Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The Realm: The Awakening Begins

Bob and I recently finished reading a book written by a friend that we really enjoyed, so I wanted to give you a short review of it. The Realm: The Awakening Begins is fiction—a sort of spiritual allegory. The story is set in Kahitsa’an, and island country that could be a small poor nation in any part of the world. Gracia is an orphaned girl who earns her keep by finding recyclables at the local trash dump. She begins having nightmares that the local spirit-priest, Aden, is attacking her, and he senses her fear. Gracia also begins having dreams about The Realm, and a person named Jaron that protects her and rescues her. She learns that her dreams are not just dreams, but real, and the struggle between the spirits of her town and Jaron becomes a fierce battle with her caught in the middle.

We read the book aloud together, and found it hard to stop at each chapter as the suspense builds. It was a great story as well as a powerful allegory of the spiritual realm that is around us. Perhaps because of having lived in Africa where the poverty and the rural feel were very close to the setting in the book, it felt very real. We highly recommend it! The book was written with young adults in mind, who are searching for meaning and wondering who God is. But I think any age would appreciate it, although there are a few scenes that I think would be a bit scary or mature for kids. Check it out at the book website or on Amazon!

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