Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Ana and Teo have chosen to leave their home and families rather than deny Deu - the Creator God whom they have come to know and love. They also have a common goal - to find the lost Scriptures of the New Testament. For years the Exterminati have fought to extinguish Christianity, while they have been quite successful, there remains a small following of the Creator God, and once again we see the the eternality of God's Word.
Positives: A captivating storyline, this novel provides a graphic portrayal of grace, forgiveness, redemption and a desire to know the truth at any cost. The character development was excellent and added so much to the story, but there were also so many surprises along the way that kept me reading til late into the night!
Negatives: None. The sexual references I warned young readers about are more limited in this novel than the first.
Talking Points: Point out to your kids how the Scriptures work together as whole. Even though the Christians didn't have the New Testament, as they studied the Old Testament they began to understand who Jesus is. Although there knowledge was fragmented, they had some understanding. II Tim. 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is God-breathed, teach your children that each and every word of the Bible is important to God, and therefore important to us. Talk about the sacrificial love that Teo and Ana display and how this is a reflection of Christ's love for us (I John 4:19, John 15:13, John 3:16).
Age Level: 16 years old and up
I received a free copy of this book from Crossway Publishers for this review.