WaterBrook Press (March 15, 2011)
While it’s a bit sad to see such an enthralling saga come to its conclusion at least for the present, it is always a treat to find one of Overstreet’s fantasies in my hands. These are one of the few books that always earn top billing in the TBR since I can’t stand to have them just sitting there waiting. Where certain books or authors are concerned patience is nearly an impossibility. This fourth and “final” chapter of the Auralia thread may have tied up a few of the proverbial loose ends and satisfied my reader’s need for a “resolution” but as with the earlier volumes in this series Jeffrey’s story sparks more curiosity and questions than it resolves. The characters explore their past, present and future as they are searching for their purpose and a place to belong in an unfamiliar “new world” when all they ever knew has crumbled down to the foundations both physically and spiritually. Myths and legends of their history may finally be revealed for the fabrications they are but if the only “truth” a person ever knew is suddenly revealed as nothing more than a pleasant bedtime tale how can life continue without much greater upheaval and confusion in redetermining where the path must start over in the wilderness. Though the debut of this series, Auralia’s Colors had a unique lyrical lilt in it’s language, each subsequent installment brings it’s own special tone and language to the table reflecting the character being spotlighted. The Ale Boy’s story maintains the picturesque narrative and rich descriptions native to Overstreet’s novels and this fantasy world he has built for the story and characters. All these books have been a pleasure to read yet I think in so many ways this book truly culminates the saga as it finally weaves together bits and pieces left unclear in the previous individual viewpoints from other focus characters. Purposes and details from other perspectives are finally united to bring a wholeness to pertinent events that were intertwined by their creator just as our Creator (God) intertwines events and people in our lives for His purpose though we may not see just how it all works until things “fall into place” and we can look back at the completed journey recognizing the things along the way that helped it all work together in the way God intended them to.
(ISBN#9781400074686, 400pp, $14.99)
Codicil:
Visit Jeffrey’s website and the Auralia Thread blog. Click the cover for more info and to purchase a copy. Read an excerpt. Thanks to WaterBrook Multnomah’s Blogging for Books program for a review copy.
