The Edge of Over There by Shawn Smucker

This review is based on an Advance Reading Copy (ARC)
by Shawn Smucker

Book 2 of The Day the Angels Fell Book Series. 

I am very taken with this book, totally unexpected, vibrating with intensity, and a fascinating story. Even from the beginning you know this is going to be an interesting book. I get the feeling that had I read the previous book "The Day the Angels Fell," it would have amplified everything I read in this book. But perhaps this book was already amplified from the beginning. Not having read the previous book may not have clarified this one. All I know for sure is The Edge is what is important. I am in awe with what the author has portrayed with the characters and the landscape.

There is so much going on in this book. Family relations, heroic children, the ocean that takes you Over There, the Tree of Life, the realities and the possibilities. As mentioned, the book I am reviewing here is an Advance Reading Copy. I can't help but wonder at what may appear in the final version. I expect the characters will become full-grown, and many questions will be answered.

Hear Me, Feel Me by Ann Axisa

Love spans from life to the hereafter, hear her, feel her

I feel comforted having read this winsome story of a family who has suffered too many losses at once. A tale of 3 sisters who have lost their mother too soon, a marriage that failed too soon, a sister who left behind her 2 sisters too quickly, and a son with a father who doesn't know he is one. Now suspend your disbelief for a moment and relish in this imaginative story by Ann Axisa.

Bonnie is living in what she calls "halfway heaven," a place to learn and adjust, a place to watch over loved ones, and sometimes even interact with them. She is being mentored in this place that is neither here nor there by her spirit guide, Robert. Bonnie is able to communicate with her sister Laura, but not sister Mia, although before long she will feel her touch. She is seen and heard by her 3 year old son, not as unusual as one might think. She left so quickly she is confused and angry. She attends her own funeral and is amazed at the wonderful comments she hears. Over the next little while Bonnie pays a visit to Max, her son Sam's father. Max, totally taken unaware, is able to both hear and feel her. Bonnie has to learn if Max will take an active part in Sam's life. She has a plan.

This is a delightful story about a subject we all fear. Under Robert's tutelage she is granted a few moments to visit her mother in the spirit realm, partially to help her with her anger at being dead with no place to call home. I really enjoyed this very different book. It touches on several subjects with lightness and some levity. With no time frame given between Bonnie's death and the final outcome for all, it may seem that some things happen too quickly in relationships. But fear not, all is as it should be.