing supernatural, and no secret twins.

As the narrator, Ernest gives us hints and tells us when we should pay attention, but even then I think it would be hard for a reader to solve the mystery in its entirety.

The setting of this particular book takes place on a cross country luxury train that spans Australia north to south (learned some fun facts about this). The context is a crime-writing conference. And the conflict: someone is murdered on the train.

It’s got the mystery, the likeable characters, and the humor. It’s a unique take on a murder mystery with creative writing and an interesting setting.

Somehow these are ‘feel good’ books even though there is death and murder and body pieces to collect and I’m here for it.

Looking forward to the next one that comes out in March (I have an ARC and will be writing a review).

Walking in Unity: Biblical Answers to Questions on Race and Racism by Krista Bontrager & Monique Duson

I heard Duson & Bontrager discussing their book on a podcast, and I went and bought the book because I wanted to hear more. I’ve done a lot of reading on the topic of race since 2019 and am interested in how people have actually lived out what the authors call ‘biblical unity’ with people of other ethnicities.

What I loved most about this book was that it was written by friends— one white, one black— who had to wrestle through all the questions because they valued their relationship. They are both followers of Christ, yet were approaching these issues with very different viewpoints. They had to look at what the Bible said and see where each of them needed to adjust their framework and understanding.

The title is perfect because they had all of these conversations while they were literally on walks together. The Bible uses this type of terminology regularly in regards to our faith journey— walking with the Spirit, running a race, etc— and so we understand that it’s an ongoing process. It’s not one day, one action, or one decision that accomplishes unity. It’s a daily, active walk.

What makes this one helpful are the real life examples of their conversations. They share their conversations, sometimes verbatim, in a transparent and honest way, showing how each of them responded strongly at different things.

They point out where the popular process of racial reconciliation falls short and offer a more biblical model that defines and differentiates creation identity, salvation identity, matters of providence, and walking in unity and apply these principles to concepts like intersectionality, colorblindness, definitions of racism, intention and impact, microaggressions, systemic injustice, reparations and redistribution, representation, multiethnic churches, and multiethnic families.

This is an excellent resource that I think we could all benefit from!

Odriel’s Heirs (Odriel’s Heirs #1) by Hayley Reese Chow

“Light the darkness, Dragon.”

I read the third book in this series (Time’s Orphan) a couple years ago and liked it so much I planned to go back and read the earlier books. I probably should have read this one sooner than now because I already forgot most of book three… it ended up not spoiling anything I guess!

Odriel’s Heirs is a compelling young adult fantasy series full of magic and courage and sacrifice. It’s a classic story of good vs evil.

I loved the depth and distinctness of the characters. The danger was real and the enemies formidable, and the character development was great! The epilogue nicely sets up the next book and I think you’ll want to race through the whole series once you read one.

In this series Okarria is protected by the Dragon Heir, the Shadow Heir, and the Time Heir:

“To the bravest, he gave the power of the Dragon— of fire… He cloaked the cunning in shadow— to walk unseen. And to the kind, he gave his healing touch.”

Their role is to work in tandem to fend off the necromancer (Nifras) who is the commander of a ‘dead’ army (think zombie-like) who has his sights set on conquering Okarria.

The main character is Kaia, a seventeen-year-old girl training to be the next Dragon Heir, but when her father goes missing and an attack is looming Kaia (with the help of a talking cat) goes on a journey that forms her identity, helps her harness her gift, and solidifies her role in protecting her country.

Sparkly Green Earrings: Catching the Light at Every Turn by Melanie Shankle

“Every mother knows the reason Robert Frost took the road less traveled is because he wasn’t traveling with children who needed to go to the bathroom every thirty minutes.”

Melanie Shankle reminds me how precious it is to be a mom and that the years are indeed short and I can already feel them slipping by.

This was such a fun, entertaining, and relatable book! I read it in only two days because I didn’t want to put it down. I was sad when it was over.

She has a great sense of humor and style of writing. I like the stream of consciousness and parenthetical asides way of telling stories— similar to Jenny Lawson’s book Broken (in the best possible way). I felt inspired reading this book because I’d love to write a funny memoir and Lawson and Shankle’s style is what I would want to do.

