Author of the Month: The Restorer's Son by Sharon Hinck

Sometimes, being a book geek stinks. When I know a book is part of a series, I just cannot make myself read it until the next book is either released or on the verge of release. Problem is, reading backs up and then books disappear into the abyss of the piles.

Hence, my late review of the sequel to "The Restorer".

While this volume does not disappoint, I was so mad I almost didn't finish it. Like other books sandwiched in the middle of a trilogy, it was dark, sometimes depressing, and meandered all over the storyline. Starring my favorite character to hate, I just wanted to throw the book against the wall at times.

It was THAT good! When a fictionalized tale can arose that kind of passion in the reader, I'd say the author has done his or her job, wouldn't you?? And Sharon Hinck writes with heart, passion, and a deep devotion to God Almighty, the One.

Kieran rebels against the knowledge he gained from his last encounter with Susan and Mark. Running from his purpose, he encounters the most deadly of enemies found in Lyric, and ends up leading them to the border of his adopted homeland.

As a result, Kieran finds himself banished and sent back to the land of his birth. A Hazorite by blood, can Kieran wrestle against the One and win...or does the One have a higher purpose yet to be understood?

Susan and Mark have their own issues to deal with: seems their curious teen aged son, Jake, has discovered the attic portal. With barely enough room to breathe, the couple is plunged back into the land of Lyric in search of their son. Thinking Kieran has Jake, the hunt him down...

...only to discover Jake in the hands of a far more insidious and deadly enemy. What has happened to Jake? Is he still alive, and if so, can Susan and Mark, along with their unlikely allies get to him in time to rescue him?

Watching the struggle between human will and the power of the One in this fantastical land Sharon has created simply drives home to me my own personal issues with surrender. By casting our world into another imagined universe, truths that God is wanting to reveal come to life and are far more penetrating.

"The Restorer's Son" is by far the darker of the novels so far, but isn't it that way with any epic journey? I'm going to have to take a bit of a break before diving into the pages of "The Restorer's Journey", especially after the shocking revelation at the end of this book.

Till then, I'm giving "The Restorer's Son" the rating of five out of five bookmarks, with a cup of clavo as a charm. Drink it...you'll need it to make this far in Sharon's amazing journey of imaginative delight!

Happy Reading!

Deena