Judge by R.J Larson

In the very recent past, I managed to read Prophet , the first in this series. And suddenly, I saw Judge, it's sequel on NetGalley. Well, I couldn't click the request button fast enough. Plus, I requested it from Bethany House just to be on the safe side(;

The book was as good as I expected. I couldn't put it down.

Judge revolves more around Kien, although Ela plays a significant role. Kien is getting to know the will of the Infinite, and is sent a bunch of different places whose names I can't remember. Meanwhile, Ela is sent to give judgement on Parne - her hometown.

I must say, this book has a lot more Biblical parallels than Prophet. Kien undergoes a experience that's way similar to Jonah. And the destruction of Parne is an awful lot like the destruction of Jerusalem. But it's not a rehash of the Bible, R. J Larson takes the familiar histories and turns it into something new. If you don't read the Bible much (in this case, start a daily plan now!), you might not even recognise the parallels.

But you will take back the messages of justice, mercy and repentence. Why does God destroy a city but spares another? Why destroy anything at all? Well, God hurts, He grieves at what his children are doing. And He is Justice, so he must destroy evil. But He is also Mercy, and he will forgive those who repent.

Of course, our favourite characters are back - Ela and Kien. They have much less interaction in this book, mostly because they're in different places, but they develop a lot more. And Jon and Bekah, characters that we met at the end of Prophet, are developed more fully. But, there is one sad piece of news. I won't say what, but it involves a character and bad things.

If you liked/loved Prophet, you'll love Judge.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from Bethany House via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.