Everything in this world always contradicts itself.
For example, magazines tell us “Be yourself! You are wonderful just the way you are!” and then on the next page, “Nobody will love you if you don’t show at least 95% of your skin at all times. Be brash. Be bold. Throw away your moral compass.”
Wait. What?
I’m supposed to conform to this impossible image of a photoshopped person, and I’m also told to just be myself; both views are supported by most everyone.
Every day we hear:
“Nobody’s perfect. Embrace your imperfections.”
“If you don’t use this product or wear this item, nobody will like you.”
“Normal is boring. Be wild. Be free. Everything is a choice.”
AND HONESTLY, SOMETIMES I FEEL SO DISORIENTED BY IT ALL.
What’s right? What’s wrong? Am I just really weird? What if they’re right, and my life is a lie?
Ah, reader, don’t fret. Although the ways of the world are contradictory and insane, there is absolute truth that will stand forever.
For example, the world tells us that we are created by chance; accidents; mistakes. But do you want to know what God tells us?
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:5
“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” – Psalm 139:14
The culture tells us that we are our own, and that what we do with our bodies doesn’t matter.
However, the Bible disagrees.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
The world says it’s all on us. We have no idea what’s coming. For all we know, the zombie apocalypse could come, World War IV is going to start right after that (because WWIII has probably already come and gone), and the sun is going to blow up one day and smash us to smithereens. And that’s why we buy lots of canned goods…????
Okay, as absurd as that sounds, when our lives aren’t based on truth, we won’t know what to think. But guess what. We are never alone, and God has promised us this:
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” – Matthew 6:31-32
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19
Another lie? How about this one.
“Put yourself first. You deserve it.”
Umm. ExCUSE me?
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” – Philippians 2:4
And I can’t resist this one.
“Love is a feeling. That’s all.”
No, no, no. This is real love!
“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10
And let me finish off with one last mistruth that destroys our culture.
What is it? That appearances are everything. All that matter. But let me assure you that that is not the case.
God looks at the heart. It doesn’t matter what anyone but He thinks.
“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” – Proverbs 31:30
It’s absolutely true that the world lies to us. And it can really mess us up.
If we don’t believe the truth of who we are – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) – we won’t be able to move forward. We’ll be trapped.
I think I’ve finally figured out why we love church camp.
You know. The retreat that so many of us go on once or twice a year.
We all bring terribly bad-for-your-health junk food, money to order pizza at midnight, and tissues to cry into when we have those heart-to-heart conversations.
And more importantly, we bring our Bibles and those journals that we dust off to use once or twice a year.
And with many other things, the memories are lovely things that we visit often after it’s over.
And we look forward to the next one that’ll come up next year.
But why do we enjoy this so much? And why is it so different than our normal lives?
I’m not going to talk about the goofiness that goes on (or why we play Do You Want to Buy a Duck? After the clock turns 12:00). I’m here to talk about the fire that is sparked in our hearts.
Dear Christian Teens,
You know that feeling. You know how it feels to raise your hands in worship with sincerity. You know how it feels to regularly read your Bible and just get it. You know how it feels to enjoy listening to the chapel sessions. You know how it feels to connect with your small group after.
It’s that fire that sparks in your heart after hearing compelling messages.
That fire to live out your faith no matter what.
But sometimes, we get home from church camp, and the fire burns out.
You’re ridiculed at school because you’re viewed as intolerant.
You come to the realization that you’re imperfect…and life is hard.
And then there’s a lot less motivation to read your Bible, so you kind of don’t do it.
Church camp becomes just another experience, and we see it as completely separate from normal life.
But it shouldn’t be.
I think I know why we love church camp. We love it because it sparks a fire inside of us. Our faith becomes even more real to us.
But seriously, when we go home, it shouldn’t end. Even though life gets harder when we aren’t surrounded completely by Christians, we can’t just give up.
Jesus isn’t the Savior of Youth Group Excursions.
