"The Way of the Wilderking" Review

In book three of the acclaimed Wilderking Trilogy, civilizer Aidan returns home from three years in Feechiefen Swamp to discover that a party known as the Aidanites has arisen among his fellow Corenwalders. They believe the “Wilderking Chant” makes reference to Aidan, and that he is destined to overthrow Corenwald's tyrant King Darrow. Aidan has no intention of leading any such rebellion. But when the Corenwald kingdom continues to weaken, and the enemy Pyrthens threaten to invade, it's clear the Aidanites are the only army his people have left. What soon transpires among civilizers, feechiefolk, Corenwalders, and Pyrthens alike, no reader could predict. When all is said and done, who will be the Wilderking? 

My Review: 

   As the final book of the Wilderking Trilogy, this book perfectly sums up Aidan's adventures! Jonathan Rogers used this last book to tie the strings and bring the three books into harmony. This book is completely different than the other two, and yet it is still full of adventure. Dobro is an amazing character all throughout the book and a great friend to Aidan. He lightens the mood of the story and brings fun into play! I love how this book combines excitement, sadness, and funny scenes into a novel! this is one of the special books that I have gotten to the last pages and felt very sad that the story was over. As a childhood favorite and even today, Aidan's exciting feats leave me eager for more and glad that finally the Wilderking has done his job of "living the life that unfolded before him." The best part of this book is how it ties together major characters into a wonderful history, but I won't say more or it would ruin that part for you. =) This book is one that will inspire readers with tales full of thrill and stories of how trusting in the One True God can change your life forever. 

About the Author: 

     Jonathan Rogers grew up in Georgia, where he spent many happy hours in the swamps and riverbottoms on which the wild places of The Wilderking are based. He received his undergraduate degree from Furman University in South Carolina and holds a Ph. D. in seventeenth-century English literature from Vanderbilt University. The Bark of the Bog Owl has already found a receptive audience among Jonathan’s own six children. The Rogers clan lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where Jonathan makes a living as a freelance writer. The Bark of the Bog Owl is his first novel.


Have you read The Way of the Wilderking, or any other books by Jonathan Rogers?  Comment below!

Forgiveness: The Willingness to Forgive

   Almost every Christian knows that the Bible says, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44) It is a commandment that can seem impossible at times. 

   Forgiving your enemy is…hard! It is difficult, trying and takes a great deal of patience and love. How can you forgive someone who hurt your feelings? How can you forgive someone who did wrong against you? And how can you forgive someone who just doesn’t care? 

   You read amazing stories about people like Corrie Ten Boom who showed compassion to the very ones who killed her family and ruined her life. She said, "When He (God) tells us to love our enemies He gives, along with the command, the love itself."

   That shows that we can forgive, because God first forgave us. He can help us. He will be right beside you through the whole ideal, as He was even before it started. 

   But here is a harder question. How can we forgive our friends? Surely, there are people you can think of that fit into that area. Friends who hurt you. People that you trusted who turned out not to really want your friendship. How do you forgive them?

Here is the answer:

God

   Ask His help. Pray often. And then do it. Just forgive the person. Sent him/her an email just asking “what’s up?” Try to rebuild your friendship. 

   This can seem impossible. I know people who I need to forgive. And it’s hard! That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. You need to do hard things sometimes. Often enough, the offender doesn’t even know that he/she hurt you. Just forgive them, as God forgave you. Take the first step in faith. God will never leave your side to stable you if you fall. 

Have you ever been in a tough spot where you knew that you needed to forgive someone and just didn't want to?  Comment below!

"Tomorrow You Die" Review

Another book in the International Adventures series! 

Reona Peterson Joly and Evey Muggleton Heckman never dreamed of the adventure and danger that lay before them as they attended a short-term missions school in Switzerland. Then, as the two young women sought God, they began to sense a burden for the mysterious, isolated nation of Albania - a nation unlike any other.

In the 1970s Albania's leaders boasted that theirs was the first completely atheistic nation in the world. Closed to almost all outsiders, Communist Albania particularly wanted no contact with Christians. In this nation that had sealed Christian citizens in barrels and rolled them into the sea, preaching the gospel was punishable by death. 

Willing participants in God's plan, yet unsure of how He would lift their burden, Reona and Evey took the first small steps of faith. Through a miraculous set of events, the two young believers were drawn into the danger and intrigue of being God's undercover agents in a nation that officially despised Him. 

My Review:

  I was disappointed with this book after I had finished another in the series that was amazing. Tomorrow You Die is an interesting read for someone with a heart for Albania. If you are not interested in that European country, then it will probably not grab your attention. There were numerous pages in the book that talked about the history of Albania and how it boasted to be the first completely atheistic nation in the world. Some parts of the book were interesting, but there was not much action throughout the piece. I admired how Reona Peterson Joly and Evey Muggleton Heckman risked everything for the Gospel. The ending was nice, showing the testimony of an individual who was saved because of their mission. I will be reading more in this series...but hopefully they will be written better than this one.

 Have you read Tomorrow You Die or any another book about life in Communist Albania?  Comment below!

"The Secret of the Swamp King" Review

As book two opens, Aidan is living in the court of King Darrow. He has become best friends with Darrow's son Steren, and he enjoys great favor among the courtiers. But King Darrow's suspicion is growing and his insecurity causes him to hate the young man who saved his kingdom. Concerned about his king's spiral into ever-darker moods, Aidan asks what he can do to help. Darrow sends him on an impossible adventure to the recesses of Feechiefen Swamp, thinking he is sending Aidan to his death. After all, no Corenwalder has ever returned from Feechiefen alive. But Aidan's fate is not sealed yet for Aidan has allies among the feechiefolk who know him as the hero Pantherbane. 

My Review: 

   The Secret of the Swamp King is another exciting book by Jonathan Rogers! It continues off of the first book in the Wilderking Series, and it is recommended to read book #1 before this one. This book is as good as the Bark of the Bog Owl if not better! Aidan, the main character, is forced into a situation that he eagerly embraces and sets out for the adventure that follows. There is not a dull part in the book! He is forced to show courage, strength and trust in the One God. One of my favorite things about this book is Aidan's friendship with Dobro Tutlebane! I love when those two characters are together! =) This series only gets better!

About the Author: 

   Jonathan Rogers grew up in Georgia, where he spent many happy hours in the swamps and riverbottoms on which the wild places of The Wilderking are based. He received his undergraduate degree from Furman University in South Carolina and holds a Ph. D. in seventeenth-century English literature from Vanderbilt University. The Bark of the Bog Owl has already found a receptive audience among Jonathan’s own six children. The Rogers clan lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where Jonathan makes a living as a freelance writer. The Bark of the Bog Owl is his first novel.

 Have you read The Secret of the Swamp King or any similar books?  Comment below!