Melanie had first started a blog called Big Mama when her daughter, Caroline, was three years old. That was the catalyst that led to this book. She has since written a few more books (a friendship one and a marriage one among others), and her latest one is about parenting in the teenage years. She does a podcast with Sophie Hudson called Big Boo Cast. (Their blogs are Big Mama and Boo Mama).

One thing I love about this book is that it’s not just funny stories and it’s not over-spiritualizing everything so that it’s a ‘Christian’ book. It’s an honest and sarcastic look at the ups and downs of motherhood while at times recognizing that God designed our lives to require caring for others because it grows us and teaches us things about him and about ourselves.

It’s an uplifting read that makes you both laugh and cry those ‘they’re growing up too fast’ kind of tears.

Nobody’s Fool (Detective Sami Kierce #2) by Harlan Coben

“Did it all go wrong the moment I saw you?”

I thought this was a standalone book but it turns out it’s a sequel to Fool Me Once, which I read way back in 2016 and virtually remember none of. Even if you go back to read that book’s summary it doesn’t really give you much information about Sami Kierce and it doesn’t seem like he’s much of a main character.

This was a really good, fast-paced thriller. I read it in two days, somehow. But I’m not surprised because I’ve always liked Harlan Coben’s books. And I haven’t read one in awhile so it was fun to get back to one of his.

I will say, though, that I had to keep telling myself I wasn’t reading a Myron Bolitar novel. For some reason Sami Kierce felt like the same person.

In Nobody’s Fool, Kierce is a bit of a disgraced police officer, thrown off the force for a mistake on a different case. He spends some of his time teaching a somewhat ‘off the books’ criminology class to an eclectic bunch.

It’s in one of these classes that his past comes back to haunt him. A woman shows up that looks an awful lot like a girl he had a fling with in Spain on a backpacking trip many years ago. A girl he thought he had killed. Well… killed as in: he woke up from a drug and alcohol infused night to see her dead beside him and his hands covered in blood.

This shocking cameo (and then quick departure) sends Kierce on a new mission— to find her and find out what happened to her all those years ago.

This book had great characters, lots of action and suspense, and even some twists and turns I didn’t see coming!

Broken Bread: How to Stop Using Food and Fear to Fill Spiritual Hunger by Tilly Dillehay

“God cares much more about how we eat than he cares about what we eat.”

This was written in 2020 but still feels very applicable to the ‘food climate’ today and does a lot to look at how perception of and interaction with food has become complicated— broken. Tilly restores these perceptions and interactions, offering a balanced look at the ‘food pitfalls’ we all find ourselves in and how Jesus speaks into them.

I admit, while reading this book I did have some moments of self-righteousness— ‘At least I’m not like those people!’, ‘At least I’m not doing that!’, ‘Oh good, I’m doing the “right” thing!’ but then I’d get to the next chapter and get my own dose of conviction and recognition of a different food-related sin that I DO need to own.

That’s what I mean by balanced. No one gets a free ride in this book. Which is important because there has been a lot of judgment towards others regarding their food preparation and food eating habits or practices. I see it everywhere, and I confess I am part of it— maybe not online or to someone’s face, but I feel it in my heart.

The push of this book is not to argue for a specific diet or food preparation method. It’s to help us understand that what we eat is not the ultimate thing. It’s our heart and our treatment of others while we’re eating that matters. Our diets or food restrictions often keep us from being with others. The way we eat often keeps us focused on ourselves instead of serving others. It may isolate us or prevent us from creating a welcoming environment where all can come and eat and build relationship.

There is freedom and redemption in this book. But it’s a biblical freedom that promotes building up our neighbors and using food to the glory of God.

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

I thought this book was very compelling, but even more so when I found out this book was inspired by the life of the historical woman, Martha Ballard, and events she chronicled in her diary. (She was the great aunt to Clara Barton!)

This novel is set in Maine during the late 1700s.

Martha Ballard is one of the midwives in town. This fact alone already gives me anxiety— I am fully onboard with hospital births. But I will say that it was interesting and… right… for me to read about her practice during this time. Just the knowledge that had to be taught and handed down to other women to aid in birth is amazing! According to the historic diary, Martha never lost a mother in any of her deliveries which is also a feat in and of itself.