He isn’t the Savior of Summer Camp.
Jesus is the Savior of our lives, and His love isn’t any different for us when we are at camp than when we are at home.
We love church camp because we feel God’s presence. We hear His voice. Things become clear to us.
But that doesn’t mean that the other 51 weeks of the year need to be boring.
No. Those 51 weeks can be the best weeks of the year. Wanna know why?
Because we get to live it out. We get to read the Bible on our own free will. We get to pray about things in our daily life, not just out loud in front of our friends. We get to trust God in tangible ways. And we get to grow in Him, which takes much longer than five days out of state.
We get to see God work things out in our lives.
So Dear Christian Teens,
We love church camp because it’s a great experience and we are on fire for God.
However, real life is the experience that we’ve been given for the rest of the year.
Let’s take that fire in our hearts and bring it into our daily lives.
For this is what we’ve been given. Let us not let our fires burn out.
And if we let ourselves be under the control of the Holy Spirit, we will not burn out.
Today’s post is a bit different than normal (and I do know that I say that a lot). However, some things have been on my heart recently about teens and relationships.
This is a shorter post today, because today is my first day back to school and last night I was trying to get to bed early. A near-impossible feat on a blognight, I know (and I just made that term up now).
But nevertheless, the points still stand. And I’d like to share them with you.
I am planning on planning on doing more “Dear Christian Teens” articles in the future. (Yes, I am very indecisive and unpredictable, so I can’t promise anything, but I will plan on planning on it.) 😛
I mean, this is a teen blog, after all.
So, here goes. Dear Christian Teens #1. In which Amanda talks about romantic relationships. And dating. And other things she has never quite experienced, but probably will someday.
**
This is written like three separate letters. (Have you noticed my obsession with letters yet?) It’s rather choppy, I know, and I’m sorry. But I wanted to alternate. Because alternating is fun.
So…to be blunt…
Dear Christian Teens,
Dating is not a sport. It’s not “marital practice”. We should focus on the final goal when we are considering a romantic relationship – marriage – for our hearts are much too precious to be thrown around like bowling balls.
Dear Christian Guys,
Value the modest girls. The ones who care about God’s opinion over yours. Beauty fades. Dignity stays.
Dear Christian Girls,
Value the gentlemen, not the bad boys. Humility and selflessness are to be treasured, not thrown away.
Dear Christian Teens,
Choose to love someone who loves God over you. If your eyes are fixed on others and not God, you won’t find The One God has for you. You will find them by focusing on Him.
Dear Christian Guys,
True beauty comes from the inside out. Not the other way around.
Dear Christian Girls,
Don’t compromise your purity to be loved. Rather, prove that you’re worth it by staying pure.
Dear Christian Teens,
Love your family. Treat them with respect and kindness. How else do you expect to be ready for having a family of your own?
Dear Christian Guys,
Your walk with God is invaluably important; you are to be a spiritual leader. You don’t have to be a pastor, but God calls you to be the head of your family and to lead them in truth. Never compromise that.
Dear Christian Girls,
You are God’s beautiful creation, and not an object. Don’t make people think you are by dressing and acting without decency and dignity. Never forget that who you are is defined by what Christ has done for you, and you do not have to prove anything.
Dear Christian Teens,
God must be the center of your life. If He is not, especially in terms of relationships, your life will not be solidly built. Form your life around your relationship with God, and let Him lead you.
And Christian Teens once more,
Marriage will not always be glamorous like in the movies. It won’t be all butterflies and rainbows. But love, and the most beautiful kind at that, is a love that is committed. Not just when it’s easy, but always.
**
I’m sorry if my thoughts are incoherent.
But I guess what I’m trying to (indirectly) say through these mini-letters is this.
God should ultimately be the one guiding our relationships, not us alone.
We all are precious and valuable, and none of us should ever see others as objects (despite what the culture says).
“Old-fashioned” virtues like modestly, decency, humility, and selflessness are BEAUTIFUL. To be treasured, and valued and appreciated.
