Trust in the Lord

Hey! Cari here. I'm finally beginning to come back to TFOP. I'll no longer be absent for months.

Anyway, I'm coming to you with a book review. An especially appropriate book review, given that the author is none other than our beloved Erin Hylands.

Just a little heads up: I tend to write my reviews a little differently than Erin. I use a star system based on my enjoyment of the book and its content.

Here's my rating scale:

1 star ~ This book is BORING! OR: This book contains too much iffy content (i.e. an excess of cursing, questionable morals, beliefs that go against Christianity, etc.) to be enjoyable. I will never read it again. Don’t read.

2 stars ~ This book is decent. I didn’t really enjoy it, but I wasn’t falling asleep reading it either. This book might also have some iffy content that ruined its storyline. I might read it again, but not likely. Do not read.

3 stars ~ This book is okay. I may have enjoyed it for a bit, but lost interest eventually, OR: I didn’t really like it or dislike it. This book might have some iffy content, but not that obvious. There’s a chance I’ll re-read it. Read if you want to.

4 stars ~ This book is good! I enjoyed just about all of it! This is usually very clean, with at most a few curse words (like four or five throughout the whole book, assuming there are any at all). It has an intriguing plot that kept me interested throughout the entire book. It might’ve taken me a bit to get into it, but it was totally worth it in the end. I will most likely re-read it. Definitely read!

5 stars ~ This book is amazing!!! I loved every single page, from start to finish. It is 100% clean, so you don’t need to worry about content issues. I was hooked from the first line and usually couldn’t put the book down. I will DEFINITELY re-read it! GO AHEAD AND READ IT!!!!

Anyway, enough of this. I now present to you my review of With Eyes of Blue by Erin Hylands.

Mystery. Amnesia. Impending War. These words describe the bleak situation with which With Eyes of Blue by Erin Hylands opens. Hylands, a strong Christian and lover of history, combined these two passions into her thrilling debut novel. At seventeen years old, she self-published With Eyes of Blue, motivated by her friends' support and encouragement. While younger readers might find certain scenes frightening, middle schoolers and young adults will devour this thrilling but wholesome read.

With Eyes of Blue opens with a gripping prologue. The year is 965 BC, and Pharaoh Ahmose is dying of a mysterious illness. Queen Chione died years earlier in childbirth, yet her heir is now missing. Meanwhile, two men plot in a tunnel. The elder desires the double crown for himself and will not stop at anything. The younger, on the other hand, seems more reluctant, almost as if he were forced into the whole ordeal. No matter their motives, trouble is brewing for Egypt.

In chapter one, readers meet young Amunet. Suffering from amnesia, she discovers herself to be in a burial chamber for the now-dead Pharaoh Ahmose. Along with her trusty cat Nephthys, Amunet sets out to escape the pyramid and learn about her past.

This journey is not easy. For one, Amunet's eyes are not brown or black like the Egyptians' but a brilliant blue. Only foreigners, Israelites in particular, have blue eyes like hers. Assuming the false identity of Amrya, she encounters an Israelite family, who takes her in. But not everything is as it seems.

Will Amunet ever discover who she really is? Could she be the one needed to save Egypt?

With Eyes of Blue is a true page-turner, with twists and turns in every chapter. Even the keenest readers will find themselves reeling in shock. The best part? Hylands weaves in a message of redemption and hope through trust in the Lord. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and am proud to consider it one of my favorites. The second installment, The Queen of Sheba, releases next year. You can purchase With Eyes of Blue on Lulu.com, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble (online only). If you're on Goodreads, be sure to add it to your TBR!

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars