Resurrection

Blood of the Lamb #3

by Mandy Hager

Maryam might fight for her life, freedom and love in this stunning finale to the Blood of the Lamb series. Maryam and Lazarus arrive back at Onewere and Maryam, in trying to loosen the Apostles' religious stranglehold by showing the people the miraculous remedy, is captured. The ruling elite decide to manipulate her return and Lazarus's so-called 'resurrection from the dead' by setting in motion a highly orchestrated pretence of embracing her as the new Messiah - right down to planning her eventual sacrifice and death by crucifixion before a hysterical and brain-washed crowd. In a sequence that mirrors Christ's final hours, Maryam must somehow get the islanders to listen to her plea to start thinking for themselves - eventually managing to stir the independence in their hearts just as she is about to be put to death...

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction

411 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2011

About the author

Mandy Hager is a multi-award winning writer of fiction, most often for young adults. She has won the LIANZA Book Awards for Young Adult fiction 3 times (‘Smashed’ 2008, ‘The Nature of Ash’ 2013, ‘Dear Vincent’ 2014), the NZ Post Children’s Book Awards for YA fiction (‘The Crossing’ 2010), an Honour Award in the 1996 AIM Children’s Book Awards (‘Tom’s Story’), Golden Wings Excellence Award (‘Juno Lucina,’ 2002), Golden Wings Award (‘Run For The Trees’, 2003) and Five Notable Book Awards.
She has also been awarded the 2012 Beatson Fellowship, the 2014 Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship and the 2015 Waikato University Writer in Residence.
In 2015 her novel ‘Singing Home the Whale’ was awarded the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year award, and the Best Young Adult fiction Award from the NZ Book Awards for Children and Young Adults. It has also been named a 2016 IBBY Honour Book, an international award. Her historical novel for adults, titled ‘Heloise’, was long-listed for the Ockham Book Awards.
She is a trained teacher, with an Advanced Diploma in Fine Arts (Whitireia) and an MA in Creative Writing for Victoria University. She also writes adult fiction, short stories, non-fiction, educational resources, blogs and articles, and currently tutors the Novel Course for Whitireia’s Creative Writing Programme.

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I did not finish this book. I did not want to.
Realized: I've jumped into a series at the last book; perhaps someday I will start the series from the beginning, and then I'll want to find out how it ends.

This novel is painful. Because the author and I hail from different countries, in my interpretation might I have lost intended inflections? necessary cadence? a particular sense of humor or purpose? something? This book seemed interminable, and, like the protagonist, I found myself suffering through the story, which is muddled and interrupted by introspection. What is worse is that the incessant internal monologue seems to come more from the author than from Maryam; Hager gets in the way of her own story.

If this is supposed to be a political commentary, it fails; at most it is an on-trend railing against the perceived evils of the planet's favorite villain, the middle-aged, traditionalist, European male (or do I need to say Caucasian? Which one isn't offensive? Or since I'm talking about aging and presumably fat white guys, does anyone even care if I hurt their feelings?). Hager appears to bear some resentment for the Christian church, and this surfaces again and again in Maryam's thoughts; conversely, she [Hager/Maryam] seems enamored of the Buddhist creed, which is fine. What's odd are these pervasive, persistent attempts to reconcile the two religions. What's the point? What is Maryam's real struggle here? Is it even Maryam's conflict, or is Hager working through some personal issues?

The book ambles when it could sprint. There are times, in writing, to mull and to muse, and there are times to move the plot along. Hager misses the movement; even times of high stress and quick action drag, and it isn't due to vivid description or an engagement of the reader's senses, but rather to.. I don't know what. I would get to the end of a passage in which something big, something exciting, something *plot-related* happened, and forget the details of what I read. Immediately. This isn't a compelling book. I'm not even rooting for Maryam; I don't care what happens to her.

Then there's the SPOILER abruptly amputated love story, due to the death of Maryam's love interest. I believe that, if I had read the first two books and journeyed with the characters, I would find this upsetting - I did find it sad just jumping into the story and never having met him - and Maryam's tender remembrances of him, and the moments when she forgets that he's gone, are touching. The tragic love story would have been a mature, well-played card here, especially given the way he died. But enter Lazarus. I cringe when he first appears (from what I gather, he's a main player in the second book; however, I don't know him since he has no screen time in the third book until about a third of the way through) because Maryam thinks, at first, that he's Joseph (her deceased SO), which is red flag numero uno. Then the pair of them have this talk during which he acquits himself admirably of something traitorous Maryam assumed he had done - red flag 2 - and then there's a moment of almost sexual tension that becomes maybe mostly platonic and that's the third red flag signalling, to me, that a love story may resurface between Maryam and this boy who is so like his poor dead cousin Joseph, and I am not. interested. The mere potential of a romance is part of what scared me away from this book.

