historical-fiction

This lyrically beautiful novel explores rural Mississippi, masterfully demonstrating how the present and all its struggles never seem far from the brutal past that created them. The questions that this novel leaves about what hope and healing look like in the rural South are pertinent ones, and their delivery is somehow both searing and soothing, holding our feet to the fire while knowing it is what we need most. 9 / 10.

This story of espionage in the midst of the Cold War has the premise and cast to be phenomenal, but ends up as dull and bleak as the color tones the film is washed in. Unfortunately, as the fog clears and the secrets of the clandestine become known, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the truth wasn’t worth the intrigue. 4 / 10.

Set in Israel at the time of Jesus, The Bronze Bow follows the lives of several Jewish youths as Roman oppression bends and shapes their adulthood. When Jesus proclaims a victory and kingdom that has already been established instead of catalyzing a revolt against Rome, the characters and readers alike must grapple with what to do when Jesus does not fit their expectations. 8 / 10.