Saving Cicadas

Saving Cicadas by Nicole Seitz is the latest book I have read for Thomas Nelson book review bloggers (now booksneeze.com).

There are many things about Saving Cicadas that I loved. I have read a decent amount of Christian fiction, and after awhile, they can start to sound the same. This book broke from that mold. The characters were engaging, well developed, and thankfully not perfect! The drama between family members was believable. The voice of the book switched between Janie, an eight year old, and Mona, the grandmother. Sometimes that can be distracting, but in this case it actually helped deepen the story. I love when I can read a story and get caught up in the everyday details that are shared without feeling monotony. To me, everyday details make the story engaging, and I felt that way about this book.

Without spoiling the book, there were some theological issues with the book that I had a hard time getting over. Honestly, I think that has a lot to do with being a mother of a stillborn child (I don't know how to further explain without giving major plot twists away) so they may not bother everyone, but they took away from the message of the book for me. The author does have a disclaimer at the end of the book which does acknowledge the discrepancies, and I do admire how she took on controversial topics and I agree with the message she was trying to share. All and all, though I did not completely agree with the book I did love the author's style and will be checking out her other books.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”