When commitment to God and to each other is the center of a romantic relationship, it will be much stronger. Seriously. God isn’t to be put on the back burner, people.
And lastly? Dating and relationships are to be taken seriously. As are our relationships with our families. Because really, the ultimate goal is to raise up families to love God and know Jesus.
We can’t listen to the culture when it comes to such important matters. Marriage is beautiful, people. Not to be corrupted.
We were made for each other, God designed it that way.
So Dear Christian Teens,
Let’s be serious. Let’s focus on God first before others, and treat everyone like Jesus would.
A lot of people dismiss Christianity as just another religion. But it’s not. And I’m here to show you why.
(Yes, I just gave all you awesome readers an abrupt start. Forgive me, lovely lords and ladies. But please read on.)
When people think of Christianity, a lot of times they think of religion. It’s right up there with Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Mormonism, Judaism…and all those.
But Christianity? It’s not the same. Really. I hesitate to consider it a religion, even though that may be upsetting to some.
Because there is something that stands out about Christianity that other religions do not have.
Freedom and Sincerity.
“But Amanda,” you say, “I’m a Mormon, and I’m very sincere.”
I am sure you are. After all, belief in something is much more than just words. Saying the words “I believe” do not ensure that you actually do, for all that it proves is that you have a voice and a mind.
But freedom? I will explain that in a minute.
I’d like to point out a few things about the Christian life.
First of all, God knows we are not perfect. He knows that we are sinners and, by nature, turn away from Him.
Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
But yet, He extends grace to us, at our darkest. And by receiving that, sin has no power over us anymore.
Romans 6:14
“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”
And, in turn, we are changed from the inside out.
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Did anyone hear anything about good works earning anything in there? Obligations? Our performance?
Uh, I sure didn’t.
So as I was saying, we have freedom.
Freedom from the power of sin and death over us.
Freedom from eternal life and righteous standing before God being based on works.
Freedom to live for God because of gratitude to Him for your salvation.
Not because you’re locked into tradition.
Not because Mom and Dad make you go to church so that hopefully, religion will rub off on you.
Not because you have obligations to live up to so that you’ll go to Heaven when you die.
Because of the freedom you’ve been given, sincerity springs from that.
And that’s why Christianity is different.
Why we look different. Why act different. Why we are motivated to live a pure and holy life.
Perhaps in the future, I’ll write some blog posts reflecting on other religions.
What I can say is this, however.
I’m not religious.
I’m a Jesus-lover, for He loved me first and pursued my soul.
I’m not living to please God because I have to.
I live to please God because it brings me joy, and the only joy that’ll ever last.
I’m not bound by obligations.
I’m set free by the love of my Creator for me.
1 Peter 2:16
“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”
I’m sorry, people. I miscalculated the blog tour dates in July. I thought this post was supposed to go up tomorrow, because I like posting bookish things on Thursdays.
So yes, I know it’s the middle of the day instead of 5:00 in the morning because I usually preschedule posts.
Just some proof I’m not perfect.
Anyway. Onto the post at hand.
Book Description:
When the Lady Dragon does come,
Hold fast, do not fear, do not run.
Your Water Princess will fight,
Fire Prince will set all to right.
Each shall come from a Fall,
Their union will save you all.
Despite the fact that she’s on track for competing in the Olympics, and he’s practically raised his younger brothers since they lost their mom in a car accident, Clara Mandras and Andrew Stevenson are pretty much normal teens. They have normal hopes, normal dreams, and they live in a normal world.
All this is torn away from them when they are thrust into another world and declared Water Princess and Fire Prince. With no experience ruling a country, meeting each other for the first time, and being expected to fight the Lady Dragon – an evil sorceress plaguing the world of Rizkaland – Clara and Andrew are underprepared and inexperienced. Unless they learn to work together despite their standing opposition, Rizkaland’s hope will be lost.
What is to come will change their lives forever.
