Christian fiction

Relevant Fiction Reviews: Best YA Books of 2016

/ CAstfalk / 2 Comments

Relevant Fiction Reviews

As 2016 comes to a close, I’ve collected reviews of the best Young Adult (YA) fiction I’ve read over the past year. Some of these titles are Christian fiction, some secular, but all are “clean” and appropriate for teens. (And for the enjoyment of old fogeys like me too.)

I did not include The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer here only because that series isn’t in need of more visibility. It’s an excellent series that fans of Star Wars or classic fairy tales will particularly enjoy. Fast-paced and tightly-written, there’s enough adventure, humor, scifi, and romance to please almost any reader.

At the end of this post, you’ll find some other YA favorites of 2016, including other books written by the authors featured below. (I stuck with one book featured per author.)

If you’re looking for more great books for teens, sign up for the B4CT (Books for Catholic Teens) newsletter! Continue reading →

Relevant Fiction Reviews: Pastor’s Kids

/ CAstfalk / 4 Comments

Relevant Fiction Reviews

As a lifelong Catholic raised by lifelong Catholics, pastors’ families are something I have little familiarity with. Latin-rite Catholic priests with families are very few and far between. (But, yes, they do exist!) My inexperience did not diminish my enjoyment of these novels. Whether part of a pastor’s family or not, we all understand expectations, superficiality, and hypocrisy learned in myriad ways both inside of church and out.

It’s interesting to see how the themes and observations in these three books overlap despite three very different and distinct author voices. Continue reading →