Thursday, March 5, 2020

Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway: From Sky to Sky by Amanda G. Stevens


About the Book


Book:  From Sky to Sky
Author: Amanda G. Stevens
Genre:  Christian Suspense/ Fantasy
Release Date: February, 2020

Zac Wilson can’t die.

Daredevil Zac Wilson isn’t the first celebrity to keep a secret from the world, but his might be the most marvelous in history: Zac doesn’t age and injuries can’t kill him. What’s more, he’s part of a close-knit group of others just like him.

Holed up in Harbor Vale, Michigan, Zac meets two more of his kind who claim others in their circle have died. Are their lifetimes finally ending naturally, or is someone targeting them—a predator who knows what they are?

The answers Zac unearths present impossible dilemmas: whom to protect, how to seek justice, how to bring peace to turmoil. His next action could fracture forever the family he longs to unite. Now might be the time to ask for help. . .from God Himself. But Zac’s greatest fear is facing the God he has run from for more than a century.

Click here to get your copy.


My Thoughts:


Is immortality a curse or a blessing? Here in this second edition of author Stevens novels about people who cannot die, we are given Zac's story. Zac is the fun loving, handsome, dare devil guy- that everybody loves. But what is he hiding? The hurts and the truths that he has not been able to share?

This is a continuing of the story we started in No Less Days and we go deeper into the mythology of what makes these humans different- they don't die. Though they can be hurt and scarred, physically and emotionally as well as spiritually.

Another theme was family and what constitutes as family. What happens when family betrays you? Is family more than blood? Where David was more of a loner passing his life contentedly alone, Zac needs and craves some semblance of family.

And how about faith? What would that look like when you have been running from God all of your very long, long life? Zac must grapple with his eternal condition as well as his immortal one. 

This is a bit of a different read. A little mysterious, a little supernatural, but it is a read that makes you think about faith, family, and our own mortality.

I received a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author


As a child, Amanda G. Stevens disparaged Mary Poppins and Stuart Little because they could never happen. Now she writes speculative fiction. She is the author of the Haven Seekers series, and her debut Seek and Hide was a 2015 INSPY Award finalist. She lives in Michigan and loves trade paperbacks, folk music, the Golden Era of Hollywood, and white cheddar popcorn.

More from Amanda


For years, the theme of immortality has intrigued me. I love the Elves of Middle-Earth, the “happiest and saddest” of the peoples Tolkien created as they watch the ages pass. I love the exploration of aged sorrow in Tuck Everlasting. I’ve stuck with TV shows which shall remain nameless (but, ahem, a few feature vampires) because I’m always wondering how did this writer tackle immortality? Anything new? Are the characters convincingly old and young at the same time?

The thing is, while some of these fiction works satisfy me more than others, I’m always left with a tug of incompletion. Eventually I figured out this tug was a story in my own head and heart wanting to come out, a contemporary story that included the gospel. What might God’s plan be for those whose earthly days seem unnumbered? How would their age affect their interactions with humanity and with faith? These questions were the springboard for the No Less Days series, and of course the answers vary with the individual. Ultimately this is why I write: to explore people, their inner selves, their relationships. My goal is always to create characters that breathe from the page.

In From Sky to Sky, we get a look into the head and heart of Zac Wilson, who has been on the run from God longer than any of us could imagine: a full century playing the prodigal. I always try to be honest about how much life can hurt, “even” for the Christian; if we had triple the number of years to accumulate hurt in this broken world, we’d have a lot of it. That’s true of all my ageless characters, including Zac. To scratch the surface, this man fought in two world wars and has outlived all his children.

But the sum of Zac is much more than his collected wounds. He is a deep-feeling, fun-loving, generous guy. He enjoys music and physical activity. He has an insatiable sweet tooth and a need for open spaces. He’s not afraid to laugh at his own expense, and he has a boundless love for people and the stories of their lives.

My hope is that readers will grow to love this young old guy as they journey with him through some dark times toward redemption and light.

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, February 22
Inklings and notions, February 23
Inside the Wong Mind, February 23
deb’s Book Review, February 25
For Him and My Family, February 26
Mary Hake, February 26
Older & Smarter?, February 27
Blogging With Carol, February 28
Life love writing, February 28
Hallie Reads, March 3
Simple Harvest Reads, March 4 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Pause for Tales, March 5
Remembrancy, March 6
Bigreadersite, March 6

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Amanda is giving away the grand prize package of a a $25 Amazon gift card and a free copy of From Sky to Sky!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

2 comments: