About the Book
Book: Windward Shore
Author: Sharon Hinck
Genre: Christian epic fantasy
Release date: May 11, 2020
The island world of Meriel faces an old adversary and a new danger. Will the reformed Order die before it has a chance to blossom?
Storm clouds loom on the horizon as Carya and Brantley struggle to overcome wounds of the past and build a future together. The fragile new Order is on shaky ground, with too few dancers and sparse resources. Then trouble erupts—and now an insidious rebellion and a new foe threaten their entire world.
When she uncovers an old enemy behind all the destruction, Carya realizes the past is not done with her. With conflict tearing apart the dancers and villages, rimmers are soon overrun, and Carya must unite her people by leading the battle to protect the very heart of her world … or lose it all.
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About the Author
Award-winning author Sharon Hinck writes “stories for the hero in all of us”—stories about ordinary women on extraordinary faith journeys. Known for their authenticity, emotional range, and spiritual depth, her novels include the groundbreaking The Sword of Lyric fantasy series and the imaginative new The Dancing Realms series, which began with the Christy Award–winning Hidden Current and was followed by Forsaken Island. Sharon’s writing has also been honored with three Carol Awards. For this latest series, she drew on her experience as a ballet teacher, dancer, and choreographer.
More from Sharon
Windward Shore is the final book in the Dancing Realms trilogy. In the earlier books, Carya and Brantley have already faced down a corrupt Order, a world that has forgotten truth, and a whole new island that has sold its soul. Yet in this new story, old enemies return—at the worst possible time. Confronting the past becomes a vital part of protecting their future.
We all face trials in life, seasons that are more challenging than we expected, opportunities to deepen our faith as we lean into God, times that test our courage. But I’ve found that sometimes the most difficult problems are those that I think I’ve already beaten—and then they rise up again. I drew from that experience to shape the new battles in Windward Shore.
Q: In the Dancing Realms series, the Maker has given dancers a special gift to serve their world. Why did you choose dance as a means for bringing provision or protection?
A: I was a dancer and choreographer for many years before becoming a writer. Dance is a means of communicating with the whole being—heart, mind, and body. So dance became a beautiful way for Carya to connect with her Maker and serve her world.
Q: What other interests shaped the series?
A: I’ve been studying cults and how people become trapped in lies, and more importantly, how they find freedom. So that concept helped me create the various traps that characters faced in all three books.
Q: What is a key theme in Windward Shore?
A: Although I write “Stories for the hero in all of us,” I recognize that we can’t always be the hero—at least not in our power. Our determination alone isn’t enough. Our Maker calls us to dependence on Him, and often He asks us to lean on others as well. That’s a key challenge that Carya faces in Windward Shore.
MY REVIEW
Let me start by saying how descriptive the author is while writing this story. It is easy to visualize Carya and Brantley as they sweep across the pages. There is much depth to the story as I followed them to reach their mission. The Maker is very significant and Carya understood the lessons she was being taught. She likes to do things without thinking the plan through, but in this story she learns to listen and follow His guidance. I thought it was very intriguing to hear Carya say, “my only Lord is the Maker.” The Bible is very specific that there is only one God we should worship. Carya showed me how fierce she is by standing up to those who had kidnapped her.
Mixed with fantasy and truth is a story that stirs within us justice and freedom. The world is in chaos and an enemy that has not been heard from in awhile wants to take what is not theirs. It is a battle of epic proportions and danger lurking nearby. I liked the lessons about learning to trust, forgiveness and unconditional love. For me the best part was reading how much deeper a relationship Carya developed with the Maker.
Those looking for adventure in a fantasy world filled with dancers, sea creatures and danger will enjoy this story. The author has given us a great series and I’m sorry to see it end. I would recommend reading the first two books in the series as they introduce you to a world like no other.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
Blog Stops
Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 29
Worthy2Read, May 29
Texas Book-aholic, May 30
Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 31
Mia Reads, May 31
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 1
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 2
Woven by Words, June 2
Inklings and notions, June 3
For Him and My Family, June 4
Blogging With Carol, June 4
deb’s Book Review, June 5
For the Love of Literature, June 6
Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, June 6
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, June 7
Locks, Hooks and Books, June 8
Tell Tale Book Reviews, June 9
Simple Harvest Reads, June 9 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 10
Through the Fire Blogs, June 11
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Sharon is giving away the grand prize package of the first two books of the series in hardcover (personalized and autographed), along with a bookbag, several bookmarks (enough to give to friends) and an autographed bookplate to put in their copy of Windward Shore!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/10ca3/windward-shore-celebration-tour-giveaway
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on Windward Shore, Deana! It's so fun to visit your blog!
ReplyDeletelovely review
ReplyDeleteDeana, Thank you for sharing your excellent review! This series sounds like a must read.
ReplyDelete