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A review by nicolemhewitt
Prodigal by Rektok Ross
4.0
This review and many others can be found on my blog - Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Prodigal was a lovely surprise!! I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I knew from the title and the cute little sheep on the cover (from the Parable of the Lost Sheep) that this would be Christian fiction, but what I didn't know was that this is actually a really great YA contemporary romance as well. It was EXACTLY what I've been looking for - a Christian book that isn't preachy or cheesy and would appeal to anyone who enjoys YA contemporary romance!!
If you enjoy YA contemporary romance and aren't totally offended by Christian content, then this book is for you. Honestly, the Christian elements are definitely there, but they're not heavy-handed or at all preachy, so this book will appeal to a much broader audience.
The negatives:
Clichés.
This book does employ some of the typical YA clichés. The biggest offense is that Lexy is an "average" girl who moves to a new town and is suddenly pursued by all the cutest and most popular boys in school. To give Ross some credit, there is a bit of an explanation for this - Ash hopes that Lexy is a clean slate since he already has a reputation as being kind of a jerk with the local girls, and then Ash's attention helps capture the other guys' attention. A few other clichés were there as well (the mean girl who makes Lexy's life miserable, the fairy tale makeover), but I did find that most of these clichés had a bit of a twist to them that made them still interesting and I honestly loved the characters so much that it didn't bother me nearly as much as it would otherwise!
What I LOVED:
Lexy and Ash.
Considering that this was a romance, the most important element, of course, is the main characters and their connection. This is where Ross did a fantastic job!! I absolutely LOVED Ash and wanted nothing more than for Lexy to be with him forever and magically solve all of his deep-seated issues. Of course, it can't happen that easily or we wouldn't have a story, but I was 100% engaged in their romance and was really hoping things would work out for them in the end. I also loved that, while Lexy was definitely wrapped up in Ash, he wasn't the only interest in her life - her passion for journalism was refreshing and realistically portrayed and it made her a well-rounded character. Ash and Lexy did both have their flaws - Lexy's insecurities and Ash's fears almost made a relationship impossible (I was kind of baffled when Lexy didn't seem to get that Ash wanted her even after he'd kissed her passionately at a certain dance). But, I couldn't give up on them, even when they had seemingly given up on each other. In fact, I stayed up until 2 AM reading because I needed to know what happened with them!!
Christian message without being preachy.
This book was definitely a Christian novel at its heart. It references stories and verses from the Bible and follows Lexy as she explores God's presence in this world. But the Christian elements are spread out enough that the message isn't heavy-handed (it feels like a regular contemporary romance with Christian themes thrown in until toward the end when Lexy is really exploring it further). Also, the Christian characters in this book aren't preachy and they aren't pushy, so the book isn't either. I have to confess that, even though I'm Christian, I haven't read all that many Christian novels because the ones I have read have seemed so cheesy and preachy. This book didn't feel that way at all!
I HIGHLY recommend this book to fans of Christian fiction and to anyone who loves YA contemporary romance and doesn't mind a Christian theme. I will definitely be reading more of Ross's work in the future! 4/5 stars.
Prodigal was a lovely surprise!! I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I knew from the title and the cute little sheep on the cover (from the Parable of the Lost Sheep) that this would be Christian fiction, but what I didn't know was that this is actually a really great YA contemporary romance as well. It was EXACTLY what I've been looking for - a Christian book that isn't preachy or cheesy and would appeal to anyone who enjoys YA contemporary romance!!
If you enjoy YA contemporary romance and aren't totally offended by Christian content, then this book is for you. Honestly, the Christian elements are definitely there, but they're not heavy-handed or at all preachy, so this book will appeal to a much broader audience.
The negatives:
Clichés.
This book does employ some of the typical YA clichés. The biggest offense is that Lexy is an "average" girl who moves to a new town and is suddenly pursued by all the cutest and most popular boys in school. To give Ross some credit, there is a bit of an explanation for this - Ash hopes that Lexy is a clean slate since he already has a reputation as being kind of a jerk with the local girls, and then Ash's attention helps capture the other guys' attention. A few other clichés were there as well (the mean girl who makes Lexy's life miserable, the fairy tale makeover), but I did find that most of these clichés had a bit of a twist to them that made them still interesting and I honestly loved the characters so much that it didn't bother me nearly as much as it would otherwise!
What I LOVED:
Lexy and Ash.
Considering that this was a romance, the most important element, of course, is the main characters and their connection. This is where Ross did a fantastic job!! I absolutely LOVED Ash and wanted nothing more than for Lexy to be with him forever and magically solve all of his deep-seated issues. Of course, it can't happen that easily or we wouldn't have a story, but I was 100% engaged in their romance and was really hoping things would work out for them in the end. I also loved that, while Lexy was definitely wrapped up in Ash, he wasn't the only interest in her life - her passion for journalism was refreshing and realistically portrayed and it made her a well-rounded character. Ash and Lexy did both have their flaws - Lexy's insecurities and Ash's fears almost made a relationship impossible (I was kind of baffled when Lexy didn't seem to get that Ash wanted her even after he'd kissed her passionately at a certain dance). But, I couldn't give up on them, even when they had seemingly given up on each other. In fact, I stayed up until 2 AM reading because I needed to know what happened with them!!
Christian message without being preachy.
This book was definitely a Christian novel at its heart. It references stories and verses from the Bible and follows Lexy as she explores God's presence in this world. But the Christian elements are spread out enough that the message isn't heavy-handed (it feels like a regular contemporary romance with Christian themes thrown in until toward the end when Lexy is really exploring it further). Also, the Christian characters in this book aren't preachy and they aren't pushy, so the book isn't either. I have to confess that, even though I'm Christian, I haven't read all that many Christian novels because the ones I have read have seemed so cheesy and preachy. This book didn't feel that way at all!
I HIGHLY recommend this book to fans of Christian fiction and to anyone who loves YA contemporary romance and doesn't mind a Christian theme. I will definitely be reading more of Ross's work in the future! 4/5 stars.