Tag Archives: Visions

Review: Mirage by Kristi Cook

Book Review and Content, Paranormal, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , ,

Mirage
Kristi Cook
Simon Pulse
Published June 5, 2012

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Violet returns to Winterhaven for her senior year, convinced that with her awesome friends and fabulous boyfriend, this year is going to be the best yet. She’s paired with the famed Dr. ‘Hottie’ as her mentor, Aiden is closer than ever to finding a cure for his vampirism, and she’s still on top in the fencing team. Then a mysterious serial killer leaves a trail of blood-drained women in his wake, and violent visions of death for those closest to her terrorize Violet. With her mentor’s help, she hopes to discover enough clues about the visions to stop them from becoming reality before it’s too late.

Though it begins at a slow pace, delving into details like who’s taking calculus or has which lunch period, Mirage quickly ramps up the tension via Violet’s mysterious visions and Aiden’s distant behavior. Few of the characters really shine with complexity, but Violet and Aiden can be listed among them.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme but infrequent.

Sexual Content
Violet laments the fact that she and Aiden won’t be able to have satisfying sex because for a vampire, part of the satisfaction comes from biting his partner. Dressed in an inviting outfit, she meets Aiden in the loft of the barn for some alone time. The couple engage in some heavy making out, but stop before clothes come off.

Spiritual Content
In the story, Violet and her friends each share certain super-human gifts. These are thought to be a leap forward in human evolution rather than any source of spiritual power.

Violence
A rogue vampire leaves a trail of victims. No descriptions of the attacks.

Drug Content
Aiden and his friends work together to create a serum that will cure his vampirism.

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Review: Beyond Corista by Robert Elmer

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Beyond Corista
Robert Elmer
Zondervan
Published May 1, 2009

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

After a narrow escape from an intense battle on her home planet Corista, Oriannon and her friends head toward a way station, guided by the mysterious pilot stone. Oriannon’s mentor, Jesmet, appears to her and instructs her to take word to each way station, warning the people of an impending attack by the merciless Troikans. Oriannon wants to obey, but there are two problems:  she is saddled with the presence of their enemy, Sola Minnik, blinded in the attack on Corista, and no one seems to believe her visions of Jesmet and his message about the doom to come. Is Oriannon wrong? Are her experiences with Jesmet mere hallucinations? Can she lead her friends in her holy quest or will she have to face this task alone?

Beyond Corista is the third book in the Shadowside Trilogy. The story follows Oriannon, a young girl with a special gift to remember anything she reads, and a love for the Owling people– a humble group who dwell on the dark side of her home planet, Corista. In the footsteps of her father’s leadership, she struggles to make choices that protect the innocent, even in the face of great evil.

I liked this book better than the first book in the series, The Owling. Oriannon remains a sympathetic character, and the story world continues to be interesting. I like that it has kind of a Jesus thing going on with the Jesmet character. Sometimes it felt a little bit like a Star Wars derivative to me, which could be good or bad, depending on your feelings. I wanted some more original spark. But over all, I did enjoy reading the book and would recommend it to fans of light sci-fi.

Profanity/ Crude Language Content
None.

Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Oriannon learns that trusting God and following His instructions is not always easy. Nor does it always look like she expects.

Violence
There are some battle and capture sequences, but those are not graphic or explicit in nature.

Drug Content
None.

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