Book Review #9 - Cloak of the Light

Thoughts:

*cackles wildly*

Alas, dear readers, your precious host still remains trapped the clutches of yours truly, Raya Lee. Therefore, I have another chance to ruin her blog by posting about my favorite books instead of hers. Because this is most certainly a book that she has never read but tis fine, as I at least had the decency to ask her permission first before storming her blog about a book she has yet to read.

Now, Cloak of the Light by Chuck Black is literally part of my favorite book series of all time. Favorite. Ever. I religiously read the whole series roughly every 3-6 months, sometimes more frequently. Yes, it belongs to a three-part series, called Wars of the Realm. The first book immediately captured my interest; from the very first five words, I was hooked. Being a cross between Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi, Mystery and Romance, there’s always something new to learn.

Author: Chuck Black

Genre: Action/Adventure, Fiction, Science Fiction, Mystery, Romance

Series: I’ll repeat it, this is part of a three-book series!

Time period: Modern day

Setting: All over the place, but all in America… varies between North Carolina, Kansas, Michigan, and Chicago.

Summary: 

"Drew is caught in a world of light—just inches away from the dark.

What if… there was a world beyond our vision, a world just fingertips beyond our reach? What if… our world wasn’t beyond their influence?

Tragedy and heartache seem to be waiting for Drew Carter at every turn, but college offers him a chance to start over—until an accident during a physics experiment leaves him blind and his genius friend, Benjamin Berg, missing.

As his sight miraculously returns, Drew discovers that the accident has heightened his neuron activity, giving him skills and sight beyond the normal man. When he begins to observe fierce invaders that no one else can see, he questions his own sanity, and so do others. But is he insane or do the invaders truly exist?

With help from Sydney Carlyle, a mysterious girl who offers encouragement through her faith, Drew searches for answers and for his missing friend, Ben, who seems to hold the key to unlocking this mystery. As the dark invaders close in, will he find the truth in time?"

(summary is from the back of the book)

Main Characters: 

Drew Carter— ~12-21 (at intro—end of book)

Benjamin Berg— ~16-21 (at intro—end of book)

Sydney Carlyle— ~16-22 (at intro—end of book)

Writing Style: 

Written from third person, almost always from Drew’s POV, but occasionally switches to a different POV. The writing style is one of the hooks for me. I love Chuck Black’s writing style (I’ve read and loved literally every single one of the fictional books he has ever published) because he always leaves you turning the page for more. He uses colorful descriptions while also keeping a great balance of dialogue, so as to not leave the reader bored with too much description. The main characters and side characters alike are incredibly developed; you even can picture characters mentioned in only one scene.

Plot development: 

Drew… he’s had an extremely rough life. The first line is “His dad was gone. Forever.” You’re immediately thrust into Drew’s life, and every single obstacle he faces afterwards becomes your own. Just when things are looking good and you think you have Drew’s life figured out, another obstacle punches him (and you) in the gut. Even still, it’s not frustrating to read like it could be, but rather intriguing to see how Drew will overcome the obstacle thrown at him.

Theme of the book: 

Fight for others so they don’t have to; one person can change the world.

Spiritual content: 

Well considering this series is based on spiritual warfare… it’s got just about as much spiritual content as it can get. Mentions and descriptions of angels, demons, atheism, praying, Christianity and the Bible, and other religions.

Warnings: 

deaths of a few minor characters; use of guns and knives; graphic descriptions of fighting, gangs, ill intent to harm others, and very evil forces; running from and lying government authorities; fatal car accident; school shooting; invaders possessing humans; belief in aliens; paranoia and other minor mental illnesses; probably one or two more that I have forgotten.

Age rating: 

12+ for reading level, 13+ for certain content

Preteens:

Young teens:

Older teens:

Personal rating:

This post was written by Raya Lee. Snowboarder. Artist. Infinite lover of Sour Patch Kids.