I received this book for free from Provided as part of book tour in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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Evangeline's Heaven by Jen Braaksma Published by SparkPress on August 30, 2022
Genres: Angels
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: Provided as part of book tour
Goodreads
War is ravaging the Seven Heavens. Lucifer and his Commoner supporters, the lowest class of angels, are rebelling against God's plan to exile them to the new Earth. When Lucifer departs on a desperate war mission, he leaves his daughter, Evangeline, to defend their home in First Heaven. Fiercely loyal and trained to fight, Evangeline stands ready to do her father's bidding.
But things change when Evangeline overhears the archangel Gabriel forming a plan to destroy Lucifer--because, as he tells his son, Michael, he believes Lucifer's plan is to find the Key to the Kingdom and claim the power of God to control all the Heavens for eternity. Refusing to believe her father capable of such treachery, Evangeline sets off to alert her father.
As she battles through the Heavens, however, Evangeline is shocked to discover that what she believed she knew about her father might not be true after all. For the first time in her life, she begins to question whether or not her father's motives are pure. With the fate of the Heavens hanging in the balance, she must decide who she's going to be: her father's daughter, or her own person.
“Evangeline is a principled character who leads us on an emotionally charged journey through a heaven we recognize only in name. This story is as thought-provoking as it is rewarding. Full of unexpected twists and turns, Evangeline’s Heaven will have you racing to the finish.” —Max Turner, author of the Night Runner trilogy
“Fast-paced and beautifully written, Evangeline’s Heaven will make you question everything you thought you knew about angels and leave you wanting more.”
—Lenore Borja, author of The Last Huntress: Mirror Realm Series
Perfect for fans of the Supernatural and Lucifer — Evangeline is torn between truth and love as she shakes up the Heavens.
Julie’s Review
I liked the character development for Evangeline. She starts off devoted doting daughter who gets to open her eyes to what is really happening and although she spends so much of her “journey” trying to make excuses, she finally sees her father for who he is, and comes into her own.
So I will say the “perfect for fans of Supernatural and Lucifer” is a stretch. Because those are some of my favorite shows and as a huge fan, I will tell you the best part of those shows are the characters, and their relationships, the banter, the one-liners, all set against the backdrop of angelic and demonic wars. But Evangeline’s Heaven did not have any comedic or light aspects. It was all war, all stoic angels, all the time. And while we got told how Evangeline feels through all her experiences, I want to be shown and feel it for her.
I will also complain a little about the romance – I mean, maybe this is all we get from a stoic angel – but the development from we are enemies to just kidding we’ve wanted each other all along wasn’t very well shown. It was a lot of telling us and a bit of inner monologue but I felt nothing from her love interest, who she wants to have a life with now. His character was a lot more flat. I wanted more. My favorite character relationship in the book has to be that of Evangeline and her Uncle the Cherubim, though we get most of that through her narration and flashbacks.
But, I will say I am happy our main character is the hero. While her and the dude rescue each other from time to time, overall they stand on their own and she fights her own battles. I’m here for this.
So many secrets are kept and as each is revealed the book gets more exciting. While it was a bit slow at the start I will say I was glued by the end as all the web of lies got unraveled all at once. I especially enjoyed the family secrets as those are always the juiciest and affect the characters down to the core.
I also enjoyed the world building, the seven heavens and the descriptions of each. Though, I will say it was a bit preachy in the Commoners vs the Dominions, with the Commoners being pushed out of Seventh Heaven and being oppressed by the other angels.
The ending felt right and it was open to part two. There will be a follow up to this, right?
I’ll give this book a solid 3.5 stars.
Evangeline’s Heaven: Interview with Jen Braaksma
When you are struggling to write/have writer’s block, what are some ways that help you find your creative muse again?
My friend once told me there’s no such thing as “ditch-digger’s block.” I laughed, but soon realized how right he was. People who dig ditches have lots of challenges, but they persevere and get the job done. So do writers. Creativity isn’t easy, but I try not to let something like “writer’s block” become an excuse. When I feel stuck, I remind myself that it’s really my mind’s way of telling me I’m on the wrong path. It’s my cue to take time to analyze my story to see how I can get it back on track. I may not write a whole bunch of pages in those moments, but I’m still working through the creative challenges.
What do you think makes a good story?
