Illuminating Gracie
by Lisa C. Temple
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: July 10, 2013
ASIN: B00DVRJFR8
As an old woman's lifeless body lies on a cold stone floor, her soul stands before an angel who offers her a miraculous opportunity: the chance to do it all again. But that is easier said than done. In order to change the path her life has taken, she must put aside years of self-loathing and pain, so she can help the young girl she once was become the woman she should have been. At 17 years old, Grace Bennett is a bitter young woman. Though blessed with a loving family, looks and brains to spare, she hides her light under a bushel, spending most of her time in the darkness of her mind with little more than sarcasm and self-pity to keep her company. But things are about to change for Grace. While delivering
food for her family's bed and breakfast, she turns onto a desolate dirt road and drives straight into her destiny. It's on this isolated country lane that the damaged girl meets a strangely familiar old couple and two mysterious young men. Together the group fights the demons that surround Grace, and they teach her what it means to let her light shine. "Illuminating Gracie" is, at once, a metaphorical tale of the fight between good and evil and a spiritual saga of one girl's journey from darkness into the light. If you liked "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games," you will love the story of Gracie.
"A well-paced fantasy story of redemption and self-improvement." ~Kirkus Review (Sept. 1, 2013 Magazine)
"Just the right amount of love story to the action packed plot line left this book a perfectly balanced read." ~Maryann (Amazon “Top 1000” Reviewers)
"The story also contains little mysteries that keep you turning the pages, as gems of insight turn up along the way. It is a story of hope and redemption, and a beautiful request of each of us to let our light shine brightly." ~Kimberly Raadt Higgins (Amazon Review)
"On a personal level, I can relate to Grace in so many ways. As I read, a lot of memories and feelings from my teenage and young adult years have come flooding back, some a little painful, others fun and exciting, even hopeful. Yet it also has me contemplating where I am today as a middle-aged adult; am I who I thought I would be, who I want to be?" ~N.J. Collar (Amazon Review)
"The plot is masterfully drawn and keeps the reader guessing until the end. This book tells the story of the fight between good and evil in a young woman's life. It is brilliant in its use of humor and emotion to draw the reader into the characters." J. Pitts (Amazon and Goodreads)
My Thoughts:
This was very much a good vs evil fantasy novel where the main character is flawed and needs to work through her “inner demons” in order to become the person she truly is inside. The battle is a spiritual one fought between angels and demons. Gracie is a teenager with some serious psychological issues of low self-esteem, obsessive-compulsive disorder and probably some depression. She has few friends and feels deserted by her parents who have gone to live for a year to Kuwait so her father can work at a civilian assignment, leaving her to live with her brother and sister-in-law at the bed-and-breakfast that they run.
The book claims to be a Christian Young Adult Fiction book based on Matthew 5:16 “…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”, and the book does indeed convey that thought. However, in this book, the angels lie to Gracie “for her own good” but according to the Bible, lies are not condoned even in the Ten Commandments, so in my opinion, I would not classify this as a book of Christian fiction, but rather fantasy.
I thought that Grace was a fairly realistic character. I liked her because she was flawed. She had many of the same flaws that are common to many of us at one time or another – a lack of self-confidence, poor self-image, anxiety, low self-esteem. She also experienced some deeper psychological issues. Through Grace’s experiences with the angels and demons, she learns to rely on her heart and the strength within herself, allowing who she really is to shine forth. When she does, the beautiful person she really is can be seen, “It was if I’d spent my life being slightly out of focus and then, through some magical or divine intervention, my knobs were turned and my image sharpened and perfected.”
There were two parts to the prologue that at first didn’t make a lot of sense until I started reading the first couple of chapters into the book, when things started connecting together. The book moved along a quick pace and kept the reader guessing as to what might happen next. Being a fantasy novel, anything could happen from things appearing out of nowhere to beings being able to fly.
This was an interesting novel that could generate a lot of discussion about what would happen if you could do things over again. I gave it a rating of three stars.
Thank you to the author Lisa C. Temple for providing a free copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not required to provide a positive opinion. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:Author Lisa C. Temple On thirty-nine Senior scrolls, the Headmaster of author, Lisa C. Temple's, small, private school wrote "Good Luck and best wishes for a prosperous future!" On the fortieth and final scroll, which was Temple's, the Headmaster penned the words, "Lisa, I can't wait to see to what use you put your unusual talents!" Temple spent the next 30 years trying to assuage her former leader's curiosity - and her own. She sold BMWs in her hometown of Montgomery, Alabama, and hillbillies (as a booking agent) in Nashville, Tennessee. In an effort to escape the enforced servitude of the Junior League, she even attended and was graduated from law school and passed the Alabama State Bar exam in 2002. Through it all, she battled problems and illnesses, many of her own making. But, it wasn't until her father - her hero - was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), that Temple found her true calling - the "talent" that she finds joy in putting to use. "Illuminating Gracie," is loosely autobiographical and born from a desire to, if only, metaphorically right the wrongs of Temple's own past. It tells the story of a miserable old woman who is given the opportunity - by an angel - to go back in time and help the young girl she once was become the woman she should have been. "Illuminating Gracie," is the first book in a four-book series. The second book, "Instigating Gracie," is due for release in December 2013. Temple laughs when saying she has a loving and complicated husband she deserves, and a wonderful son and two loving stepchildren that she does not. She also shares her life with her beloved pets: Pomeranian, Phebe; Bordernese, Flash; and Tabby cat, MInx.
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