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Red Rain #8
Queen Sacrifice
Oh, Philadelphia... Don't you know it's too late to go home?
The year is 2076. Earth is ruled by a one-world government. In order to maintain unity, all citizens must deny their national, racial, and religious identities—or suffer the consequences.
When a covert mission goes awry, seventeen-year-old Philadelphia Smyrna accidentally kills her closest friend. Stranded in Beijing, she teams up with a mysterious ally and resumes command of the revolution. The Chinese underground rallies around her, but the government is desperate to crush the rebellion and doubles the bounty on her life. As more allies fall, Philadelphia’s friends beg her to drop off the grid and return to America. But Philadelphia has a mission she’s told no one about. And she won’t leave until it’s complete—even if she has to do it alone.
Queen Sacrifice is the eighth book in the RED RAIN series, a fast-paced Christian sci-fi adventure for middle grade and young adult readers. Perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and LEFT BEHIND.
The year is 2076. Earth is ruled by a one-world government. In order to maintain unity, all citizens must deny their national, racial, and religious identities—or suffer the consequences.
When a covert mission goes awry, seventeen-year-old Philadelphia Smyrna accidentally kills her closest friend. Stranded in Beijing, she teams up with a mysterious ally and resumes command of the revolution. The Chinese underground rallies around her, but the government is desperate to crush the rebellion and doubles the bounty on her life. As more allies fall, Philadelphia’s friends beg her to drop off the grid and return to America. But Philadelphia has a mission she’s told no one about. And she won’t leave until it’s complete—even if she has to do it alone.
Queen Sacrifice is the eighth book in the RED RAIN series, a fast-paced Christian sci-fi adventure for middle grade and young adult readers. Perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES and LEFT BEHIND.
Kindle Edition
Published June 4, 2024
1 person is currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Newhouse
42 books39 followersRachel Newhouse is an author, wife, secretary, and Sunday school teacher from Kansas City, Missouri. Her obsessions are sci-fi, dystopian, and kid lit. When she’s not writing, she’s cooking Asian food, growing chilis that are too spicy to eat, and watching wildly age-inappropriate shows like My Little Pony and Gravity Falls with her husband, Joe. She also really likes glitter. You’ve been warned.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 17, 2024
So. This book was way better than the last one. The twists twisted and the character development was on point. 🤌 I also appreciated Phil’s example of the healing journey and how expressing anger is a part of that.
The other point of view in this one was a lot of fun, and I loved the themes of God's timing within His will.
I differ with a good bit of the theology, but I've usually been able to set it aside. However, the Holy Spirit having a slightly snarky voice was a little uncomfy for me.
That ending, though?! Like, where do we go from there? And is there a traitor or could it just have been anyone?!
Best quote: “Your mind, will, and emotions are yours to control. So, tell them what to do.”
*screams into the void*
The other point of view in this one was a lot of fun, and I loved the themes of God's timing within His will.
I differ with a good bit of the theology, but I've usually been able to set it aside. However, the Holy Spirit having a slightly snarky voice was a little uncomfy for me.
That ending, though?! Like, where do we go from there? And is there a traitor or could it just have been anyone?!
Best quote: “Your mind, will, and emotions are yours to control. So, tell them what to do.”
*screams into the void*
June 15, 2024
I'm going to have to stop reading this series due to no longer agreeing with the theology. Also the series is getting very long winded without getting anywhere. I no longer care about Philadelphia, and I hate Stanyard.
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May 12, 2025**10/13: Rereading to make sure I don't miss any secondary characters, unresolved subplots, or unfinished inside jokes in Book #9... and BOY HOWDY, have I made a mess of things. No wonder Book #9 is so long... //cough// **
My betas tell me this cliffhanger ending is worse than the last one. I didn't think it was physically possible to top [redacted] being [redacted] at the end of #7, but the experts have spoken. *sips coffee*
Sarcasm aside... This installment marks a milestone for me. Not only are there now officially half a million words in this series (!!), but Book #8 marks a turning point for me spiritually. I don't want to spoil the plot, so I'll keep it vague. Just know that what Phil does in Ch.20 is a process I've been going through myself for the last six months. And, well... I think you can tell.
But I'll let you be the judge of that.
My betas tell me this cliffhanger ending is worse than the last one. I didn't think it was physically possible to top [redacted] being [redacted] at the end of #7, but the experts have spoken. *sips coffee*
Sarcasm aside... This installment marks a milestone for me. Not only are there now officially half a million words in this series (!!), but Book #8 marks a turning point for me spiritually. I don't want to spoil the plot, so I'll keep it vague. Just know that what Phil does in Ch.20 is a process I've been going through myself for the last six months. And, well... I think you can tell.
But I'll let you be the judge of that.
June 7, 2024
Excellent!
I loved this book. I struggled to like Phil at times, but her own struggles are worth it when she finally sorts out her own inner turmoils. Book 7’s cliffhanger is resolved and spawns an entirely different storyline that has a few unanswered questions that I look forward to seeing play out. The ending tore my heart out, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.
I loved this book. I struggled to like Phil at times, but her own struggles are worth it when she finally sorts out her own inner turmoils. Book 7’s cliffhanger is resolved and spawns an entirely different storyline that has a few unanswered questions that I look forward to seeing play out. The ending tore my heart out, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.
July 30, 2024
Persecution closing in ...
