It's my favorite day of the week: the day I get to share with you a brand new book I've read. For today's Book Review Wednesday, I'm thrilled to talk about a book I was given by renowned best-selling Australian author Luke Romyn (a swell chap, to say the least!).
Longing to confront such evil but not knowing how, Jake must embark upon a journey not only of destination, but of self-discovery. In his attempts to thwart a fallen angel, Jake must also come to grips with his own part in this almighty drama.
For above it all haunts the inheritance he alone must bear, a legacy which will save or doom all of mankind.
What a handsome devil!
The Legacy (Formerly titled Corpus Christi)
Haunted by the toxic memories of a torturous foster-father, Jacob Hope yearns to make a difference in a world gone awry, trying to accomplish some small scrap of good in an ocean of wrong. Tumbling through life with no true direction, Jake unwittingly reveals a nightmare. The gates of Hell have been unlocked, and something long imprisoned has broken loose from its shackles to roam free upon the Earth. It cannot be bargained with, it cannot be defeated, and it exists with only desolation in its heart....
Longing to confront such evil but not knowing how, Jake must embark upon a journey not only of destination, but of self-discovery. In his attempts to thwart a fallen angel, Jake must also come to grips with his own part in this almighty drama.
For above it all haunts the inheritance he alone must bear, a legacy which will save or doom all of mankind.
My Review: 5 Stars
From Chapter 1, I was intrigued by the premise of the book. It's all about a normal guy who finds out that (tiny spoiler alert!) he's the Christ reborn. Now, this may sound a bit sacrilegious, but understand this: he's not JESUS Christ reborn. "Christ" is used more as a title than as a last name (sort of like "King"), so it's more of a mantle or a legacy (hence the name) than the actual reincarnation of Christ. An original twist on the "Second Coming"--loved it! I didn't like the main character as much as I loved the supporting characters. The angelic players are about what you'd expect from "paragons of virtue", and the demons are sufficiently villainous. No, it's the human supporting characters that I liked best. In most "good vs. evil" books, there are a team of good people helping the main character defeat the villains. Instead, most of the supporting characters are neither good nor evil, but all firmly in the "grey moral" zone. A few of them are actually downright bastardy (such as the assassin Vain), and I loved it. I'm not going to spoil the ending, but I have to say that it came as a pleasant surprise. I was not expecting it, and that made me love the book all the more. The writing style had a few flaws (overheavy sentences, perhaps a bit too much introspection), but overall it was a great book. Best of all, I got a signed copy from the author himself! What a handsome devil!