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Book Review: The Burning Maze

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The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan

The Burning Maze (The Trials of Apollo, #3)
by Rick Riordan (Goodreads Author)

4 out of 5 stars

Zeus punishes Apollo by turning him into a mortal human. Apollo must complete various trials and serve a demigod named Meg, so that he can regain his godly status. But Meg has a complicated relationship with her stepfather, the evil emperor Nero. In this third book, they are travelling with Grover the satyr to find the oracle imprisoned in the burning maze that is part of the Labyrinth. Anyone who enters the maze will fall into fire traps, but the fire is also burning aboveground in some places and causing wildfires throughout Southern California. The dryads and other nature spirits are suffering from drought and fire, and Grover vows to help them. They enlist Jason Grace and Piper McLean to help with their quest, but Jason and Piper have their own problems.

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Book Review: How to Pray

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How to Pray by John Wesley

How to Pray: The Best of John Wesley on Prayer (Value Books)
by John Wesley

3 out of 5 stars

This compilation brings together snippets of Wesley’s writing and sermons on the subject of prayer. Each page has a devotional for the day, along with a Bible verse to reflect on.
Some of the pages are obviously taken from the middle of a sermon, and it can be a little difficult to grasp the context. But for the most part, each page has a complete thought regarding prayer or some prayerful aspect of Christian life.

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Book Review: DragonKnight

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DragonKnight by Donita K. Paul

DragonKnight (DragonKeeper Chronicles, #3)
by  Donita K. Paul (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

In this third book of the series, the story picks up three years after the previous book. Although, Kale joins the story later on, we mostly follow Kale’s friend Bardon, as he tries to make a decision about whether he wants to become a knight of Paladin. He is sent on a sabbatical to ponder his decision, but is swept up in a quest to assist an old granny to find her missing son, a knight who has been cursed with a sleeping spell.

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Book Review: From Plato to Christ

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From Plato to Christ by Louis A. Markos

From Plato to Christ: How Platonic Thought Shaped the Christian Faith
by Louis A. Markos

5 out of 5 stars

The philosophy of Plato prepared the way for Christianity to be widely accepted in the ancient world. Socrates and Plato had a way of asking the right questions, even if they didn’t know the true answers that can be found in the Bible. Their philosophy points the way for a searching soul to find the truth of Christ. There are some spiritual things that are well-known to all of creation in general revelation, and Plato used that limited knowledge to formulate his own ideas about virtue and spiritual life. His philosophy directly reflects and leads to the specific revelation of truth in the person of Christ.

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Book Review: Witchlings Scepter of Memories

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Scepter of Memories by Claribel A. Ortega

Scepter of Memories
by Claribel A. Ortega

3 out of 5 stars

Seven, Thorn, and Valley are devastated when an evil warlock uses memory hexes to erase the memories of the townsfolk, even erasing the memories of their own families. They hear of a prophecy from hundreds of years ago that could lead to a magical scepter which has the power to restore memories. But the prophecy leads them out into the wastelands beyond the Twelve Towns where monsters abound.

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Book Review: The Stolen Songbird

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The Stolen Songbird by Judith Eagle

The Stolen Songbird
by Judith Eagle (Goodreads Author), Jo Rioux  (illustrator)

3 out of 5 stars

Caro is forced to stay with her strict Great Aunt Mary, who does not allow pets at her house. Caro smuggles in her adorable pet rabbit, but doesn’t realize that she has also smuggled in a stolen painting hidden in her mother’s old suitcase. The news is full of a gang of thieves operating around London, and Caro begins to suspect they might be after the painting. Caro and her friends vow to keep the painting safe and try to return it to the rightful owners. Horace is obsessed with fashion design, and Albie can knit anything, even a rabbit hutch or a rope ladder. Together they hope to track down the thieves, but Great Aunt Mary won’t let them leave the house without adult supervision. Caro plans to run away and have her own adventures without Great Aunt Mary frowning over her shoulder. But Caro discovers that she will need the support of all her family and friends if she wants to outsmart the gang of thieves.

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Classic Book Review: Guyfford of Weare

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Guyfford of Weare
by Jeffery Farnol

3.5 out of 5 stars
Sir Richard Guyfford is under suspicion of murdering his cousin Sir Julian. It is well known that the two cousins had bitterly quarreled and planned to meet in a duel within a month’s time, but Sir Julian was murdered before the duel could take place. Before his death, Sir Julian left a hidden note with a riddle to the true identity of his killer. Lady Helen D’Arcy vows to help Sir Richard find the true killer. Although she has her doubts about his innocence, she can’t help but fall in love with the dashing Sir Richard even while she declares that she hates and despises him.

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Book Review: DragonQuest

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DragonQuest by Donita K. Paul

DragonQuest (DragonKeeper Chronicles, #2)
by Donita K. Paul (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Kale is now an official servant of Paladin, but she has barely completed three weeks of training at the Hall, before she is sent away to apprentice with the Wizard Fenworth who is having trouble controlling his dragon. As the DragonKeeper, Kale has a special connection with all dragons, but she finds this particular dragon to be quite a challenge.

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Book Review: Lizard Boy 2

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The Most Perfect Summer Ever by Jonathan Hill

The Most Perfect Summer Ever (Lizard Boy #2)
by Jonathan Hill 

5 out of 5 stars

Tommy has a secret. His family are actually lizard people trying to blend in with the human world. Tommy has to wear a human skin over his green lizard face.
It’s difficult trying to fit in, but Tommy has other non-human friends who have the same struggles. One of his human friends, Dung, is a Vietnamese boy who is dealing with culture shock and trying to learn English. They bond over their differences, discovering that you don’t have to be the same species to find something in common.

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Book Review: Letters to Galatians and Ephesians

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The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians by William Barclay

The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians (New Daily Study Bible)
by William Barclay

5 out of 5 stars

This was so inspiring and wonderful to dive deep into Scripture and analyze each passage. I really liked that this book includes a lot of history and facts about Roman and Jewish culture during Paul’s time. It puts his letters into perspective.

I read a little bit each day, and really enjoyed using this as a devotional book each morning!