Book Review: Bitter Blessings

Bitter Blessings

by Christine Mehring

The clock in the kitchen pounded out the seconds, and the neighbor's wind chimes clanged their chaotic melody until I thought my brain would explode, and then, finally, Gram said, "There was an accident on the highway this afternoon.  Your mother was in it." 

 And the world collapsed around me . . . again.

After the death of her mother, everything seems to spin out of control for Megan.  Taking care of her grandmother--who refuses to receive help from anyone--and her two younger sisters, Megan must depend on her best friend Adam to get hrough these hard times.  But when she discovers an old family secret, Megan must choose between trusting her family and following what her heart tells her to be true. 

Thought provoking and heartfelt, this book shows that even in times of trial, you can often find blessings.

I loved reading this book!  It made me laugh and it made me cry, and I didn't want to put it down.  It reminded me of the importance of watching my tongue in moments of anger or frustration.  The writing flowed well and the book was a pleasure to read.  I couldn't help but love the main character, Megan, in spite of her faults.  I also loved  her best friend Adam, and all of the others who reached out to help Megan and her family.  If you are looking for a fun, uplifting new story, this LDS Fiction Novel published by Cedar Fort is the book for you.

I have never met Christine Mehring, but have enjoyed reading this new book and sharing my thoughts about Bitter Blessings with the readers of my blog.  I did receive a free copy of the book, but have not received any other compensation for this review. 

You can purchase Bitter Blessings here at Amazon.  

You can also purchase it here at bitterblessings.com

Book Review: The Key of Kilenya



The Key of Kilenya

by Andrea Pearson

When two vicious wolves chase fourteen-year-old Jacob Clark down a path from our world into another, his life is forever changed. He has no idea they have been sent by the Lorkon—evil, immortal beings who are jealous of powers he doesn’t know he possesses—powers they desire to control.


The inhabitants of the new world desperately need Jacob's help in recovering a magical key that was stolen by the Lorkon and is somehow linked to him. If he helps them, his life will be at risk. But if he chooses not to help them, both our world and theirs will be in danger. The Lorkon will stop at nothing to unleash the power of the key—and Jacob's special abilities.

Andrea Pearson's new young adult fantasy novel, The Key of Kilenya introduces us to an exciting adventure. When Jacob suddenly finds himself in the unfamiliar world of Eklaron, his life is constantly filled with new experiences and challenges. Though upset that his own life and goals have been interrupted, Jacob recognizes that his new found friends, the young Akeno and the other Makalos, are depending on his help to recover the magical Key of Kilenya, and hopefully preserve the future of their war troubled world. He agrees to do what he can to help. As Jacob travels to Maivoryl City with Akeno and the two fairy-like Minya’s, September and Early, they find guidance through a journal written by the former King Dimitri and encounter help from many other residents of Eklaron who are also fighting against the evil Lorkon. Throughout the adventure, Jacob finds new strengths within himself, both human and magical, that he never realized he possessed.


Like Jacob must have been, I was a little bit overwhelmed by the many new creatures, places, and things that make up the world of Eklaron. I often found myself re-reading portions of the book in order to follow the story and remember who was who and what was what. The pronunciation guide and map of Eklaron found at the front of the book were helpful, but I found myself wishing for a bit more detail and time with each of the places and characters, and perhaps a list of descriptions, definitions, and relationships to help absorb all of the information.

The Key of Kilenya is a very imaginatively written adventure with new exciting twists and turns in every chapter, but contains nothing that I would hesitate sharing with younger readers. This story is clearly just the beginning of many possible adventures for Jacob and his friends in the world of Eklaron.

I do not personally know Andrea Pearson, but have enjoyed reading this new book and sharing my thoughts about The Key of Kilenya with the readers of my blog.  I did receive a free copy of the book from the author, but have not received any other compensation for this review. 

You can find information on purchasing both print and Ebook versions of  The Key of Kilenya  at the Kilenya Series Blog.  More information about Andrea can be found here. To watch a video of Andrea describing the book, go here.