I read this book and I am reminded of the wonder and the gift of giving birth.

Now this book is not just about midwifery, though that’s an essential piece. There is tragedy and there is murder.

The main conflict of The Frozen River is the claim of Rebecca Foster, the wife of the recently ‘removed’ preacher, that two men raped her. One of which is the main ‘law guy’ in town. The other man was found dead in the partially frozen river looking like he’d been hanged. Martha is one of Rebecca’s primary witnesses, but the time period adds many obstacles for Rebecca and Martha to find justice.

I loved the character of Martha and her commitment to helping the women in her town, even ones that didn’t treat her well. I also loved the themes surrounding the river-- of the opening and closing, new life and new beginnings, the washing away of winter.

There are definitely hard and tragic parts to read in this book, but overall it’s a book about the vulnerability and the resilience in life and I enjoyed it.

A Killing on the Hill by Robert Dugoni

I have read over ten books by Robert Dugoni. I like his work. And A Killing on the Hill fit the pattern!

This was a fun read because it took place during Prohibition. It had all the theatrical Great Gatsby vibes. The fedoras. The cigars. The speakeasies. The ear trumpets. Everything costs five cents. What an era!

It’s set in Seattle and is inspired by some true events that occurred during that time. Apparently Seattle was basically the Gotham City of the 30s. The corruption ran so deep into the legislative bodies and law-enforcement that not even Al Capone wanted to mess with it.

If Seattle is Gotham City, then our main character, William ‘Shoe’ Shumacher, is a naive and eager Joseph Gordan-Levitt (that’s how I picture him) encountering the city for the first time. He’s a reporter trying to make his way during the Depression and send some money back to his family in Kansas City.

When Shoe gets a tip about a murder of a gangster on Profanity Hill (a real place) and breaks the story, he must navigate all kinds of corruption and decide what truths he exposes and when he must be silent.

I think the strongest parts of the book are the moral dilemmas Shoe faces throughout the book and how he deals with them. I think we see a shadow of ourselves in Shoe and would like to think we would always do the right thing, but this book causes you to think about the capacity for evil we have in our own hearts and what we would actually do if we knew we could get away with it.

Between the likeable main character, the theatrical setting, the legal thrills, and the deeper reflection, I thought this book was a big win.

Another Gospel?: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers

I read Alisa Childer’s book Live Your Truth (and Other Lies) and I’ve listened to her podcast quite a bit. Another Gospel? is her first book and tells the story of her crisis of faith.

Alisa Childers grew up in a Christian home and was part of the Christian music group ZOEGirl (2006-2010). But later in life she encountered a pastor that made her question everything she thought she knew about God and the Bible.

As the subtitle of the book notes, this pastor adhered to what is identified as ‘Progressive Christianity.’ Childers shows throughout her book the subtle changes that churches have made to their theology that are sometimes hard to detect but actually really change the gospel.

The cover of the book was designed well, showing the ‘Gospel’ being gradually watered down, which is the natural result of Progressive Christianity.

I would encourage you to read this book and follow along on Alisa’s journey because she is naturally a skeptic. She wasn’t just going to let someone tell her what to believe, she was going to do her own research, to get to the source, to challenge the ideas and see if they held up to scrutiny.

The questions she asks in this book, the ideas she challenges, are not straw men. They are real questions and ideas that I see all over the place. I’ve seen people espouse them and defend them and they are central to the ‘Christianity’ that too many people hold to today.

My full review lists the main points of Progressive Christianity that she challenges. I believe Childers is carefully and rightfully exposes the hidden lies of false teachers that undermine who God is, how authoritative his Word is, and the atoning work of his son Jesus. These are not small matters and I hope you are a reader who is willing to read this book and others to see why historic Christianity is true.

“We don’t get to completely redefine who God us and how he works in the world and call it Christian. We don’t get to make the rules and do what is right in our own eyes and yet claim to be followers of Jesus. Our only option is to do it his way or not at all. He is love. His name is truth. His gospel is bloody. His way is beautiful. For God so loved the world.” 

Honorable Mentions