Thursday, May 31, 2012

7 Hours - Post 5 - Whole Pieces by Ronie Kendig



We're back to our series of reviews for the novellas in the 7 Hours series. Let's look at Ronie Kendig's Whole Pieces. Here's the summary:

After a brutal attack left him without a limb and his team dead, former Green Beret Haytham “Hawk” Wilson is angry at life and God. Bitter, he pushes everyone out of his life. Every day he relives his decision to send the Afghan boy home rather than following orders to kill any who came upon his hidden team. So when on his deathbed at age 36, eaten alive by grief and regret, he’s offered the chance to relive any seven hours, Hawk is determined to go back, kill the boy, and save his team. The decision is simple . . . until he gets there.

And now, my review:

I read this one in a single sitting because I couldn’t put it down. Ronie raises the tension until you’re frantically flipping screens to see what choices her character will make. 

She has drawn Hawk (the main character) so well—his regrets, his competence, his doubts, fears, and choices. You’ll feel almost personally invested in the outcome as you read. 

I liked her hinting that we aren’t always correct to believe our doubts. She included the theme of our choices affecting the world (not just us or those immediately around us), and how going back in time and choosing differently also affects the world, but she did it with a different twist (you’ll have to read to find out). 

She explored more of the concept of time, of being suspended in time, and of seeing alternate “strains” of time—very interesting. And I like how she softened a familiar character in the end. Readers of the series will see that as well.

Overall, her theme (and that of others in this series) is that God is sovereign over time. So what if we go back and try to fix something (if we could)? God decides the final outcome. 

Like with so many of the contributors to this series, I haven’t read any of Ronie’s earlier work. Now, I’ll have to. She’s onto something!  

Highly recommended.

   Learn more about this series and the individual books at www.7hoursbooks.com

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