Vicious Cycle by Terri Blackstock

Just days before Emily Covington graduates from New Day, a drug recovery program, another member of the program drops out. Lance tries to help, and ends up finding a newborn baby in the backseat of a car. He is then thrown into a world where he is charged with kidnapping and he is faced with the harsh reality of addicts. Kent Harlan rushes to the Covington's aid, but it will take more than him and the Covingtons to stop the vicious cycle.

Unfortunately, I was very busy when I read this book, and was therefore unable to read the book in three days and thus no 3D rating. I can say, however, that this book was almost impossible to put down and I had to pry it out of my own hands. The book is cleverly laced with suspense and pulls you into the world of drugs. I loved the perspective given from the book, and I think it very realistically displayed the harsh reality of drugs.

Shown throughout is how Christians should act, and just how far one might go for another. I loved this book and it is just as good or better than Intervention. Great work, Terri!

Below is the trailer:

The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

Human will is corrupt. It has been ever since the forbidden bites of the forbidden fruits. But, as in the days of Noah, God is once again considering re-starting humanity. David Ponder, and all the other Travelers have the opportunity to stop that from happening, by correctly answering answering a single question. The Travelers consist of brilliant minds throughout history, including C.S. Lewis, Abraham Lincoln, and King Solomon. Sounds simple, right? Maybe it would be if not for the limitations of only five guesses, and the correct answer must be achieved before the hour glass runs out. It all comes down to the Final Summit.

This book is very difficult to place in one genre. It is sort of a mix of fantasy, sci-fi, biographies, and inspirational. As this book is mixed genre, I also have mixed feelings about it. Overall, I liked it. It was a quick book that explores good morals and tells interesting stories. I did have a few problems with it however.

First off, the archangel Gabriel is a main character in the book. Forgive me for my line of thought, but Muhammad also thought he was visited by Gabriel. Now I am not saying that people can't be visited by Gabriel, it is quite possible it happens. I am simply saying that nagging thought stayed in my mind. My other problem was that Gabriel spoke of a race more advanced than ours. Instantly I thought to the Garden of Eden. He then continued on about the pyramids, how we can't match them today. Then I was confused. The Isrealites, the Egyptians? Then he spoke of their architecure all over the world and them living 30,000 years ago. Now I was thinking whoa. Aliens? I can't think of what else it could be. I was very disappointed about that. Decent values if you can avoid the obstacles.

On the plus side. I never guessed the answer.

Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl

Allison Pierce, federal prosecutor, Nichole Hedges, FBI agent, and Cassidy Shaw, news reporter make up the Triple Threat Club. The club is humorously named after a favorite dessert, but the three of them together solve many crimes. This time however, things get personal...

Elizabeth Avery loves playing The Game. Manipulation, control, and transcendence are the keys. Murder, arson - who cares? Necessary moves if you want to win. But in order to make the right moves, you must have a heart of ice.

I have not read the first two books in the series, but I did not feel at all confused. The book is written fluently, and it begged me to keep reading. It is definitely a suspense novel, since you know who the killer is, but not how it will all work out. With all that in mind, I would say that this is a woman's suspense novel. Not so completely that a man couldn't read it, but all four of the main characters are women and the book deals with issues such as breast cancer. Even so, from my perspective, a great read.

The Freshman Survival Guide by Nora Bradbury-Haehl and Bill McGarvey

Relationships, homework, organization, room mates, money, spirituality. These are some of the issues that plague college freshman. College is a whole new stage in life, and it can be quite overwhelming. That is why the editors of Busted Halo.com bring you The Freshman Survival Guide, to help you maneuver through the labyrinth and make it out better than you went in.

I am a freshman... in high school. Nonetheless, I read this book and found the advice very helpful. The advice is practical, simple things that make your college life a whole lot better. It is organized into chapters that deal with individual topics for quick reference. I found the book to be in a very readable format.

I do note that there are quotes from various spiritual leaders, including not only Christian ones, but Muslim, Buddhist and a few others as well. Some Christians may try to distance themselves from that, but I think it is good to broaden the spectrum, and I found the advice in no way offensive. Since I am not a college freshman, I had my sister who is a college freshman read it. She said it was great and helpful.

I will definitely be reading it again when college comes!
   

The Battle for One Elect by Dr. Simon Hezekiah Kohein

Simon Kohein can not escape sorrow, but neither can he escape joy. His life is filled with ups and downs and every other direction. But lets face it, some of those downs are downs. Is this due to simply bad luck, or might it have something to do with the curse on their family his grandmother always spoke of? What is going on in the spiritual world, parallel to ours? Simon shares his life and all his thoughts in a final letter to his long deceased wife.

I was very surprised to find that, despite the cover, the first half of the book isn't really about spiritual warfare. It has spiritual references, sure, but it's not about spiritual warfare per se. However, as the book continues it becomes evident that the book is in fact about spiritual warfare, but it is also an autobiography. I found the story incredibly interesting, and filled with a message of hope and perseverance. The books was smoothly written, and I could tell that both the characters and emotions are genuine. Great book, recommended to those going through trials.
    

The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker

Renee Gilmore is a helpless victim sucked into a trap of drugs, hopelessness and fear. When she is rescued, she feels forever free and relieved. However, when an unimaginable string of events occurs, Renee is forced to take action and her life is suddenly intertwined with a strange priest.

Danny Hansen would be that strange priest. Once being a helpless victim himself, he is sick of being a witness of cruelty to human innocents as they slip through the law's hands. Thus, he decides to take the law into his own hands (only when the law fails) all in the name of justice. In this corrupt system there are many in the priest's graveyard.

Judge not, or you too may be judged.

To start off, 3D rating! This book completely lives up to the Dekker standard. Very readable book. The perspective in this book is an interesting one. It is in the first person point of view from a woman, but it quite often switches to the third person point of view of a man. That makes for an interesting style that allows you to crawl inside one character's head, and glance inside another's. The feel of the book is moderately dark, but in my opinion in no way a thriller, despite other claims. I think it is more in the suspense category, though not like "The killer is about to get you!" For a nice change there are no serial killers. Both the twist and message of this book grew in my mind like a natural inception so that I felt completely in sync with the characters. Great work Ted, unexpected and amazing!

Below is the trailer.


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Intervention by Terri Blackstock

Emily Covington is a full out addict. Only 18 and she is throwing out her life, health and future. She is, basically, a walking dead. But her Christian mother can not watch from the sidelines, she decides to take action... again. She hires an interventionist and everything seems to go perfectly for a while. But as her daughter arrives in Georgia, Emily won't answer the phone on the way to the retreat, and then- disaster strikes. Barbra, Lance, and Emily Covington's as well as Detective Kent Harlan's lives are turned upside-down. It all started with the intervention... or did it?

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but the average time that I read a book is 3 days-1.5 weeks. The books I read in 3 days are the best; books I can't put down. Past 3 day books would include Immanuel's Veins, Rick Riordan's mythology books, The Promises She Keeps, and The Gift. This book, is the latest addition to my 3 day book collection. In the future, for the purpose of sounding awesome, books I read in 3 days will say "3D rating".

Now, for my opinions of the book. Well, it was amazing! It was one of those books where I made instant connection with the characters. I wanted them to succeed, I dreaded what was about to happen to them. Yes, this is a character based novel. One of the characters, Lance Covington, was a 14 year old guy with an older sister. I too fit that description so I was glad to have a character I could closely relate to. Not really any complaints. Amazing book, Terri! I'm very excited for Vicious Cycle!

Here is the trailer. The characters don't appear much as I picture them, but I'll leave the decision to you.