hismercysurrounding 's review for:

Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl

4.0

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This is not my typical genre to read, but it was given to me, and it looked interesting, so I dove in. It drew me in from the beginning. The parallels to the Bible were partly obvious, partly subtle, so it was a good balance. I don't prefer allegories with such things as magic and fairies, but those were not dwelt upon, and fortune-telling (palm-reading) was at least frowned upon. Other things happened as if by magic, but more as unexplained things, like disappearing and reappearing, and with no incantations. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised at the allegorical nature of the story, reminding me of God's everlasting love for selfish and heartless sinners. The characters were quite well-drawn, with many flaws but relatable (perhaps because of the flaws). There is some violence and such, so not recommended for young readers.