Bethany Siu (Author of Out of the Gemmic Sea)

Bethany Siu rated a book it was amazing God with Us: Bible Stories on the Road to Emmaus by Matt Mikalatos (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
When I read Imaginary Jesus back a few years ago I really enjoyed it. It prompted me to think about how I understand Jesus, and my relationship with him, in a fresh way. In God with Us Matt Mikalatos, David Shephard, and Whitney Cogar do this again. ...more
Mar 28, 2025 08:39AM · 1 like · like · see review
Bethany Siu liked Elliott Siu's review of Out of the Gemmic Sea: "Fun character-driven adventure with a well-develop story. The author created a unique magic universe that takes a moment to wrap your head around but the payoff is worth it. Characters are fun and layered. This isn't a generic predicable story, but i" Read more of this review »
Mar 28, 2025 08:16AM · see review
Bethany Siu liked Amber Feist's review of Out of the Gemmic Sea: "Out of the Gemmic Sea was such an enjoyable Book! The plot and characters are so unique. This book is definitely not a copy of another popular book! The conflict, as well as, the magic system was very well thought out. I very much enjoyed this book! " Read more of this review »
Mar 28, 2025 08:16AM · see review
Bethany Siu liked Reggie's review of Out of the Gemmic Sea: "I found this first novel by Bethany Siu very enjoyable. The world this author has built is unlike any I've read before. The mythology and history is well developed, adding to the story instead of bogging the reader down in interesting information tha" Read more of this review »
Mar 28, 2025 08:16AM · see review
Bethany Siu entered a giveaway God with Us: Bible Stories on the Road to Emmaus by Matt Mikalatos (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 21, 2025 09:37PM · like · see giveaway
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Bethany Siu wants to read Behind the Clouds by Victoria Mae (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 05, 2024 03:49PM · like

Bethany Siu rated a book it was amazing

God with Us: Bible Stories on the Road to Emmaus
by Matt Mikalatos (Goodreads Author)

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When I read Imaginary Jesus back a few years ago I really enjoyed it. It prompted me to think about how I understand Jesus, and my relationship with him, in a fresh way. In God with Us Matt Mikalatos, David Shephard, and Whitney Cogar do this again. When I read Imaginary Jesus back a few years ago I really enjoyed it. It prompted me to think about how I understand Jesus, and my relationship with him, in a fresh way. In God with Us Matt Mikalatos, David Shephard, and Whitney Cogar do this again. The premise of this graphic novel is taken from the story in Luke 24 where Jesus joins a couple of his followers while they are walking along the road towards Emmaus. They don’t recognize Jesus, but start exchanging stories about the recent death of Jesus of Nazareth.

God With Us playfully expands this journey, adding a couple of kids to the conversational mix and really having fun with Luke 24:17, “And beginning with Moses and the Prophets, he explained to the what was said in all the scriptures concerning himself.”
Basically, the conversation becomes a thematic telling of the grand story of scripture, conveyed in conversation with Jesus.

Here are a couple of the things I really enjoyed about God with Us.
First of all, the art was delightful. I really enjoyed the comic-booky style of the art, which has both grit and grace to it. I especially loved the use of color to distinguish different timelines. Jesus and the present day characters are always in color, while many of the past stories are illustrated with a specific monochromatic color palette. This makes it easier to keep track of the non-linear narrative and is also just pretty.

Second, I love the way that this book emphasizes both the humanity of Jesus and also his God-ness. He’s a regular guy, walking along the road, chatting with friends. I always love to be reminded of this, that Jesus is human, and that he experienced life on earth like the rest of us. But he’s also God. When he tells a story and God is involved, generally Jesus is there, in the past story, being God, and saying God’s lines. I loved the fusion of Jesus humanity, with his eternal divinity.

If you’re looking for a book to refresh your faith, or if you’re interested in meeting Jesus for the first time, I think this book is a great one to pick up. I can imagine there’s somebody somewhere who will read it and complain that this or that theology is not clearly explained. But honestly you weren’t planning to base your entire theology on a graphic novel, were you? I’m going to go on reading my Bible and an occasional commentary, but I’m also going to enjoy God with Us and its lovely imagining of what walking with Jesus could be like.

Thanks Matt, David, and Whitney for your creativity and hard work! ...more

Bethany Siu liked Elliott Siu's review of Out of the Gemmic Sea:

"Fun character-driven adventure with a well-develop story. The author created a unique magic universe that takes a moment to wrap your head around but the payoff is worth it. Characters are fun and layered. This isn't a generic predicable story, but i" Read more of this review »

Bethany Siu liked Amber Feist's review of Out of the Gemmic Sea:

"Out of the Gemmic Sea was such an enjoyable Book! The plot and characters are so unique. This book is definitely not a copy of another popular book! The conflict, as well as, the magic system was very well thought out. I very much enjoyed this book! " Read more of this review »

Bethany Siu liked Reggie's review of Out of the Gemmic Sea:

"I found this first novel by Bethany Siu very enjoyable. The world this author has built is unlike any I've read before. The mythology and history is well developed, adding to the story instead of bogging the reader down in interesting information tha" Read more of this review »

Bethany Siu entered a giveaway

God with Us: Bible Stories on the Road to Emmaus
by Matt Mikalatos (Goodreads Author)