Friday, February 18, 2011

Izzy's Popstar Plan by Alex Marestaing

This was a cute novel like daily devotional. There are 90 days worth of devotions and each one is in the form of a blog post.  The posts make up Izzy's blog about her journey as a contestant on the show International Popstar Challenge.  It also follows her story as she strives to be all God wants her to be with the help of the wise people in her life.  She learns some valuable lessons along the way, as well, that you can learn too by reading this book.
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I have never read a daily devotional that each entry makes up one big story.  I really like this form because since the each devotion is connected, it helps you remember to do your devotions the next day.  This is because you want to to see what happens next.  The great thing about this is that you can decide to read it like a novel instead of a devotional book and it won't be boring.  This book's story was really exciting and I read it in only a few days.  I also found it interesting because you got to hear about what it's like to be on a singing game tv show.  Even though it says the reading level is 9 - 12 year olds,  I think alot of teens are going to like it since the main girl, Izzy, is 16.  I would recommend this to older kids and teens who want to be encouraged and strengthened in the Christian faith.
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(This was a book, of my choice, that booksneeze.com sent to me for free if I agreed to read it and review it honestly.)

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Deadly Ties by Vicki Hinze

A new Christian thriller with an exciting plot.  Thrillers really aren't my favorite but this book was good.  It's about a girl named Lisa Harper whose been separated from her mother, Annie, for 12 years.  This is because Lisa's stepfather, Dutch, threatened her and Annie gave up custody to a friend.  Since then he's done all in his power to keep Lisa and her mother apart.  The time has come, though, that Lisa can support her mother with her new job.  The agreement was that Annie would stay with Dutch till then.  Dutch is not happy and is planning the worst for both of them.  Can Lisa's friend Mark Taylor, a former spy, help her with what's to come? Will they both lean on God to help them?

I actually had a hard time getting into this book because the beginning is really sad.  Though once the action started, I had a hard time putting it down.  This being the first thriller I have gotten through, I didn't know if I would be able to finish it or what to expect.  What I found in this book was a whole new genre of amazing reads.  The suspense and excitement kept me hooked and Mark's old friends' conversations were hilarious.  The Christian message was powerful and encouraging in the Christian Walk.  This book should be for older teens and up since it's really scary and dark at parts.  If you like Thrillers and/or Christian reads, then I definitely recommend this to you.

(I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review and this opinion is my own.)

Buy Book here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601422064
Download Chapter One here: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601422064&view=news-videos
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