Skizzer

Welcome to the Skizzer Blog Tour! Every so often I'll post book reviews of hot-off-the-press Christian fiction and non-fiction books. Sometimes I'll even throw in a giveaway for a copy of the reviewed book. Today is one of those days - details below!




ABOUT THE BOOK


After receiving news of her sister Becca's abrupt disappearance, Claire Trowling must piece together the shadowy remnants of a past she's long forgotten in order to find her. A cryptic note scrawled in Becca's handwriting leaves more questions than it answers. When a stack of mysterious letters bound by a rare necklace is found, Claire races to discover the secrets that hold her family captive. Suspenseful and full of intrigue, Skizzer takes you on a transcontinental hunt for answers, weaving seamlessly between the distant past of childhood and the urgency of the present.


"This debut novel from Kiesling is a quick and engaging read with plot revelations meted out skillfully enough to keep the pages turning.... [The book has] an adventurous story, a compelling protagonist and thoughtful musings on the real meaning of sisterhood." -Publishers Weekly.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A.J. (Angie) Kiesling grew up loving trees and words--trees because they formed the natural backdrop and playground for her childhood years in rural North Carolina, and words because they captivated her from as far back as she can remember. When she wasn't romping through the woods with her siblings, she might be found with her nose in a book--or lost among the shelves at the local library.

She has worked in the Christian publishing industry since 1985 as an author and editor. A former religion writer for Publishers Weekly and Religion BookLine e-newsletter, she frequently reported on spirituality trends and religion book publishing. Angie is the author of numerous books, including Skizzer (a novel, Revell), Where Have All the Good Men Gone? (Harvest House), Jaded: Hope for Believers Who Have Given Up on Church but Not on God (Revell), and Soul Deep: Prayers and Promises for Cultivating Inner Beauty (Barbour). She also ghostwrote Live Like a Jesus Freak (Albury), the popular follow-up to D.C. Talk's bestseller Jesus Freaks.

Beginning her career as a staff editor for Charisma magazine, she went on to cover industry news and book trends for the award-winning trade periodical Christian Retailing, followed by an editorial position on the startup website iBelieve.com. Over the years she has worked as an independent book editor and writer for some of the leading names in book publishing: Baker Publishing Group, Jossey-Bass, Thomas Nelson, Honor Books, Harvest House, Creation House, Barbour Publishing, and Xulon Press, among others. Today she heads up the editorial department at Xulon Press, a print-on-demand publisher based in Orlando.



Now for my thoughts on Skizzer:

I gladly recommend this book! It is full of suspense and mystery, leaving you with a new set of questions after each revelation.

Claire drops everything to search for her missing sister. As she digs up the past, old feelings surface and perspectives begin to change. Becca has always been a mystery to Claire and the quest to find Becca would reveal so much more than Claire could even imagine. Would things ever be the same between them?

I found myself saying, "I'll stop after this chapter." Then when that chapter ended I would say, "Ok, I'll stop after this next one." I finished the book in two days, which is amazing for me considering 1) I'm a slow reader (but I love reading) and 2) you know, 4 kids take up a little bit of my time. ;o)

Skizzer left me with just enough questions to keep me reading, but not so many that I was confused or frustrated. I did find myself having to flip back and forth to get the dates/timeline right in my head but I enjoyed the brief flashes of memories that both answered my questions and left me with more.



Buy the book here.

To find out more, visit A.J. Kiesling's website.




Want to win a free copy of Skizzer? Just leave a comment to this post and your name is automatically thrown into the hat to win. Depending on how many comments I get, I'll either randomly pick one, or I'll grab the child closest to me (who can say more than "Ma" and "ah-boo") and have them pick a number between one and two...or how many comments there are. I'll pick a winner on Saturday morning (May 31st). Unless I know you and already have it, be sure to leave an email address where I can notify you if you win. You don't have to have a blog to enter.


Also, check out other reviews in the Blog Tour for Skizzer here and see how you can win $40 to the restaurant of your choice!