Heavenly N'de

I'm not a big reader of the fantasy genre of books. I like horses so I thought I would give this a read. This book captured me! Now, I can't compare this to The Chronicles of Narnia because I have never read the books. I can't compare it to the Lord of the Ring series because I never read their books and I was lost in the movies. I can tell you this, although I could not see the biblical depths and parallels in these movies, it definitely stood out in this story. I found myself comparing some of the things that happened in this novel with stories in the bible.

In the city of Turris there are 2 types of people. There are the Ramash who are the poorest tribe of peasants, and then there are the ruling Oresed people. The Ramash people had very little and were allowed very little. They were not allowed to share their history or anything amongst one another. In secret, the families would share a bedtime story with their children about the mythical N'de, a beautiful city!

Hadlay is a young girl and is of the Ramash people. She and her friends laughed at an Oresed and had to report to the midweek gathering for their punishments. At that time a "great" thing happened. The emperor came in a disc of light. The emperor stated that he and his son were returning and they were displeased with the oppression of the Ramash people. They immediately repealed the laws against the Ramash. Unfortunately, the 3 children still received their punishment. What they received did not fit the "crime" either. It was way too harsh and they all could have died.

Some weeks later the emperor called for children to report to the gathering because he was looking for help in the tower. This could be a great thing, but Hadlay did not want to leave her family for such a long time. She hoped she would not get picked to work there.  It turned out they wanted Oresed and Ramash children. Hadlay and her friend Nomish were both picked. A lot happens once they get to the tower and there are moments when you are just praying these kids make it out alive!

I noticed this story has a little Harry Potter element added to it as well. I really enjoyed reading this and L.K. Malone wrote this beautifully.

You can look inside the book to get a little taste of this outstanding novel at amazon.com.

About The Author:  L. K. Malone is an insatiable reader who devours nearly a book a day when she isn’t writing. Favorite genres include political thrillers, historical fiction, romance, and fantasy. Some of her favorite reads include the Hunger Games series and the Harry Potter books, which inspired her to try her hand at fantasy with a Judeo-Christian twist. Malone is a Colorado native with a large extended family, which includes two lovely young women who graciously let her mentor them through the Denver Kids program, and a handsome menagerie of pets. 


I received this book from Kregel Publishing for the purpose of this review and blog tour. 

American Missionaries In a Muslim World

Audra Grace Shelby* is an amazing author and I was privileged to read her story. Answering the call of God to an unknown land full of the Muslim religion can be a scary thing. Audra and her family prepared to move to the Middle East, and God became much more real to her while she was in Yemen. This story was very inspiring. Kevin*, Audra, and her kids gave up so much to go share the Gospel with the people of Yemen. What is keeping us from spreading God's word and sharing the Good News in our own city, with our own neighbors? She had to be careful with the things she said and the things she did. She learned to speak their language and learned their ways so she could get behind the veils of these Yemeni women. She needed to be their friend and they wanted her friendship. Audra was able to plant seeds of faith in these women. Many of the women could not even read. Education was for the boys. The girls only knew what was told to them. Audra had the job of communicating God's love in a way they could understand.
There was a part of the story that had me almost in tears. OK, maybe I did shed a few tears. Audra's friend and Arabic teacher , Fatima, had a baby. Qasar was born with the cord around his neck. So, of course he had some medical issues. These women have no hope, as I found out reading this. When Fatima was asked if they could pray for her baby, she willingly allowed it. He began to show improvement, thank you Jesus. 
Audra and her family moved to another town where they would live for the next few years. There were many English speakers there and she was excited to make some new friends who were foreigners (American & European) in this land, such as herself. These women were polite to the locals, but were not interested in befriending them. They didn't cover up with the balto and hejab as the women in that region did. Audra decided to wear hers and it paid off in the end. She was respected and welcomed among the Hudaydah women. They were happy she spoke their language. She may not have made new English speaking friends, but God gave her many new friends to share His love with.

Take a look inside the book at amazon.com and go ahead and grab a copy. They have it for a great price!


*Names were changed to protect identities and ongoing work in the Middle East


I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.