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Over the past few years, I have become a huge fan of Terri Blackstock. I appreciate her writing, and her stories are inspiring. They are the kind of books that you simply cannot put down, so you find yourself closing the back cover at 2 am. "Dawn's Light" was not an exception to this late night rule. The Restoration Series has been an interesting one to follow. I have heard other Blackstock fans say that they did not like the series as well as some others she has written. I feel that the Restoration Series was definitely penned from a different perspective than some of her other works, and the depth of spirituality was beyond what I would have expected. I absolutely loved "Cape Refuge" and "Newpointe 911". I loved the Restoration Series, as well, and re-read the first three books before I cracked the cover on the new one...
One thing that I always appreciate greatly is when an author is not afraid to kill her main characters. This takes guts. Unfortunately, it has become somewhat of a pattern for Blackstock to kill, maim, or somehow compromise the integrity of beloved characters when she reaches her final book in a series. This is OK... just predictable at this point.
In the Restoration Series, Beth Branning's death was foreshadowed throughout. I am writing this knowing full well that Blackstock, herself, may claim that she didn't know she would kill Beth Branning until the final heartbeat, and that may well be true. As I mentioned above, I do not have a problem with killing main characters. I do, indeed, have a problem with the fact that Blackstock took 197 pages of her 406 page novel to drag us through the brutal beating and murder of a 13 year old child. And that doesn't even consider the stalking before...
Perhaps I am just getting soft, and a good murder mystery doesn't appeal like it used to, but I have read review after glowing review of this book, and I have to stop and wonder if these are written by the same readers who hated Dee Henderson's "The Witness" because of the quick and somewhat unexpected death of one of the main characters. (If only they'd read the back cover carefully before picking up the book)...
There were a couple of other problems with "Dawn's Light", for me, as well. Did we really need to see the return of Craig... again? I think Blackstock brought him back just to convince us all that he really was "saved". The plot of "Dawn's Light" could have stood alone without re-inserting the ex-fiance' on the intended night of Mark's proposal. It was just extra dramatic fluff...
Also, speaking of tying up loose ends, we all knew that Brad Caldwell would also have to "get saved" before the series could close. Of course, it is Beth's death that is the catalyst for this, and then the grieving Branning family suddenly sees the purpose in God's sovereignty, and what... all is well? It was unreal, but hey, that's why it's fiction, right?
I am well aware that this review will be highly offensive to some, either because they loved the book or because they feel that my theology just took a leap off the deep end. Please understand, I'm not exactly knocking evangelicalism here, but the abruptness of events that ended this series was amazing after we took half a book to kill a child.
The more I think about the finale to the Restoration Series, the more I think it would have sat better with me had it been split down into two novels. But it wasn't, so there's my opinion.
Oh, and for those who are interested in technicality... There were a whole lot of typos.
Lisa
One thing that I always appreciate greatly is when an author is not afraid to kill her main characters. This takes guts. Unfortunately, it has become somewhat of a pattern for Blackstock to kill, maim, or somehow compromise the integrity of beloved characters when she reaches her final book in a series. This is OK... just predictable at this point.
In the Restoration Series, Beth Branning's death was foreshadowed throughout. I am writing this knowing full well that Blackstock, herself, may claim that she didn't know she would kill Beth Branning until the final heartbeat, and that may well be true. As I mentioned above, I do not have a problem with killing main characters. I do, indeed, have a problem with the fact that Blackstock took 197 pages of her 406 page novel to drag us through the brutal beating and murder of a 13 year old child. And that doesn't even consider the stalking before...
Perhaps I am just getting soft, and a good murder mystery doesn't appeal like it used to, but I have read review after glowing review of this book, and I have to stop and wonder if these are written by the same readers who hated Dee Henderson's "The Witness" because of the quick and somewhat unexpected death of one of the main characters. (If only they'd read the back cover carefully before picking up the book)...
There were a couple of other problems with "Dawn's Light", for me, as well. Did we really need to see the return of Craig... again? I think Blackstock brought him back just to convince us all that he really was "saved". The plot of "Dawn's Light" could have stood alone without re-inserting the ex-fiance' on the intended night of Mark's proposal. It was just extra dramatic fluff...
Also, speaking of tying up loose ends, we all knew that Brad Caldwell would also have to "get saved" before the series could close. Of course, it is Beth's death that is the catalyst for this, and then the grieving Branning family suddenly sees the purpose in God's sovereignty, and what... all is well? It was unreal, but hey, that's why it's fiction, right?
I am well aware that this review will be highly offensive to some, either because they loved the book or because they feel that my theology just took a leap off the deep end. Please understand, I'm not exactly knocking evangelicalism here, but the abruptness of events that ended this series was amazing after we took half a book to kill a child.
The more I think about the finale to the Restoration Series, the more I think it would have sat better with me had it been split down into two novels. But it wasn't, so there's my opinion.
Oh, and for those who are interested in technicality... There were a whole lot of typos.
Lisa
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