Light of Dawn

First off, a disclaimer before you begin this book...if you have not read the novels preceding this one, you will find yourself struggling to make sense of what is going on. I had to go back and read the premise to this one to gain an understanding of what is happening since the book opens up with journal entries from one of the characters in the book. Light of Dawn is the third novel in the Remnant Series by Vannetta Chapman, and begins around the premise that long ago, people wondered what would happen if a EMP or Solar Flare disrupted the electrical grid in the United States rendering anything that required electricity to run completely useless. This has happened and the details are missing from this novel, unless you have read the previous two novels.

By this time in the novel, quite a bit of time has gone by and the group of rag tag team members that consider themselves like family have been tasked by the governor of Texas to see if there is any form of federal government father north in cities more than 600 miles away. Some heavily populated larger cities rumor has it have been decimated by nuclear bombs and thus the need to know what is out there since all communication is lost. As the team leaves their 'home,' they come across varies people trying to eek out a living wherever they can find it, much like you might expect would happen if such a thing were to truly happen. There is not enough law enforcement or local government to force citizens to remain calm and violence and anarchy are now the rule of the day. Some cities have been taken over by criminals that will shoot first and taken what you have on you after your dead. Others try and help those they can in trade for things that can be bartered. Cash is irrelevant since no one has anything to sell. Their only hope is hoping that the federal government is somewhere attempting to fix what has decimated the world on a global scale.

I received Light of Dawn by Vannetta Chapman compliments of Harvest House Publishers and Net Galley. In accordance with the new FTC Guidelines for blogging and endorsements, you should assume that every book reviewed here at Reviews From The Heart was provided to the reviewer by the publisher, media group or the author for free and were received, unless specified otherwise.  I absolutely LOVE novels like this, something very realistic, and possibly not that far into our probable futures. It makes you consider what might you do, if your major metropolitan cities were destroyed, all electricity gone, and chaos begins to spawn in the fight for survival. I can't wait to go back to the beginning of this series with the novels, Deep Shadows and Raging Storm to see how this group came to become a family that would fight insurmountable odds just to survive and for me, this one easily garners a 5 out of 5 stars in this reader's opinion. The Author's Note section is extremely informative as the different types of protype technology discussed in the book is currently being used even now. Discussion Guide questions are also included which would make this entire series a great book club selection.

For more information about Light of Dawn, Vannetta Chapman or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Light of Dawn by Vannetta Chapman

You can find Vannetta Chapman on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Light of Dawn, please visit Harvest House Publisher's website. 

The Returning

It all boils down to the ultimate show-down between good and evil in a Christian Dystopian look into the future with Rachelle Dekker's Seer series in her final novel The Returning. Ancient prophecy has always pointed to a future event that most thought would never happen. A thing written about with no basis for coming true, at least to those living in Authority City. Anyone who opposes those in power or has any idea other that confirming to the well-being of all citizens is simply sent to the re-education center to be administered with a serum known as the Genesis Formula. It makes them comply without thinking for themselves and now they become part of the collective minds of those running the city.

However, there is a band of rebels who have managed to leave the city despite all attempts to capture them. Within this band of fugitives are seven individuals who have been called to fulfill the prophecy of returning those in Authority city back to the way God had intended. Led by a man named Aaron who has shown them the ultimate way of living, no one knows if he is really a man or simply a figment of their over active imaginations. He has always shown them the real purpose of their lives and how those in power in Authority City have forced those in opposition to be re-educated or eliminated. He has uncovered the darkness that has been led to breed uncontrolled by those who have a sinister purpose in mind.

Now Carrington and Remko Brandt have to put their trust in Aaron to lead this team of prodigals on their higher purpose to release those in bondage using their unique specialized gifts granted to them by God to redeem those who are lost in an effort to set them free and restore the city back to the grand vision God has for them. However it is a difficult decision for the Brandt's since their oldest daughter, Elise, was captured during a raid outside the city and it has been years since that day. Not knowing if she is dead or alive, they trust that their youngest daughter Kennedy whose has vowed to find her if she is still alive and bring her back home. Just when this team heads out back to the city to fulfill their prophecy, an army marches against those living in sanctuary waiting for their return to take them captive and force them to submit to the darker authority now controlling Authority City.

I received The Returning by Rachelle Dekker compliments of Tyndale House Publishers and Net Galley. For fans of such series like Divergent and the Hunger Games, you will love this Christian take on a similar story line. Out of the entire series, I have to say my all-time favorite was The Choosing, the first novel. I love the different twist on the value people place on their looks and self esteem and how some were chosen and others who aren't are forced into a life of serving others within the city as outcasts. Dekker does an exceptional job at reminding readers between each novel what had happened prior so it is easy to pick up the action as you immerse yourself into each subsequent novel. This one was a bit predictable in some ways as you could figure out how things would need to be resolved before the series reached its conclusion. I would give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion however.

For more information about The Returning, Rachelle Dekker or where to pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Returning by Rachelle Dekker 

You can find Rachelle Dekker on Facebook to stay up to date on her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Returning, please visit Tyndale House Publisher's website. 

The Remnant

"The thing is, religion in the general sense of the word is about external, visible things - buildings, practices, art, music, convocations, ceremonies, observances, relics, texts and so on. Those make it easy for the Federation to identify a religious person. If they can see it, they can nail you for it. But I don't believe that's what the Jesus way is about. It's about the internal, the invisible, such as faith and connection with God. Visible things will ultimately emerge from invisible faith, things like concern and service for your fellow human beings. But why should the Feds have a problem with those things? They make for a healthy civilization." (pg 240).

