For Such a Time - By: Kate Breslin

I recently received a complimentary copy of For Such a Time written by Kate Breslin from Bethany House. I really enjoyed this book. This is Kate Breslin's first book and I applaud her. This book is set in Nazi Germany. She incorporated both German and Jewish phrases and names along with names of German cities and concentration camps. I also loved that fact that she included a glossary at the end of the book for those references. Not only did she write a historical fiction novel, she also made it based on the Biblical story of Esther. 

Hadassah Benjamin (Esther), a Jew, is going by the name of Stella Muller in order to keep her Jewish roots hidden. Right before she was to be executed, Kommandant Schmidt (Ahasuerus) observed Stella's papers and rescued her after noticing they had mistakenly been make "Jew". He brought her under his wings and into his home as a secretary. It is after she gets settled in her new home that she is reunited with her Uncle Mordecai (of course, Mordecai). Stella used this position to try to locate her uncle, and help free the Jews. During her time with the Kommandant, Stella notice the sadness in his eyes and is surprised to find a caring nature, despite his Nazi belief. 

Not only is there danger for Stella, in being found out as a Jew. She has also caught the (negative) attention of Captain Hermann (Haman). After turning down his numerous sexual advances, seeing her affection for the Jews, and her blooming romance with the Kommandant, Hermann is full of hatred both for her and for her Uncle Mordecai, the last remaining of the Jewish council in the camp. Stella begins to see that the Lord has placed her in this position "for such a time as this" and begins to devise ways to help free her people. When her true heritage is discovered, all those closest to her face almost certain death. 

Although this book gripped my attention from the beginning, it was based on the story of Esther in the Bible, so parts of it were predictable. The closer I got to end, the harder it was to put the book down. I remember reading part on my lunch break one day and feeling completely depressed about going back to work, because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I love the unexpected end of the book as well. Just when I thought it was ending, something else happened. I would love to read her books in the future!

Out of the Depths - By: Edgar Harrell with David Harrell

I recently received a complimentary copy of Out of the Depths by Edgar Harrell with David Harrell from Bethany House. Once again, I must admit. I do not normally read autobiographies. I jumped at the chance for this one, because I am very interested in WWII and I thought it would be an interesting read. I was right. I did not know much about the USS Indianapolis before I read this book. Not only did it inform me about the events of the sinking of the ship, but it also gave me a renewed respect for our veterans.

This book is written by Edgar Harrell and his son, David Harrell. Mr. Harrell, Sr. is a retired USMC veteran. He writes in this book the events surrounding the shipping off of the USS Indianapolis, its sinking, the rescuing of its sailors, the attempted cover-up of its sinking, and the final recognition of the brave men who were lost or injured. The USS Indianapolis was the cruiser used to deliver the elements needed for the first atomic bomb. Harrell writes that they brought the secret cargo aboard and left the shore with a quickness, that they understood the importance of their mission even without knowing what they were transporting. They found out later they were carrying the ammunition that would help end the war.

A little after midnight on July 30, 1945, a Japanese submarine fired torpedoes on the USS Indianapolis that would quickly sink the ship. There were over 1,000 sailors on board at the time of its sinking. Out of those 1,000, only around 900 made it into the water. From that 900, only around 300 were ever rescued. Due to the how quickly the ship sank, most sailors who made it off the cruiser, made it off with only the life jackets on their backs. Sadly, this was the least of the horrors they would face. 

The sailors faced trials such as: saline poisoning (from the salt water), shark attacks, hallucinations, hunger/thirst, etc. The sailors that survived these horrible events were rescued around the fifth day of them being in the water. Harrell explains their rescue as an act of God. A pilot, who was flying over the ocean, was having a problem with his radar equipment, when he "just so happened" to spot the survivors in the water. I say "just so happened", because, like Harrell, I don't believe it was an accident, or luck, that allowed the radar to act up at that exact spot. Harrell, a Christian, had been praying with the men and had peace that the Lord was going to protect him and allow him to be rescued.

This book is a reminder of the horrors that war brings, but also a reminder of the goodness of God, even in horrible situations. I'm sure many of the men who died during this time were Christians. Just because they died doesn't mean God didn't care about them. Our finite minds will never truly understand why bad things happen to good people, but we do know that our God has a plan for our lives. Mr. Harrell now lives a few hours from me and I'm hoping to be able to meet him someday to thank him for his service to our God and to our country.

Read this book.

Shadow Hand - By: Anne Elisabeth Stengl

I recently received a complimentary copy of Shadow Hand by Anne Elisabeth Stengl from Bethany House. I was super excited to see this book listed as one of the books available for review after I read another book in this series, Dragonwitch  (you can find the review here). This is part of her Tales of Goldstone Wood series. I really love that you don't have to read these books in order to understand them. Now, don't get me wrong, you would probably pickup on the storyline a little easier, if you had read them in order. I personally have only read this book and Dragonwitch, so it took a little more concentration, but they were both worth it!

Once again I have to say, fantasy is not my typical genre of book I like reading, but I have really enjoyed both books I've read by Ms. Stengl. She uses such vivid language in her books that you can see the situations she is writing about. was the attention to detail.  Ms. Stengl is a fantastic writer. Not only does she have the ability to write such a story, she also wrote all the lyric-like poems (also written like a riddle throughout the book).

One big downfall about her books, is that her characters have such extravagent and unusual names and there are soooo many characters in her books, that it can be somewhat hard to keep the characters straight. In similar style to Dragonwitch, she starts the beginning of each chapter with a quick glance into a character's mind, without telling us who/what this character is. This can also make the book a little hard to understand, because you don't get all the facts, and the pieces together until you get right down to the end of the book. 

I enjoyed this book even more than  Dragonwitch. It may have been partly due to the fact that I was more familiar with her style of writing, that it was easier for me to get into this book, or maybe it was just due to this book having more of a romantic feel to it. (I'm a sucker for romance.) I may have even been the fact that it had a stronger Christian undertone to it. The very end of the book really showed Christ in its message, and as a Christian, Christ means everything to me. Whatever it was, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. 

I also just finished Out of the Depths by: David and Edgar Harrell. Stay tuned for my review!