Jillian Dangerous and the Extraordinary Secret
This is the conclusion to a two-part series that I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to follow. The book opens with a heart-pounding scene that quickly dissolves into a very innocent, almost laughable event. Jillian is the same brave and intelligent young girl from the first book but now she’s got a crowd of supportive friends who stand by her in this new adventure.
While I say new, the truth is that this book feels very much the same as the first installment. I was a little surprised that so much of it took place in Vietnam. All the events that unfolded was interesting and the development between Jillian and her grandparents was very sweet and well-written but I opened the story expecting Jillian to be back in her own time period maybe going on a different adventure, not picking things up almost exactly where they left off in the first book. Then again, that may simply be a fault of mine for having these expectations without reason.
I complained a little about the quality of the writing in the first book; I’m really happy to say that this installment is definitely an improvement in more than one way. The writing itself is certainly better but I think the characters are a HUGE upgrade. The first book really focused on Jillian and her experiences as a victim of bullying—so most of the cast featured young girls who were very angry and very mean for no real reason except to push the message on bullying. This book (thankfully) featured more supportive characters who enjoyed Jillian’s company and cherished their time with her. I really liked watching our protagonist share the Gospel of Christ with her friends and I liked watching them grow together despite being from two completely different eras.
This is definitely a wholesome story that is great for young Christian readers; it has adventure, suspense, emotion, friendship, and—most importantly—faith. While the story gets to the point right away, there is a fair amount of time spent on developing the main events that surround the message of the book. If you’re a Believer and you appreciate lighthearted novels, this is certainly something you will enjoy.
*The Rebel Christian received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*