Claudia Mair Burney

I liked the themes in this book of confronting our own internatlized racism, of exploring the spectrum of Christianity - from the extremes at the ends - fire and brimstone vs prosperity gospel - to the encompassing middle of sacrifice and Christ-like behavior or embracing the stranger. Finding yourself and your own community, even if that means walking away from your family and their values and teachings. Seeing one another, through our differences as parts of the body of Christ. Some of the stereotypes written on the page in this book are hard to hear. Sometimes the characters who are in love aren't even nice to each other. It shows their passion, but can be uncomfortable to read. We want our romances to be perfect. Zora and Nicky are far from perfect, but they keep trying. I didn't realize this was Christian when I picked it up. I thought it was just young adult romance, so it wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be. If you're comfortable reading Christian themes, including all the language and buzzwords around religion and all the talk of Jesus, then this is a good book. I don't know if interracial romance is becoming more common in Christian Fiction. I've never seen it. It's the whole reason I picked up this book because it isn't a theme I see very much anywhere, but I'm interested in these relationships, in how they develop and how two people in love can overcome not just their cultural differences and their upbringing, but also survive in a world that can be hostile to their love.… (mais)

Emme Vaughn is back and ready to kick some demon butt in the second installment of the Exorsistah series! In this book we see Emme grow a lot as a character. While searching for her mother, she is forced to face her demons (literally) and overcome new obstacles. Through new and old friends she becomes a more trusting person and slowly break down her barriers of shutting others out. Emme also gains and discovers newfound powers in order to defeat her enemies!

The action picks up from the first book as well. Readers will find themselves constantly entertained by the second novel as it is filled with more fight scenes, the supernatural powers intensify, and the drama comes within Emme’s life as she battles her inner emotions and fear.
… (mais)

So I got this book years ago as a present and I am just now getting to it. After reading it, I wished I had read it sooner. Sometimes reading paranormal/fantasy/YA fiction can get boring. Novels in these genres can blend together, and each book sounds the same. The thing that made "The Exorsistah" stands out amongst many previous reads was Burney's main character of the novel, Emme. Emme is our sassy and fierce narrator that has been through good and many bad times. Though she feels mostly burdened by her paranormal (seeing demons) abilities, she strives to keep positive and not let it put her down.

The things I enjoyed the most about this novel was the action scenes, Emme's (entire) character, the many comedic moments, and the overall plot of a teenager trying to not only find her place in the world, but to control and use her power (for the better good).
… (mais)