The Magic Bone

Title: The Magic Bone
Author: Jennifer Derreth
Genre: True Story-Non Fiction
Source: Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 paws


Right before Jennifer Berreth learned that she was pregnant, she was visited by an angel. When she saw him, Jennifer was filled with the overwhelming feeling that everything was going to be OK. Her mother had seen the same angel before Jennifer's own birth. Her mother knew that it was her uncle Dick, still keeping watch over his family.  When Jennifer's son Ethan was diagnosed with cancer, Jennifer couldn't stop thinking about a visit from uncle Dick and another loved one and what they had promised. The following experiences proved to both Jennifer and Ethan the reality of angels and the lasting effects of the deepest, strongest love.

I haven't read a book that has touch me deeply as this one has.  Jennifer and Ethan's story is beautiful, heartfelt, and painfully real.  When you pick up this book, you will cry, it was hard to suppress the tears while I read their story at lunch at work.  Cancer is scary to hear for anyone, but when that person is a two year old child and you are his mom, it is devastating.  I cannot imagine the emotions Jennifer had to have felt in the years after his diagnosis, but her words express them beautifully, you find yourself praying and crying with her.  I honestly don't fully know what to say about this book other than how moving and inspirational it is.








Their story is one that needs to be told, it needs to be shared with others.  I recommend picking up this book.  It's a short tale, as Jennifer tells it beautifully and effectively.  There are honestly no words that would do this book justice other than to say it needs to be read and once you read it, you yourself will be changed.  You will find hope, and maybe a little bit more belief in guardian angels. 








This is probably my shortest review because I am left speechless. Pick it up today and read their story, share it with others.

Branded (Fallen Angels #1)

For the longest time, Jessica had nightmares.  Nightmares where she was being judged for other people's sins, and branded by the angels for those sins.  When she awakes, she finds the brand is still on her skin, burning.  She hides it from her friends and family who think she has gone crazy because of these nightmares.  Suddenly two men come into her life, each completely different, but both compelling and alluring.  Jessica cannot help but be drawn to both of them.  She will do anything to be with one of them even if it means telling him everything about her nightmares and the mark.  The other, draws her into a downward spiral towards her own judgement.  Her worst nightmare could very possibly come true.  Will she be able to find her way out of the judgement and into the arms of a man she loves?

Very interesting plot and idea, unsure if it was executed right.  First off the repetition gets a little boring, for example almost every chapter until the men show up (even a bit afterwards) Jessica goes grocery shopping for her shut in neighbor Sally.  It would have been nice to see Jessica do something else for Sally other than grocery shop.  She comes off as a self-centered person despite her seemingly good deeds towards Sally.  She gets angry with Emily because she can't tell her how she made the dreams stop even though Emily revealed her traumatic abuse (there is a lot of abuse happening in this book, was there nothing else for the characters to have experienced?)  There isn't much dialogue, but a lot of internal monologue from Jessica.  At points it gets annoying.  The male love interests are less than believable.  Do we really want our girls to think it is acceptable behavior for a man she barely knowns to barge in on her shower just to ask her to dinner?  Couldn't that have waited?  Not only does he barge in her shower, but he barges in all the time.  Doesn't he have any respect for her privacy even after she asks for it?

Everything in this story is over-exaggerated, over described.  Nothing was left to the readers imagination.  It gets boring quickly and a little difficult to finish.  There's nothing that is memorable about the book and falls flat, very flat.  Jessica's character doesn't have depth and is confusing to me.  She is shy and highly guarded, afraid to let anyone close to her, but quickly falls in love with a man she barely knows after only about 5 minutes of knowing him (think Anna falling in love with Hans).  It was very hard to accept their romantic interest in each other, it didn't feel real.  There were a lot of things that were hard to accept with this novel.  The end felt too rushed as if the author didn't know what else to do but end the novel quickly.

I am on the fence on whether or not I would recommend this novel  While I think there are people who would enjoy it better than I would, I don't want to recommend a book and have then thoroughly dislike it as much as I did.  Unfortunately the rating I would give this is low, a 2 out of 5.