Thanks for stopping by! I'm Cori and I'm happy you've found your way here. If you're wondering why my blog is called "Let's Eat Grandpa," it's an old grammar joke: Let's eat, grandpa! Let's eat grandpa! (Punctuation saves lives.) 
An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers (Book #2 in the Mark of the Lion series)
Read: as a follow-up to A Voice in the Wind (Tyndale House, 461 pages)
Rating: 9 out of 10 (finished 2/5/10)
Note: because this is the second in this series, there are spoilers.
Synopsis: After A Voice in the Wind, the story splits: Book #2 follows the Valarian family and Book #3 follow Atretes after he is freed from his gladiator life. Through the courageous faith of the Christian slave girl Hadassah and the troubled lives of the Roman masters, An Echo in the Darkness continues this moving tale of first-century Rome. Having narrowly escaped death, Hadassah conceals her scars — and identity — with veils. But it is her God-given ability to heal others that brings her to perhaps her greatest trial. God’s forgiveness and redemption triumph as this young woman, assumed to be dead, is called to risk her life for the one who would have destroyed her.
Overall Impression: Isn’t that cover all, “well…hello there”?
When I finished up A Voice in the Wind (which ends on sort of “whaaaaa!” note), I was fortunately at my friend Brittney’s house so that she could give me the second in the series. I read the book in less than 48 hours. It was nice not having to spend the first third of the book trying to learn the characters. Other than the introduction of a doctor and a few ancillary characters, the cast remained the same. It was easy to plow right through, and I was just as invested in the characters as I was in the first book. The most compelling part of this book, easily, is Marcus’s trip to Judea. He aches to discover the God who would kill the woman he loved. His quest is heart-breaking — Rivers really captures what it’s like to be angry and searching and broken, and then to find redemption but still have a significant journey ahead. Marcus’s progression through Hadassah’s homeland is truly incredible. Back on the farm, er, Ephesus, the story that really captured my heart was Phoebe, Marcus’s mom. Her stroke leaves her paralized, yet her strength and faith is more powerful than anyone else’s in the book (outside Hadassah). Watching her heart ache for her children was compelling. Hadassah’s story in this book was not quite at the level of the first book, although she is still a stunning image of what it is to be a servant. This was really Marcus’s book. Which is probably why he gets to be all good-looking on the cover, eh?
Then I got to the ending which was The Most Felicitous Ending In The History Of Books Ever. And that kind of made me frustrated. Life, especially the Christian life in ancient Rome, was not nearly as tidy as this book made it out to be. Rivers took “And they lived happily ever after” to a level never before reached by someone other than Walt Disney.
Pros: The completion of the Valarian family story from A Voice in the Wind, themes of brokenness and redemption, encouragement to lead a life of service.
Cons: Cinderella’s charmed future was cinders compared to how this book ended. Also, I missed Atretes (but I’ll get his story in As Sure as the Dawn).
Other books I’ve read by Francine Rivers: Redeeming Love, A Voice in the Wind
Other blogger reviews: None of my friends have reviewed this book! Which means they all definitely need to read it.
