Title: Risen
Written By: Angela Elwell Hunt
Genre: Biblical Fiction
Recommended Ages: 13 & up for sexual references (not blatant, just implied) and violence
Introduction:
I don’t read much Biblical Fiction because I often find the authors take too much liberty with what is in the Scriptures. I should also mention that I have not seen the movie this book is based on. After reading the author’s note, I am curious to see the movie just to find out how different it is.
Characters: .75/1
The characters were pretty good. There could have been a little more development of the characters. When one of them dies near the end, I honestly felt very little.
Dialogue: 1/1
The dialogue was good. It seemed to be historically and biblically accurate.
Plot/storyline: .5/1
About authors taking liberties with Biblical Fiction, this book did that. I know she was writing from the movie script, but inserting a Roman into so many of the ending scenes like that seemed, odd. I’m still not sure what I think about many of the plots and subplots in this book.
Overall writing quality: .25/1
I found it really hard to get into this book. I started it many times before I finally sat down and decided to just finish it so I could cross it off my to-read list. The writing was too slow in some parts and too fast in others. The scene where the person dies was written very unemotionally. There were parts where it was well-written as well and I did have a hard time putting the book down in those places. For the most part, though, I had a really hard time reading the book.
Un-put-down-ability: .5/1
As mentioned above, it was easy to put down. In the middle it became more interesting and I did enjoy learning some new things about the time period.
Conclusion: 3/5
I don’t like writing reviews about books I didn’t enjoy because I know it will be somewhat of a negative review. But I also know authors need reviews, even negative ones. This book was a mediocre book that I wouldn’t hesitate to either recommend or not recommend depending on who is asking. It would be a good book for people who like to read Biblical Fiction. Those who don’t for the reasons I stated above, though, I definitely don’t recommend it.
Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
Faith Blum 