The Edge of Over There by Shawn Smucker

Back Cover:  Before the Tree of Life, everything in Abra Miller's life had been predictable. Safe. Normal. But after the Tree, everything has felt fragile.... like holding a soap bubble in the palm of her hand. After years of fruitless searching for the next Tree, she begins to wonder if it was nothing more than a vivid dream.

Now sixteen, Abra finds a clue to the whereabouts of the next Tree of Life when an ominous woman - who looks exactly like a ghost from her past - compels her to travel to New Orleans where she'll find on of seven gateways between this world and Over There. But she's not the only one interested in finding the gateway. There's also a young man searching for his father and sister, who escaped through it years before. As Abra enters the Edge of Over There and begins her pursuit of the Tree once more, she doesn't know whom to fear or whom to trust.

Review:  I was asked by a friend how I would describe this book (second in a series), and after a pause to think I answered that it was a hybrid of Narnia and a touch of Frank Peretti. This book was exciting and extremely creative. With both books of this series, I started them and couldn't put them down. As far as time line goes, "The Edge of Over There" starts off about 50 years after where "The Day Angel's Fell" left off. I would recommend reading them in order, but both books are an entertaining and satisfying read on their own.

"The Edge of Over There" is a riveting tale that explores the possibilities of how angels, demons and humans may interact in the blurry places between heaven, hell, and earth. This is definitely a work of fantasy, but it borrows from enough Biblical ideas that it makes you wonder what could be possible... and that hint of possibility is what makes tingles of excitement zip up and down your spine. I would not by any means say that these books have a shred of actual truth in them, but the over-arcing theme surrounding the Tree of Life and the heavenly battle between good and evil is very intriguing and thoroughly entertaining.

There are some darker images and themes to these books that might frighten younger readers, so I would advise parents to wait to give these books to a child. I would probably recommend about ages 15 and up. This is certainly a young adult work that an adult would thoroughly enjoy as well.

The back cover does a great job of summing up what the story is about without giving anything away, so I won't rehash that here. However, I will add that this is a very entertaining and refreshing story.

Thank-you to Graf Martin Communications and Baker Publishing House for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.