There's so much to say about this book.

First, I'll just say that I LOVE Essie. She is intelligent and so much more introspective than I probably was at 17. She is solution oriented and driven, even when she would have every right to just curl up in a ball and give up.

And I LOVE Roarke. I see my best friend in him, even though they don't look the same. That's how he came across to me on the page. I want to protect Roarke from everything even though he is a fictional character who would be more than capable of fighting his own battles and winning.

Liberty Bell is more complex. Everything I'm saying here is very quickly revealed, so as not to be any kind of spoiler. I see myself in her, in small ways. I grew up in a conservative small town bubble, and although my parents never forced any of that on me, I wanted to please everyone around me. So I was conservative too. I spewed the same vitriol that Essie's parents and Liberty once championed. Libby grew out of it, and her shift in thought process during college mirrored my own shift where I grew into a person that I like much more than my high school self. Thank God we aren't often judged by who were were in high school, right? And thankfully I never penned a book about all that hatred like Libby did when she was young. It makes my challenge with growing up seem so easy, and reality, it was. I had my own Mike friends to help me through it, just like Libby did.

I see real events and people woven into the fiction of this narrative. That hurts more than anything.

Spoiler

The Bundy Standoff, Josh Duggar, and various religious cults, like Waco, for examples.

The fact for so many this fictional narrative isn't fiction at all, is what makes this book so timely and so touching.

I highly recommend reading it.

Oh, my.

I didn't expect at the first to love this book as much as I did. I related too much to Sammie, I think. Although I didn't do debate in school, I was choir council president and the drum major and an honor graduate. I pushed myself just like Samie did. All the while I was watching my grandmother lose layers of herself to Alzheimer's. By the time I was in high school, my Nanny didn't know who I was.

This book was like reading a mashed up version of myself and my Nanny.

It affected me so much more than a typical YA book might. Because of my grandmother's experience with dementia, I too am more likely to suffer from it one day. I'm an extremely nostalgic person at heart. So as I read about Sammie reverting back to her childhood memories I thought about what that might one day be like for myself and what it might have been like for my grandmother. Perhaps it wasn't all and won't all be terrible.

I've spent some time in memory care centers recently and am exploring the idea of ministry there in a year or so. This book helped me realize that I really feel called to that kind of work. Even though this book was about a young person's experience with dementia, it is powerful. It's also not romanticized like all the other "I'm sick but in love" novels I've read recently. I'm looking at you, [b:Midnight Sun|34152811|Midnight Sun|Trish Cook|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1517747987l/34152811._SX50_.jpg|55190805] and [b:Five Feet Apart|39939417|Five Feet Apart|Rachael Lippincott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529358577l/39939417._SY75_.jpg|61834577].

4.5 Stars

This is brilliantly told. It's beautiful. The words and the illustrations pair together to perfectly tell Richard and Mildred's story.

Except the narrative glosses over some facts with Sydney, Midred's first child. Perhaps, there's simply a lack of information or evidence, but I feel the story could have been even more powerful with the truth in this instance.

I went to the library today with the idea to only RETURN books, but then I saw this on the shelf and I had to read it. It's immediately apparent that [a:Hiromu Arakawa|4698899|Hiromu Arakawa|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1350676202p2/4698899.jpg] is the artist of this series, and since [b:Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1|870|Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 1 (Fullmetal Alchemist, #1)|Hiromu Arakawa|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388179331l/870._SY75_.jpg|1959820] is my first manga love, I grabbed half the series to binge read tonight.

That said, I think Yoshiki Tanaka, the author of the plot of this story, needs a TON more credit. This series had an excellent start. I am not familiar with its various incarnations in manga or anime, so this is my inauguration into the series. I already have characters that I am rooting for. The backstory is well set and the plot will grab you immediately.

I think I need more manga in my life. Fight me if you want.

Another exciting installment. I'm amazed at Yoshiki Tanaka's and Hiromu Arakawa's ability to put so much of the horror of war into just a few small panels. This story serves as great commentary on all religious conflicts, especially the Crusades. It does an excellent job of explaining the hypocrisy of forceful militaristic conversions. I can't wait to see where this series goes and what all it chooses to tackle.

This series is still great fun, even if there are some problematic elements, like Farangis's outfit. Seriously, what is that?

This installment moved a little fast with too much going back and forth. I would have liked some more character development. I'm confident it will come in the next installment.

I'm a sucker for character driven stories. So now that the rushing took a slight pause, we get to see more of Elam and Arslan, especially. Narsus shines, and so does Daryun, as always. I'd love to see more about Daryun. He's certainly a hero, but he's a little flat. We don't know as much about him as we do the others at this point.

Now, off to the library to get the rest of the series!

This is how you write a mad queen! David Benioff and D. B. Weiss from Game of Thrones, take note. Adelina's descent into darkness is beautiful, heartbreaking, and most importantly - believable.

This book does suffer from some typical middle book issues, in my opinion. The action in this book is relentless. It's basically one epic battle after another and there's no time to breathe or process between them. There are some fulfilling character development moments, especially with Lucient (Wind Walker), but for the most part, I was reeling from all the never-ending action and left wanting in all other departments.

Oh, each book got better and better! I loved this one, which surprised me a bit. I can't really say anything without spoiling it, so just read this series!

This book has the potential to change the entire world. No matter what your faith or your personal background, we can all experience joy and give compassion to both ourselves and others. There are so many wonderful quotes from both of these spiritual leaders that I would love to include.

"A person is a person through other persons." - ++Desmond Tutu on Ubuntu theology

“The more time you spend thinking about yourself, the more suffering you will experience.” - Dalai Lama XIV

“The Dead Sea in the Middle East receives fresh water, but it has no outlet, so it doesn't pass the water out. It receives beautiful water from the rivers, and the water goes dank. I mean, it just goes bad. And that's why it is the Dead Sea. It receives and does not give. In the end generosity is the best way of becoming more, more, and more joyful.” - ++Desmond Tutu

"I’ve sometimes joked and said God doesn’t know very much math, because when you give to others, it should be that you are subtracting from yourself. But in this incredible kind of way—I’ve certainly found that to be the case so many times—you gave and it then seems like in fact you are making space for more to be given to you." - Dalai Lama XIV

This is a book that I will probably read every year around the onset of winter when seasonal depression rears its ugly head. This book has helped me to develop a rule of life and am so grateful to my dear friend for gifting me with its wisdom. It should be required reading for all aspiring and present clergy.