{"id":6157,"date":"2009-02-16T16:43:30","date_gmt":"2009-02-16T22:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/2009\/02\/16\/cyndere_s_midnight_amdash_a_full_review\/"},"modified":"2009-02-16T16:43:30","modified_gmt":"2009-02-16T22:43:30","slug":"cyndere_s_midnight_amdash_a_full_review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/2009\/02\/16\/cyndere_s_midnight_amdash_a_full_review\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyndere&#8217;s Midnight &mdash; A Full Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"float:right; margin-bottom:10px; margin-left:10px\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/1400072530\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51NOG6m1dzL._DX300.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"Cyndere's Midnight By Jeffrey Overstreet\" title=\"Cyndere's Midnight By Jeffrey Overstreet\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Today is day one of the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.csffblogtour.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CSFF Blog Tour<\/a><\/strong>, and we are reviewing the EXCELLENT craftsmanship of <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/lookingcloser.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jeffrey Overstreet<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p>In particular, we are looking at his second novel, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/1400072530\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CYNDERE&#8217;S MIDNIGHT<\/a><\/strong>, the blue strand of the Auralia Thread.<\/p>\n<h3>The Cover<\/h3>\n<p><strong>To begin with, I really want you take a close look<\/strong> at the incredible cover of this book. <\/p>\n<p>Some books have great covers and poor writing.  Here, the artistry of the cover matches the quality of the authorship.  <\/p>\n<h3>The First Book<\/h3>\n<p>I reviewed the first book of this series, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Auralias-Colors-Auralia-Thread-1\/dp\/1400072522\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Auralia&#8217;s Colors<\/a><\/strong>, last year as part of the tour, and if you are not familiar with the series or that book, please take a look at these posts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/auralia_s_colors_a_review\">Auralia&#8217;s Colors &#8211; A Full Review<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/auralia_s_colors_of_villains_aamp_beastm\">Auralia&#8217;s Colors &#8211; Of Villains &amp; Beastmen<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Not only have these posts proved popular on my blog<\/strong>, but the first one is MY MOST POPULAR book review of all time&mdash;by almost double the number of hits than its nearest competitor! If that is any indication of the books popularity and sales, then Jeffrey is well on his way to making a permanent place for himself in the halls of great Christian fantasy authors.<\/p>\n<h2><em>(Click the following link to keep reading &mdash; there&#8217;s lots more below!)<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>The Plot<\/h3>\n<p>At first I thought this book would be a retelling of the Cinderella story, considering the title, but it turns out to be more of a Beauty and the Beast&mdash;although nothing like you&#8217;re grandmother&#8217;s version!  <\/p>\n<p>Not only does Jeffrey tell us this tale with fresh eyes, but he weaves it perfectly into his previous book and also sets up the next.<\/p>\n<p>Jordam is a man turned into a cursed beast by the liquid, addicting, Essence. He must somehow break free of his past, and his three ferocious brothers and find Auralia&#8217;s colors again.  These colors are the only thing that seems to awaken his conscience.<\/p>\n<p>And in the throes of his struggles he encounters Cyndere, the suicidal heiress to the Bel Amican throne. Together they must both find a way out of their nightmares and into the fresh light of Auralia&#8217;s colors and the life-giving water of a mysterious well.<\/p>\n<p>Secrets.  Betrayal.  Murder.  And the fate of House Abascar, House Bel Amica and the entire Expanse hangs in the balance.<\/p>\n<h3>Interested Audience<\/h3>\n<p>I think this book will DEFINITELY appeal to anyone who loves fantasy&mdash;not just Christians.  The spiritual themes are subtle enough that this would make a great gift for non-Christian friends (starting out, of course, with Auralia&#8217;s Colors). <\/p>\n<p>But even those who are not into &#8220;fantasy&#8221; books would also enjoy this.  Who hasn&#8217;t ready fairytales as a kid, or enjoyed a good Disney retelling?  These books will strike a chord with anyone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>One warning:<\/strong> the books are for mature teens on up due to some very minor adult content.<\/p>\n<h3>The Author<\/h3>\n<div style=\"float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-bottom:10px; margin-right:10px\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Jeffrey-Overstreet\/42902959\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\"  src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/imagejournal.org\/uploadedfiles\/content49f4b8598ad0f37b37c784177ac378e7.jpg?w=125\" alt=\"Jeffrey Overstreet\" title=\"Jeffrey Overstreet\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><strong>Jeffrey Overstreet<\/strong> lives in Shoreline, Washington with his wife, Anne. <\/p>\n<p>He is a contributing editor for Seattle Pacific University&#8217;s Response, posts perspectives on art and entertainment at <a href=\"http:\/\/LookingCloser.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LookingCloser.org<\/a>, and his reviews are published in <a href=\"http:\/\/ChristianityTodayMovies.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ChristianityTodayMovies.com<\/a> and Paste. <\/p>\n<p>His movie-going adventures are chronicled in his award-winning book, Through a Screen Darkly.<\/p>\n<h3>The Pluses<\/h3>\n<p>There is A LOT to like in this novel:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Great Characterization<\/strong> &#8211; not only were the characters believable, but sometimes they acted differently than I expected until I thought about it and realized how true they were to their circumstances.