About the Book
Book: Windward Shore
Author: Sharon Hinck
Genre: Christian epic fantasy
Release date: May 11, 2020
The island world of Meriel faces an old adversary and a new danger. Will the reformed Order die before it has a chance to blossom?
Storm clouds loom on the horizon as Carya and Brantley struggle to overcome wounds of the past and build a future together. The fragile new Order is on shaky ground, with too few dancers and sparse resources. Then trouble erupts—and now an insidious rebellion and a new foe threaten their entire world.
When she uncovers an old enemy behind all the destruction, Carya realizes the past is not done with her. With conflict tearing apart the dancers and villages, rimmers are soon overrun, and Carya must unite her people by leading the battle to protect the very heart of her world … or lose it all.
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My Review:
In an effort to avoid the unknown of the new islands, Carya and the Order decide to move their world away. Unfortunately, Carya is kidnapped by one of the raiders before the Order has a chance to do anything. I just felt so bad because Carya's life has been a series of captures and hope to find her way home. The gal can NOT catch a break.
And then there's Brantley. He's always on a mission to save someone, and it seems Carya is constantly returning the favor. The one sure thing with them though, is that you can always feel their devotion to each other. I love that even though they've known each other a while, they're still getting to know each other.
I love how the author brings to life the islands and people who inhabit them. It's easy to visualize the setting and why the people are doing what they're doing. She brings this mythical world to life in my mind and I can just image everything going on there.
What I enjoy most is how she uses the story to draw the characters, and essentially us, to God. Through Carya, we can see how when we try to do things on our own, with our own strength, we can be taking away what God has planned. Through the people of the islands we can see what happens when people are lost and fighting amongst each other. The chaos covers any chance of knowing about the Maker. God is so faithful in showing his grace and mercy to not only Carya, but to Brantley, and the islanders.
I would've liked a more personal confrontation between Carya and Salter River in the story at some point. It would've been interesting to hear what her thoughts were and for Carya to give her the opportunity to hear the gift of salvation again.
Other than that, I really enjoyed the conclusion to this series. I'm sad that it's over because I have thoroughly enjoyed this new world!
About the Author
Award-winning author Sharon Hinck writes “stories for the hero in all of us”—stories about ordinary women on extraordinary faith journeys. Known for their authenticity, emotional range, and spiritual depth, her novels include the groundbreaking The Sword of Lyric fantasy series and the imaginative new The Dancing Realms series, which began with the Christy Award–winning Hidden Current and was followed by Forsaken Island. Sharon’s writing has also been honored with three Carol Awards. For this latest series, she drew on her experience as a ballet teacher, dancer, and choreographer.
More from Sharon
Windward Shore is the final book in the Dancing Realms trilogy. In the earlier books, Carya and Brantley have already faced down a corrupt Order, a world that has forgotten truth, and a whole new island that has sold its soul. Yet in this new story, old enemies return—at the worst possible time. Confronting the past becomes a vital part of protecting their future.
We all face trials in life, seasons that are more challenging than we expected, opportunities to deepen our faith as we lean into God, times that test our courage. But I’ve found that sometimes the most difficult problems are those that I think I’ve already beaten—and then they rise up again. I drew from that experience to shape the new battles in Windward Shore.
Q: In the Dancing Realms series, the Maker has given dancers a special gift to serve their world. Why did you choose dance as a means for bringing provision or protection?
A: I was a dancer and choreographer for many years before becoming a writer. Dance is a means of communicating with the whole being—heart, mind, and body. So dance became a beautiful way for Carya to connect with her Maker and serve her world.
Q: What other interests shaped the series?
A: I’ve been studying cults and how people become trapped in lies, and more importantly, how they find freedom. So that concept helped me create the various traps that characters faced in all three books.
Q: What is a key theme in Windward Shore?
A: Although I write “Stories for the hero in all of us,” I recognize that we can’t always be the hero—at least not in our power. Our determination alone isn’t enough. Our Maker calls us to dependence on Him, and often He asks us to lean on others as well. That’s a key challenge that Carya faces in Windward Shore.
Blog Stops
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 29
Worthy2Read, May 29
Texas Book-aholic, May 30
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 31
Mia Reads, May 31
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 1
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 2
Woven by Words, June 2
Inklings and notions, June 3
For Him and My Family, June 4
Blogging With Carol, June 4
deb’s Book Review, June 5
For the Love of Literature, June 6
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 6
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, June 7
Locks, Hooks and Books, June 8
Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 9
Simple Harvest Reads, June 9 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 10
Through the Fire Blogs, June 11
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Sharon is giving away the grand prize package of the first two books of the series in hardcover (personalized and autographed), along with a bookbag, several bookmarks (enough to give to friends) and an autographed bookplate to put in their copy of Windward Shore!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/10ca3/windward-shore-celebration-tour-giveaway
3 comments:
excellent review
Thanks so much for such a thorough and indepth review! I'm so delighted by your affection for Carya and Brantley and their growing relationship (as well as their relationships with the Maker). And TOTALLY fair point about needing more confrontation between River and Carya. Believe it or not, at first there was even less. It had to to with geographic logistics, but I really struggled to get the villain "onstage" more. I wish I had figured out at least one more scene between them. Thanks so much for spreading the news about Windward Shore's release. It's so fun visiting your blog!
Mimi, Thank you for sharing your excellent review! This series sounds like one not to miss.
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