Genesis

Author: Bonnie Berman Shores
Genre: Fantasy

An unexpected move, an unexpected love, an unexpected world... Essie has been chosen "for such a time as this".

An aspiring journalist, Essie Jacobs is your average high school senior--a good girl--who loves superheroes, Joan Jett, Whoppers and classic rock. When her mom tells her that they will be moving from Bradford, Massachusetts to the tiny town of Eden, Georgia in two weeks, the normally logical teen freaks out. Her life is mapped out, after all, and it doesn't include a move to some hick town in the South. When the inevitable happens, however, her expectations of a boring summer are pleasantly dashed when she meets Ty Gregory, an irresistibly charming boy from a wealthy family. He immediately takes a liking to her and they become inseparable.

Bored with her routine once school begins, though, the independent Essie decides to get a job at the local nursery where she meets Michael Powers, the boy she had seen in a dream before moving to Eden. She learns that Michael's family and Ty's family do not associate, but neither boy will tell her why. Essie's curious nature takes her to the internet where she stumbles upon information about the Grigori. She's always had a feeling that there was something different about Ty and, when he finally admits that he's a fallen angel, she's anything but scared.

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Reviewer: Stephanie Thomason

Genesis ignited something within my soul that I haven’t felt since reading the Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis or The Golden Key by George MacDonald.

The book starts a little slowly with a little bit of “telling” instead of “showing,” yet after the first few chapters, the pace increased, excitement mounted, and I no longer sensed any “telling.”  Shores’ knowledge of the Bible and use of biblical characters enhance the Christian message, which is woven throughout this beautiful story. I fell in love with the lead character, Essie, and grew deeply concerned about the choices she was making between what she knew in her heart to be right and her escalation of commitment in what was wrong.  I found myself carried away into a spiritual world with contrasts between angels and demons, humility and pride, and love and deceit. I cannot wait until her sequel comes out as the characters are still etched in my mind and I long for the choices Essie makes to be those guided by God above.

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