The Secret of the Veil
I have reviewed an incredible number of Christian novels on The Rebel Christian—from fantasy to sci-fi to action thrillers, but I have never come across a work of Christian paranormal fiction until now. I’ll be honest and say I’m not the biggest fan of paranormal fiction, but I must admit I enjoyed reading this book. Jones introduced me to a genre I wasn’t quite familiar with and left me wanting more, I’d say this is certainly a book worth reading.
The Secret of the Veil combines paranormal elements with religion and even medical science as we watch our protagonist, Alexis, battle her way through a number of obstacles as she confronts a part of herself she didn’t know existed. Alexis happens to be one of the rare people born with a “veil” over her face—that is, a thin tissue that has baffled doctors for hundreds of years. No one knows exactly what this veil means but it becomes very clear that its somehow connected to all the strange events that happen to Alexis throughout the story.
Our hero finds herself bumping into the strangest things and getting mixed up in the weirdest accidents, but Alexis is stronger than she looks. As our questions mount and the suspense rises, we see a demonstration of strength, grit, and faith as Alexis pieces together through this mystery.
There are other points addressed in this book that I really liked—things that had nothing to do with the paranormal incidents like a brief romance between our protagonist and a man who isn’t sure of his emotions. I thought Alexis handled things in a very mature way which isn’t something you see very often. One of the reasons I don’t enjoy romance is because the women always seem to make the wrong choices but not this time.
Jones does an excellent job at making things seem very realistic but entertaining at the same time. I appreciated the smooth blend of paranormal elements and reality, the inclusion of faith that didn’t make the story come off as cheesy or overbearing, and I absolutely loved watching Alexis grow and change into the strong young woman we ended the story with.
I don’t have any complaints about this book. It wasn’t something I would have picked up on my own, but I am definitely glad I gave it a chance. If I had to nitpick, I’d say I don’t really like the cover of the book (haha). The cover looks very creepy and looks more like something from a terrible horror story about babies rather than the paranormal adult novel that it is. BUT you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, right?
I would recommend The Secret of the Veil to YA and adult readers who enjoy Christian fiction, paranormal and science fiction. If you have any interest in mysteries or dark folk tales, this might be something you like.
*I received a free copy of this book, on behalf of The Rebel Christian, in exchange for an honest review*