The Soul Saver
by Dineen Miller
Barbour Books
Genre: Christian Fiction
May 1, 2012
Source: Netgalley e-galley
Lexie is a Christian wife and mother who is trying to live her life for the glory of God. But she is facing the biggest challenge of her life. Her marriage is in trouble. Her husband is an atheist who does not understand Lexie’s beliefs. This difference in beliefs makes for high tension in their marriage. Compounding the stress is Hugh’s job. He is working longer hours in hopes of receiving a coveted promotion.
What neither of them realize is that something more sinister is working against them. Something dark. Something evil that wants to tear apart their marriage. Something that will stop at nothing to ensure that Hugh never comes to believe in God.
Lexie is a potter. She receives visions from God about who He wants her to help on a particular day. She will sculpt and mold the image of the person out of clay and then wait until God shows her that person during the course of the day. She does not know what His plan is until she meets the person and waits for His instruction.
One of Lexie’s missions is Nate Winslow, a pastor of a local church. Nate is still recuperating from the loss of his wife in an accident nearly a year ago. He almost lost his daughter in the same accident, but Nate gave something up in order to spare her life. Something that will forever change the trajectory of his and Lexie’s lives forever.
This book is ultimately about good and evil. It is about a woman’s quest to hold true to her faith amidst some harrowing circumstances and pure evil trying to tear her life apart.
I really loved the book. It is easy to read, but does have strong religious themes. The characters are likeable and easy to relate to. I did not like Hugh all that much at first, but he grew on me over the course of the novel. This book is alarming in that it shows demons living and breathing amongst us, constantly working to ruin our lives. Scary stuff.
I only had one small issue with the book.
Within the context of the novel, the author uses the character of Lexie to promote her (the author’s) non-fiction bible study book. She actually names the full title of the book that Lexie will be reading with a small group. I know what she was trying to get at, but it did turn me off a bit. I wish she could have either not named the book or given a fake name for it. It just seemed out of place to me, especially since she does mention at the end that it is a real book. To those who don’t know the non-fiction book she references, this may not be a big deal. To me, even though it is a small thing, I did not like the reference.
Other than that very small piece, I enjoyed this book and recommend it. There is a lot to devour and think about in ths novel. Dineen is a very skilled writer who will readily capture your attention.
*****
I had not heard of this book until now. It sounds like something that I would enjoy. Thank you for the insight. Great review.
A fine review. Indeed, we live with demons in around us and it only through deilverance and the power of the Holy Spirit constant prayers that one can be free. Remember that the Bible urges us to pray without ceasing.