Title: Viridian Dreams (releases November 1)
Author: Liz Henderson
Age: YA
Available: Amazon and the author’s website
About:
Ezra is eagerly waiting to find out if he’s been accepted into university. He believes that it’s the only way he can make a positive impact on the world. But when the letters arrive, they’re all rejections. Devastated by the turn of events, he goes for a walk to clear his mind, accidentally stumbling through a Gateway to the planet Chromvah. The guardian angels living there reveal that the Gateways between Chromvah and Earth have all disappeared, so Ezra is trapped. Without a way to make difference back home, does it even matter that he’s stuck there?
When Ezra dreams about a girl named Petra twice in a row, he wants to know more about her. He discovers that Petra is in fact real and on Earth. Could Ezra and Petra be the key to helping the guardian angels trapped on Earth regain hope?
Come experience the vivid planet of Chromvah as Ezra tries to learn what he was created for.
Positive Elements:
A character wishes to help adopted children; a character wants to use her past to help others in the same circumstances.
Negative Elements:
Two uses of “suck”.
Spiritual Elements:
A character says he doesn’t believe in God; God is referred to as “The Father” and other titles listed in Isaiah 9:6; angels and their purposes are discussed; characters rely on their faith in God to see them through difficult times; characters talk about God; the stories of Noah and the Tower of Babel are told; there is a very strong salvation message; characters pray; the Bible is quoted; the armor of God is discussed; the Trinity is explained.
Violence:
Some of the harm demons do is mentioned.
Other:
It is mentioned a character wanted to take her own life; characters kiss.
Rating:
A solid 4 Stars.
Conclusion:
Viridian Dreams is an interesting mixture of urban fantasy and supernatural. With an intriguing world called Chromvah, and a heavy emphasis on the power of prayer, this book takes a unique plot of a boy transported to a world of angels and finding himself one of two who can help Guardian angels fight against the increasing forces of darkness. Some of the angels are my favorites in this book. Their attempts to understand humans and our way of life – like comparing us to pets and being confused on the difference between North American football and the rest of the world’s version of football – are hilarious. And they all had color names, which was doubly unique and not something often found in either genre. Viridian Dreams is definitely a distinct read.
I received an ARC copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Madi's Musings 