What do you think?
Rate this book
What I Call Home: A Story Of Redemption
Avalon Winters is a criminal, but not by choice. Held against her will by the infamous villain, Arthur Boleyn, she must sacrifice her freedom for the protection of the 1.6 million people living in the city of Glasgow, Scotland.
After fifteen years of servitude, salvation seems nothing but a futile dream, the days leading up to their biggest offense, slowly winding down. But in the midst of preparatory chaos, a young Frenchman steps onto the scene as the first apprentice to the estate in over thirteen years. Could this be an answer to prayer? Or is it just another asset to the impending success of their nefarious goal?
After fifteen years of servitude, salvation seems nothing but a futile dream, the days leading up to their biggest offense, slowly winding down. But in the midst of preparatory chaos, a young Frenchman steps onto the scene as the first apprentice to the estate in over thirteen years. Could this be an answer to prayer? Or is it just another asset to the impending success of their nefarious goal?
196 pages, Paperback
Published April 8, 2024
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 1, 2025
Tense, Emotional, and Amazingly Well-Thought-Out
What I Call Home by Hanna M. Shields is a tense, emotional, and amazingly well-thought-out book. The story is set in the not-too-distant future and focuses on Avalon Winters, a young woman who is held against her will and forced to commit violence. The villain, Arthur, raised Avalon after he murdered her parents. He now uses her in his schemes to overthrow the Scottish government. When Arthur brings in Rowan, a young accomplice, the situation becomes more intense. Avalon holds out hope for the “light that sines in the darkest of places.”
The characters are well-developed, particularly Avalon, and the story moves quickly while maintaining anticipation. You will appreciate the writing style. It is super easy to understand, and the narrative draws the reader in the world created by Hanna Shields and immerses you in the horror and desperation experienced in the world. Still, the author mixes in optimistic themes. There is a strong faith narrative running through the story which revolves around the protagonist: Avalon. The ending is wonderful and will leave you looking forward to the next book.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story, especially teen girls and young women.
What I Call Home by Hanna M. Shields is a tense, emotional, and amazingly well-thought-out book. The story is set in the not-too-distant future and focuses on Avalon Winters, a young woman who is held against her will and forced to commit violence. The villain, Arthur, raised Avalon after he murdered her parents. He now uses her in his schemes to overthrow the Scottish government. When Arthur brings in Rowan, a young accomplice, the situation becomes more intense. Avalon holds out hope for the “light that sines in the darkest of places.”
The characters are well-developed, particularly Avalon, and the story moves quickly while maintaining anticipation. You will appreciate the writing style. It is super easy to understand, and the narrative draws the reader in the world created by Hanna Shields and immerses you in the horror and desperation experienced in the world. Still, the author mixes in optimistic themes. There is a strong faith narrative running through the story which revolves around the protagonist: Avalon. The ending is wonderful and will leave you looking forward to the next book.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story, especially teen girls and young women.
September 2, 2024
This was a lovely, quick little read. I do wish there was some more meat to the story, but overall it was good for a debut novel. There were a few unexpected turns I didn't see coming that had me rewinding to make sure I read it right. I enjoyed following Avalon and Nolan. I'm excited to dive into the next book in the series and watch their story unfold.
January 25, 2026
3.75 ⭐️
April 17, 2026
Rating: 1/5⭐
Spice: 0/5🌶️
**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**
Final Thoughts: This book needs some work, but I can see the potential. I think with a good editor, this book could go somewhere. The author has some good choices of descriptive words, but they are overused at times. I would really love to see the author really dive into the world-building and expand on what makes this world dystopian. I also wish there was a more romantic aspect to the story, as romance is a big selling point nowadays. Overall, it was a quick read, and I am grateful that the author reached out to me to ask for my honest review.
Do I recommend it? Not right now, maybe with some improvements
Who would I recommend it to? People who like Christian fiction
Age Category: young adult
Genre: Christian fiction, dystopian
Series/Standalone: first in a planned series
POV: dual POV, third person, past tense
Romance: straight romance
Spice: 0/5🌶️
Trigger Warnings: mild violence
February 16, 2026
Picked this up in Frankenmuth, MI from the author. I like supporting independent authors - it is a major task to put together a novel in and of itself, and it looked interesting. Ultimately, what you get out of it is going to be largely dependent on what you're looking for.
It's a very-near future situation where our lead character is forced against her will into a plot meant to overthrow the government of Scotland. It feels dystopian, but it's the lead character's situation that's dystopian more than the setting. It suffers in that there's nothing particular Scottish about it, not accents or places other than recognizable names.
Probably the best part of the book is the author's ability to make us feel the pain of the lead characters. Their miseries feel lived. The book also moves briskly, and I never felt like it was a chore to read.
The key issues with the book are more from a need for further editing, reducing a lot of unnecessary verbiage (a lot of adverbs and adjectives saying the same thing twice) and a deeper sense of the world situation. I felt like what was portrayed was a grand conspiracy without conspirators, where everything centered around one antagonist whose motivations were unclear and whose plans required more people to undertake. There's a good frame here for a fuller book, and maybe we'll see more of that as the series continues.
It's a very-near future situation where our lead character is forced against her will into a plot meant to overthrow the government of Scotland. It feels dystopian, but it's the lead character's situation that's dystopian more than the setting. It suffers in that there's nothing particular Scottish about it, not accents or places other than recognizable names.
Probably the best part of the book is the author's ability to make us feel the pain of the lead characters. Their miseries feel lived. The book also moves briskly, and I never felt like it was a chore to read.
The key issues with the book are more from a need for further editing, reducing a lot of unnecessary verbiage (a lot of adverbs and adjectives saying the same thing twice) and a deeper sense of the world situation. I felt like what was portrayed was a grand conspiracy without conspirators, where everything centered around one antagonist whose motivations were unclear and whose plans required more people to undertake. There's a good frame here for a fuller book, and maybe we'll see more of that as the series continues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 12, 2026
I'll admit, it took me a long time to get into this book. I felt as though I was missing a lot of information and my brain couldn't overcome the feeling that it should have been set in the not-to-distant past, rather than the not-so-distant future.
That said, once I found my flow, I really enjoyed this book! The more time I spent with Avalon Winters, the more I appreciated her character. I love books that don't just allow the main character to have one moment of growth, then everything after is 'happy-go-lucky'.
Watching Avalon begin questioning what's she'd been asked to do and her struggle to accept acts of kindness was moving and felt very real.
By the end, I was really glad I stuck with it. It’s ultimately a story about identity, redemption, and learning what “home” truly is.
That said, once I found my flow, I really enjoyed this book! The more time I spent with Avalon Winters, the more I appreciated her character. I love books that don't just allow the main character to have one moment of growth, then everything after is 'happy-go-lucky'.
Watching Avalon begin questioning what's she'd been asked to do and her struggle to accept acts of kindness was moving and felt very real.
By the end, I was really glad I stuck with it. It’s ultimately a story about identity, redemption, and learning what “home” truly is.
December 16, 2025
What I Call Home is not just a story about villains and heroes it’s about people trapped by circumstance, making impossible choices. The writing is elegant, the pacing deliberate, and the emotional payoff deeply satisfying. If you enjoy morally complex stories with strong female leads, this book is a must-read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews