"Wormwood" by G.P. Taylor

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Firebird (September 22, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0142404691
ISBN-13: 978-0142404690

Wormwood takes place in eighteenth century, same as "Shadowmancer". Our main characters are a young girl named Agetta Lamien, who is a maid to the other main character, the wealthy Dr. Sabian Blake. He is a man obsessed with science or more specific, his newfound book, the Nemorensis. Agetta pays him no mind, only happy to swipe money for herself. But when a beautiful, wealthy woman directs her to a bookstore, promising her fortune and happiness, she befriends the owner Thaddeus. He then confides in her that he lost the Nemorensis, and Agetta finds herself promising to bring it to him. Meanwhile, Blake announces to the Royal Society that "wormwood", a comet, is on it's way to strike London. After stealing the Nemorensis, Agetta decides to free Tetagus, an angel that her father had secretly locked up. Together, they head to see Thaddeus.
Eventually, Agetta discovers that the wealthy woman she met is not even human, and plans to use the young girl for her new body.

Agetta comes from a poor family that runs a small inn. She has a rough father and a drunkard for a mother. Feeling no direction in her life, she is easily swayed into stealing from her employer.
Blake develops from a power-hunger scientist to a confused student as he discovers the trouble he is in. I didn't dislike him, but found myself wishing I knew more about his history, or family. Not even his age is mentioned.
Tetagus, apparently an angel whom has fallen from grace, decides to watch over Agetta. His motivation doesn't seem clear though. He does not believe he can be redeemed but still wishes to do good.
Abram, Blake's own guardian Angel, is one of the more unique characters. His honesty along with his wit made me pause and take note after he spoke.
Yerzina, the main villain of this story, is a creature that has lived for centuries, and she finds a new body when her current one is ready to pass on.

The flaws I noticed didn't hit me at any one moment but were similar to "Shadowmancer", his previous book. Just a lack of detail on things I decided I wanted to know. Like, who was the woman Tetagus fell in love with? How long ago was it? Had Tetagus ans Abram ever tried to stop Yerzina before? They made it obvious they knew of her past deeds. Maybe It's just my interest in angelic warfare stories but I did also wish to know more about Blake, as I previously stated.
The only other flaw, I think, was the lack of meetings between the two main human characters-Blake and Agetta, although it seems essential to the story. Perhaps when they met near the end, if there had been a moment of clarity-Agetta's guilt over causing trouble and stealing, Blake's new found forgiveness. But any feelings or a new relationship being formed is left to the imagination, as the book seems to cut right off after the villain is vanquished.

For a story so full of twists, I only wrote about half of them in the summary, I'd give "Wormwood" three stars. Just as creative as the first book, with a ghost, a man made of dirt and clay, and a Diakka to fuel the imagination.

If you want to learn more about the many highly underated books that G.P. Taylor has penned, just check out his homepage.

You can buy it at Amazon.com.

Up next? Dunno...perhaps a Ted Dekker novel.

"Marduk's Tablet" by T.L. Higley

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Incorporated (September 1, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1586607685
ISBN-13: 978-1586607685

Emilie Nazzaro is just trying to finish college and is none too pleased when she is whisked off the street and offered a job to translate a tablet that took her own father away from her. Somehow, she ends up traveling to Israel, and working at a dig site. After being warned about thieves, she has a hard time making friends. Things are hardly uneventful though, when the first time she touches the tablet she gets a vision of ancient Babylon. The affect vanishes, but every night from then on, she dreams of the detailed life of a priestess. Suddenly she wonders if perhaps she truly was a Priestess in a past life. Happy to further herself from the flirtatious Jack, she accepts an invitation for dinner from a handsome stranger named Sheldon Gold, but her anxieties lead her to suspect him as well. Eventually, Emilie finds herself in jail, accused of stealing the tablet herself! After getting bailed out, she sets out the capture the thieves, on her own.

Emilie loves history, and has immersed herself in her work. Although she is hesitant to turn to God, she is not close-minded, and is willing to consider all options. Because of her father rejecting her, she hasn't had any close relationships.
Jack Cabot is not what he seems. He finds himself attracted to Emilie because she seems to actually see he is wearing a facade. But, due to rejections of his past, he doesn't trust her.
Margaret is the nice woman you would want to sit beside you at church. She is confident in her beliefs but is completely calm and respectful.
Jenn, Emilie's roommate, is confident in her beliefs as well, but they are her new-age religion. She seems rather angry at times, which clues you into the effects of her lifestyle. She is condescending to Margaret, and unwilling to hear an opinion other then one she agrees with.

My favorite aspect of this book is that it deals with a belief outside of Christianity, mainly the idea of reincarnation. I have read more Christian-fiction than I can remember, and I have no memory of this belief being mentioned. Most books just mention the evils of witchcraft if they mention any other belief.
There is plenty of suspense in this book, thanks to Jack, who made me constantly wonder whose side he was on. Jenn, and Sheldon also have secrets, and did I mention the moral struggles of Victor Herrigan?
The perspective switches from Emilie, to Jack, and even to Victor sometimes. But it never bored me or made me anxious to get back to our main character, as I have sometimes experienced with other books.

