The Faith and Fate of David Ghent by Maren Dille

Welcome to Book Lover's Paradise! Today's feature author is Maren Dille, author of The Faith and Fate of David Ghent.

Maren grew up in Rochester, NY, which is one of the reasons a lot of her work is set in the East. It's a beautiful city, and she is lucky enough to make it back east at least once a year. She moved to Provo, UT to attend Brigham Young University in 2004. Meanwhile, she received a license in cosmetology in 2006, and graduated with a B.S. in Home and Family Living-Clothing and Textiles in 2009. After graduation, Maren worked as a cosmetologist/barber, while her husband finished his own degree in Special Education. After he graduated, they settled in Spanish Fork, UT, where they plan on staying for a long time.

Now Maren is a stay-at-home mom, part-time piano teacher, cosmetologist, and writer. Amidst the business of being a housewife, she loves reading, writing and playing music, vacationing, going on lots of dates with her hubby and friends, throwing dinner parties, and sewing. She really loves collecting books, and hopes someday to have a library big enough to fit all of them. Currently, her two pretty-enough-to-be-displayed-bookshelves are overflowing, and she's got books stashed all around her house. Open a random drawer, you'll probably find one.

The Faith and Fate of David Ghent is Maren's first full length novel. Her other works include a comedic short story, "A Tale of Two Cemeteries," and a middle grade reader, The Elephant in the Treehouse. Find out more about her at The Official Site of Maren Dille.

Author Links: 
http://www.marendille.com/
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"The road to one's fate is never an easy task. What worth would eternity be if you didn't work hard to obtain it?"

Hidden from the rest of the Earth is the city of Lucen, home to the descendants of Righteous and Fallen angels. David Ghent is a Cursed, the child of a mother who is in Heaven and a father banished to Hell. All of his life, David has trained for one purpose - to fulfill a prophecy and banish Lucifer. This is David's chance to prove his loyalty to Heaven and save his soul, as well as the rest of humanity. 

As the battle commences, Layla, the daughter of Lucen's leader, suddenly appears at the Hellgate desperate to stop David. David, who has detested Layla since childhood, is forced to make a split decision - fulfill the prophecy or save Layla's life. David saves Layla and in the process fails to fulfill his purpose. After David learns that there is more to the prophecy than he was originally told, but the consequences of his actions cannot be avoided. David is damned and his punishment forces him to question everything he believes about himself and his faith. He and Layla set out to discover the truth behind the rest of the prophecy, hoping to find another way to fulfill it and banish Lucifer for good. Their faith and loyalty to Heaven will be tested along the way. 

I received this book from Maren in exchange for a fair and honest review. I loved this book and was hooked from the very beginning. The story is fairly complex and there are a lot of people and moving parts involved. I did have some trouble following it in the beginning as things were slowly introduced and explained, but I never lost interest and in the end everything made sense. I loved David as a character and the picture on the cover of the book is exactly how I pictured him in my head. He is an emotionally complex character (and perfect literary hero!) and his transformation throughout the book is quite remarkable. The book raises some interesting ideas about faith and although it has a religious theme, I didn't feel preached to. I found myself sad when the book ended because I wasn't ready to leave the world Maren created. I wanted to know more - about David's parents, about the founding of Lucen and its history, about David and Layla's life after - and was almost hoping for a sequel. I also think this book has the potential to be made into an excellent movie, as the characters and action would translate well to film. This is a solid 4 star read and one that I highly recommend.

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