Hidden Current By Sharon Hinck

Hidden Current
by Sharon Hinck
Publisher: Enclave Publishing
ISBN:

The best book that wasn't released in 2019, but 2020, that I read was Sharon Hinck's new novel Hidden Current. Now, I don't tend to shoot myself in the foot, but I can guarantee you right now that I'm not going to do this book justice with my review. I've been trying to process it in my mind since I read it in December, and it just floored me! Thanks to Enclave Publishing for my review copy.


Summary:

The dancers of the Order direct their floating world of Meriel with their movement… but are they steering it toward destruction?

Calara spent her life learning dance patterns and seeking to become the perfect servant to her people. When she discovers the work of the Order is built on lies, she flees with a rough-edged herder, Brantley of Windswell. Pursued by soldiers, her journey through the suffering villages of the rim leads her to encounter a truth that sends ripples through her world—and through her soul.

As she seeks clues to her forgotten family, Calara discovers newfound courage in the face of danger, while her quest awakens a growing but forbidden affection for Brantley. Yet even his support can’t fully be trusted, since he’d rather destroy the Order than bring reform.

She is a lone woman facing opposition from rim villages and treachery from the all-powerful Order. Can she restore the dance to its true purpose and bring freedom and hope to her people?

My Review:

Hidden Current was beyond what I was expecting. Sharon Hinck has outdone herself with the beauty of this story. The story telling is exceptional. I mentioned to her that I felt her sharing images of her ballet days inadvertently prepared me for her book. I mean, I'm sure that was part of it, but it lent to preparing my mind for what was to come without me realizing it. I'm so thankful she put so much of her own experience into the story because it absolutely came through for me.

Ok, so let's get on with it, right?

Calara is such a compelling character. She's practiced and given 100% to becoming a dancer who will help spin her world. That all comes crashing down around her as she's come to the cusp of making the transition. You can feel how gut wrenching and life changing it is for her as well as those around her. There's such vivid detail put into the story you almost feel like a spectator.

Brantley is the hero you can get behind! Maybe because he's an inadvertent one. When we as readers learn why he's at the Order, we learn how dire things truly are! Isn't it amazing how things can fall apart AND come together at the same time? It's incredible to see how grace and mercy are able to be found even when evil is happening! It's such a reflection of God.

When I read speculative fiction, I oftentimes have a difficult time imagining the world about which I'm reading or what the civilization is like. Not with Hidden Current. With Hinck's writing I was able to imagine Meriel and it's inhabitants. Whether it was the people in the rim villages or those with the Order, the writing brought it all to life.

I'm SO glad this will be a series because it's an absolutely beautiful story! I can't recommend it enough.

About the Author:

Sharon writes "stories for the hero in all of us" - uplifting and entertaining novels about ordinary people called to extraordinary challenges.

She's won several Carol awards for both contemporary Christian fiction and fantasy, and was a Christy finalist for The Restorer - a genre-blending adventure of a soccer-mom in an alternate world.

She holds an M.A. in communication, and worked for many years in arts ministry. In her various roles over the years as wife, mom, grandmother, church worker, choreographer, and writer, and adjunct professor, she has loved learning how God's grace pours into our lives in the midst of our weakness.

When she isn’t wrestling with words, Sharon enjoys speaking to conferences, retreats, and church groups. She and her husband make their home in the mid-western United States.