The Short:
All Things Now Living
(Seventh Daughter,
Book 1)
By: Rondi Bauer Olson
4.5/5 Stars
What: A girl in
the future is given the chance to save an entire city—but what if it’s the will
of God that the people die?
Recommended to those
who like: Teen, dystopian, Christian
The Long:
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest
review.
Wow. I have to say that this book
was one of the most thought-provoking Christian books I’ve read in a while that
wasn’t an allegory.
In the future, the world has been
wiped out by a plague. To protect themselves, the people of New Lithisle built
a dome and modified their genetics. But the dome is failing, and it’s up to one
girl to find a way to save the people inside. The problem is, she’s pretty sure
that God has doomed them to die for meddling with human nature.
There was just so much that this
book talked about without coming across as preachy or contrived at all.
Genetics, humanity, and different branches of Christianity were but the surface
of what were discussed, but everything came up naturally in the course of the
story. I absolutely adored the fact that not all the Christians in the story
agreed on everything (or even most things). So often, Christians are paper-cut
outs who all agree with one another.
In a world dominated by female
protagonists, I thought that Amy stood out nicely. She’s not incredibly rash or
emotional, but she’s not a robot, either. Furthermore, she’s good at some
things and bad at others (rather than being a superstar at everything). While I
can’t say that I related to her deeply, I thought that she was a well-crafted
character.
Unfortunately, like so many
YA/teen novels, this book just had too much insta-love for me. Fortunately, the
author didn’t hinge the entire story on the love between the two insta-lovers,
or else I would have had a hard time justifying Amy’s actions.
I also just wanted a little bit
more of the back story. I got some little tidbits here and there, but I’d
really like more. I have a feeling
there’s a really good story behind everything!
The Bottom Line: A thought-provoking story with regard to its examination
of Christianity, this book spins a good tale that is likely to be a hit with
fans of YA dystopian fiction.
There's currently a free giveaway for this book over at Goodreads! Hurry to enter!
Gah, insta-love. *throws something*
ReplyDeleteI'd love to read this, actually. I like reading about anything Frankenstien-y, about man playing God. It's really hard how to tell where the line is. Like is antibiotics playing God? Plastic surgery? Modifying genetics? GMOs? Asthma medicine? It can be so hard to tell sometimes.
I sort of wish the author would have explored the subject a little more, because I also thought it was an intriguing topic to base a book around. I'll probably pick up the sequel sometime in the future just to find out.
DeleteThanks for the comment!