A Review: "The Prayer Box" by Lisa Wingate

"The Prayer Box" by Lisa Wingate tells the story of Tandi Reese who is escaping from her abusive husband. In an attempt to disappear, she heads to the tiny community of Fairhope on Hattaras Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. After finding her elderly landlady, Iola Anne Poole, deceased in her home, Tandi finds herself commissioned with the task of cleaning out Iola Anne's beautiful old Victorian home. In the midst of her cleaning, Tandi stumbles upon the first of many prayer boxes, each box containing prayers written by Iola Anne, starting from the time she was a young girl. Reading the prayers helps Tandi piece together fragments of Iola Anne's life and helps bring healing to her own troubled past and present.

This book was the second Lisa Wingate novel that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The main characters had great depth and I loved the slow transformation of Tandi throughout the story. Overall, it was a great story. Faith themes were more subtly woven through the story, which was a nice change from some other Christian fiction novels available. A discussion guide at the back of the book lends itself nicely for use in a book club.

(I’ve received this complimentary book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)

A Review: "What Once Was Lost" by Kim Vogel Sawyer

"What Once Was Lost" by Kim Vogel Sawyer shares the story of Christina Willems. After her father passes away, she assumes the directorship of a poor farm in Brambleville, Kansas. Fire strikes the poor farm one night, displacing the residents whom Christina has come to view as her family. While most residents are easy to find new placements for, the most challenging is Tommy, a young blind boy. He eventually is taken in by the mill owner, Levi Jonnson. The rest of the book details the challenges that ensue with rebuilding the poor farm, as well as the mystery surrounding why the farm house caught fire in the first place.

Overall, this was just an okay book. The characters felt a little two-dimensional; they didn't really come to life. The dialogue and interaction between the characters felt a bit stilted at times. The story was somewhat enjoyable, but definitely predictable. While there will be many who truly enjoy this book, I was not one of them. This won't be a repeat read for me.

(I’ve received this complimentary book from Waterbrook-Multnomah through the Blogging for Books program in exchange for a review. A positive review was not required and the views expressed in my review are strictly my own.)