Just... WOW. Oh my goodness, I LOVE this book so much! I want to read it over and over and over. I picked this up at a library book sale last year, never knowing what a hidden gem it would turn out to be! The cover may look rather generic, but the story blew me away! My brain exploded, and my heart grew about 10 sizes bigger, and my soul is refreshed and energized!

Aside from the dynamic characters, the twisting plot, the action-packed scenes, the brilliant writing, and the imaginative setting, the thing I loved most was "The Call". That's my own term to describe the feeling a book gives when you are called up to join something higher and more glorious than yourself and your life. It makes you want to be a better person, be braver, be smarter, be kinder, fight for what is good and right, and it fills you with a feeling of purpose. "The Call" happens when a story mirrors some aspect of "THE Story," and this book was a beautiful allegory of the Bible story.

Right from the beginning it was obvious that the story of good vs. evil was lifted straight from spiritual history, but it never felt preachy or forced.
This is a tale on the level with Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and Pilgrim's Progress! I can't wait to read the rest of this trilogy!