Queen Sacrifice picks up right where Jonah left off, with an immediate resolution of Jonah's cliffhanger ... a resolution I would call a "deus ex machina" or (to borrow a term from Patricia C. Wrede) an instance of the "hack writer's gambit," if it didn't immediately cause problems which (over the course of the story) turn out to be even more serious than those it solves. Even so, for me this uses up most of the "willing suspension of disbelief" budget that Mrs. Newhouse has built up over the course of the series ... but without exceeding that budget.
For adult readers, of strong and secure faith, and who are familiar with the series, I have no hesitation in recommending Queen Sacrifice. It's not quite up to the standard set by Blue Fire and Operation Thunderbird, and matched by Jonah ... but it's close. On the other hand, for the nominally intended audience of "middle grade and young adult" readers, the increasing depth of explicitly-Christian themes takes the story into areas I would want to make a "dangerous theology" "content warning" for (specifically, charismatic services heading toward excess and a fair amount of superficially-plausible but dubious theological arguments presented by characters whose loyalties range from antagonistic to ambiguous)---to be clear, a "content warning" that would also be attached to such beloved books as The Curse of Chalion and War in Heaven, and to classics like Paradise Lost.
As nearly always, Mrs. Newhouse has written a narrative that hooked me from the beginning and pulled me through without wanting to put it down. However, as with Jonah and Laodicea, this trademark "narrative voice" is essentially the same no matter whose "head" we are in throughout nearly the entire story, so the point-of-view headings at the start of each chapter are unfortunately essential. I'm hopeful that in future stories, she will refine her mastery of narrative voice to include consistently distinctive voices for each point-of-view character.
As the series has gone on, each new book has tended to be longer than previous entries (side stories aside), and this is no exception: Queen Sacrifice is on the order of twice as long as the original Red Rain. This is a delight, allowing greater scope for plot and character development ... but the structure of Queen Sacrifice does feel a little weaker than it could have been, with some sections feeling like they could be moved to other points in the story without any significant effect. While I was grateful to have plenty of time to read my advance copy and write my review before the official release, I feel a little more revision would not have gone amiss.
And the title is one of the most evocative the series has seen yet. I'm not entirely sure which of several possible meanings in the book it refers to, but the multiple possible and plausible referents add to its charm.
All in all, as I explained above, I recommend Queen Sacrifice to strongly-grounded fans of the series. Despite backstory exposition woven in throughout the opening scenes, newcomers should probably start with earlier books, and young-in-faith readers should either wait until their faith is more mature or have a guide to help steer them past the theological quicksand ... but otherwise, definitely recommended.
This review is significantly adapted from my earlier-written review on my blog. I received a "free" advance electronic copy of Queen Sacrifice as a financial supporter on the author's Patreon.
Queen Sacrifice picks up right where Jonah left off, with an immediate resolution of Jonah's cliffhanger ... a resolution I would call a "deus ex machina" or (to borrow a term from Patricia C. Wrede) an instance of the "hack writer's gambit," if it didn't immediately cause problems which (over the course of the story) turn out to be even more serious than those it solves. Even so, for me this uses up most of the "willing suspension of disbelief" budget that Mrs. Newhouse has built up over the course of the series ... but without exceeding that budget.
For adult readers, of strong and secure faith, and who are familiar with the series, I have no hesitation in recommending Queen Sacrifice. It's not quite up to the standard set by Blue Fire and Operation Thunderbird, and matched by Jonah ... but it's close. On the other hand, for the nominally intended audience of "middle grade and young adult" readers, the increasing depth of explicitly-Christian themes takes the story into areas I would want to make a "dangerous theology" "content warning" for (specifically, charismatic services heading toward excess and a fair amount of superficially-plausible but dubious theological arguments presented by characters whose loyalties range from antagonistic to ambiguous)---to be clear, a "content warning" that would also be attached to such beloved books as The Curse of Chalion and War in Heaven, and to classics like Paradise Lost.
As nearly always, Mrs. Newhouse has written a narrative that hooked me from the beginning and pulled me through without wanting to put it down. However, as with Jonah and Laodicea, this trademark "narrative voice" is essentially the same no matter whose "head" we are in throughout nearly the entire story, so the point-of-view headings at the start of each chapter are unfortunately essential. I'm hopeful that in future stories, she will refine her mastery of narrative voice to include consistently distinctive voices for each point-of-view character.
As the series has gone on, each new book has tended to be longer than previous entries (side stories aside), and this is no exception: Queen Sacrifice is on the order of twice as long as the original Red Rain. This is a delight, allowing greater scope for plot and character development ... but the structure of Queen Sacrifice does feel a little weaker than it could have been, with some sections feeling like they could be moved to other points in the story without any significant effect. While I was grateful to have plenty of time to read my advance copy and write my review before the official release, I feel a little more revision would not have gone amiss.
And the title is one of the most evocative the series has seen yet. I'm not entirely sure which of several possible meanings in the book it refers to, but the multiple possible and plausible referents add to its charm.
All in all, as I explained above, I recommend Queen Sacrifice to strongly-grounded fans of the series. Despite backstory exposition woven in throughout the opening scenes, newcomers should probably start with earlier books, and young-in-faith readers should either wait until their faith is more mature or have a guide to help steer them past the theological quicksand ... but otherwise, definitely recommended.
This review is significantly adapted from my earlier-written review on my blog. I received a "free" advance electronic copy of Queen Sacrifice as a financial supporter on the author's Patreon.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews