Saturday, April 23, 2011

YA fantasy fiction by Christian author Kathryn Henley

by Niki Turner

The worst thing about Karyn Henley's upcoming Waterbrook Press release, "Breath of Angel," is that it's only the first book in the Angeleon Circle series, which means you'll be left hungry for more when you're finished.

Melaia, a chantress and high priestess-to-be, finds herself yanked into the world of myths and stories she has only sung about before. Not only are angels, and their malevolent counterparts, real, Melaia discovers she has a part to play in the tales she has heretofore considered the fanciful world of entertainment. With the knowledge of her new, weighty responsibility, Melaia has to figure out who she can and can't trust.

Her attraction to Trevin, who first seems to be an ally, and then an enemy, complicates matters as Melaia and the angels who come alongside to help her, seek to restore the "stairway to heaven" that will allow the stranded angels, and possibly the spirits of the dead, to escape the earthly realm in which they have been trapped. But as she learns more about the histories she had thought to be nothing more than stories and legends, Melaia realizes restoring the stairway may require more of her than she is willing to give.

If you're looking for a line upon line scriptural framework in your reading, you might struggle with this story. But the reader who is willing to look for the hidden analogies, and can relate to the heroine's struggles between her earthly relationships and her supernatural destiny, this is a tale you'll enjoy. Well-written, with a touch of romance and plenty of action and unexpected plot twists, Henley's tale is a pleasurable read.

Readers who enjoyed Ted Dekker's Circle series, "Red," "Green," "White," and "Black," will certainly enjoy the mythology and mystery of Henley's story.


"Breath of Angel" goes on sale June 21, 2011. You'll want to put it on your TBR list.


(* I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.)


7 comments:

  1. This sounds interesting, Niki. I do like analogies sometimes. The last two books I read were YA, and I really enjoyed them both. One was a really great time-travel, and the other was based on a fairy-tale. With both books, I had a hard time coming back to the real world. I wanted to stay there just a bit longer. Sometimes I find it fun to read YA. The Christian ones I've read have all been great escapes of excellent quality.

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  2. Sounds cool. Reminds me of Karen Hancock's Light of Eidon series. I think I learned more about the spiritual kingdom and faith from that series than from any other.

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  3. Suzie,
    I started reading YA fiction a year or two ago and have discovered some really entertaining writers. If you haven't yet, the Hunger Games series is a must read, IMO.

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  4. Dina,
    That's how I felt about Dekker's Circle series. The way the storyline presented the love and nature of God was unforgettable.

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  5. Ooh, sounds great, Niki! I've been reading a lot of YA lately, too. I devoured the Hunger Games...can't wait for that movie!

    Thanks for the recommendation. I'm always interested in inspy YA.

    Blessed Easter!

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  6. You know, one thing I was thinking about today is that the YA books I've read are just as good as any other books I read and they weren't geared down to a younger group. They were well written, intelligent and thought-provoking.

    Dina, when you mentioned the Light of Eidon series, isn't that book, Arena from that series?

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  7. It's always nice when you can not only be informed, but also get knowledge, from these type of blog, nice entry.

    Thanks

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    ReplyDelete

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