Tandem: A Novel - eBook
3.1
5
34
34
NOT FOR ME
In Tracey Bateman's sequel to Thirsty, Amede Dastillion has arrived in the small Ozarks town of Abbey Hills for two reasons, one known and one very secret reason. Charley Baylor still mourns the murder of his sister, Amanda, and still seeks answers. Lauryn McBride is busy caring for her father who has Alzheimers, while trying to run the auction house he built many years before. Her main focus at the moment is the Marcus Chisom house. When Mr. Chisom died in a mysterious fire months earlier, he left behind a legacy of fine antiques and not a few questions. When these stories come together, centuries-old secrets are brought to light, causing Lauryn to rethink everything she's always believed.
This novel left me with mixed emotions. Although there were perhaps too many storylines to follow coherently, and the changing point-of-view left me confused several times, it is still a well-written novel with an engaging plot. Unfortunately, the synopsis on the book cover left out an important element to the story; it's about vampires. Now, this is probably more of a personal preference than an editorial comment, but the concept of vampires in Christian fiction still has my head reeling. From a theological standpoint, the novel and its murky conclusion is totally off-base. However, I realize that there are people who would enjoy this. As I said, it does have at times a good plot and was enjoyable. Therefore, even though I might not read another novel of this type, I still give it 3 stars.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group book review bloggers program . I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade CommissionâÂÂs 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : âÂÂGuides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.âÂÂ
July 20, 2012
Not You Usual Vampire Story
I will be the first to admit that I grew up loving vampire stories. I always felt sorry for them because, raised as a Christian I always wondered, what happened if you were a Christian and were bitten and became a vampire. Evidently Tracey Bateman had these same kind of thoughts. One thing I really loved about this book is that it showed both kinds of vampires. It showed those who were evil and those who truly wanted not to be what they were.
I loved the way Amede decided to follow in her fatherâÂÂs footsteps believing there was the possibility of redemption. I also loved the way she helped Lauryn McBride realize the changes she needed to make in her own life so that she would not have the regrets that Amede had lived with. I enjoyed the fact that I didnâÂÂt feel preached to. The reason this is so important is that I have a student who has been reading adult books for quite a while. She will devour anything about vampires.
I know that she will be just as surprised at the ending as I was. It took a major twist that has made me think about this book all day long. Will I recommend this book? YouâÂÂd better believe it. It was very good. Since this was the first book IâÂÂd read by this author I figure IâÂÂd better check out some of her others. I had read about âÂÂThirstyâ quite some time ago. I was afraid I wouldnâÂÂt like it. However, I now have it on my to be read list. If you arenâÂÂt sure whether this is a book for you then click on the link below and read the first chapter. I guarantee you will like this book.
July 11, 2012
A Suprisingly Good Read
Review: OK, first off, I didnâÂÂt realize this was a vampire book. I, personally, have had issues with the idea of a âÂÂChristianâ vampire book. HOWEVER, IâÂÂve read Tracey BatemanâÂÂs books before and thoroughly enjoyed them, so I wanted to give her the opportunity to change my mind. Which I am happy to say she did! Though, IâÂÂm still not sure how I feel about vampire books, I did enjoy this book immensely.
The author did a great job of drawing me into the story. The author allows you to solve the mystery along with the protagonist. I found myself not only trying to figure out who was involved in the killings in this small Missouri town but the whys. As Amede reflects on her long life and her family, she struggles with her urges and her desire to find her half sister, Eden. It was intriguing to watch her character develop throughout the story.
To say the least, I found this story intriguing on many levels. IâÂÂve not read any other vampire stories or watched the Twilight movies, so whether the author stays true to the vampire mythology I donâÂÂt know. What I do know is this story was really well written and I enjoyed it more than I expected. If you have someone in your life who is into vampires, this might be a good book for them to read. There are definite Christian themes in the story, that arenâÂÂt too overbearing, to scare off those who are anti-Christian. I said I would recommend this to a friend, I wish CBD gave us a "Depends on the friend" option. I know some friends would not enjoy this book, while others would.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher, Waterbrook Press, for the opportunity to read and review this book. I was under no obligation to give anything but my honest opinion.
July 8, 2012
Not great
Wellâ¦this was ok. I could infer certain references to Christianity, which were certainly muted and not as masterfully included as other fiction writers, even those who have written about demonic forces. I didnâÂÂt mind the idea of vampires as real, but I have read more comprehensive and clear books about those beings.
This was, to me, a book that couldnâÂÂt figure out what it was. The multiple plot lines were not always clear. I figured out some of the main âÂÂintrigueâ right away, and there were a few things I would have written very differently (or at least I wanted to read them differently), such as:
- Had the missionary from Haiti be the main protagonist. There was certainly an opening for that since he was coming from a country where voodoo is prevalent, this would have improved the opportunities to describe the gospel. I would have settled for a description of his work that described encounters with demonic influences that he overcame with prayer
- Done a much more thorough job of describing the relationship between AmedeâÂÂs and JulietteâÂÂs families. That part of the story felt disjointed, and IâÂÂm still not sure I understand all of the ins and outs of that whole thing
- The AlzheimerâÂÂs portion was certainly real enough, and there were some very poignant moments there. But I was really confused about what happened to the mom â and again, there was no real resolution â there wasnâÂÂt time to make it all fit.
I am really sorry I didnâÂÂt care for this, I wanted to, and I struggled with how to write a review that wasnâÂÂt disparaging of the subject matter â because I really could sense the authorâÂÂs intent was to write a book that captured the essence of the battle between good and evil. That she didnâÂÂt quite reach the mark is disappointing, but not a complete waste of time. I will definitely look for some more recent works by this author, to see where the caliber of her writing may have improved.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade CommissionâÂÂs 16 CFR, Part 255
April 27, 2012
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