The Wolf Road

Everything Elka knows of the world she learned from the man she calls Trapper, the solitary hunter who took her under his wing when she was just seven years old.
 But when Elka sees the Wanted poster in town, her simple existence is shattered. Her Trapper – Kreagar Hallet – is wanted for murder. Even worse, Magistrate Lyon is hot on his trail, and she wants to talk to Elka. Elka flees into the vast wilderness, determined to find her true parents. 
But Lyon is never far behind – and she’s not the only one following Elka’s every move. There will be a reckoning, one that will push friendships to the limit and force Elka to confront the dark memories of her past. The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

I had to let this book settle with me overnight before I could write a review and yet this morning I still don't know what I read! There seemed to be a couple story lines within the book that I'm not sure if they didn't mesh well or if I just didn't get the whole premise. The setting is post-apocalyptic, yet I never fully absorbed how the story revolved around that. There just didn't seem to be a reason why that was thrown into the book. I didn't understand what time period this story took place - in my mind it was the 1800's due to the wild west feel with little to no technology. Maybe the author wants us to stay guessing but I felt a little lost not having a timeline. 

It is difficult to review a book with such a shocking reveal towards the end without revealing what it is! I had an inkling halfway through the book what it was leading up to but shrugged it off, thinking no, it couldn't possibly be that. But yes, it was that and the minute you realize what that is a creepy little shiver runs down your spine. That is what a psychological thriller is about, right? A feeling of unease and dread and then yep...the reveal socks you in the gut. 
 
 This was a fast paced book which I started and finished in one afternoon. While it wasn't an edge of the seat gripping book, there was enough suspense throughout the pages that you just need to see how it ends.  

This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
 

Encountering Angels

I'm a big fan of books on faith and angels but there have been times that I get an uneasy feeling when I beginning reading and Encountering Angels by Judith MacNutt is included in that category. 

While the majority of angel stories in this book were submitted, so therefore not Macnutt's own stories, they didn't seem to be filtered for quality material.

I know that spiritual encounters can seem nutty and strange to someone who wasn't there to encounter it themselves. But take for example a mother who was horrified to see her child leaning out an upstairs window but then relieved to realize an angel is there blocking the window and keeping the child safe. How was the child leaning out of the window and yet the angel was blocking the open window? Either it was written in a way that was unbelievable or the story itself is. 

The writing is so choppy - one story, followed by Macnutt's musings, immediately followed by musings on a different story. You can't tell where one story begins and another ends. Within three chapters I was getting a headache and was more annoyed with the writing and editing that I had to call it quits. I didn't find this book encouraging but rather eye-roll inducing. And this coming from someone who does believe in angel encounters.

This book was given to me by Chosen Publishing in exchange for my honest review.  

The Drawing Lesson

I was in the middle of buying curriculum for the kid's coming school year when I ran across The Drawing Lesson by Mark Crilley. Having a tween who is a fan of graphic novels I figured one that teaches you how to draw would be a learning style right up her alley.

   It's an impressive book, showing drawing styles and working on things like shading, proportions, and basic drawing techniques in an interesting way. I'm going to be using this in our art lessons this fall for all the kids. The only draw back to this book is that the "teacher" in this book seems to be somewhat possessed...going from nice to mean to crazy looking throughout the book. It seems strange the way she is portrayed. I'm curious to see if the kids take notice of that. 

This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
 

The 30-Day Faith Detox

The premise sounds good, "Renew your mind, cleanse your body, heal your spirit". With a devotional, physical detox, and recipe each day it does work as a daily encouragement during a 30 day detox. Unfortunately, I was unable to get into the recipes. 

I know that detoxes do take time and effort each day, and Smith reassures us that the foods are real foods found in most kitchens. But the majority of the recipes are smoothies and I just can't get into recipes with raw eggs or such time consuming liquid meals that would only be for myself, making me a short order cook for the rest of the family. 

It seems to me one of those things that looks good on paper but is hard to execute in daily life, at least for me.

 This book was given to me by Chosen books in exchange for my honest review.