Demon: A Memoir - Tosca Lee

“One encounter changes everything…”

Rating:



Summary:
Clay is confronted by a mysterious stranger who wants him to publish his story. Clay realizes that this stranger is a demon named Lucian. Lucian tells Clay his story, starting with the fall of Lucifer to creation to Jesus. Clay becomes addicted to the story that he is told and loses his job because of it. Unknown to Clay, Lucian is bringing him more than a story. Want to know more? Check out the author’s video here. She's says it better than I can.


Analysis:
I was amazed at Tosca Lee’s story. She not only created a remarkable story but also retold the aspects of the Bible in a way that brought it to life. I felt as if I was right there experiencing creation. Demon: A Memoir is a vivid and powerful story. I was hooked on it before I even purchased it. I read the back cover and was hooked. And the book does not disappoint. It goes beyond that curious glance. It will delve into your mind and leave you with an ultimatum. What choice will you make?

Impact:
God spoke, and it was created. Out of nothing. Can you imagine nothing? If you picture darkness, that is something. I love how Lucian paints this picture and how he tells the story of creation. It puts Creation in a whole new light. Any little thing will remind me of the story. The most remarkable aspect about this book is how much I thought about it when I was not reading it. I would go through the work day contemplating what I read. It left me thinking “Why?” Why did God create us when He knew all that we were going to do? I learned one major thing; never try to figure out God. His plans are beyond my comprehension.

“But here now, is the crux of it…there are those of us damned for one single, failing moment while you have the favor of an utterly partial God, willing to offer second chances again and again and again.” (Demon: A Memoir 163)

“The clay people were a miserable disappointment, and so they would continue to be, redeemed or not. They would scoff at El’s great act of grace, and Lucifer would see to it. Lucifer, the accuser called Satan, declared war.” (Demon: A Memoir 240)

“These children of God were bursting to life like kernels of corn popping into bloom. Suddenly, El was everywhere, manifest by the sheer act of belief in this Messiah…we were forgotten, disinherited in favor of the mud race…We were bent on only one purpose: the destruction of El’s believers.” (Demon: A Memoir 266)

“…this is your life, Clay: fleeing, ephemeral, and insignificant except for one thing, that El loved you. And you have missed it. Missed it all, completely. And now, look at you. Sweating, worried about your life, your story. Did you expect to live forever?” (Demon: A Memoir 300)

8/16/10 - 8/27/10

Immanuel's Veins - Ted Dekker

“This story is for everyone – but not everyone is for this story.”

Rating:



Summary:
The year is 1772. Toma Nicolescu is sent on a special mission by the Empress of Russia to protect the two Cantemir daughters. Toma’s best friend Alek accompanies him on the mission. The first night there, they meet danger in the form of the strangers from Castle Castile. Toma doesn’t trust them but cannot place the reason for his distrust. Soon, Alek and Natasha are fascinated with this group and submerse themselves at the castle. Toma faces his greatest challenge when he must confront himself and the lord of the castle. Who will win the girl?

Analysis:
As soon as I finished reading Immanuel’s Veins, I was ready to turn back to the beginning of the book and start all over. Once again, Ted Dekker creates a story that captivates the reader. His intense writing style enlivened the story and made me never want to leave. It had me laughing, crying, shocked, and impressed within the first forty pages of the book. I did not want to put it down. I was hooked after reading the first page.

Impact:
Immanuel’s Veins is an allegory. It made me realize that God’s love is remarkable. While we hated him and spat on him and rejected him, he sacrificed His life for us. All because He loves us. This was done so that we can love Him in return. Immanuel’s Veins tells this story in a powerful and vivid way that leaves you amazed at God’s love. I will never be able to read a love story again without seeing God as the ultimate lover. This story delved into my mind and had me thinking about it constantly. God is real and so is His power. But, that also means that Satan is real and actively trying to make you stray. But God will conquer Satan and be the everlasting King.

“If I were a woman I would have loved Alek. If I were a king I would have hired him to remain in my courts. If I were an enemy I would have run and hid, because wherever you found Alek you would find Toma, and you would surely die unless you swore allegiance to the empress.” (Immanuel’s Veins 4)

“The hour was late and the rain fell with God’s wrath on those mountains. I felt like a fool for ever having doubted his existence. There was certainly a devil, for I had met either him or his offspring. If there was a devil, there must be a God, or I had no hope.” (Immanuel’s Veins 227)

“There is indeed good and there is indeed evil, and both walk the earth. But good has little to do with the forms of religion, and evil has as little to do with so much behavior condemned by religion. Both good and evil vie for the passions of the heart.” (Immanuel’s Veins 286)

“Lucine and I stood in the Castle Castile now emptied of all her evil, and together we wept. For we had found the truest love. We had found God’s blood. We had found each other.” (Immanuel’s Veins 364)

The Abandoned Room - Charles Wadsworth Camp

Rating:



Summary:
The Abandoned Room follows the tale of who killed Silas Blackburn at the Cedars. It was a dark night, and as far as anyone could tell, he was locked in the old room by himself. Mysteriously, he is found dead the next morning. The top suspect (the nephew Bobby) has no alibi and no memory of that night. He believes he did it because he has the motive. The investigating officer is ready to pin it on Bobby, but he cannot figure out how the murderer was able to get into the locked room. So he spends the night in the locked room. The next day, he is found dead and the evidence that he had on his person is gone. Now, two new investigators arrive and try to discover the culprit.

Analysis:
At first I was I was thoroughly enjoying the book until someone mentioned that the murder could have been done by a ghost. Then, I was irritated. I didn’t want to read a book when the culprit was a ghost. But I continued reading holding out in hope that the perpetrator was an actually a person. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised with who solved it and who did it. It was a well-written story with a well-planned plot that will keep you guessing until the very end.

“I knew my man had made a big mistake—the sort of mistake every criminal makes no matter how clever he is—and I had him.” ( The Abandoned Room 32 )

“You trying to make a fool of me? That isn’t healthy.” ( The Abandoned Room 35 )

“With a perfectly simple play staring me in the face I nearly made the mistake of choosing a difficult one. That would have got me in trouble while the simple one gives me the game. Why are people like that?” ( The Abandoned Room 166 )

“The shroud of loneliness and abandonment descending upon the Cedars became for them nearly ponderable. So they turned from that brooding picture, and hand in hand walked out of the forest into the friendly and welcoming sunlight ” ( The Abandoned Room 167 )

7/15/10 – 8/3/10