I saw on Ignatius Press Novel's website that they were looking for bloggers to review one of two e-books. One of the books stood out for me...Matt had heard about it on Catholic Radio a few weeks ago, told me about it, then I later heard it on radio too. So when I saw it was one of the two book choices, I sent an email offering to read & review it. Thankfully, I was chosen & am here to share my review of The Rising by Robert Ovies.
The Rising is the story of a nine year old boy named C.J. Walker, who finds that he has the power to heal those who are sick & bring back to life those who are dead. As you can probably imagine, this ability & the knowledge of it sets off a chain of events, throwing everyone for a loop & releasing their inner greed.
People all over the world want him to heal their sick family members & bring back their loved ones who have already passed away. A local priest begins to doubt himself, his belief in miracles, & God's plan for his life. The Cardinal wants to whisk him away to the Vatican for protection, but not before attempting to conquer his own ulterior motives. Reporters want to be the first to share this miraculous story. Government officials want to get their hands on him to study & use his power. His father wants to make money off of his son's new found ability. All his mother wants is to have their normal life back & for her son to just be a regular nine year old boy.
I was drawn into this book from the first chapter & had trouble putting it down. The author tells the story in the third person narrative style, which fits the thrilling aspect quite well. He leads the reader through thoughts of all the main characters instead of just one. We sense the priest's anguish & doubts, feel C.J.'s & his mother's fearful moments, & get angry with his father's greedy tendencies. (That last one was tough. I just wanted to reach into my Kindle & slap some sense into his father!)
He also has a very descriptive writing style, one which enabled me to fully picture the events as they unfolded. For example, in his description of police lights reflecting in nighttime rainfall, he says, "...he splashed through the falling red and blue splinters of rain..."
If you love a good thriller, I highly recommend this book! It was well written...engaging, & nerve wracking at the same time. Throughout the book, I could really feel the emotions of those tied up in this boy's immediate rise to fame. My blood boiled when various characters tried to take advantage of his abilities. As a mother myself, I could feel his mother's strong desire to love & protect her son. I got a sense of his own inner struggle...wanting to help heal people while at the same time remain just a regular boy.
The ending was quite a shock. Not being able to figure out the end is a sign of a great thriller for me.
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ADDENDUM
(to answer a question in the comment section about age levels)
The book is geared toward adults, however, I think most young adults would be able to handle it. The writing style is easy & engaging to read.
I don't remember any bad language other than an occasional damn or hell. There are some descriptions of the embalming process...not too much detail, but enough to get the idea.
When I was talking about it to my family, my 13 yo son was interested in reading it & I think he could handle it. To be on the safe side, I would recommend that parents read it first, though. They would know their child's reading abilities & maturity better than I would.
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NOTE: Other than receiving a free copy of this book from Ignatius Press Novels, I have received no monetary compensation for this review.
