review of The Silent Gift

Woah. This book is one of, if not THE most spell-binding book I think I have ever read. It is dark and intense and yet expresses such tender love between a mother and her child that you just read on and read on and hope nothing comes along that would tear you away from the story. I'd put The Silent Gift on the level with The Thirteenth Tale. It is that gripping and haunting in its presentation. The plus side of The Silent Gift is that it leaves some parts of "the dark side" to the imagination whereas Setterfield was a bit more graphic in her story telling.

I really don't want to risk any spoilers and this is a good book to spoil so I'm going to tread lightly. As you may be aware, Michael Landon, Jr. and Cindy Kelley have co-written film scripts together, including for the Love Comes Softly films. This time, the two came together to write a book which deals with human heartache, the gift of prophesy and spiritual warfare. Furthermore, they tell their story through the eyes of a devoted mother which tugs at the heartstrings in an almost physically painful way. Can a young boy who cannot communicate with the world around him, offer people insight into their own lives? That is the question most repeated throughout this book with plenty of hardship, aches and struggles attached.

The book is set in the 1930's, throughout the Great Depression in America. It opens with an absolutely spell-binding scene which sucks you in and refuses to let you go. I don't think I've ever been more on the edge of my seat in the opening paragraphs of a book in my lifetime. I've been delighted, amused and made thoughtful by books, but nothing like what I experienced with The Silent Gift. Simply put, this book is an experience and there's not much else to say.

I feel like this "review" is being reduced to a "woah man, this is like so cool" but I'm petrified of telling you TOO much! The histories of the main characters are slowly unfolded to keep you guessing and give you just enough for the moment you are in and nothing more. The twists and turns were not predictable for me because I was so engrossed with what was happening at any given point in time that I didn't have spare brain cells to think ahead. That's saying something for the storytelling abilities of Landon, Jr. and Kelley right there!

If you did enjoy The Thirteenth Tale then make time to read The Silent Gift. I hardly think you'll regret it!

Thank you, Bethany House, for offering me a chance to engage with this book. It was a true delight and I'm grateful.

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If you would like to read my interview with authors Michael Landon, Jr. and Cindy Kelley, follow the link!

*** This post was originally posted as a giveaway but the contest is now closed.