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Beautiful Descriptions<\/strong> &#8211; while not as many as in Auralia&#8217;s Colors due to the Jordam being one of the primary characters of the book, there are still enough of these threaded through brighten up your day.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Touching Scenes<\/strong> &#8211; Lets just say I teared up here and there through the book. Even laughed, especially at the plight of the Ale Boy! (my favorite character)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Original Plot<\/strong> &#8211; Everything feels new here, nothing cliche. Not only that, but you will likely not find another book that gets as effectively into the head of the &#8220;evil side&#8221; as this one does.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Bad Guys<\/strong> &#8211; Whereas the last book only hinted at them, here you are confronted fully with the evil that infects the Expanse.  Prepare to be horrified!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Spiritual Themes<\/strong> &#8211; You will begin to look deeply into your own heart as you see Jordam struggle with his addiction to the Essence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The Minuses<\/h3>\n<p>Really&mdash;there&#8217;s almost nothing here to complain about!  Well &#8230; maybe Ryllion&#8217;s motivations could have been a little stronger, but I guess Pretor Xa&#8217;s moon-spirits are just creepy enough to cover him there.<\/p>\n<p>If you like the beautiful descriptions, then you&#8217;ll like the first book better. If you like action more, then the second book will grab you. But both books have both, and the two really complement one another.<\/p>\n<h3>The Ale Boy<\/h3>\n<p>And how could I not write a bit about the Ale Boy!  Now known as Rescue because of his do-gooder job of saving the roaming remnant of the Expanse and bringing them to safety, he is absolutely wonderful to read about.<\/p>\n<p>Not only does he end up in one scrape after another, but he rides a vawn (a fast plant-eating lizard) named Rumpa.  If they ever make a movie out of these books, and I think they should, then Rumpa will be one of the stars of the show.<\/p>\n<h3>The FANTASTIC Elements<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, this book has enough strange creatures to make the Star Wars bar-scene look tame.  From bizarre bird like creatures, pig-snouted beastmen, cursed bulls, and the spider like Sopper Crone, you will be amazed, repulsed, and fascinated.<\/p>\n<p>Like I said above, if this book gets made into a movie, then the CGI guys will have their work cut out for them!<\/p>\n<h3>My Interview With Jeffrey Overstreet<\/h3>\n<p>If you haven&#8217;t already done so, please read <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/cyndere_s_midnight_amdash_an_interview_w\">my personal interview with Jeffrey Overstreet<\/a><\/strong> about his books, his writing, and his inspirations!<\/p>\n<h3>My Interview With Jordam, The Beastman<\/h3>\n<p>And for a &#8220;tongue in furry cheek&#8221; read, you can go to <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/cyndere_s_midnight_amdash_an_interview_w_1\">my interview with Jordam, The Beastman<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.csffblogtour.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/epictales.org\/images\/CSFF\/CSFF_Button_380.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"Christian Science Fiction &amp; Fantasy Blog Tour\" title=\"Christian Science Fiction &amp; Fantasy Blog Tour\" \/><\/a><\/center><br \/>\n<strong>Here are the other participants to the CSFF Blog Tour who are also reviewing Cyndere&#8217;s Midnight:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.christiansciencefiction.blogspot.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Brandon Barr<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.AdventuresInFiction.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Keanan Brand<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/bookshiddencorner.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Rachel Briard<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thebooknook08.blogspot.com \"> Melissa Carswell<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/invalslittleworld.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Valerie Comer<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.the160acrewoods.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Amy Cruson<\/a> <br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/csffblogtour.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> CSFF Blog Tour<\/a> <br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/word-up-studies.blogspot.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Stacey Dale<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.scificatholic.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> D. G. D. Davidson<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sjdeal.blogspot.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Shane Deal<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/scriptoriusrex.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Jeff Draper<\/a> <br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/projectinga.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> April Erwin<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/virtualbooktourdenet.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Karina Fabian<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/askandrea.adamsweb.us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Andrea Graham<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/anewnovelistsjourney.blogspot.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Todd Michael Greene<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/writingchristiannovels.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Katie Hart<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/fantasythyme.blogspot.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Timothy Hicks<\/a> <br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/tiredgarden.info\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Jason Isbell<\/a> <br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.spoiledfortheordinary.