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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Dance of Shadows Review

by Chautona Havig · 1 Comment

I’ll never forget her voice. Deep, throaty, with a strong Slavic accent.  She read to us of Mr. Tumnus, Lucy, the Beavers, Jadis.  From her, I learned to love the world of Narnia.  From her, I learned to see the symbolism of the Lion of Judah in the mighty, fierce, loving Aslan.

Mrs. Elkins.  My second-grade teacher.  My hero.

I’m not sure I would ever have loved fantasy if I hadn’t been introduced to it at just the right age, with someone so kind and loving leading the way.  After The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I didn’t touch another fantasy book for years.

I didn’t need to, actually.

But once I did, I discovered two different kinds.  There are “high” fantasy and “realistic” fantasy… and the occasional blend.  I tended toward a blend or the “realistic” kinds.  Tolkien?  Yeah… I tried. I really tried.

Please excuse me a moment as I hang my head in shame.

Fast-forward about thirty years, and someone bragged about attacking a Barnes & Noble employee for inviting her to participate in a launch day party for the Harry Potter books.  I was ashamed for her.  The kid was just doing her job, and this woman made Christians everywhere look like jerks.

So, I went out and bought the first book—having no intention of reading it.  I wasn’t interested. It just made me feel better to give that author the money, despite the book content. I’d been told it was about kids who go to a school to learn witchcraft.  That’s not something I’m okay with.

But then a sick day came, and with nothing else I hadn’t already read a dozen times, I pulled it off the shelf.

I read it.

And it wasn’t about kids going to a school to learn witchcraft.  In fact, it wasn’t what I’d been told at all.  Instead, as I plowed through the series, I saw a whole lot of Christian symbolism in the book, and I understood why a Wiccan I knew hated it—thought it was offensive to people who celebrate and practice witchcraft.

That did it.  It resparked my love for fantasy.  I read Narnia all over again—every last one of them.  The Squire’s Tales—retellings of Arthurian legends by a Baptist pastor in Wisconsin. You can read my review HERE.

Then came The Ranger’s Apprentice series.  I loved it. Devoured all of them (although, I didn’t care for the Skandia book). Once more, I tried Tolkien.  Sigh.  Not there yet, but I’m determined to love it someday.

And then I had the chance to request a review copy of another fantasy series—one that someone equated to Narnia.  How could I resist?  I requested it lickety-splickety.  And…

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. Additionally, I requested a review copy and below is my opinion

Dragons? Good? Evil?  Magic? What Doesn’t This Series Offer?

Well, this isn’t a boring book.  It’s not full of weak characters or simplistic nonsense.  It doesn’t offer hours of mind-numbing not-so-entertainment.

So, if you were looking for something to lull you into a stupor, you might want to keep looking.  I recommend How Green Was My Valley… except you might end up depressed.  I sure was.  So, maybe go for Moby Dick. Or, if you’re not afraid to rock boats… The Lord of the Rings trilogy… *whistles*

Full of adventure, intrigue, battles of good vs. evil, The Winter Series offers an exciting, engaging read.  Dance of Shadows, the second book in the series, begins with an assassination.  For me, this was confusing, because I hadn’t read the first book.

Make no mistake. I will be reading it now.  And I’ll be rereading this one so I can fully appreciate all that I didn’t get the first go-round.

Winter QueenBrutal honesty time.  I found myself skimming parts.  That was not the book’s fault.  Again, you really need to read this series in order.  Still, even with that, I hated to put it down at the end, and I did go shelve the first book, Winter Queen, right away.

‘Cause I’ve gotta know what’s going on here.

Written with powerful description, strong characterization, and a plot and a world that keep you engaged even when you’re lost, is it any wonder that I decided to give a book that I still don’t quite “get” a full five stars?

I love this world. Erica Marie Hogan gave me everything I could hope for in good fantasy. The least I can do is give her everything a good reader should—my full attention.

Yeah.  You’ve got just about everything any book could give you—except bad writing, a boring plot, and flat characters.  I don’t think the author knows how to do that stuff.  Thank, goodness.

I look forward to more from her.

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Comments

  1. Andrea Stoeckel says

    April 2, 2019 at 9:26 am

    I was a bookseller during the release of HP#4. I was in a store overrun with kids that day and when they left, it was as if we’d had a tornado. I own all the HP books and I love them. I see them, much like Narnia and The Phantom Tollbooth And even the tiny book Walkabout as the stories of maturing people in a scary world where if you believe in something greater than yourself, then you have a better chance of growing faithfully.

    Winter Queen was on my wishlist…maybe I need to get it

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 161: A Chat with Christian Women's Fiction Robin W. Pearson
byChautona Havig

Nothing says good, Southern women’s fiction like a feisty granny or a family secret, and Robin W. Pearson’s got you covered on both fronts. Stir in a pot of faith, and well… you’re bound to find a story you’ll never forget. And isn’t that a blessing? Award-winning, bestselling, and aspiring yodler on the other side of the Rockies, Robin writes stories of faith, family, and it sounds like some seriously delicious food.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

What’s Better Than a Great Women’s Fiction Novel on a Summer’s Day?

New-to-me (or she was!) women’s fiction author, Robin W. Pearson writes God-centered, family-focused fiction. Robin is a delightful homeschooling mom of seven and if that wasn’t job enough, her debut novel won a Christy award! I mean, that takes some serious skills! Not to mention, it has a killer kick-off synopsis on Amazon. I was hooked from the first paragraph.

Robin says she wants people to see love in her books–how to love well even when we don’t know how. How to see each other as God does.  I think that sounds pretty amazing.

Her debut novel, A Long Time Coming, is more than just a great-sounding book, it really deals with family issues and I’ll just say I fell in love with the narrator of the audio.

The next book, Till I Want No More, rips your heart out with the synopsis, stomps on it, and says, “There. Now what’ll you do about that?  Well, I don’t know what I’ll do, other than read it of course!

And her latest novel?  Oh, my gravy. It released just last week and it’s amazing.  Well, the part I’ve read already is. Walking in Tall Weeds promises to keep your heart on tenterhooks as it takes you through a family’s pain and trauma.  And what more could you want?

Walking in Tall Weeds by Robin W. Pearson

From award-winning author Robin W. Pearson comes a new Southern family drama about one family who discovers their history is only skin-deep and that God’s love is the only family tie that binds.

Paulette and Fred Baldwin find themselves wading through a new season of life in Hickory Grove, North Carolina. Their only son, McKinley, now works hundreds of miles away, and the distance between the husband and wife feels even farther. When their son returns home, his visit dredges up even more conflict between Fred and Paulette.

McKinley makes it no secret that he doesn’t intend to follow in his father’s footsteps at George & Company Fine Furnishings or otherwise. Fred can’t quite bring himself to accept all his son’s choices, yet Paulette is determined McKinley will want for nothing, least of all a mother’s love and attention—which her own skin color cost her as a child. But all her striving leaves Fred on the outside looking in.

Paulette suspects McKinley and Fred are hiding something that could change the whole family. Soon, she’s facing a whirlwind she never saw coming, and the three of them must dig deep to confront the truth. Maybe then they’ll discover that their history is only skin-deep while their faith can take them right to the heart of things.

You can learn more about Robin W. Pearson on her WEBSITE.

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Episode 161: A Chat with Christian Women's Fiction Robin W. Pearson
Episode 161: A Chat with Christian Women's Fiction Robin W. Pearson
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