The Restorer by Sharon Hinck

Though I finished this book the day after Christmas, my mind still lingers in Sharon Hinck’s created novel land. First, let me say I rarely read fantasy. So how did I end up with this book? Sharon was a presenter at the ACFW writer’s conference I attended this year. She led a session on keeping God first as a Christian author ("Habits of a Healthy Writer"). Her warm, open, generous and gracious reflection of God’s Holy Spirit so impacted me, I had to investigate her fiction. Her maturity in the Lord and her wisdom intrigued me. Enter…

THE RESTORER.

Here's the back cover copy:

Meet Susan, a housewife and soccer mom whose dreams stretch far beyond her ordinary world. While studying the book of Judges, Susan longs to be a modern-day Deborah, a prophet and leader who God used to deliver the ancient nation of Israel from destruction. Susan gets her wish for adventure when she stumbles through a portal into an alternate universe and encounters a nation locked in a fierce struggle for its survival. Now stranded in a strange culture filled with poisonous enemies, Susan must overcome tremendous odds to deliver a desperate people and restore hope to a world far from her own. Author Sharon Hinck presents a unique blend of fiction written with a woman's sensibility. Female readers will uncover a story of empowerment that encourages a personal pursuit of destiny.

Back to my review:

You know when you’re reading a novel and it’s so well-written that you see yourself in the story, becoming the character? That’s what this reading experience was for me. I became the Restorer, with all her flaws and human weakness. Her transformation, though, was marvelous.

Check out this blurb:
“In a fierce struggle for survival,
don’t mess with a mom.”

I love it! Sharon did a fantastic job incorporating the spiritual truths I cling to—that God’s Word is powerful and that God fights on behalf of His faithful followers. In her fanciful, created world, the People of the Verses thrived, so long as they clung to the One and His verses. But this simple command was as difficult for the People in her story as it was for the Israelites of the Old Testament. Yet, when they determinedly made their choice, the One came through for them. Sharon wisely depicted how negative thoughts can get into people's minds and rob them of peace, dragging them down into depression. Then, she gave the perfect antidote--the Verses. As a reader and a Christian mentor, I appreciated her pointing believers in the direction of the Word of the One to help them break free from the pull of evil, poisonous thoughts.

I highly recommend this first book in the Sword of Lyric series. I believe readers of Christian fiction in general, women's fiction, fantasy, or even allegorical fiction will enjoy this novel/series.

I look forward to her next two books (already released). She has gained another fan!

Note: this book released in 2007, along with the second in the series. Book Three released in 2008. The titles are: The Restorer; The Restorer's Son and The Restorer's Journey.