The Gathering by Carolyn Twede Frank-YA Dystopian/Apocalyptic Christian Book Review and Enter Book Giveaway to Win a Copy of The Gathering!

 

Product Details

    Title: The Gathering

    Author: Carolyn Twede Frank

    Genre: YA Dystopic/Apocalyptic 

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B2PWXN5B
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (May 29, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 326 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8810846529

• ***I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own***

Book Summary

You'll  Know When It's Time To Leave...

Sam never asked for his freaky dreams—he wants to be a normal kid. So he ignores them. But when he dreams about an earthquake before a cataclysmic quake turns his life upside down, he fears there is more to his dreams than restless sleep. Homeless and orphaned now, his “crazy” grandmother finds him at his friend, Gabe’s house. She whisks him away to her place tucked in a mountain valley in the middle of nowhere, and tells Sam he has special gifts that their dystopic world needs.

Living alone with Grams in a huge house, helping her grow and preserve more food than they need, and having her talk about his gifts and the gathering that is soon to take place, he quickly has enough and wants to leave—even though he meets Leah, a girl who has dreams like his.

Phone coverage is restored and Sam reconnects with Gabe, who helps sneak Sam down to Salt Lake City so they can start high school together. Devastation scars the city and the government has grown even more tyrannical. When Gabe’s cousin is scheduled to die for nonconformity, Sam makes a plan using his gifts to break the cousin out of a Nazi-style prison. But where will they run?

Sam knows—to the mountains, to gather in places of safety prepared by God—through people like Grams and Leah. But will they be able to escape in time, before the government gains complete control over everything?

My Review

The Gathering starts with a normal boy, Sam, living a normal life in Utah. The only thing not normal about Sam is that he has very freaky dreams. He has lived by just ignoring those dreams. One day his dream about a terrible earthquake comes true and his life changes. This was really weird to read this as I live in the same area where this book takes place. We had an earthquake here in 2020. We know that someday a huge earthquake will happen like the one that takes place in the novel.

Sam's life changes in ways I didn't anticipate. He learns about his "special gift/s" from his grandmother. There are a lot of religious references in the book. Some of the things are the gift of healing, speaking to God, praying, and different churches. This book is about "The End of Times" and the things that have been prophesied in The Holy Bible. It also truly shows how with teens and adults we'll need to choose which side we want to be on, good or evil. There is a lot of angst where you do sit on pins and needles wondering what will happen to Sam and his friends and Grandma. This book would be a great book to read together as a family. I'm sure that you'd have some great discussions with your teens.

If you're looking for a great book for your teens to read or read together as a family, then The Gathering is a wonderful choice. The end will come someday and this novel gives us one look at what may come. 

Warning: There are some parts that show the earthquake happening & the aftermath but nothing graphic. It could be unsettling to younger children.

**** Meet Author Carolyn Twede Frank****

Carolyn Twede Frank's love of reading took her down the path of becoming an author, developing a soft spot in her heart for children’s fiction. Her early works were all written for young audiences. She has returned to children’s fiction with her previous series, Sprout, and now with The Gathering
When she is not writing, Carolyn loves to garden, remodel houses, and spend time with her grandchildren, and she is becoming somewhat of a prepper herself. She loves the color yellow, the smells of Mother Nature, and the sound of thunder. She dislikes shopping, social events, and milk chocolate. Yes, she realizes she’s unique.
Carolyn has more than a dozen novels to her name. You can view them all on her website: www.carolyntwedefrank.com

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Copy of "The Gathering"

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