It's time for another book series spotlight and series review!!! Back in March of 2021, I posted about the American Heiresses Series by Jen Turano. And in June 2020, I posted the Wings of Glory by Sarah Sundin book series spotlight. Today, I'll be sharing my reviews for the Waves of Freedom series by Sarah Sundin. Beware, it's a longggg post because I could seriously talk about these books for a long time!
Book one I read from start to finish: 2-21-21 to 3-16-21
Book two I read from start to finish: 3-23-21 to 3-25-21 (three days!)
Book three I read from start to finish: 4-6-21 to 5-22-21
The characters, the plot, the message, the mystery, etc!
First off, Mary is the sweetest. She’s so honest with herself and you can really feel her internal struggle with overcoming stage fright and prideful thoughts (even though she was extremely humble.) I love her passion for helping people and her drive to better her character by pushing through her fears. And deciding to be bold even when she wished to be invisible. (I learned so much through her character!)
Jim. Jim was pretty darn awesome. I’m usually pretty picky about guy MCs. But Jim was so different than a lot of characters you see in fiction. I loved learning about his background and how he decided to start following Gods lead instead of “floating” through life. (Also I liked how his priorities changed.) His character definitely grew. I didn’t care for how he let Quintessa fawn over him, but he was learning how to stick up for himself. I also loved his friendships along the way. I love it when MC have best friends (as both Mary and Jim did).
The plot was amazing! I was very intrigued as to who was sabotaging the Boston Navy Yard. The mystery was great and the climax had my hands sweating. I almost couldn’t stand the POV switch because right when something suspenseful happened, I’d get to switch to another character and a different suspenseful part of the book. The ending was sweet and kinda just perfect for what the story was leading up to in each character. (Jim finally made some waves. And Mary got over her fear of being in the spotlight—thanks Jim.)
There was a couple characters that I would have liked to know what happened to them... like Gloria. She played a part in the first, but then kinda left the scene once Arch and her broke up. I’d also have liked to hear more about Mitch Hadley as he was thrown in at the end. Or at least, I don’t remember him being mentioned until the end. Lastly, I really wanted to hear more of Mary’s backstory... I feel like the readers got more of Jim’s story than hers.
Yes, parts were sad. But I felt like it was realistic to the timeframe. Not everyone made it home to be with their families. I so appreciate the description. The details, and basically I just love the writing style!!
The message was totally relatable. Overcoming fear, mental blocks, “silly” reasons for anxiety, overconfidence, lack of confidence, peer pressure, leadership, pride, self esteem, it was all there! I love the ties of Nehemiah and the lessons learned.
I know it’s a good book when I get so excited about it that I can’t stop talking about it. It’s just plain brilliant, ‘Kay?
I’d totally recommend this book if you are looking for a heartfelt love story, fun characters, and a exciting mystery! Probably more for older readers but I guess it just depends on your maturity and comfort level.
But personally, I thought it was super sweet, extremely exciting, and now one of my favorites!! I can’t wait to read book two and three!
Can I just take a moment to say that if I'm reading a good book, I'll probably take a month to finish it. If I'm reading a great book, give me two weeks. But if it's AMAZING, the time it takes me to read it is a few days. In this case, 3 days!
First off, I love this series. The characters are so realistic, the mysteries so intriguing, and yeah, I just love getting excited about books like this!
Ok, now with the review.
Lilian Avery. She's a spunky pharmacist with a disability that leaves her with a chip on her shoulder. I love spunky characters, btw! She was so brave and I admired how she worked through her fear, her past, and her insecurities. I also liked how the anchor necklace her dad gave her reminded her that Jesus is the anchor and hope in the storm. This theme was woven throughout the rest of the book.
(Both books had Bible stories related to them and I love it when that happens in Christian fiction. Not preachy, but just so perfect for the story!)
Arch is Jim's best friend from book one. The readers get a different glimpse at his character. He's got a lot going on in his life and his role in the Navy has really affected him. I love how he always wanted to do the right thing. Even if that meant facing what he feared most. I don't want to spoil anything, but I wish that he and Jim would have made amends because I felt like I was left hanging. Hopefully book three will help clarify some of those loose ends.
The plot book didn't feel as intense as book one, but it definitely held my attention and I kept thinking, "just one more chapter." (I was able to piece together parts of the mystery, although one part surprised me). However, backstories felt more complicated. There was some hard topics covered, the author didn't shy away from difficult subjects of the timeframe.
