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    The Christmas Magazine

    The Christmas Magazine

    Lifestyle and Magazines & Newspapers

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    The Christmas Magazine is the No 1 magazine for a fabulous Christmas. Cook stress-free festive...

I am going to be honest with you, I did not expect this to be a book I would love or dislike. I thought it would be a presentation of facts, something clinical or sterile. Something that was there for knowledge sake, not really for enjoyment. But wow, was I ever blown away when I started reading through this book. I ended up Loving it. I learned so much from Teri Secrest and her expertise in this area.

    The first thing I noticed, was Teri Secrest’s love for her family. It is readily apparent throughout the whole book. She shares many examples of times that her family has used essential oils in their intended purpose with great success, even in the face of great odds. Personally, it was cool to read about the different healing properties that essential oils provide. It encouraged me to try new things, and research more about essential oils to know if the ones I am currently using are actually “pure” or if they are artificial scents.  

     Second, Teri Secrest has taken the time to research everything about essential oils, from the process of making the oils, preserving the oils, and the Biblical implications of the different oils. She has pursued the knowledge of essential oils for most of her life, she has sought that knowledge from others who have made it their lives work to keep essential oils alive for generations to come. Teri has also extensively traveled to places where essential oils are grown and preserved. Her love of that essential oils readily shows in her portrayal of the importance of essentials in our daily lives; based on the biblical use of essential oils.

    Third, I loved how this book read as more of a story. Teri Secrest walked me through the Bible (highlights, stories, and Biblical references) of different times where essential oils were used and the purposes in using them. I think my favorite was the story of King Solomon. However, there are over 500 different references to essential oils in the Bible! I had no idea that essential oils were so extensively mentioned in the Bible. Interwoven throughout these Biblical stories is Teri Secrest’s personal journey with learning to use different essential oils.

Overall, I was wonderfully surprised by this well laid out storyline that read like a novel (almost), with colorful pictures, descriptions, and the recipes for different essential oil uses. I truly think that this was a great book to grow my understanding of essential oils and how they relate to the Bible and our overall health. I am looking forward to trying some of the ideas that Teri Secrest mentioned.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars for the creative storytelling Teri Secrest used to weave in multiple facts, Biblical wisdom, and personal stories to create an informative and enjoyable book. As well as the assembly of Biblical facts explained in an easy to understand way and the vivid descriptions of the different oils used in the Bible. I truly cannot recommend a book more.

*As a side note I usually include a disclaimer saying I was given this book in exchange for my honest review, which I was. However, I have also purchased a copy for myself and two additional copies as Christmas gifts, as I believe people will really enjoy and learn from this book.
  
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    Neo Travel Your Mind

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    This app takes you on a personal, poetic, and immersive voyage to approach this ancient practice of...

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    Turn your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch into a 1950s-era vintage photobooth with Pocketbooth: the...

A Court of Frost and Starlight: Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Frost and Starlight: Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas | 2018 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
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Feels like a Christmas special
The war is over but the aftermath is just starting. With everyone needing to heal and Winter Solstice around the corner, everyone is busy rebuilding their cities and trying to get past all the brutality the war wrought on the people. Feyre and her family are trying to help everyone while also trying to overcome her hat they went through. Buying each other gifts and giving each other support is one of the biggest ways Feyre is helping make the world a better place. Feyre even learns that creating has helped her through some tough times and tries to plan to help others with their tough times. Nothing like Winter Solstice to help bring people together and help them move past the awful things they had to endure.


Review

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas is like a Christmas special in the middle of a television show. There isn’t any dark and cruel things happening. It was a nice reprieve from the story line, showing how much we all need our friends and families after going through such dark and trying times. It is the shortest of the series this far, but it is also the most touching. Not because anyone is declaring their love or doing cute things, but because of the lessons or ideals behind what is going on.