Author Bio:
Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairy tales and twisting them in new and exciting ways. She’s been practicing her skills on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years, “Finish your story, Kendra”, is frequently heard at family gatherings. Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children’s tales that also glorify God and His Word. You can read more about her on her blog, knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com.
I interviewed Clara this week in Rizkaland. That trip was fun. Long, yes, but so much fun.
Disclaimer:
In bold are my questions, and her answers are directly after them. I did not change her answers, only added to some of them (and I added her actions and dialogue tags, by the way.) Some of her lines are written by me, but not her original responses to my questions.
Yes, I did take full advantage of my fangirl license. I apologize if it’s not 100% accurate to the book.
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, here’s a snippet of this week’s trek down to Klarand.
The KastleClara, except her eyes should be blue.
***
I walk across a field of wild grass, my eyes and mind trying to take in the scenery. Mountains surround me, as do flowing waterfalls that are distinctly blue.
The tallest Mountain holds a castle, built so solidly and intricately that only the most skilled Architect could do such a thing. It’s breathtaking. I know this to be The Kastle, but the pictures I’ve seen do it no justice. I’m awed.
I can barely take it all in, being obsessed with mountains and all that, but I’d better hurry. I have someone that will be waiting on me if I take too much time.
I was told that there was a small café built into one of the smaller mountains (it’s connected to The Mountain that The Kastle sits in), and that’s where I’m going. I’m excited to be meeting someone special. She hasn’t met me yet, but I know her very well, and we are more alike than she probably thinks.
I’m a little nervous. I can be awkward with new people. But no matter. I’ve been looking forward to meeting Clara for a few months now.
Now I see the café. The sign is faded, but I can tell wood from rock. I’m glad to be somewhere I can sit, after walking a few hours.
I open the door and the bell on the door jingles. I’m greeted by a short and plump woman, with smooth, wavy brown hair to her waist. Her white apron is crisp and neat over her simple red dress.
“Hi there, darling, can I help you?”
“Um, yeah,” I say softly. I clear my throat. “Is the Water Princess here yet?”
She looks at me and smiles with sparkling eyes.
“Not yet, but she should be here soon. Why don’t I show you to a table in the corner where you two can talk in peace?”
Gratefully, I oblige, and I am shown to a little table with a window. We pass a dozen small tables with people chattering and drinking hot drinks.
The waitress gives me two mugs of hot water upon my request, and I thank her.
I sit down in the corner, right in front of a window. Pulling my backpack off, I sort through the things I brought. Hot chocolate mix, check. Three books, yes. And a clipboard full of questions. I hope Clara won’t hate me for this.
I pull out Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and start to read. Becoming engrossed, I feel as though I’m turning the pages faster than my eyes are reading the words. I love this sensation, and if I had the choice to live in a library, I would take it. I know I would.
I feel a shadow over me, and I quickly look up from my book. It’s the Water Princess. I have not even the slightest idea of how long I’ve been reading.
I instantly stand up to my feet, place a fist over my heart and start to curtsy, but she waves me off.
“Water Princess,” I breathe.
“I’m Clara to you, remember?”
“Right,” I reply feeling suddenly shy. My tongue is tied for a second and I blush slightly.
“I’m Amanda,” I say, looking into her face. She seems to resemble me in some ways, from our blonde hair and blue eyes to our build and stance. I’m not sure if she’s pleased or not about that. Clara keeps her emotions concealed for the most part.
“Thanks for meeting me here,” I offer with a smile.
“At least I’m here,” she replies. “I was on my way back from exercising in the fresh air this morning, when I remembered I was supposed to meet you. I quickly changed, and here I am.”
“It’s a good thing we both made it, then,” I interject.
Clara just shrugs.
“That’s a great book, by the way.” She motions to my book.
“Yes, it is.”
I’m afraid she’ll be weirded out if I tell her that I’m only reading it because of her, and because I love the references she makes to it. She doesn’t know that I know a lot more about her than Kendra has told her. I don’t say anything else on the topic.
