Book Review: The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello

Photo taken from Booksneeze

Book Info

Title:  The Mountains Bow Down

Author:  Sibella Giorello

Publisher:  Thomas Nelson 

Language: English

Format:  Paperback

Pages:  384 pages

ISBN-13:  978-1595545350

Source:  Publisher, Booksneeze

Buy this book on Amazon

Summary

From Booksneeze:

"Everything’s going to work out. Time away always makes things better . . .

That’s what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, the Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.

But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh’s forensics background points to a much darker conclusion: Somewhere onboard, a ruthless murderer walks free.

Engulfed by one of her toughest cases yet, Raleigh requests assistance from the FBI and receives her nemesis—handsome Special Agent Jack Stephanson. As the cruise ship sails through the Inside Passage, Raleigh has five days to solve a high-profile murder, provide consultation for a movie filming onboard, and figure out her increasingly complicated feelings for Jack—who might not be as arrogant as she originally thought.

And that's only her work life. Family offers even more challenges. Joined on the cruise by her mother and aunt, Raleigh watches helplessly as disturbing rifts splinter her family.

Like the scenery that surrounds the cruise ship, Raleigh discovers a mystery so daunting that even the mountains might bow down before it."

Review

I believe that the best Christian fiction are those that teach you something without coming off as preachy and holier-than-thou.  This book, The Mountains Bow Down by Sibella Giorello, is a perfect example of a Christian-oriented novel that subtly blends fiction with Christianity.  The story is about Raleigh Harmon, a workaholic FBI agent who goes on a vacation (sort of) and gets on a cruise, only to find herself caught in the middle of a mysterious death of another passenger that she stubbornly insists is not just a simple case of suicide, despite popular belief. 

Fast-paced, riveting, and emotionally-charged, this story will take the reader to an intense ride through an Alaskan cruise, following Raleigh as she struggles to work out the mysterious death of a co-passenger, the worsening rift in her family, and the disconcerting presence of former rival and now co-investigator for the passenger's death Special Agent Jack Stephanson.

Raleigh seems to be the woman every girl wants to grow up to be:  Beautiful, brave, intelligent, and strong.  However, what a young girl does not know is that every woman has her share of problems, and Raleigh's in particular, is very heavy.  This story shows that beneath her seemingly perfect facade is a cracked mirror that she tries hard to stop from shattering.  This emotionally-charged book explores a person's faith in faith, that when everything seems impossible, it is the time when God's presence is felt the most. 

But far from the very serious tone of the synopsis and theme, this book is full of humorous quips and observations, contributed by the various characters all equally vivid and realistic.  Each person affects the story in no small way, every action and dialogue contributing to the tumultuous ending.  Reading about each character, the reader will feel like he/she has known that person personally, like that character is standing right in front of you and addressing you instead of the other person that he/she is supposed to be interacting with in the book. 

Raleigh's voice is consistent with her personality and the flow of her story.  She gives a fast-paced account of her adventure and reflects constantly about her actions.  We understand that she is a very introspective person.  And we also learn that far from being the woman who has an answer to everything, we see how vulnerable she is.  This significant aspect of the book is what allows the Christian values and lessons to peek through the pages, without sounding too self-righteous, even a non-believer would approve. 

If you are tired of the usual suspense thriller fare offered by other contemporary writers that seem to have 'less soul,' I highly recommend that you read this book.  It has every element that an exciting thriller novel has, but this offers more:  heart, soul, and faith.

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
 

Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.

Izzy's Popstar Plan by Alex Marestaing

Photo taken from Booksneeze

Book Info

Title:  Izzy's Popstar Plan

Author:  Alex Marestaing

Publisher:  Thomas Nelson 

Language: English

Format:  Paperback

Pages:  256 pages

ISBN-10:  1400316545

ISBN-13:  978-1400316540

Source:  Publisher, Booksneeze

Buy this book on Amazon 

Summary

From Booksneeze:

"Izzy Baxter has big plans—popstar plans. Ever since she was six, she’s dreamed of becoming the world’s next singing sensation. Now sixteen, her singing career is on the rise, and she’s been selected to compete on the hit TV show International Popstar Challenge. As Izzy performs in far off locations such as Tokyo and Paris, it seems as if her plans are coming off without a hitch. But God has plans of His own, and Izzy will soon discover that living for Him is “way cooler” than megastar fame.

Presented like a daily blog, set up like a devotional, and read like a novel—this book will be an instant hit with tween girls. This cutting edge new product will meet girls where they are, and girls will love following Izzy on her incredible adventure. Plus, they’ll get daily spiritual food to equip them on their own incredible adventure with God."

Review

Who among us did not want to be a pop star when we were younger?  I admit I imagined myself eclipsing Britney Spears at some point in my teens, but apparently I was meant for other 'bigger things' so instead of going to Hollywood, I went to college and got myself a nursing degree (ignore the fact that what I call dancing is actually just swaying side to side and my singing is better kept within family gatherings; except for church choir but hey singing alto is not very difficult - for me that is.).  Enter Izzy Baxter, a young lady who dreamed of being a pop star since she was six years old and singing with her hairbrush in the bathroom for hours, pretending to be performing in a huge concert.  In helping her reach her dreams, she would practice singing and write songs every day and lead the worship in their Christian church group.  Readers are treated to a blog account of what happens in Izzy's life as she prepared for her audition for the hit television show, International Pop Star Challenge.  Adding to the whole inspirational and devotional aspect were Bible passages and prayers related to a particular blog entry.  

Story-wise, I thought the writing was very solid and believable, yet imaginative.  This is the first time I read a story written through blog entries and I admire unique presentations of a story.  It's difficult to maintain that authenticity when writing a blog post because the prose becomes too impersonal and too 'out there' that you just read for the sake of reading, not really for getting into the story.  In this case, it was done creatively that you find yourself getting sucked into Izzy's world and feeling like you were actually there just reading through her 'blog.'  You also don't just get into what's currently happening to Izzy, you can also read between the lines with what's happening to her friends and family.  For example, there was an incident wherein Izzy had a covert falling out with her best friend and although it was not too obvious and told through Izzy's perspective, you knew how the best friend felt as there were no blog comments from her for a few days and even when she commented, it sounded stilted and reserved and you knew that things weren't fine yet.  Just because the story was told through Izzy's point of view did not lessen the experience of getting to know the other characters involved.

Non-fiction-wise, this daily devotional that read like a novel kicked up the standard of daily devotional books a notch as it made each day's message more inspiring and enlightening through Izzy's story.  The reader would be able to appreciate the Bible passages more as Izzy's story provided a good example for what the verses talked about.  This is a good book for young girls and teenagers to read daily, I am very sure that this would help them get through their daily lives and following their dreams.  For an adult of twenty-five, I found this pretty moving and empowering and it made me feel closer to God because I was able to recognize His hand through everything that happened in Izzy's life, which in turn made me see His hand in everything that happened in mine.  This is a very compelling and endearing read that many people would enjoy.

If you are like Izzy who has a dream to reach - and I bet we all have one - this is a very good book to read in order to help you make yours a reality, and to understand God's plan for everything that happens in your life.  That sometimes, what you want may not be what God wants for you, but He has something greater that would fit you even better than what you wanted for yourself.  If anything, this book tells us that everything happens for a reason, and that what you want is not always what you need - what you need may even be better than what you wanted, after all.

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
 

Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.