I will say that even though I’m not into what I deem as filler, it was a nice turn of events. Since every book before this was jam packed with action suspense and strategic planning, seeing our main characters do something like supporting one another, trying to heal and find ways to make the world more peaceful, was nice. I really enjoyed Feyre’s parts as each chapter seemed to focus on one character or another. Not because she is my favorite and I loved seeing her grow as a person, but because she is keeping her promise on making the world a better place. In a way they all are in their own ways but Feyre definitely did something she has not only promised to do, but something that will in turn make their world a more beautiful place to live.

There wasn’t a lot of conflict in A Court of Frost and Starlight, but what can one expect in this particular book. Because it was a Christmas Special in a way, it was very docile compared to what it could have been. Romance did seem to be an underlying concept as I would only assume after everything they went through, but to me it left me not really wanting to continue the series. And not just because I don’t have the last book. The reason I say this is because I felt it wrapped up the series.

What I mean by that is that even in the parts that had me wanting more, just to gather information, I was still left feeling content with it at the end. It just felt right to leave it like that. With all this being said, I would rate this novel three out of five stars. It was good but not my cup of tea so to speak. I tend to not care about books without conflict. It seems the world is going to be better just from this book and in my opinion was a great way to end a series.
  
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Princess of Thorns
Stacey Jay | 2014
8
6.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Princess of Thorns is a not-so-classic retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story. The main character is actually the daughter of the cursed princess, who awoke from a kiss. Her name is Aurora, like the Disney movie's princess and her mother's name is Rose. In the french version of the tale, Sleeping Beauty's daughter is named Aurore. I believe that her mother's is the shortened form of Briar Rose, like German version of her tale by the Brother's Grimm. If you are familiar with the Grimm and Perrault versions of the tale, not only the Disney one, then you will notice many similarities. In a few versions of the tale, there is an evil step-mother or mother-in-law who attempts to eat the leading lady's children.

The author makes use of these characters and plots in her novel. She chooses to include the ill-fated mother, brother and sister, as well as the villainous step-mother. Although that familial tie is not explicitly stated, the King was the children's father and he married the ogre. Thus, she would be their step-mother. And you thought you had a dysfunctional family?

In true fairytale fashion, there are ogres, witches, fairies, and ruffians. Not all are portrayed as you would expect. The ogres have evolved, or perhaps devolved depending upon who you ask. In the early years, the ogres were monstrous creatures that devoured souls whole. They did not control themselves, but feasted on the entire soul leaving nothing behind. As time went on, they were forced to change and limit how much they took. After a time, the ogres began to become smaller and take on much more human-like appearances. Their food source never changed and they prided themselves upon each soul they took, marking their bare skulls.

The Fae seem human, although they possess extra-human traits and magic. One may not think of fairies and immediately imagine a human-like creature with great dexterity, skill in battle, and a lack of guilt -but the Fair Folk are shown this way in the novel. A fairy can bestow a gift upon a human child, like beauty, courage, eloquence, obedience, or strength. But each blessing comes with a curse, as the magic always finds a way to turn the gift into a burden. There are untold consequences to the blessings that cannot be avoided. As such, the fairies stopped giving their gifts to human children.

As with most fairytales, there is an element of romance. The love story blossoms under unusual circumstances and not without its share of problems. The two characters get to know each other throughout the journey, but their are many secrets left untold. As they are discovered, the relationship is altered for good or bad. And in the end, a choice must be made.

Most importantly, the novel isn't entirely predictable (although the budding romance was expected). Generally, you expect good to triumph over evil in most modern retellings of the story - unlike their Grimm counterparts. The plot's climax was frankly a little anti-climactic, but enjoyable non-the-less.

I think the author showed an average amount of character development, although I usually think more would be incredibly beneficial. Certain aspects of the world were explained, but not vividly enough. The "show-don't-tell" method could have been employed here to create a richer, more immersive world. Overall, I was pleased with the author's lexicon, grammar, and spelling - which happens much less often than should reasonably be expected.

I would certainly read another novel by this author as I love stories based upon fairytales. If you read Alex Flinn, I would highly recommend this novel to you just keep in mind it is slightly darker. Readers of fantasy, romance, and the like will enjoy this book and should give it a chance. It seems to target the female demographic, but males should enjoy it as well.