mary_grace_van_der_kroef's reviews
21 reviews

Human. Nature. by J.L. Fizzell

4.0

Nightfall in the Garden of Deep Time by Tracy L. Higley
Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.

I am going to have to DNF this one and that makes me so sad. I just can't get into it right now. I don't usually care for first-person present tense POV and I'm finding the pace so slow. I can see a vivid imagination behind the writing and I think it's well done, just not a style I care for.

A Beast as Dark as Night by Jennifer Kropf

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

"Never underestimate a prayer spoken into the midnight hush." - A line that made me cry. -

When a world has lost hope the skies of Winter are polluted with ash, and Hope marks its emissary. Must this emissary lose everything while fulfilling her role? 

I enjoyed the twists in this last book of four. To find a spark in characters that were once dark, to have our heroes face the shadows that linger inside of themselves because none of them is perfect and everyone makes mistakes, it's beautiful.

When I finished I was in tears. Happy tears and sad tears mix like Apple's dark and milk chocolates. I can't wait to see what stories Kropf has for the world next.

A Crown as Sharp as Pines by Jennifer Kropf

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Thank God I only have to wait a few horrible empty months before the next book comes out. (December 2022) I didn't want this one to end. I hate waiting!

I have enjoyed every book so far and I LOVE that they are getting better and better as the story unfolds. There is more romance in this third book then the other two, but its clean and I will be sharing it with my soon to be 12 year old.

Oh, the plot twists! Oh the silvery language! 

Jennifer Kropf just keeps growing as an author. I can't wait for book four and am looking forward to following her work for many years to come.

A Heart as Red as Paint by Jennifer Kropf

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Jennifer Kropf is growing in her story telling skills. I love it. I enjoyed book one for its fresh and fun vibes. The smells of Christmas oozed from the pages as the adventure began. In book two they are still there, but hide in the shadows making way for a story filled with intrigue, mystery, betrayal, and revelations.

Truth is at war with the darkness, and I shed real tears once again while reading of Helen's struggle. I love to cheer her on. She has grown along with her author. I can't wait for book two.

A Soul as Cold as Frost by Jennifer Kropf

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

All the smells and taists of Christmas dipped in Canadien snow, and marched through a magic snowglobe. That us what this story felt like on my tongue while I read it. It was fun. A few times I cried. I can't wait to find time to read book two.

Tribe of Dawn by Iris Knox

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

At the end of the book when I read there will be a book three my heart fluttered. I did NOT want the story to end. ❤️ Tribe of Dawn is the perfect book two. I loved it just as much as book one. The adventure, the furry, the emotion. I was invested from page one just like I was for the first book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Scribes’ Descent by Dylan West

adventurous hopeful informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Scribes Decent is a great opener to the Scribes series. I thought it was different in its use of technology. The story is science fiction but it's not all spaceships planets. Actually, it's about ONE planet and though one of our heroes comes to this planet on a spaceship, that kind of science plays very little into the plot. The science felt very real and often over my head. But it wasn't overwhelmingly so. Any young person or adult who is nerdy at all should enjoy this book. I am looking forward to when the second book is out and am very happy to have found a new clean series and author I can share with my kids.

Majesty by Stefanie Lozinski, Stefanie Lozinski

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

One of my favorite things to see as I read the second and third books in a series is author growth. Book one of Storm and Spire was solid and I enjoyed it a lot, but with book two Lozinski is starting to shine. Worldbuilding, character depth, pacing, for me it's all there in book two. I can't wait to get to book three.

As I read further into the book I started to highlight lines that spoke to me, overtop of the story itself.

“Grief teaches you to love as the High One loves. He embraces us like a storm, sometimes, tearing through everything else. But he also loves like the touch of a shadow, just a little reminder that this world is not all that there is.” - Wes 

There were real tears while I read those lines. Beautiful truth. I'm from a different tradition within the Christian faith than the author, but I love the depth and the boldness that she writes. Just beautiful.

Magnify by Stefanie Lozinski

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Storm and Spire Book One: Magnify is a great opening book to this exciting new series. 

Wes never wanted to be the Envoy, the one to bring the sacrifices to the great spire, but it was not his choice. Celesyria one in an old line of guardian dragons doesn't want to follow in her parent's footsteps. When a hidden truth is uncovered, can they both find the strength to trust the High One? 

This book is a great addition to the world of Christian Fantasy. It started pretty well, and just got better as it went. The ending is exciting and leaves me wanting to reach for the next boom. The characters are real, each with their own set of faults and mistakes to face. Both of the lead characters grow throughout the story. 

I felt the description of Wes at the beginning of the book could have been stronger. I wasn't able to get a good picture of him in my head until well into the book and was a bit surprised when he was described as being overweight out of nowhere. I also felt his questioning of the 'truth' could have been played up a bit more. But the tension and struggle were ramped up in the second half of the book, and I loved it. 

Well done to the author. I recommend this book to all ages and all people who enjoy fantasy.