Divine

Product Information

I fell in love with the characters, and hope to learn even more about them in the following sequels.

Electa’s fate takes an unexpected turn when, against all the odds, she is Chosen to remain in her society for the rest of her life and to compete in Imperial Panore, a once in a generation event to find a wife for the future Emperor.Today the couple has joined the ranks of empty nesters, living in Tennessee near five of their adult children.

I will revisit them halfway through the year to see how I’m getting on with them and if there’s any I need to prioritise. I want to read about women supporting women, not one teenager saying that she’s ‘not other girls’ when literally every other female character is more likeable. Now that I've seen this aspect of my character all I want to do is fall down on my face and beg Jesus never to leave me.

Pick a quiet spot, make sure you have a large box of tissues, your Bible, and your Grandma's picture or phone number nearby. Full of fire, fury and devotion, Natalie Haynes brings the divine women of Olympia kicking and screaming into the modern age. For a debut novel, MJ has done an incredible job and I hope she feels nothing but pride for this book. In 2001 she and her husband, Don, adopted three boys from Haiti, doubling their family in a matter of months. Douglas Wolk from The New York Times described it as "a too rare example of artists getting top billing", referring to the artwork by Asaf and Tomer Hanuka.

The only comfort is there will be a sequel, though I’m not sure I am prepared for the trauma involved. This is about a brave woman (actually it follows the story of two women) who has lived through some horrific situations. Electa’s fate takes an unexpected turn when, against all the odds, she is Chosen to compete in Imperial Panore, a once in a generation event to find a wife for the future Emperor. Along the way, Shannon must indemnify for Rhiannon’s past bad behavior including her ill-treatment of Clanfintan, which allows both Shannon and Clanfintan to fall in love finally.

There are descriptions of women being beaten and abused by men, and, though the details are slight, or perhaps because the details are airbrushed, the descriptions reminded me a little too much of 50 Shades, and the thought occurred to me that the Christian women readers the book is addressed to might actually use such scenes as fantasy fodder.