All Things Bright and Strange by James Markert

All Things Bright and Strange
By James Markert
Published by Thomas Nelson
E-Book ARC
// I received this ARC from #netgalley in exchange for an honest review //
This book comes out on January 30, 2018!

All Things Bright and Strange follows the story of Michael Ellsworth Newberry, who goes by Ellsworth, who's life is strange to say the least. He has survived things that no one could imagine and that make no sense. After the death of his wife and the loss of his leg, Ellsworth has lived a grumpy life that leads him to wanting to kill himself. An act he again survives when the gun doesn't go off. As the story continues, we see that the town of Bellhaven is not quite right. Something is happening that is affecting all the residents of the accepting small town. And all because of a mysterious chapel in the woods. What follows is a story of religion, self-doubt and fantasy straight out of biblical myth.

All Things Bright and Strange is an interesting book. When I say interesting, I mean I really don't know how I feel about it. The story is a mix of fantasy, religion and small town life that left me feeling like I had just watched an episode of Supernatural. If you don't know what Supernatural is, it is a TV show about two brothers who battle the supernatural forces of the world and all sorts of antics ensue. Anyway, I wasn't sure how to take the story at all. It started off well and good, but the story never seemed to find a solid footing. About halfway through the book I could begin to see where the story was going but I felt like chunks of the book were disjointed. The best way I can describe it is "close, but no cigar". It really just needed more detail, more depth. There needed to be more of a backstory to fully make the reader understand where the chapel came from and the people associated with it.

But for all my confusion, it really was a decent story that took a different approach to the eternal battle of good vs evil.

I give All Things Bright and Strange by James Markert a 📖📖📖 / 5 bookies. I recommend this book for an interesting read.