My daughter and I were so excited to discover this book. She's 14 and she loves to read, but unfortunately most teen books today are too smutty for either of us. She doesn't usually like the teen books in the "Christian" section because they're so old-fashioned, like love in the time of Little House on the Prairie... She wanted a book with excitement and adventure and romance that wasn't over-the-line, and we finally found one! It's as if the author wrote a normal teen book but without sex, drugs, and swearing (there are no bad words, only "hell" but it's referring to the actual place)---which is a relief as those things are completely unnecessary to the story. There is a very sweet romance, but I'd call it PG, not even PG-13. Very much how I felt in 8th grade, tingling when a boys hand brushed up against mine type of stuff. There is only 1 kiss in the book, no nudity. There is a scene where a character has her drink at a party drugged and she's almost taken advantage of, but she isn't. The book presents it as a cautionary tale. There is no mention sex or of any character having sex or even thinking about it. What I liked most about this book was that it was written like a modern teen book you would see at the front of Barnes & Noble, but it's full of Christian themes, history, and even Bible quotes. I love the idea that kids who have no exposure to the Word of God might pick this book up and learn about it. I wish every book was written like this. Highly recommend to any age!!!

Seventeen-year-old Maren Hamilton's world comes crashing down when her mother tragically dies. She is sent to Scotland to live with her deceased father's parents, who she never met. A mysterious box from her mother contains clues about the secret society she worked for, and their mysteries might prove deadly. With the help of a mysterious, handsome warrior and some awesome new friends, Maren must uncover the clues before the worst happens and another person dies.

This book was all over the place! Hidden tunnels, secret societies, supernatural beings, riddles, mysterious artifacts, portals, prophetic dreams. It's like a combination of supernatural fantasy, spy mystery, star-crossed romance, high school drama, and cultural/historical fiction. Kind of crazy. But I liked it.

Dare I give away one of the "big reveals" that characterizes the majority of the book? (hint, hint: That's my spoiler warning.) There were angels. They were at the heart of the secret society whose goal it was to protect humanity from the demons. It was pretty interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about the angel-human romance going on. I mean, it helps that the angel can become human (forever) in order to be with a human, but it still strikes me as a little wrong. Although I do like the couple together! Also, despite the angels, I'm not sure I would quantify this book as "Christian" per se. God was barely mentioned, even though He was the one the angels worked for. The characters almost never spoke of Him as being involved personally in the affairs, much less the characters having a personal relationship with Him. It seems more like the author liked the idea of angels as powerful, beautiful beings than as them working for a larger purpose and God.

**End Spoiler**

Anyway, I did like the story as a whole. The stakes were high, the adventurous story combinations were unique, and the settings were pretty cool. I liked the friendships Maren made and the relationship with her grandparents. And I liked Maren's spunky attitude.

Still, there were things I didn't like about the story. The "love at first sight with the perfect, hot, unavailable guy." A little stereotypical, don't you think? I also didn't like that there was so much slightly inappropriate stuff, like the almost-incident with the date-rape drug, the inappropriate teen talk, the parties with alcohol, and the Incubus (the term definition will tell you all you need to know). There was a lot of insinuation and some sensuous kisses, but no on or off-screen sex happened. Just, for a supposedly young-teen, maybe-even-Christian novel, did there have to be so much inappropriate stuff?

I did enjoy this YA fantasy novel and am highly anticipating the second book. But maybe make sure you know what's in it before you read it/purchase it for your teens?

I received a complementary copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own, and I did not receive compensation for sharing them.

(Disclaimer: this review is my personal opinion and is in no way meant to imply that anyone else should feel the way I do.)

I found this book in a Christian bookstore, so naturally, I expected it to be Christian fiction. It is not. Aside from constant lust between main characters, there is continual innuendo, multiple instances of semi-strong language, and even too much detail in an attempted rape scene.

As I read, I kept getting this creepy feeling, and finally it got to the point that I flipped to the author's note at the end. Lo and behold, there it was - - the entire foundation of the book was based on the Twilight Saga (which I have read the author admit was inspired by a spirit guide).

At this point, I have to put it down. I have read 246 pages, and I am so disgusted that I can't continue. There is nothing about God in this book (as far as what I read), it's just a cheap spin off God's creation, to the point of being disrespectful. I will never recommend this book to anyone.