Book review: From the Dark to the Dawn by Alicia A. Willis

Book review: 

From the Dark to the Dawn by Alicia A. Willis 

The first thing I can say about this book is “WOW!!” I am not usually a big fan of historical fiction, but this work blows that idea out of the water, drastically so.

When first receiving From the Dark to the Dawn in the mail and noticing the size of the book—424 pages to be exact—I was hopeful, but kinda daunted by its size. Not that I do not like big books, truth of the matter is I LOVE bog books, but the fiction books I have read that are of substantial size (over 200 pages, and some smaller books even) usually take quite awhile to develop the plot and characters, plus the author adds much filler information that doesn't necessarily apply directly to the plot's direction. I was sorely wrong. From the Dark to the Dawn was written extremely well that it holds you attention from page one until the end. Even after finishing the book I was not ready for it to end (if you're reading this Alicia, I'm up for a sequel!). There was hardly (if any) any “down time” in which Alicia just wrote to take up space and time to add pages, the plot kept driving on to the end.

 From the Dark to the Dawn is a tale with such life-like characters you will not soon forget them. The individual and collective, interwoven stories of each of the characters are very well developed and crafted that by the end of the book you feel that you know each character personally. Some books take either way to long to develop their characters, others are too hasty. Neither was the case with Alicia. Rather she developed the characters at a great pace, which is a reason why you will feel that you know the characters after finishing—and while reading—the book. Along with amazingly well developed and planned out characters and plot, there are several themes throughout the book that I found fascinating, which also give the story such powerful meaning. If you could pick just one theme that summarises the book's entirety it would be forgiveness, but there are so many other themes carefully woven that adds such splendor and life to the tale.

 In summary, I greatly enjoyed From the Dark to the Dawn. Someday, Lord willing, I hope to adapt the book into a movie. I do, however, have a caution about the book (one in which the author informs people of): the book does contain talk of and few times of actual slave-master persecution as well as alluded to aspects of Raman depravity. However, Alicia did well at writing in such a way that does not “glory” on the brutality and sin (as some authors, even Christian authors, do) and yet she did not gloss over it. I thought she handled the “scenes” very well with great Christian integrity. With that in mind, I still highly recommend From the Dark to the Dawn by Alicia A. Willis.

I saw Jesus today, but I was too busy to notice

An incident this evening God used to smack me upside the head has gotten me thinking and praying. Throughout the years I have heard a fair share of modern Christian music—contemporary Christian music, or CCM—to know where about much of the tone lies. I notice a common theme within the songs of wanting to have a personal experience with God: to feel Him, to see Him, and other temporal feelings. While the notions of deepening our relationship with our Savior is not a bad thing, it does seem that these songs focus upon the temporal senses as affirmation. Little is it realised, but we see Jesus quite often, all around us. As was my case today, society pushes us to cram our schedules so full that we are constantly running to the next thing, which results in that we often fail to see Jesus (preaching to myself here). On this particularly unparticular Wednesday, I was making a quick stop at Walmart on my way home from work for mom. While in the store she called for me to pick up some items for supper. My mind was far away thinking on getting supper items home for those preparing it and on all I am needing to do for tomorrow's lunch meeting with the local Chamber of Commerce. It was not until several miles down the road did the sight fully dawn upon me and cause great heaviness upon my heart and soul. At the corner near one of Walmart's exits--the one I used--stood a young couple—the wife by a landscaping bush keeping an eye on a baby and the husband was forefront holding a sign asking for help of some kind. As mentioned, I was “too busy” to even read what the sign said. For the rest of my trip home I could not stop thinking about the young couple and several passages of scripture. Matthew 25 in which Jesus tell us how to see Him is the first one that flood my mind:

“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

The second passage is much of the book of James, primarily the portions talking about our works are to manifest our faith.

“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works”

(James 2:14-18).