Not knowing exactly where to start, I clear my throat slightly apprehensively.
“I have a few questions for you, so thank you for being willing to answer them.”
She rolls her eyes. “Whether I’m willing or not is not the issue. Kendra’s forcing me.”
“Right. I, uh, sorry about that. Authors can be quite forceful people. Regardless, you’re here now, and like I said, I do have some questions for you.”
“Well, get on with it.”
Before I start, I try to break the ice by grabbing her favorite drink out of my backpack.
“Want any hot chocolate?”
“Yes, thanks. I haven’t had it in a long while.”
I had a feeling she’d say that.
“But it isn’t a bribe, right? To get me to say things that Kendra wants me to?”
I snort.
“No, of course not. I know you like hot chocolate, and so do I, so I figured we should make this as pleasant as possible.”
I pour the mix into the two mugs of hot water, and try to continue with my questions.
I clear my throat and glance down at my clipboard.
“I happen to know that you have many athletic hobbies and your family and best friends do too. What do you consider your strong suit?”
Her answer doesn’t hesitate.
“Fencing, closely followed by Tae Kwon Do.”
“Talented girl,” I say to her. Clara shrugs again. It’s not like she hasn’t practiced her whole life.
“Do you have any aspirations or life goals?”
“To compete in the Olympics. Probably in fencing.” Her answers are confident. This girl knows what she wants.
“Well, I’m sure you will,” I reply. “Go for the gold, sister.”
I ask her another question, hoping she’s not getting bored.
“According to the Myers-Briggs personality test, what kind of personality do you have?”
Clara stirs her hot chocolate, and looks into my eyes to answer.
“Kendra says I’m ENFP, which is the same thing she is, so I don’t know how I feel about that one.”
“Ah, a free spirit. Lionhearted girl. That’ll come in handy, you know.”
I bite my lip, not knowing how she’s going to respond to my next questions.
“I know of course that you are much too young to be married, but what will you be looking for (or not looking for) in a future husband?”
Clara blinks, and then answers quickly.
“My mom and I have discussed this one. He has to be able to cook. That I know for certain.”
I barely hold back an impish smirk.
“That makes sense. I like to think myself a chef, but I burn tea water. I guess we all have our gifts.”
“You burn tea water?” She asks me.
“I…okay, it happened once. Apparently science and cooking just don’t like me.”
“And I thought I was a terrible cook.”
We both laugh, then after a moment, I clear my throat for the next question.
I take a sip of my own hot chocolate before asking the next question.
“What is your opinion on romance?”
She looks at me thoughtfully, like she already prepared to answer this.
“I have nothing at all against it, as long as it’s between MATURE adults. Honestly, I am looking forward to one day falling in love and getting married, though finding a guy who measures up to my dad might be a problem. My parents have set a good example for me. I intend to follow it.”
I like her answer. Sounds like something I would say.
“Maturity is quite important. I’m sure it’ll be the right time when you finally do marry, for we both know that Alphego (God) knows best.”
“I hope so,” she replies.
“Tell us about what it feels like to be the Water Princess, with all that insane responsibility of holding the weight of an entire country on your shoulders.”
Clara sarcastically flickers her eyebrows.
“Like there’s an elephant sitting on me. The sword they gave me is cool, though.”
I grin. “Hey, swords are always a plus. Elephants are heavy.”
By this time, our hot chocolates are almost gone. I tell her that I’m close to being finished with my questions, and she looks relieved. I don’t think I’m annoying her, but who likes being interrogated by someone who could be your twin? Or anyone, for that matter.
I flip over the sheet on my clipboard to ask her the last two questions.
“What is the most difficult difference to get used to between the world of Rizkaland and our world?”
“The way they talk. I mean, the colors and the food are easy to accept, but it’s almost like learning a new language. They don’t like the letter c, and they have words that we don’t.”