Emotion. Feeling like we know the characters, that we get inside their heads. We’re always trying to make sense of our present moments by looking for patterns. We use our own past experiences, but we also learn from other people’s experiences, too. That’s what a good story is. Lisa Cron, a story coach, explains in her book Story Genius that a story isn’t about what happens; it’s about why those events matter to the characters. When we feel the “why”? When we feel the anger and hope and fear and wonder and joy? That’s what makes a good story.
What inspired your story?
I’d been musing about the concept of good vs evil and how binary it is. Either we’re good or we’re evil. Good guys and bad guys, heroes and villains. But of course we all know none of us is all good or all evil, which led me to thinking about Lucifer and how he, as Satan, came to personify evil. But what if there was more to him, especially as an angel before his fall? What, exactly, made him rebel against God? But I didn’t necessarily want to tell his version; I thought it might be more interesting to learn about him through the eyes of someone who loved him—his daughter. And what would it be like to learn that your beloved father wasn’t everything you thought he was? That’s how I came up with Evangeline.
How does a new story idea come to you? Is it an event that sparks the plot or a character speaking to you?
Story ideas come to me all the time! It’s actually an occupational hazard. Every time I come up with a brilliant, amazing, this-is-the-best-ever idea, I want to drop whatever story I’m working on and rush to this new one. Ideas come to me from all different sources. Sometimes, like Evangeline’s Heaven, the idea comes from a concept—good vs. evil. I also love thinking about retellings of stories, myths, legends or fairy tales and wondering what if? But sometimes, I’ll hear a phrase and think that would make a great book title. I won’t have any idea what the story may be about, but it’s a fun way to start. Other times, a character will pop into my head and I’ll have to figure out their story. I’m not picky! I’ll take my story ideas from anywhere.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book(s)?
How infinite my world can be! I’m writing a fantasy novel, and yes, I’m focusing on one protagonist, whom I love, but every person Evangeline encounters has their own rich backstory. And there’s a rich history to the Seven Heavens, too. It was exciting to realize how much potential I have to keep writing stories in this world, with these characters—and new ones, too. I’m already diving back in to work on the sequel to Evangeline’s Heaven, titled Evangeline’s Hell.
What’s the best writing advice you ever received?
To quit. Seriously! That was the advice. I’d written four novels, and gotten rejection after rejection after rejection. Even though I knew that’s part of the business, the rejections still stung. I wondered if I was even cut out for the writing life. I asked my always-supportive book coach if I should just throw in the town and I was shocked when she said yes. So much for supportive. But I hadn’t let her finish. She said I should think about quitting. Think long and hard about what my life would be like if I did stop writing. If I got a wash of relief just thinking about it, then quitting would be the right call. Instead, I couldn’t imagine myself not writing. I enjoy it too much. That gave me the boost I needed to keep going.
What was your favorite book as a child?
A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry. Very uplifting title, right? It’s a story about a young girl who has to learn how to accept her sister’s illness and death. The events of the story didn’t reflect my life in the least, but still, I felt connected to the protagonist Meg and all the big emotions she felt. The book and characters stayed with me for so long that I even chose to name my youngest daughter Megan.
What is one book no writer should be without?
The one that will make you cry. Or laugh out loud so that you’re rolling on the floor. Or make you curl up into a ball with every light in the house blazing because you’re so terrified. Or overwhelm you with love. Readers will feel differently about every book, so what might move me may not affect you. I’d suggest you keep reading until you find the ones that do. They’re the keepers.
If your book was turned into a movie, who would you like to play the main characters?
I am a big Supernatural fan. The actor who played Sam Winchester on the long-running TV series, Jared Padalecki, also played a version of Lucifer in the show, so I think he’d be perfect for this Lucifer, too. And the actor who played Sam’s brother Dean, Jensen Ackles, could play Lucifer’s arch enemy, the archangel Gabriel. That would be an epic pairing, right??
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jen Braaksma is a writer and book coach. After ten years as a journalist, she spent nearly two decades in the classroom as a high school English and writing teacher. Now she helps other writers develop and share their stories. With a focus on fiction and memoir for writers of every ability and experience level, she loves to assist in shaping stories exactly how the author wants them, from inception of the idea through revisions.
Growing up in a Christian/Protestant environment, Jen has always been interested in spirituality and the binary contrast of good versus evil. Combined with her time spent among teens and YA literature such as The Hobbit, Shadow Hunters, and Harry Potter, it became the inspiration for Evangeline’s Heaven, her first published novel. A believer in true love and soul mates, Jen lives in Ottawa, Canada with her husband, two teen daughters, and four cats.
FB: @JenBraaksma
TW: @JenBraaksma
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