Divine

Product Information

Normally I would have read The Atlas Complex as soon as my copy was delivered, but I’ve seen mixed reviews about it. For years I steered clear of Christian fiction for all the reasons proven by this book: cheesy analogies, "overnight" conversions, and over-the-top religious conversation. We never have any further insight into why people are living in climate-controlled Havens, or why this version of Rome is in America for some reason, to be honest I still don’t even know what a Grey is. The latter seems to be the most likely scenario, but I’ve experienced depression for most of my life and have been know to have internal monologues, but they’ve never been like hers, where’s she’s talking to herself in the third person. I do respect those who choose this way of life, and I agree it could be wise for some, but the way it was portrayed in the book seemed to scream "Being a worker in God's Kingdom demands singleness".

By the way, initially I wasn’t a fan of Asher but as the story progressed his character development revealed a lot about him and I grew to like him. If she’d been younger maybe, but at ten, most kids have a pretty good sense of self and don’t seem likely to forget their own name. She’s put in such a bad position and really does try to make the most of it despite all her many hardships. The plot unfolds at a fine clip with as many unexpected twists and turns as fans of thrillers could wish for, making it difficult to put down. But beyond this, I just didn’t relate to either of them well, because there isn’t much to grasp onto.This book successfully portrays how there are not necessarily “good” and “evil” characters and after finishing it I’m still unsure who to trust. Science fiction elements are used for convenience, and Woodman never commits to the Brave New World-esque eugenicist utopia world I had initially assumed it was going for. I found this whole book pretty farfetched and kind of hoky, not because it was very much Christian fiction but because of how stupid Mary and Emma both were when they should have known better and learned from their mistakes.

Acceptance of his new mate and the discovery of that their world is much better without Rhiannon; the centaurs embark on a mission to stop the Fomorians and prevent the end of the world.

His Bob Lee Swagger series took the world by storm in the 90s, and he has a new collection of novellas this month featuring Bob Lee, Earl and Charles. I have tremendous respect for Kingsbury as an author, so I will refrain from creating a list of cons that this book offered and merely say this: the undertones of the book seemed "preachy", the characters were not believable in their rapid, overnight conversions, and the repetition of "Jesus is all you need" was a tiny bit overstated. I will revisit them halfway through the year to see how I’m getting on with them and if there’s any I need to prioritise.

I loved the use of mythology throughout the story, and if you are a fan of Greek/Roman mythology, I recommend reading this book. Although I frequently struggle to relate to female protagonists as a male reader I made a concerted effort to this time and I am glad I did as i think it allowed me to gain a much better understanding of the book as a whole and of the characters , I enjoyed the plot line and the detail within the world which was clearly considerable , my favourite character was Lysander although I feel as though this will be a common occurrence among readers ( was getting serious LOKI vibes). Electa’s fate takes an unexpected turn when, against all the odds, she is Chosen to compete in Imperial Panore, a once in a generation event to find a wife for the future Emperor. At first, I thought I knew who was the bad guy and everything would be clear, but after reading the book, everyone has a darkness to them that you never really know who’s bad or good.If you have been abused or know of anyone going through abuse this story would be a great read for you! Additionally, I completely dislike the way that the relationship of two adult believers was portrayed: though they clearly loved each other, they refrained from starting a relationship/getting married because they each "committed themselves fully to God's work". Overall I would say that this book is a wonderful re imagining of the Roman world and I cannot wait for the next in the series.

Electa’s fate takes an unexpected turn when, against all the odds, she is Chosen to remain in her society for the rest of her life and to compete in Imperial Panore, a once in a generation event to find a wife for the future Emperor. I understand that this is the first book in a series, but why was there no insight to at least make me want to read the next book? Radicalised by witnessing the world beyond the Havens, ravaged by the war waged by her own people, Electa devotes herself to the Spartacan cause. She revisited the untouched manuscript several years later, re-writing the novel with a clear, and mature voice.Set in an alternative reality, where the Roman Empire never fell, and the world was never the same, Divine takes place in present-day Appia - real-world North America which has been fractured by a mythical war and consequently divided into five Imperial fortress states. I think we were also supposed to find inspiration in Mary’s rise to fame, professional success, and political connections, but for me all those things are fleeting and ring hollow. In Divine by Mistake, we are introduced to Shannon Parker, an English teacher in her early 30’s from Tulsa, Oklahoma as she sets out on the last day of the school year to attend an estate auction featuring beautiful, classic and strange antiquities.