“I know, right?” I passionately respond. “Rizkan spelling and speech is confusing. I was mispronouncing a bunch of your friends’ names and names of places until Kendra told me the right way to, and I never doubted my reading skills more in my life. I guess you just have to live with the differences.”
Clara nods in agreement, and I can tell she’s trying not to laugh at me. Still, she keeps her composure quite well.
“And now for the last question,” I tell her.
“What feelings do you have toward your author, seeing that she puts you through so much in this book?”
Taking one last sip of her hot chocolate, I can hear Clara laugh quietly. She puts down her drink at meets my gaze.
“I’d answer your question, but my mother taught me to be polite, so I think I’d better not. There is some resentment involved, however.”
I knew she’d say something like that. I try not to laugh, but I fail.
“That’s okay. Most characters don’t like their authors, because like I said, authors can be quite forceful people. Though, you can always do things and surprise Kendra once in a while. Have fun.”
“Oh, you know I will.”
And I’m sure of it.
“Thanks for meeting me here, Clara. I enjoyed getting to know you better.”
“Glad I could answer your questions.”
“I guess you didn’t really get to know me, though,” I say to her.
“We’ll have to meet for hot chocolate another time. But I should go now. Have fun reading Alice, Amanda. See ya.”
“Goodbye, Water Princess.”
As she walks out, I smile. I hope I’ll get to meet with her again soon.
***
Free Books! Currently, the following books by Kendra E. Ardnek are free:
I will spare you the details, but let’s just say things are different around here at the moment.
And it’s not easy. I’m easily overwhelmed, and it’s hard at times. Lots of times.
Through all of this, I’m realizing more and more that God is faithful.
In the easy times, and in the hard times, God does not change. He does not leave. He does not forget us. He does not forsake us. He does not revoke His promises. His grace still stands. He never stops loving us. He still protects us, even when it seems like our world is crushing us. He is still with us…even when we can’t feel Him.
Psalm 91 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. And it’s such an encouragement. You all know how much I love words and imagery.
Please do read all of it when you get a chance (it is really beautiful) but here are just the first two verses.
Psalm 91:1-2
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.’”
I always have to remind myself that God is my refuge, and He is faithful when I am faithless.
2 Timothy 2:13
“if we are faithless, he remains faithful—
for he cannot deny himself.”
Psalm 36:5
“Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.”
Deuteronomy 7:9
“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations[.]”
Even though life is really rough, God keeps His promises about never leaving or forsaking us. It still stands true that God comforts us.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
I know this post is short today. But know this.
Whatever you are going through today, God will be with you. He is faithful, and His promises still stand.
And lastly, one of my favorite verses.
Isaiah 43:2
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
I’m really tired…so I’m not going to say much more. Please know that God is for you and not against you, and that He wants to work good out through your situation.
Trust. The key to everything.
Don’t forget to trust Him who formed you, created the stars, and know every thought you’ll have even before you think it.
When the Lady Dragon does come,
Hold fast, do not fear, do not run.
Your Water Princess will fight,
Fire Prince will set all to right.
Each shall come from a Fall,
Their union will save you all.
Despite the fact that she’s on track for competing in the Olympics, and he’s practically raised his younger brothers since they lost their mom in a car accident, Clara Mandras and Andrew Stevenson are pretty much normal teens. They have normal hopes, normal dreams, and they live in a normal world.
All this is torn away from them when they are thrust into another world and declared Water Princess and Fire Prince. With no experience ruling a country, meeting each other for the first time, and being expected to fight the Lady Dragon – an evil sorceress plaguing the world of Rizkaland – Clara and Andrew are underprepared and inexperienced. Unless they learn to work together despite their standing opposition, Rizkaland’s hope will be lost.
What is to come will change their lives forever.
If you know anything about me in real life, you’ll know how much I don’t like picking up a new book.
“What if I hate it and decide never to read another book again? What if I’ve lost faith in all books because this one is horrendous?”