I like the cast of character amount in book two better than book one. In book one, I had a harder time keeping track of everyone. But this book was easier to keep track of characters. I like how the MC's parents were involved in this book. <3
The half star I took off partly because towards the end of the book, there was a fight between MCs (come on, Arch... I thought you were done with "testing" your girlfriends. Is it just me or am I the only one who was actually glad that Jim punched him?!) that seemed out of character after all they'd been through together. One sketchy letter had him doubting everything. As well as some other minor stuff that bugged me. (The first half of the book was, for sure, a 5 star though!)
In the end, a AMAZING read and I'm so excited to read Dan's story next. Have I mentioned how much I like Sarah Sundin's writing style? Just, wow. It's a art and she has mastered it! I so appreciate the time put into researching and all the detail! I also love it when she adds movies and song titles to give these books such a old fashioned vibe!!
If you're looking for a book that grabs your attention and only lets go when you finish it, then I'd definitely recommend this book! (A slight sensitive content warning for younger readers...)
When Tides Turn
★★★★★
*steps on stage*
This. book. is. AMAZING! Mrs. Sundin has once again outdone herself! I keep telling my sisters after reading this series that if I could someday write a book that was half as brilliant as this series, then I would be fully content with my accomplishment. I hate picking favorites when it comes to books, but I can, without a doubt, say that this series is my FAVORITE historical fiction series!
*mic drop*
Now for the review...
When Tides Turn follows the story of Tess and Dan as they fight both internal and external currents on their way to seeing how God can "turn" the tides of their lives into something more than either of them could ever imagine. I love the mystery, the depth to the message, and the comradery of friendships. The characters were realistic and the romance was done so well! (They're love story was based off of friendship and also it went deeper than skin deep!! I say "Bravo" from someone who's picky about romance in fiction!) I so appreciate the attention to historical detail and I love learning new things as I read! I especially loved learning about the WAVES program for women!
Characters: Tess. I got to observe Quintessa from the two prior books in this series, but this was first time I actually got to see who "Tess" was. Based off of her previous relationships, I felt bad for her. But with that history, I could see more clearly why she was so dead set on being useful and not just a ornament. I admire that, and I loved watching her character grow into a genuine encourager who was not self-centered at all. She brought color and energy to the story. *squeals* her and Dan were so perfect for each other!
Dan. Oh, Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling *ahem* back to the real Danny in the book... Dan was so serious and dull at the first of the book. But then-- then a certain curly haired blonde brought some color into his overworked, mundane life! Two things I loved about Dan's character, his sketching hobby (sailboats!) and his integrity. He literally stopped himself from doing what he knew would bring him earthly happiness in his career and instead, did what was right and left the judging up to God. Similarly, in real life, God can turn what once seems like plans gone awry into some epic turning of tides! Just, yes, yes, yes! There needs to be more God honoring men in fiction (also Dan had his not so amazing moments which just showed how realistic his character was!) Also, I loved the message of rest that the reader gets when reading from Dan's POV.
I especially loved the glimpse into the other characters from other books! So good!
The mystery was really good. I was slightly confused here and there and I wouldn't say it as exciting as the first two books... but it still made for an exciting ending. One sad part of the book is the Cocoanut Grove Fire. I guess I need to brush up on my history because I was even more saddened when I saw that it was a real event.
Concluding thoughts: Just go read this series! You won't regret it! The history, the characters, the setting (!), the excitement, and the themes that can seriously be applied to real life. I'm so impressed with Sarah Sundin's writing style and I'm pretty sure my family and friends are tired of hearing me gab about this series!
Waves of Freedom Series
★★★★★
This series is my absolute favorite historical series EVER! XD I mean, you're talking to the girl who took her books to the lake to just get pictures of them with the water... that's how crazy I am about this series! When I first began this series, I had no idea I'd like it so much. I had no idea it would leave me with so many takeaways and lasting impressions. The characters are all so realistic and how they overcome their trials is written in the most brilliant Sarah Sundin fashion. I'm so glad I have physical copies of this series on my shelf!!
I love all of these pictures, Brooklyne! :) They're so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed reading your reviews!
Thankssss!! That was a fun evening when we drove down to the lake.
DeleteThis series is awesome tho! XD
AHH THESE PICTURES!! Also I really need to read these XD
ReplyDelete*heart eyes* I had get pictures by the lake! You should!
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