This review has already left the realm of the professional far behind, so before I have to scrap it as a venting of spleen, I'll mention the positives.

Hager has some really fun supporting characters. There's an old witch-doctor-esque lady who farts nearly as often as she breathes; there's a kind-hearted Aussie (I assume; his lines of dialogue lend themselves to that accent) guard and his equally kind, medically-inclined wife. We have a sweet, wise, dear older woman who serves as a mentor and role model to Maryam, and then on the far end of the spectrum we have a detestable, delights-in-evil sergeant who deserves whatever unhappy demise comes to him.

There are interesting details. Secret governmental files, the description of Maryam's raft-building process, a scene on an island revolving around a giant Buddha and a mound of corpses. Hager definitely has a knack for descriptive prose when it occurs to her to write it.

At moments, this book reminds me of Paulsen's Hatchet (which I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend, and that type of book is definitely not my style). Maryam finds herself alone in a difficult situation and survives. She is resilient and determined. She is focused. And the loneliness of the protagonist perhaps forces some of that internal monologuing about which I was complaining - it isn't as though Maryam has anybody with whom she can converse.

I have no doubt there are readers who will love this series - its concept, its characters, and its author's writing style - but who that demographic might include is a puzzlement to me.

[Isabelle | Nine Tale Vixen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeeeee Team Lazarus! Nice characters like Veramina and Charlie helped balance the evil that was Father Joshua and his wife, though as finales go, quite frankly it was underwhelming.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

definitely the most thrilling of the 3, as you'd hope for in a conclusion. It was a pretty vague ending, it was okay but not great. A lot of the things are overly repeated and it got annoying

[Taneka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Resurrection picks up where Into the Wilderness leaves off. Maryam is in the hospital recovering from surgery to save her arm. She is still in the Territorials homeland and desperately trying to figure out how to get Lazarus, Ruth and herself home.

This book didn't not start to become interesting until ¾ of the way through chapter 15. It is slow in pace. There are some moments of isolation, so I guess the pace of those moments really matched the pace of the story. I was annoyed by her ignorance, but constantly reminded that it was not of her doing.

The theme of mind control, especially through religion, comes off well. The story relays the idea had by many that the religion of Christianity was more so meant for Brown and Black people than for Whites. Even with the same lessons and books, obedience to the "word of God" was expected from the native population, while only the illusion of obedience was practiced by the Apostles. And of course you have the idea of religion as a form of enslavement.

Very well put together. I would love to read more stories about his dystopian future. What happened to Charlie and Veramina? What happened to Ruth? Aanjay's story(novella)? How do things change for Onewēre after the events of the Judgement?

Quite enjoyed the unraveling of this series. I will have to check out more from this author.

[Nicole~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series as a whole has given me a new perspective on not just life but everything I have ever known to be true; I believe that Mandy Hager has created a new world that shows us all and teaches us the important lessons in life, the choices that we must make and how the decisions that we choose not only defy us but shape us for the future

The third book in the series has left me with a feeling of not just hope but of enlightenment, I believe that this is book that everyone should read or at least know about, not to say they've read it but to be able to think about and reflect what really matters.

The story had everything from adventure, friendship, love and the makings of what is teaches us to be human and the strength that power, faith and fear processes.

A big recommendation to all :)

[Hannah Hawthorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this right up until the limp ending. It was 4 stars for most of the way but I felt too ripped off by the ending and give it 3 stars as a punishment! Take that!

[Mrs Mac McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book in the Blood of the Lamb Trilogy. It is a ending with a bit more of a twist than expected, and a satisfying conclusion.

The themes of refugees, control, risk taking, going beyond the comfort zone, taking action and making a difference are an essential part of this series. Many moments for reflection on how current governments treat people, and the powerlessness of the people when they lose hope.

A great series.

[Dee brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 3rd of the Crosing series. I enjoyed this series far more than the Hunger Games.
The story line could actually be applied to today's society.
It has religion,race, social order, and a tad bit of romance. Plus a hideous disease. Makes for a brilliant read!

[Rocky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story. I want to read it again.