It’s pathetic, and I should really try to kick that preconceived notion. But I haven’t yet.
I almost always start a book extremely skeptical. I didn’t like fantasy before March of this year, mind you.
I hadn’t read much Young Adult fiction until I started at fourteen last November. I expected all Christian fiction to be preachy and shallow.
I’ve always loved books…but indie books made me skeptical. If everyone thinks themselves an author, of course those books won’t be good. Right?
(No. Just…No. Sorry, Clara, but indies can be great too.)
Anyway, in March, Kendra invited me to participate in the cover reveal for her book. I was like, “Sure, why not? Kendra is sweet and she probably writes well by all the good reviews I’ve read on Goodreads.”
On her website, I signed up for the reveal, but I also signed up to beta read.
I read the then-description, and decided it intrigued me a little. (This was when the placeholder description was the only description, so I didn’t know what exactly to expect.)
I’d never done anything ever remotely close to beta-ing before.
So this was new for me, and I’m not sure how helpful I actually was. But I did it.
I picked up the book with low expectations…and I was blown away.
My jaw is sore from it smacking the floor so many times.
I fell in love.
My Review: FIVE HUMONGOUS STARS
A lot of times, I mistakenly write a review on a book and end up using it as an outlet for fangirling. The problem with this is, that 95% of my blog readers have either never read the book, never heard of the book, or aren’t interested in it.
So let me try to explain before I freak out and make it known that I’ve been waiting for this release for months and gushing every chance I get, parading around my sapphire ring, spiced pomella cider, shortness, and gymnastics skillz.
Water Princess, Fire Prince centers around two teenagers, Clara Mandras and Andrew Stevenson. In a whirlwind of events, those two end up in another world called Rizkaland, in the country of Klarand. A prophecy is thrown upon them stating firstly that Clara and Andrew will fight the Lady Dragon, for she has been tormenting the people of Klarand, turning them to ice, and melting them. An unescapable fate. And the second part of the prophecy? Their union will be the key to the country’s salvation. Did I mention that Andrew is declared the Fire Prince and Clara the Water Princess?
Problem is, Andrew and Clara are meeting for the first time, and they don’t want to be united. Not at sixteen. And Andrew can’t exactly fight. He could probably whack someone in the head with a frying pan, but that’s about it. Clara’s attitude is highly uncooperative, and that’s putting it kindly.
How in Rizkaland is it all going to work out?
Water Princess, Fire Prince tugged ever so strongly at the strings of my heart. The message is clear, strong, and inspiring, and I related to it so much. I identified with Clara. (I’ve heard that most people did not. However, she’s a lot like me when it comes to interests, looks, and personality.) I became her, and I fell in love with Andrew. (Is that a problem?) I laughed, I cried, I squealed, and I glared right back at Clara in her glaring moments.
The dialogue is witty, hilarious, deep, and I felt at some points as though I would say the exact same things. I felt everything along with Clara and Andrew, and even Amber at some points. Because you’re inside Clara and Andrew’s heads (at different times) throughout the book, you see the rationalization of actions and motives behind choices. It’s so wonderful because it’s so real. IT IS JUST SO REAL.
The worldbuilding was magical. Literally magical. It was like a whole new Narnia, and absolutely amazing. DID I MENTION THE PART ABOUT IT BEING SO REAL?
Every part melted my heart. The faith aspect is so deep, and theologically accurate, but never preachy.
It’s so amazing, and I can’t say enough good things about it.
The romance aspect was done ever so well, and very tastefully. No insta-love here. (That’s one of my top pet peeves in today’s mainstream novels.) Water Princess, Fire Prince demonstrated that love is something to fight for, and not something that is anything even remotely close to easy. It’s one of the sweetest love stories I’ve ever read. It’s raw. It’s real. It’s heartbreaking and tear-jerking, and also something you’re cheering for and fangirling over the entire time.
The dynamics of the entire story are absolutely perfect. I can’t talk enough about it.
