The Endless Knot by Stephen R. Lawhead

A terrible thievery causes need for Llew and his most loyal subjects to travel to the Foul Land, Tir Aflan. There they must conquer countless beasts, ancient evils, old enemies, cursed lands, and the curse itself. On top of that, mysterious fires keep on appearing in Albion. Death is stared in the face when unraveling begins on the Endless Knot.

By far, the best of the series! This, is true fantasy. Mythical creatures, ancient curses, an impossible quest - this is what I'm talkin' 'bout! A great story with that eerie Lord of the Rings feel. While I love the story, and title it the highlight of The Song of Albion Trilogy, because it is so different from the others it almost feels separate. Same characters, but different atmosphere.

Semi-disappointed on the ending. I love the sad endings, strange as it sounds, but this one kind of ruined the whole love/sacrifice thing. In a way, similar to Ted Dekker's Green ending, but not quite as effective.

*Once again, I would like to note this review was written back in November of 2010.

The Silver Hand by Stephen R. Lawhead

Meldryn Mawr is dead, leaving the question of who will be his successor. Llew, his champion and traveler from between worlds, or Meldron, his son and the prince? Whoever the new king may be, the title will not come without a price. When Llew gets exiled, tension enough for a civil war breakout. And the only one who can bring peace to Albion is the Silver Hand.

This book is based on a story not quite unknown - it is repeated several times throughout history. It is sort of a retelling, though I will say a good one. It is a story of hope. There is always hope. Better than the first, though still no creatures and still occasionally failed to capture my attention. There are some really cool things in this book, but they are weighted towards the end instead of being evenly spread.

I might also add that switching to a different person's view in a first-person series is pretty confusing. The first half of the book I still thought it was Llew then, of course, in the third book I still thought it was Tegid. Interesting approach, and quite clever, but still a little difficult to make the switch between characters.

*Again, I would like to note that this review was written back in November 2010.

The Paradise War by Stephen R. Lawhead

Lewis Giles is a student at Oxford majoring in Celtic Studies, and living a pretty plain life. Funny how quickly things can change. Out of nowhere his roommate decides to go looking for an ancient creature that has extinct for thousands of years all the way in Scotland. Lewis finds himself being dragged along for the ride. But what seems like a foolish hunt turns out to push Lewis unknowingly into a whole different world and the Paradise War.

This fantasy world is somewhat different than other fantasy worlds. For one, it is somewhat based on old Celtic lore, but the main thing I noticed is that there are not many creatures. A very few here and there, but for the most part they play no major role. I enjoyed this book, finding it quite unique. Although I will admit it didn't completely capture me. A couple times I found myself struggling to focus on it, so that was a disappointment. However it did explore a subject personally unknown - the Celts.

*I would like to note that this review was written in October 2010. However it is just now being posted.

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

The battle against Chaos continues, and Apophis is very close to rising. The only way to stop him is to awaken Ra. Problem is, no one even knows where Ra is. And to awaken him, they need the three scrolls of the Book of Ra which are unreadable. Sadie and Carter Kane are not alone, though. They now have the assistance of their new trainees and a few of the gods.

To add to all the confusion, Carter has found some information leading to Zia's possible location. In this fresh, intense, and humorous race, it is all about the Throne of Fire.

I liked this book even more than the first in the series. It is in many ways, similar. A race to save the world in just a few days, with several battles and bits of humor along the way. This tends to be the pattern in Riordan's mythology books. The difference in this book is that it has a theme of identity. None of his other mythology books seem to as clearly have a theme. A great sequel. I liked how it went further into Egyptian mythology. Very excited for the next, and final book in the Kane Chronicles!

Clarity by Jenna Kay

Clarity lives in a small hick town in Southern Georgia with her aunt. She has a best friend and loving boyfriend. Partying and being a teen. This is the life Clarity has come to know.

But when she meets Sam, who claims to be an angel, and tells her that she is a Seer, her nicely packaged life is thrown into chaos. Everything is changing and strange things are always happening. She must decide whether to go back to normal or embrace being a Seer in her difficult search for clarity.

I found Clarity to be a very good book with great spiritual warfare. It is well written, and fast moving. Clarity and some of her friends can be a bit dirty so some of it is... interesting. I suppose that makes it more realistic however, in our society today. Clarity is from the first person point of view of a woman. As a guy, it is always hard to tell whether the book will be to feminine in this case, but this time, it was fine. More towards a female audience, but I didn't feel awkward reading it. Great job, Jenna, excited for the next one!
     

40 by Travis Thrasher

Just nine months before his fortieth birthday, Tyler Harrison receives startling news: he is going to die on his fortieth birthday. He is told this by an angel named Matthew, and has no doubt that the information is valid, but he still does not know what to do with the information.

Tyler is a music producer, and the crazy life of the job continues. Tyler is befriended by both an internationally-known DJ named Ellis, and a pastor called Will. Both confuse him. To add to this, Tyler is haunted and questions his own sanity. All of this is part of the countdown, to the day that Tyler Harrison turns 40.

I am going to be honest and say that the first half of the book is very slow; being in the first person point of view of a man going through his mid life crisis and working through the knowledge of when he will die. I was able to push through though, to the second half of the book which is much more interesting. The story picks up speed and gets intense. The best part of this book, however, was the ending. It had a fabulous twist that I never saw coming and never even considered. The ending was the redemption for reading it, and is one of my favorite endings of all books.
    

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: