Christian Fiction: A Review of Starflower

Starflower
by: Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Review by Nikole Hahn

Starflower is yet another novel from the Goldstone Wood Series filled with unique voices and humorous characters.

They say to create a great piece of writing you must read a variety of genres. Stengl inserts some Native American flavor into these stories as we hear about some of the characters from Veiled Rose and Moonblood like the boy who got lost on the Paths and Imeralda. We also learn more about Earin, the cat-man.

The story is less about Earin and more about Imeralda–also known as Starflower. Starflower is from the Hidden Lands where women literally do not have a voice. They use sign language to speak to each other and men view them as property. Earin finds Starflower in an enchanted sleep next to a magical river.

Earin is a cat and a man. He is a silly poet in love with Queen Bobos cousin, Gleamdren. Gleamdren is a shallow and vain girl who lets herself get kidnapped by Hri Sora, a dragon, who used to be Etalpali–a great queen whose hatred turned her into Dark Father’s daughter.

The Dark Father strips her of her dragon form and her wings. Hri stands in human form bearing the power of her dragon’s fire in a frail human body. Hri is mother to the Black Dogs–her neglected children who know only hate until Starflower.

The Black Dogs do Hri’s bidding and are known for dragging people to death’s dark waters. The lesson Stengl reveals between the Black Dogs and Starflower is how persistant love and courage can change someone who has only known hate and abuse.

Starflower succeeds where Earin fails in bringing Gleamdren to safety, but only after Starflower makes a bargain. Starflower must face the past she ran from in order to free her people from the bondage of a deviate faerie lord once married to Hri. Hri wants Amarok dead. Starflower is not alone. Earin accompanies her and faces the danger with Starflower. Overall, Stengl’s novel, Starflower is just as good as the rest of her novels in the Goldstone Wood series and I rated it five stars. There is a good reason why Stengl won the Christy Award twice.

Grab Starflower at Amazon

Eric Blehm: Fearless

FEARLESS by Eric Blehm
Review by Nikole Hahn


Fearless by Eric Blehm describes a real-life Rambo named Adam Brown. Adam, a Navy Seal Team Six member, was far more inspirational than Stallone’s character in the Rambo series. In this book, Eric shows us a man who fought demons on and off the battlefield. Unlike Rambo, this man knew God and from his very beginnings, Adam lived invincible.

Eric describes the stunts Adam executed, even as a child that could not do much more than crawl. His parents had to saw the legs off of his crib so Adam wouldn’t have far to fall. From climbing out of the crib, to launching himself off of the roof as a toddler, to jumping as a teenager from a speeding car over the 70 West Bridge 20 feet into the river, Adam felt no fear. Instead, he saw possibilities.

In fact, one of his coaches on the football team said this:

“That one little sophomore (Brown) taught our whole team more about character in a few minutes than any of us coaches could have in an entire season. He wasn’t going to be the big star lineman that his brother was, but what impressed me was this kid was not scared. He was determined that he was not going to let his size keep him from doing whatever he wanted to do.” (Pg. 22 and 23)

Some people seem touched by God—those remarkable spirits who don’t get to live into their old age. They are like that shooting star in the black sky, streaking through the night, capturing your attention, then its gone; and yet the experience, or in this instance, the influence, the impression stays with you forever. Adam Brown’s story felt just like that. What Adam never said with words he exemplified in action. That was until crack got into his system.

That demon, as his steadfast fiancée and eventually wife, Kelly, said was a voice that always called him back to the addiction. Desperate to escape that addiction, Adam got clean and joined the Navy; then, applied for the Seal team.

Adam’s Rambo performance, his loyalty, team work, and his belief in God influenced many team members. The man was well-loved by many far and wide. Kelly describes Adam as a thoughtful and dedicated father and husband. In spite of many long missions away from home, their marriage grew strong.

Eric Blehm brings Adam’s life alive, writing Adam’s story through massive interviews and well researched information, giving honor to Adam’s Seal mates who would later not survive another mission. Eric easily inducts your heart into the story. Adam, in every way, was a walking example of what it means to be a Christian. How he handled the ups and painful downs of his life left its mark on me.

Adam’s family, team mates, former team mates, acquaintances, and an entire community mourned his death. He died in battle in Pakistan. One life affected these people, and he didn’t write a word. He lived life passionately, imperfectly, and poured his soul into every day, making the most of the time God gave him here. Later, his team mates exacted revenge when they took out Osama Bin Laden.

God bless the military. I gave this book five stars.
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Find more reviews by Nikole Hahn on her blog Nikole Hahn's Journal