Review: Shadow Hand
Shadow Hand by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I had a hard time with this one. I really do not like poetry or lyrical prose with little content. I realize that the reviews on this book are spectacular. Many young girls say it is life changing. But I do not understand why.
There’s no there here
I was expecting more from Bethany—solidly Christian allegory and edifying. Sad to say, those days seem to be gone. The vague hints at spiritual reality in this flowery book are absolutely dominated by the nasties and evil. Spiritual good and power are completely separated from the characters. The Lord is reduced to vague actions and puzzling references.
Now, I know that coming in on the sixth book of the series is problematic. However, if there were any virtue to this story it was all used up in the first five books. I found no pretext of a happily ever after. There was really no hope. There is no Paraclete, no rebirth, no comfort.
It’s a dark book—nearly depressing. The books in this series are commonly called lovely. I obviously do not agree.
2 stars and minimal Christian content
It doesn’t come close to recent works like The Staff & The Sword trilogy by Patrick W. Carr. It can’t even be compared to Legends of Astarkand by Krystine Kercher. Maybe it comes closer to Alice in Wonderland. Ms. Stengl has found an audience and I wish her well. I just wish she’d add some content to her fantasies. This was all flowery fluff with tinges of horror.
I got a review copy from Bethany