Jesus promised that in the last days the signs of His coming would be as easy to see as the signs of a tree beginning to bloom, signify that Spring is coming. Yet what if the signs aren't so easy to read and some begin to wonder if they missed it completely or there would be more horrors to face in this world before He does come.

The year is 2069 and 90 percent of the world's population has been eliminated as well as most of the major cities around the world. Religion is to blame for being the catalyst to launch an all out attack on a global scale and the remaining 10 percent are not allowed to participate in anything that looks like religion. All religious books have been burned and any remaining copies will soon be confiscated by the Federation if found. All churches, mosques and temples have been converted to housing or government use buildings and anyone who does not wish to give up their religious rights are moved into camps known as Safe Zones.

While they can no longer worship publicly, they are kept being productive members of the zone by using whatever skills they possess to benefit those in the city and Federation. They are given the option of forgoing their religious rights and be re-educated in the Federations guidelines and can resume a better way of living at any time. But for those who don't, they remain locked away in the Safe Zones behind heavily protected gates and armed guards. If you manage to escape from these zones, you can't ever return. No one knows what lies outside the gates of the Zones, referred to as the Wilderness, but rumor has it that religious freedoms await in remote cities where the Federation has no control. Grant Cochrin along with his family and friends, make a plan to escape and find any Christians left on earth, but it will take all of them working together to ensure they are not caught. If the Federation finds them, they will be vaporized instantly. Escape seems to be their only hope to find a Bible left in the world somewhere and all that the family has is a remnant page from the Beatitudes but even that is vague in its interpretation.

I received The Remnant by Monte Wolverton compliments of CWR Press and Litfuse Publicity. I really love how this novel takes into consideration all religious groups from Muslims, Buddhist Monks, Catholics, and Christians as Grant tries to make sense of what lies beyond the Zones. Each area has their own religious groups running them and soon it is hard for those in this rag-tag team to know what is the real truth and what are the lies. Is there any hope for finding Christians left in the world? I absolutely love this novel as it places our religious beliefs to the truest test of our faith and just how far we are willing to go to find the truth of what we believe. For that reason I give this novel a 4.5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for the sequel.

For more information about The Remnant, Monte Wolverton or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Remnant by Monte Wolverton

You can find Monte Wolverton on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest books.

To read more reviews on The Remnant, please visit Litfuse Publicity's Book Tour Page.

Anomaly

There are only a handful of humans remaining after the Nuclear War decimated what used to be the world as we know it. Only for those of us left, we don't have any memory of that world. All we have are the lessons we study about the world that once was. We are segregated by generations and in my Pod C, there are only about thirty of us. Each of us has a talent that only we alone possess. For me, Thalli, I am a musician. I can read and create music as though that was all I was born to do. For my roommates they have their own special skills, cooking, inventing, designing and even logical thinking. We are kept away from the other Pods B and A, as they are another generation ahead of us. We have no parents and we don't even consider those of us dwelling in this Pod as friends really. We just go about our days like we're supposed to only for me, I am considered an anomaly, because I think. I ask too many questions. I wonder why more than I just accept things like my Pod mates. My only ally is Beck who is a wonderful scientist and who sense there is more to me than I am supposed to be.

Whenever illness comes, we are removed and never seen again. They call it annihilation and we cease to be. Thanks to a group of scientists known as The Ten, we are able to live and find ways to grow food beneath the ground. We can't go above because the air is toxic and we would simply die. So for now, we continue to work on finding a way to survive in this existence, but if they learn that I am not all I am supposed to be, it will be my turn for annihilation. Only scientists are allowed to ask questions and to wonder why. I am simply to create music. However when I am asked to play an old piece of music left behind by the world before us, I can't hide the emotions that the song brings out in me. Now I am moved to isolation and the experiments begin to see if I possess anything that can be useful before I am annihilated.

But will the world I believe is my home turn out instead to be a virtual one? A simulation so real that all of my senses are engaged and I can not longer differentiate from what is real and what is not? What is my true calling in this life? Is there hope for something more than simply what I was created to be? How much longer will I be allowed to live before I am no longer a viable option?

In the novel Anomaly by author Krista McGee, Thalli is a young girl who begins to wonder if there is something more than what she has been lead to believe her whole life. She knows nothing of parents, love or God other than what she is reading about through her history lessons on her learning pad. This calls into question what would happen if just a handful of humans remained on the earth after a horrible nuclear war. How would they survive? What would they do to maintain law and order in their society? This is just that premise that Krista breathes to life in this dystopain fiction that sounds like a futuristic version of Lord of the Flies. I absolutely LOVED all the shifting of realities and soon found myself questioning what is real or isn't in this wonderful science fiction young adult novel. For anyone who loves this type of genre, you will not be the slightest bit disappointed.

I received Anomaly by Krista McGee compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. Knowing how quickly we are creating our own virtual reality's in video games, this one really took me by surprised and wondered just how far along are we really. This really does create a sense of what if, when you read this one and makes us question just how beneficial is technology in the future. How will this world survive if we found ourselves in the situation Krista created in this novel. This is definitely a novel that makes you wonder how you would handle creating a lasting remnant if given the chance. How much freedom would you allow people to have? I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and there's even some discussion questions included for book groups or small group study.

For more information about Anomaly, Krista McGee or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Anomaly by Krista McGee

You can find Krista McGee on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Anomaly on the Litfuse Publicity Book Tour, please click here.


Krista McGee is celebrating the release of Anomaly, the first book in her new YA dystopian series, with an iPad Mini Giveaway!

One winner will receive:

• An iPad Mini
• A $25 iTunes gift card (download Anomaly to the iPad!)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on July 31st. Winner will be announced at Krista's website on August 2nd.

Spread the word about Krista and her giveaway HERE!