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The Crimson Purpose
Deciding to leave town for college is one thing, but deciding to leave her family and boyfriend, Dan, is another story. Struggling to discern a balance between her new found resolve to follow God's leading for her life, and a long-instilled sense of responsibility to placate her controlling boyfriend, Casey must make a choice.
304 pages, Perfect Paperback
First published December 20, 2011
About the author
Kelly L. Ward
1 book1 followerCheck out my website! https://www.kellylward.com
I'm a newbie in the world of writing faith-based fiction, and I hope you'll give my first book a read, and let me know what you think! The Crimson Purpose is the first installment of a six-book series, and I can hardly wait to bring you the next in the series!
Thanks to the nearly five hundred readers who entered for a chance to win a free copy of my book, The Crimson Purpose! Congratulations to the five winners, and I hope you enjoy reading it! Blessings!!
God bless!
I'm a newbie in the world of writing faith-based fiction, and I hope you'll give my first book a read, and let me know what you think! The Crimson Purpose is the first installment of a six-book series, and I can hardly wait to bring you the next in the series!
Thanks to the nearly five hundred readers who entered for a chance to win a free copy of my book, The Crimson Purpose! Congratulations to the five winners, and I hope you enjoy reading it! Blessings!!
God bless!
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 4, 2014
I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads first reads.
As a believer and Christian myself I so wanted to love this book. Truthfully I did love the concept of the story. I loved the idea behind it and the teachings it sought for the reader to pick up. I did not, however, love the the execution of the plot, and to provide an honest review I feel like I have to talk about the issues I found in the writing.
First things first...I found the whole book entirely too "preachy". It was like reading a sermon rather than a fiction novel. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with preaching and were I planning on using this story as a lesson or study in a classroom setting, it would be perfect. I just wasn't looking for a Sunday School lesson in this book. I was hoping for a faith based fiction book that would inspire and touch my Christian heart without "preaching" to me.
Lets talk characters for a minute. I hated (well maybe not hated..it's such a strong word, so let's say strongly disliked) almost every single character in this book. While I loved how steadfast Casey is in her faith I absolutely hated how weak she is while realizing at the same time that so many girls are just like her and end up in abusive relationships that they are too frightened to pull away from and ultimately blame themselves for. I'll give the author a break when it comes to Casey because this weakness was necessary for the story. Casey's mom on the other hand just made me so angry I wanted to slap her! Who is really so blinded by their daughter's boyfriend's good looks that she can't see through them to see that he is bad for her? I mean maybe she should have dated Dan herself! She seemed to be too enamored by him to really care about her daughter's happiness. Then there's Casey's dad. He is such a sweet and caring father who wants only the best for his daughter. I really loved that about him, but it aggravated me to no end that he apparently did not communicate with his wife. What husband would not tell his wife the things he knew about his daughter's boyfriend? I just don't find it believable that he would simply allow her to believe Dan is this wonderful, sweet boy when it is so obvious to him that he is not! I could say more about the other characters, but I feel like I am starting to ramble.
I also have to admit that I really thought the ending could have been stronger. The author switched from POV to POV so much in the last few chapters that it left me feeling like everything just happened all at once and wondering what really did happen at the same time. It just made the ending feel rushed. I felt like the author was ready to end the book and there really wasn't much of an ending at all because of that. I also felt like the author was too focused on leaving a cliffhanger at the end of the book in order to entice the reader to read the next book and was not concerned enough about providing the reader with a substantial resolution to any of the issues in the story. Perhaps this was a good move though since it definitely made me want to read the second book in the series as soon as it hits the shelves.
As a believer and Christian myself I so wanted to love this book. Truthfully I did love the concept of the story. I loved the idea behind it and the teachings it sought for the reader to pick up. I did not, however, love the the execution of the plot, and to provide an honest review I feel like I have to talk about the issues I found in the writing.
First things first...I found the whole book entirely too "preachy". It was like reading a sermon rather than a fiction novel. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with preaching and were I planning on using this story as a lesson or study in a classroom setting, it would be perfect. I just wasn't looking for a Sunday School lesson in this book. I was hoping for a faith based fiction book that would inspire and touch my Christian heart without "preaching" to me.
