The Return of Raechel the Reviewer

I recently sent in a DNA sample to be part of a genome project.  I will learn how much Neanderthal, Denisovan and other ancient people groups are in my ancestry.  Who knows?  Perhaps there will be some Viking genes!  My friend Raechel shares my interest in history and reading, and occasionally writes a book review for me.  I’m always delighted to receive one of Raechel’s reviews.

Raechel read God's Daughter By Heather Day Gilbert.

 “As soon as I received this book and opened its beginning pages, I knew I was going to love it. First of all, you should know, I’ve always loved the history involving Vikings. I find it so interesting. 

God’s Daughter is super well-written. It captivates you. I really liked how uniquely it was written, truly.

I loved Gudrid. Her character was very relatable for me right now. I love a character that you can understand what she is going through. Towards the end when she just felt tired from all the death (sorry for that spoiler!), I identified; I grieved. Because I understand her feelings of being so weary.

God always has me read books at the perfect time, and I think this was one of those. I’ve been tired and worn lately. There has been a lot going on. That allowed me to relate to Gudrid and reading this book has allowed me to also ‘grieve’ in my own way. When I finished it, I felt this deeper sadness in me, and I thought it was due to the book, but, I think more accurately, it is that the book just let all that surface in me.

Now, I don’t want you to think this is the most depressing book – because it is not! It is a very good book, and one I’ll keep close. Yes, it’s evident about the struggles involved, but that is partly what makes it such a good read. It’s a real book, not just a ‘fluffy’ one.

And there are happy parts in the book – I smiled many times during my time reading.
“God’s Daughter” is an excellent book. It’s enlightening to the time period, and teaches you more without you even realizing it.  It’s a rich book. The ages I would encourage to read this book would be from at least 16 years old and upward, only for some minor scenes of the pagan rituals and minor marriage references. Nothing huge at all, as it was all carefully written.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am eager for more in the series!  I would definitely recommend this book.”

I (Jan) have the last word: God’s Daughter is the first book in the “Vikings of the New World Saga,” published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.  The book is not available in Pioneerland Library System because libraries normally don’t purchase self-published books.  We often accept books that are donated by local authors who self-publish. Libraries usually have a policy that requires purchase of reviewed books. In fact, at one time we sent in order cards that included the location of the reviews we read. Now librarians face a dilemma, as more and more authors are publishing books through self- publishing services, often going immediately to digital format.   Since these books are usually not reviewed, librarians often are unaware of them or the books may not be up to the standards of traditionally published books.  A good editor is an author’s best friend.

God’s Daughter can be purchased at amazon.com in paperback or Kindle format, or at barnesandnoble.com, in paperback or Nook format, an example of how book publishing has changed and is continuing to evolve. Thanks, Raechel, for bringing this book to our attention.