***There are spoilers in this review. They are not hidden, as I don't use the spoiler function in my reviews.***
This book wasn’t what I was expecting. Oh sure, it had the author’s trademark humor. It had memorable characters and horses.
Y’all, it made me weep.
That’s right. Weep.
I’m not used to that sort of emotion being spurred on by a Witemeyer book!
Mr. McPhearson’s admission was what did it. I’ve known hard times too, so it was easy to relate to his predicament, his wishes and hopes, his regrets and fears, his desire to make life better for his wife. He might have been a minor character, but he’s the one I’ll remember the most from this story.
Another thing I wasn’t expecting was for rape to be a main theme/topic. I knew there had to be something dark in Tori’s past, but I wasn’t anywhere close to figuring that one out. Ms. Witemeyer handled the topic very well, keeping the actual act off-page yet describing the emotions of it in a way that wrenched my heart in compassion for the character. Very nicely done, Ms. Witemeyer!
The biggest disappointment about this book was the fact that Roman and Greek mythology were so highly featured. Nearly a full chapter was devoted to expounding on mythological characters and names and their stories. That is not something I like in Christian fiction, as it draws attention away from God and toward the sinful idea of worshiping other gods, especially when none of the characters admit or even think they were wrong in doing so. It really concerned me that a four-year-old child was being taught that mythology was neat and something to study and admire. That is creating a stumbling block for a child, which is dangerous, according to Matthew 18:6, which says, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea." On top of that, at one point during a mythological discussion, the lead even “thank[ed] God for allowing her to retrieve the name [Hercules] before it flew from her brain.” That is not an appropriate response to a dialogue/debate on mythology, in my opinion, as it indicates that God is okay with people worshiping other gods, which He clearly is not, from the punishments the Israelites received after worshiping other gods (found in Exodus and other places in the Old Testament).
Rating: 3 stars
Reasons: Mythology was highly featured. “Heaven” was misused several times. There was one case of swearing “by all that was holy.”
I was not compensated for this honest review.