samanthaardenlockheart's reviews
56 reviews

The Spiritual Combat and a Treatise on Peace of Soul by Lorenzo Scupoli

dark emotional informative slow-paced

5.0

<i>The Spiritual Combat and a Treatise on Peace of Soul</i> by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli is an absolutely excellent book on spiritual warfare for anyone of any denomination. As Christians, we are in a war against the evil one and his tactics. It is so important that we step up and rise to the challenge of combatting evil spirits whenever we see them come up in our lives. I have personally experienced an immensely high level of spiritual warfare—even in just my short twelve months of being a practicing Catholic. Thus, this book has been an invaluable resource for my process of holding fast to God’s truth amidst chaotic, seemingly endless, evil forces waging war on my life. 

101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Listened to this one on audiobook, and I thought it was extremely insightful. Apologies for not including more—I am not particularly good at writing summaries of books... as my reviews can show. 

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

hopeful informative lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

A beautiful book about deeply being in God’s presence. 

My Inner Sky: On Embracing Day, Night, and All the Times in Between by Mari Andrew

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

I picked up this book when I was going through a rough time with my Bipolar disorder about two weeks ago, and it really got me through some rather difficult moments. Even though her struggles have looked a lot different than mine, Mari Andrew has a beautiful, charming way of articulating various challenging events in her life. I absolutely love her wholesome and cute style of art as well! 🥰 I am so glad that I read this book! 💖 Brought tears to my eyes at many points. ☀️✨

Prudence: Choose Confidently, Live Boldly by Fr. Gregory Pine

challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

This is a wonderful book by Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. that has to do with the very practical applications of living out the Catholic faith. There are many virtues that one can live out, but prudence is the foundation of all of them. This novel has changed my life for the better, and I can not wait to continue implementing everything I have learned about prudence! 

The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know by David J. Miklowitz

hopeful informative inspiring slow-paced

5.0

This is a wonderful resource for anyone dealing with Bipolar disorder. It is broken up into very convenient sections that can help you really understand the nature, course, and treatment of this mental illness! 

Dohva - The Land Within: A Tale of Elemental Sorcery and Ancient Mysteries by Sophie Haeder

adventurous challenging informative mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

​​<i>There may be spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i> 

Very recently, I’ve been wanting to get back into reading more fantasy books, and I also wanted to support a new author. <i>Dohva – The Land Within</i> by Sophie Haeder looked like a wonderful start to this fantasy journey I want to go on.

This book is about Dohva, a floating land that is trapped by a powerful elemental orbit where its inhabitants are stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of death and rebirth (reincarnation). Avala seems to be the main character who possesses the power of wind, and after someone she dearly loves is chosen by the High Monks as one of “the ten”, she begins to ask piercing questions about the nature of Dohva, and the cycle of rebirth that happens. She questions the way the magic that holds up the island works, and its morality. The majority of this novel is constructed in a multi-perspective fashion, following the characters Avala, Sineth, Garon, Kima, Venja, and Kalira as they go on their unique journeys throughout this novel. 

In all honesty, I found the multiple perspectives of this fantasy book to be perplexing at first, almost as though not enough time was given to fully flesh out their identities. I felt easily confused as I switched between the multiple perspectives. Also, it felt like some of the characters became too intimate with one another too soon; when it comes to romance, I personally prefer more of a slow burn… but the fact that the characters became so romantically involved was an important facet of the plot. Unfortunately, I also thought that the characters were flat and hollow; they all sort of have the same personality and style of inner thoughts. However, I really did enjoy the magic system present in this world and felt it was easy to follow. I think that the author did a wonderful job of balancing world-building with the characters’ experiences. 

With all of this being said, I think that this was a wonderful debut novel. I would like to give this a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, but GoodReads will only let me do whole stars; so for that reason, you will see a four-star rating. I understand the effort and time that it takes to write a quality novel, so it is rare for me to put in a low rating on anything that I read. Plus, I would love for more readers to be exposed to Haeder’s work. I’m so excited to continue my journey into reading more fantasy novels. 

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-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

​​<i>There may be spoilers in this review. Proceed with caution. ♥️</i> 

Reading <i>Five Feet Apart</i> was such an emotional experience for me, especially toward the ending. (Just stating the obvious here.) Stella Grant and Will Newman are two individuals who have cystic fibrosis, and they are in the end stages of it, meaning that their lung function is at the point where they need lung transplants in order to live full lives. However, the book starts by expressing that Will has contracted something called B. cepacia, which means that he will not be getting a lung transplant; it is a very serious, contagious bacterial infection that worsens his lung function… when it’s not something that’s good to begin with, thanks to his CF. Eventually, Will and Stella meet one another, and their love story begins. It’s beautiful and imperfect; they start out as friends, but it is not long before they begin doing very special and romantic things for one another as the story goes on. (Going to try not to spoil too much.) All in all, I think that Stella and Will have shared such a beautiful, bittersweet love story with one another in these pages. 

The Journey Toward God: Following in the Footsteps of the Great Spiritual Writers - Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox by Benedict J. Groeschel

emotional hopeful informative lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

I initially picked up this anthology in my local Adoration chapel. I feel so blessed to have encountered such beautiful spiritual writings. This book has enriched my soul and it has given me so much to think about in terms of where God currently has me in my spiritual journey. So many writings of wonderful saints and theologians are in this anthology. I can not wait to continue growing and learning as I go through my life with the Lord. 

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense slow-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

Reading this novel was such a wonderful experience. I absolutely loved how Brandon Sanderson continued the story from the very first installment. Getting lost in fantasy novels is truly my new favorite thing, and I can’t wait to read the third one in this series! ✨