Lets talk characters for a minute. I hated (well maybe not hated..it's such a strong word, so let's say strongly disliked) almost every single character in this book. While I loved how steadfast Casey is in her faith I absolutely hated how weak she is while realizing at the same time that so many girls are just like her and end up in abusive relationships that they are too frightened to pull away from and ultimately blame themselves for. I'll give the author a break when it comes to Casey because this weakness was necessary for the story. Casey's mom on the other hand just made me so angry I wanted to slap her! Who is really so blinded by their daughter's boyfriend's good looks that she can't see through them to see that he is bad for her? I mean maybe she should have dated Dan herself! She seemed to be too enamored by him to really care about her daughter's happiness. Then there's Casey's dad. He is such a sweet and caring father who wants only the best for his daughter. I really loved that about him, but it aggravated me to no end that he apparently did not communicate with his wife. What husband would not tell his wife the things he knew about his daughter's boyfriend? I just don't find it believable that he would simply allow her to believe Dan is this wonderful, sweet boy when it is so obvious to him that he is not! I could say more about the other characters, but I feel like I am starting to ramble.
I also have to admit that I really thought the ending could have been stronger. The author switched from POV to POV so much in the last few chapters that it left me feeling like everything just happened all at once and wondering what really did happen at the same time. It just made the ending feel rushed. I felt like the author was ready to end the book and there really wasn't much of an ending at all because of that. I also felt like the author was too focused on leaving a cliffhanger at the end of the book in order to entice the reader to read the next book and was not concerned enough about providing the reader with a substantial resolution to any of the issues in the story. Perhaps this was a good move though since it definitely made me want to read the second book in the series as soon as it hits the shelves.
February 3, 2016
I received a copy of this book from a goodreads giveaway.
As a nonbeliever/questioning person, I was intrigued by this book. I did like the idea of the story, but I struggled with the plot development, character development and pace of the story.
I thought the use of Biblical teachings sprinkled throughout was okay, to be expected by the genre of the book. The characters were very one dimensional (the mother, the father, friends, the main characters) and I struggled to connect with them. Blind faith aside, several times throughout the book the author and various characters talk about questioning their beliefs and wanting to learn more, but then fall back to blind faith when faced with difficult challenges. I would have been more interested to read about their true struggles with confronting their issues of faith, confusion and learning. These things were alluded to, but much was glossed over.
The ending was weak. The author clearly wants to connect the currently unconnected characters, but the ending was a quick tie-up of many disconnected plot lines and felt clunky. I'm interested enough to pick up the next book in the series when it's out, but I hope the author takes the time to do more serious outlining of the plot before completing the book so it doesn't feel as rushed/condensed and confusing. The pacing in the first half of this book was much better than in the second half.
As a nonbeliever/questioning person, I was intrigued by this book. I did like the idea of the story, but I struggled with the plot development, character development and pace of the story.
I thought the use of Biblical teachings sprinkled throughout was okay, to be expected by the genre of the book. The characters were very one dimensional (the mother, the father, friends, the main characters) and I struggled to connect with them. Blind faith aside, several times throughout the book the author and various characters talk about questioning their beliefs and wanting to learn more, but then fall back to blind faith when faced with difficult challenges. I would have been more interested to read about their true struggles with confronting their issues of faith, confusion and learning. These things were alluded to, but much was glossed over.
The ending was weak. The author clearly wants to connect the currently unconnected characters, but the ending was a quick tie-up of many disconnected plot lines and felt clunky. I'm interested enough to pick up the next book in the series when it's out, but I hope the author takes the time to do more serious outlining of the plot before completing the book so it doesn't feel as rushed/condensed and confusing. The pacing in the first half of this book was much better than in the second half.
July 5, 2014
The Crimson Purpose : The Calling of Casey Evand is an excellent read for anyone who wants a good, clean, thought-provoking read. I have this book in my classroom as a free read on my personal bookshelf, my female students enjoy it immensely. Lots of well-rounded characters any reader can identify with - hope there is a follow up book, seems like a great series piece.
June 15, 2014
I may be a little biased (: but I think it's a great read for women of dating age and beyond! It's a work of faith-based fiction, it's contemporary, and it's realistic.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews