Concerning & Potentially Concerning Content

In this section we will share a very detailed overview of concerning and potentially concerning content for Christian parents, like we always do, but please know up front this is a Christian title and has a lot that parents will love. Please take the time to read the “our thoughts” section to get the full picture of the book and author. It is pretty sweet and well handled, but Christian parents should know that the two main characters in this book, Vela and Linc, are very attracted to each other. In this story there are “Elementals” hidden among us with special powers. They also have a single other person on this earth that they are bonded towards and if and when they find that person everything in them draws them to them. This leads to a lot of dialogue around this and, once they find each other, on the ensuing relationship. Now since this is an unapologetically Christian title, the author attempts to weave this in very well, and we are told that it is God who gives two people this connection. We mention it here because it is very pervasive and a huge focus in this story so you will want to consider this for your particular reader (make sure to see more on this in the Our Thoughts section as well). The entertaining story that unfolds around Linc and Vela being bonded together is, as we mentioned, done well for nearly all of the book. We will list a few exceptions Christian parents may not like for their reader here: The biggest one we would say you have to clarify with your child if you let them read this comes a good bit into the story. Vela and Linc have been talking and moving forward with their relationship for quite some time. They are extremely into each other. Only then does Vela say (with no background that she had been thinking about this or wrestling with it) that she has an important question for Linc. She asks if he “believes in God”. When he says he does (with no other real details) she is very relieved and the story moves on. Now there are a lot of really great things related to our faith (see the next section) and so much to like about this one, but this is the one place where it falls short. We as Christians know there is a huge difference between someone “believing in God” and trusting Jesus and making them Lord of their life. Even more, we want our kids to make this the most important factor when finding someone to date and ultimately marry. Judging from the rest of the content we believe the author would fully agree with this and so we believe this was unintentional, but we wanted to mention it here so you could fill in the full picture. Great teaching moment. Very early in the book a character comments, “Did you know a hot guy started at school today… He’s like six feet of pure perfection”. Vela responds, “He could be a greek god and I wouldn’t notice one way or another”. Fortunately, there is very little of this type of talk as the book progresses on. In a list of signs that you have found your “intended” includes an "aphrodisiac-like scent”. We should also mention that eventually there is a decent bit of focus on kissing and professing their love to each other. It is of the lighter and more innocent kind, but Vela and Linc kiss pretty frequently once they start. The first kiss especially is described as producing incredible feelings (heightened by their bond) and is raved about. A few other notes: Linc makes a misguided statement you will probably want to use as a teaching moment for your reader. Early on he says, “You can’t really choose your friends though” (although almost immediately he adds “I’m careful when I choose my friends”). A character remarks, “She’s such a blonde”. A few comparisons between a character and a ghost. In frustration someone says, “they should be hanged”. The book “Twilight” is referenced and held in a pretty positive light (Vela’s favorite book). To a lesser extent Harry Potter as well (more about its huge impact on teen book publishing). Reference to Taylor Swift and her song “Love Story” as well as The Beatles, The Smiths and some “newer pop songs”. Related to coffee, Vela shares that she had “heard it was in college when students became addicted to that beautiful little bean, but she was a full-on addict as a teenager”. We are told Linc looks at Vela with “a wicked smile” (presented as a good thing) A friend suggests Vela date someone else to hide their relationship as a part of their safety. Linc hates the idea and refers to it as her “prostituting herself”. A dog is said to be behaving “like he was on steroids”. We also hear the term “like the hounds of hell”. The following terms are used: jerk, ghost, Hail Mary (used in sports related usage), crap on a cracker, crap One neat note: we will add a note whenever a book mentions “luck”, “being lucky”, etc. As you would imagine, this happens often. We were poised to do this here until we read where Vela makes the comment, “No, not lucky, Vela corrected herself, blessed. Her mom always reminded her luck had nothing to do with things, they’re blessings”. How refreshing is that!