Have you read and enjoyed a CatholicTeenBooks novel? What did you like about it? Did you identify with one of the characters? Did the story theme speak to you? Did you enjoy the conflict, mystery, or something unique about the story?
Why not put your thoughts into words and help others find the story too! Send your book reviews to catholicteenfiction@yahoo.com and we just might share them on our blog!
Let’s see what 14-year-old reader Felicity Astfalk thinks about Antony Kolenc’s historical novel, The Fire of Eden:
The Fire of Eden by Antony Barone Kolenc is an intriguing, faith-filled mystery woven into a shadowy medieval English world. Amidst making a huge decision between living in Benedictine Harwood Abbey and the city of Lincoln, Xan accompanies his good friend Brother Andrew to Grenton Priory for his ordination. Xan hopes the trip will be especially good for his friend John, who was recently blinded. At Grenton Priory, Brother Andrew’s mother gives her son a precious gift: the fire of eden, a ruby so perfect that many have torn themselves apart with greed in its pursuit. When the ruby goes missing, Xan and John set out to find it. Did the suspicious Gilbert, Adela, Brother Bernard, or magician steal it?
The Fire of Eden is a wonderfully embroidered mystery that will keep you turning the pages right until its shocking revelation.
Antony Kolenc’s layered and relevant details will entice you to gobble up The Fire of Eden in no time. The author paints a shadowy world of creativity and unknowns. The suspected jewel thieves have such interesting characters, such as the magician with his lore, legend, and crystal-studded staff. All the characters’ stories are deeply intertwined. I was so drawn into them, that I didn’t suspect the elusive jewel thief right up until the culprit was revealed.
Not only is The Fire of Eden so interesting, but it is full of important and relevant information. First, it takes place in medieval England, so I learned a lot about what life was like then and even a bit about the political history of the time. Second, it is set mostly in and around Benedictine monasteries, and the information I learned about those holy monks was abundant. Third, the main character, Xan, struggles throughout the book to find and accept God’s will for him. This is a timeless lesson that all of us need to learn. I was grateful for the advice about this in the book. The unique design of Antony Kolenc’s world and characters along with his in-depth facts about medieval England make his third book a story you will not want to miss.
The Fire of Eden is for readers that love creativity, mystery, and God. Waste no time: this book is just waiting for you to pull it off the shelf!