For lots of suspense and good characters, I give it three and half stars.

Go to the author's website to learn more about her historic-fiction.

You can buy it used at Amazon.com.

Up next, I'll review "Wormwood" by G.P. Taylor.

"The Face of God" by Bill Meyers

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (July 1, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310227550
ISBN-13: 978-0310227557

On a trip to Jerusalem, Pastor Daniel's wife is murdered, and he discovers its over an odd stone that a merchant pushed into his hands. Still reeling from her death, he isn't ready to deal with his rebellious son, Tyler, and the possibility that his stone might be one of the twelve stones representing the tribes of Judah from Biblical times. Could it really reveal the face of God? With prompting from Tyler, Daniel heads back to Jerusalem in search of answers. There he meets two very different woman, Nayra and Professor Helen, who help him discover the whereabouts of the other stones. Because of this, Daniel catches the attention of Muslim terrorists, who are also after the twelve stones, and wish to see the "face of God" for themselves.

Daniel, our main character, develops pretty well throughout the story. His faults are brought to light, although I felt that one of the examples of his bias, was rather contrived; I am talking about Nayra of course.
Tyler is your typical young person, who grew up in the church and is rather ignorant of  other religions. Because of this, I found him just a tad annoying, considering how much he disrespects his dad.
Helen is Jewish professor, who, after being abused by her uncle as a girl, no longer trusts men, instead she uses them to further her career. Daniel, with his sincere heart, and kindness, baffles her.
Nayra, the young Muslim girl, bothered me immensely. She insults every religion other than her own and is obviously a bigot, treating Helen with weariness because she is a Jew. She has also apparently never heard about 9/11, and never saw Islam murders until the end of the book. She did not seem to realistically portray a Muslim girl.

A major plus for this story is the history lessons you get. You learn all about Israel. I felt inclined to get out a pencil so I could underline things and take notes.
The story is well paced, and my only real complaint is Nayra. The author may have wished to portray Christians as tolerant with Daniel's respect for Nayra, but it looks more like ignorance and stupidity. There could have been good tension between the two as Daniel strived to show a young, blind girl the love of Christ, but instead, we just respect her because she is religious. Even though she is the only flaw, I felt she alone changed this book from good, to below average.

In the end, I would rate it two stars.

You can buy "The Face of God" at Amazon.com and read it for yourself.

If you wish to learn about the many books that Bill Meyers has written, check out his website.

Next up, I'll review "Marduk's Tablet" by T.L. Higley.

Cape Refuge #1, "Cape Refuge" by Terri Blackstock

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Zondervan; First Paperback Edition edition (April 1, 2002)
Language: English

Cape Refuge, is an Island located near Georgia, where sisters Morgan and Blair have grown up watching their parents take in people with no place else to go. However, Hanover House is threatened with being shut down by the city when their parents are both found murdered. To make matters worse, Morgan's own husband, Jonathan, is the prime suspect, the murder weapon having belonged to him. Both sisters can't seem to leave it to the police, even if the head cop is a long time friend, Cane. Blair investigates in the library she runs, but instead of finding the murderer, she discovers some unsettling things about her dead parents, and the scar that mars half of her face. And Morgan is forced to decide if she will run Hanover house when a young runaway shows up. One by one, the obvious suspects-those staying at the Hanover house-seem less likely. Eventually, it all hits the fan when an intriguing cover up is discovered, and the real reason why Morgans' and Blairs' parents were killed is revealed.

Morgan follows her parents faith in God. She was apparently the happier, more popular of the two sisters in her youth. But Morgan shows no condescension in her beliefs, and attempts many times to show her sister love. Compared to Blair though, her personality feels weak.
Blair is defined by the burn scar on her face she has had since she was a child. Because of it, she hates her appearance, and stays closed off from everyone, except her sister. Because of the pain she experienced, she stays happily in the land of facts and figures, not bold enough to trust something she can't see.
Cane is the head cop at Cape Refuge, and although he went to school for years to earn it, it is suggested that the townspeople think he got the job because of his relation to the mayor. Cane grew up in school with Blair, although her defensive personality kept them from getting close.
Jonathan is devoted to his wife and overprotective, although his personality isn't developed much.  However, he has a fiery temper which leads him to an argument with Morgan's parents before their death. His relationship with Cane is explained, but not shown very well.
Sadie, a young runaway, is a a sweet, likable young girl, who has a strong conscious and is determined to make a life for herself and save her baby brother.

The only weak points I could point out are the lack of development with Morgan and Jonathan as well as their lack of personalities. The relationship between the two of them is really the only thing that defines them. Morgan's motivation throughout most of the book is to free her husband from jail. As this is only the first in the series, there leaves plenty of time for development. I would really have liked to see more of the history of how Jonathan and Morgan met, as well as Morgan's past. More is revealed about Blair, because an incident in her past pertains to the present.

A mystery/romance novel well worth your time, I rate it three stars.

You can buy Cape Refuge at both Amazon.com and Christianbook.com.

If you want to read about all of the books that Terri Blackstock has written, check out her homepage.

Next up, I'll review "The Face of God" by Bill Meyers.