I’ve been squealing to my family and friends about it since April when I read it. I wasn’t a prior Kendra E. Ardnek fan, but I did know her a little bit from Goodreads and other online author-y book-y read-y things. So I went into it somewhat unbiased and definitely skeptical. I didn’t expect to dislike it per se, I just had no idea how much I’d fall in love with it.
But I did.
And I’m speechless.
If you like Young Adult fiction, read it.
If you like fantasy, read it.
If you like plain ol’ fiction, read it.
If you like to read any kind of literature at all, read it.
If you don’t even like to read, read it anyway.
Go ahead and buy it.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll want it in the paperback format to read, and hug, and sniff, and cry tears onto, and caress the pages of.
Yes, it’s that good, and every person I have talked to has gushed over it.
Trust me, you’ll want to read it.
I received an e-ARC and beta copy from the author for review, and all opinions are mine. Like, seriously, I loved this book so much. Thanks, Kendra. I’m going to go PURCHASE the paperback now.
Author Bio:
Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairy tales and twisting them in new and exciting ways. She’s been practicing her skills on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years, “Finish your story, Kendra”, is frequently heard at family gatherings. Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children’s tales that also glorify God and His Word. You can read more about her on her blog, knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com.
Want to see the list of other blogs participating in the tour this week? Check it out here.
Also, come back on Thursday for an awesome interview I got to do with Clara.
Clichés drive me crazy. Especially those Christian ones.
(Sorry, that was an abrupt beginning.)
There are a lot of cliché phrases that go around in Christian circles, especially ones that take the place of solid theology.
There’s a way of thinking that goes around, even from pastors(!). It goes something like this.
“God fell in love with His people, and so He sent His Son to die for us!”
So, God fell in love with you?
“Fell in love”?
When I think of falling in love, I think of romance with out someone’s own consent; a relationship that “just happened;” a love formed of SURPRISE! emotions, and basically the first half of Taylor Swift songs.
So when I think of God falling in love with us, I think of an emotion. An impulse. Something that had to do with our performance.
But right here in the Bible, we know that we are horrible, sinful, wretched sinners.
And it was then that Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
That blows my mind, and shows me something amazing.
Love is a choice.
God did not fall in love with us, He chose to love us.
1 John 4:19
“We love because he first loved us.”
I know, this is such a simple concept. But it’s really important to note.
Because once we realize that God’s love for us is a conscious choice, it makes it so much sweeter. Nothing we could ever do could make us deserve God’s love. That is just so incredibly amazing to me, that He chose to love us, at our absolute darkest.
When I understand His love, I want to show that love to others. I want to inhale His grace and exhale His forgiveness! I want to be so full of Him, that when I tip, love pours out.
Even when tough things come along, I know that God’s love is stronger than everything. He didn’t have to love me. I did not deserve it in the least.
I’m a broken and utterly flawed human being. I deserve eternal punishment. But God had mercy on me, and extended grace to me.
I find that to be the most awe-inspiring and mind-blowing thing ever.
I’m caught between wanting to fall to my knees and worship and wanting to run to my roof and scream that Jesus saves. I will write until the whole world hears…
JESUS CAME TO SAVE YOU! REGARDLESS OF YOUR PAST, PRESENT, OR FUTURE! FORGETTING YOUR REPUTATION, THE MISTAKES YOU’VE MADE, AND WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW.
JESUS WILL SAVE YOU, JUST ACCEPT IT! BELIEVE AND RECEIVE.
And there’s my little speech.
God didn’t fall in love with us, He chose to love us.
Even though we’ve turned our backs on Him, His love still stands.
Even though we can’t repay Him, His grace still extends to us.
He does not want to see anyone perish.
2 Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairy tales and twisting them in new and exciting ways. She’s been practicing her skills on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years, “Finish your story, Kendra”, is frequently heard at family gatherings. Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children’s tales that also glorify God and His Word. You can read more about her on her blog, 
Scattered Journal Pages 