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Jason Joyner<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.struggleandemerge.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Kait<\/a>\n<\/td>\n<td>&nbsp;<\/td>\n<td>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/carolkeen.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Carol Keen<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/sparksoflava.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Magma<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/rebeccaluellamiller.wordpress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Rebecca LuElla Miller<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.questwriter.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Eve Nielsen<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/linalamont.blogspot.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Nissa<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/betterfiction.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Wade Ogletree<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.leastread.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> John W. Otte<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/otter.covblogs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> John Ottinger<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/ansric.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Steve Rice<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/prochristroetlibertate.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Crista Richey<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/thewritinglifeforme.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Alice M. Roelke<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Chawna Schroeder<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.jamessomers.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> James Somers<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.rachelstarrthomson.com\/inklings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Rachel Starr Thomson<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\"> Robert Treskillard<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/christiansf.blogspot.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Steve Trower<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/specfaith.ritersbloc.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Speculative Faith<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/frederation.wordpress.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Fred Warren<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.novelteen.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Jill Williamson<\/a>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Views: 55<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div style=\"float:right; margin-bottom:10px; margin-left:10px\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/1400072530\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51NOG6m1dzL._DX300.jpg?w=1200\" alt=\"Cyndere's Midnight By Jeffrey Overstreet\" title=\"Cyndere's Midnight By Jeffrey Overstreet\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Today is day one of the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.csffblogtour.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CSFF Blog Tour<\/a><\/strong>, and we are reviewing the EXCELLENT craftsmanship of <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/lookingcloser.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jeffrey Overstreet<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p>In particular, we are looking at his second novel, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/1400072530\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CYNDERE&#8217;S MIDNIGHT<\/a><\/strong>, the blue strand of the Auralia Thread.<\/p>\n<h3>The Cover<\/h3>\n<p><strong>To begin with, I really want you take a close look<\/strong> at the incredible cover of this book. <\/p>\n<p>Some books have great covers and poor writing.  Here, the artistry of the cover matches the quality of the authorship.  <\/p>\n<h3>The First Book<\/h3>\n<p>I reviewed the first book of this series, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Auralias-Colors-Auralia-Thread-1\/dp\/1400072522\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Auralia&#8217;s Colors<\/a><\/strong>, last year as part of the tour, and if you are not familiar with the series or that book, please take a look at these posts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/auralia_s_colors_a_review\">Auralia&#8217;s Colors &#8211; A Full Review<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/auralia_s_colors_of_villains_aamp_beastm\">Auralia&#8217;s Colors &#8211; Of Villains &amp; Beastmen<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Not only have these posts proved popular on my blog<\/strong>, but the first one is MY MOST POPULAR book review of all time&mdash;by almost double the number of hits than its nearest competitor! If that is any indication of the books popularity and sales, then Jeffrey is well on his way to making a permanent place for himself in the halls of great Christian fantasy authors.<\/p>\n<h2><em>(Click the following link to keep reading &mdash; there&#8217;s lots more below!)<\/em><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/2009\/02\/16\/cyndere_s_midnight_amdash_a_full_review\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Cyndere&#8217;s Midnight &mdash; A Full Review&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n<p>Views: 55<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6,2,3,53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books-authors","category-christian-sf-fantasy-blog-tour","category-fiction-tours","category-jeffrey-overstreet","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/51NOG6m1dzL._DX3006.jpg?fit=324%2C500","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p67v0M-1Bj","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.epictales.org\/treskillard\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}