The Beginning

N #1

by Joyce Swann

My name is Petra Bordeaux.... Over the past year, the National Council has arrested thousands of law-abiding citizens and charged them with corrupting the public morals. We are their children and now they are hunting us. They have taken our families, our homes, and our possessions. They call us Streeties because we are forced to live in alleys, under bridges and in the open spaces. We are hungry and sick and tired, but we are not alone. We have each other, and we have the truth. We will never surrender. We are N.

Genres: Dystopia

106 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2017

About the author

Joyce Swann has been a Christian since childhood and a prayer warrior for over forty years. She became nationally-known in the 1990's because of her work homeschooling her ten children from the first grade through masters’ degrees before their seventeenth birthdays. She has been featured on Paul Harvey's weekly radio program, CBN and the 1990's CBS series “How'd They Do That?” She has been interviewed by "Woman's World", "The National Enquirer", and numerous regional newspapers. The story of the Swann family has also been featured in "National Review" and several books about homeschooling success stories.

Joyce is author of "The Warrior", which has been downloaded over 100,000 times on Kindle, and co-author of five novels, including "The Fourth Kingdom", which was selected as a top four finalist in the "Christianity Today" 2011 fiction of the year awards, two children's books ("The McAloon" series) and a collection of holiday stories ("The Holiday Collection"). She was a popular columnist for "Practical Homeschooling" for nearly a decade, and she has retold her own story of homeschooling her ten children in "Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years as a Homeschooling Mother."

She is also author of the young adult series, "N". Book Two of the series, "N: The Shadow of the Cross" was published in the fall of 2016.

Joyce and her husband of over 50 years, John, live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great start to a new series! N: The Beginning is a short story and the first in a futuristic young adult series. Christianity has been outlawed. Christians are hunted down and arrested. Kids are rounded up and put in a re-education program. Petra Bordeaux leads a band of children, keeping them safe and spreading the news of what the National Council is doing.

How strong are you in your faith? If you were targeted for being a Christian, would you stand firm? Brother and sister, Petra and Artiss Bordeaux, are in such a position. A group of teens in North Texas are fighting for their freedom while escaping capture and imprisonment in a federal re-education center. Seamus shows up and tells Petra it has begun. He leads the way when there seems no way. Do you have faith that God can take care of you? Do you try to take things into your own hands, to help God out? Though friends, family, don't follow God, will you follow the truth on your own? It's your own decision. Not something you do just because your parents did. You have to make the choice. What will your choice be?

I look forward to more books in this series. With the way things are in the world today, this a very timely subject. Even after reading the story, I'm still thinking about how it impacted me. How serious am I about my faith? Would it withstand persecution? Will you be a part of N?

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got 2 of this series free. It was trying to be a little like Hunger Games as far as the survival piece, but not written too well. May or may not read the second one. Oh...you never get the reason for the situation that the characters find themselves in. Reminds me of Germany and the Holocaust.

[Tricia Hungerford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had the book for quite awhile, but never got around to reading it. Now that I have, I'm stunned at how good it is. I no sooner finished the first book when I immediately downloaded the second one! I have to stay with this book, no matter what!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

N’s and Jesus stick together

I can tell I’m going to love this series. This country started out with a freedom to worship God. This book suggests that this freedom may not always last. If it doesn’t, will we stand for Jesus?

[Daisey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad to see someone write a clean book for youth. Well done.

[William Struse · Rating 4 out of 5]

The End of the Beginning -

Just ten years ago a story like this would have been considered farfetched by most people’s standards. But that was then and this is now. N: The Beginning takes you on a sobering journey into a world where Christianity has been outlawed and Christians are fugitives in the United States.

This short novel centers on a young girl Petra Bordeaux and a band of outcast children hiding from those who want them imprison in reeducation camps of the New America. The story begins when Petra’s world is turned upside by the unthinkable. As events spiral out of her control she must find a way to protect her brother and survive in a world where no one is safe. With the help of a mysterious stranger Petra does her best to adapt to her uncertain circumstances while at the same time trying to hold to the moral standard she was taught by her parents.

N: The Beginning is a story that challenges young and old alike to think about the future and how you would respond to being persecuted for your faith. For nearly two hundred and fifty years now the Christian’s of America have been shielded from the type of persecution others have faced and are facing in various parts of the world. Those days appear to be ending for America and so begins the story of N: The Beginning.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very easy, light read. I could have finished it in 2-3 hours if I had read it in one sitting. This is a YA story of what the world would look like if the government banished all Christian adults as terrorists and captured their children to re-educate them in worldly ways. Petra is the leader of a group of the children called "Streeties" who are hiding from the authorities. This is the first book in the series, and the second book is not yet out. I gave it three stars only because it was just a little too "young" for me. Great story for teens.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christian based stories are harder to find and this author is really trying to fill a niche for YA readers. The brevity of the story may appeal to YA readers, but I felt this story needed to be a little more fleshed out.
Overall, a good story with a clear message.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am N to !

I am enjoying this read.It keeps you coming back far more. looking forward to the next book. This story could easily be real life.