Thirteen Miracles
I was introduced to Thirteen Miracles a few weeks back, and my first impression was that this book was a Christian horror story. I don’t see many horror novels in the Christian market, so I was happy to dive into the book. Unfortunately, my assumptions were wrong—this book is about a spiritual journey—but it’s still a great read and the opening gave me the chills!
Maybe it’s because I decided to start reading at 4 in the morning, huddled in bed with my phone glowing dimly, but the first part of Thirteen Miracles is pretty dark.
After experiencing the trauma of losing a loved one, Abby Wells is not well at all. She is nervous and paranoid and isn’t sure whether her sister’s sudden death was a suicide or a tragic accident—not to mention the voice she heard in her head. Was it really God, or something else? Something … dark?
To find out, Abby decides to go on a journey to a foreign country and rediscover her faith in God. On this journey she encounters strangers who offer advice, challenge her views, and encourage her to dig deeper—within herself and in her faith.
Thirteen Miracles is a Christian story through and through and that’s what I liked most about it. Abby’s story is heartbreaking but inspiring at the same time. I have two sisters and I can’t imagine the pain of losing either one. Watching Abby crawl through her emotional and spiritual struggles demonstrated not just her personal strength but the power of God. When you lean on God and place your trust in Him, everything else will fall into place. No matter how messed up things are.
If I had to list a single complaint it would be that this book seems to be in the wrong genre. I was given the book under the pretense of it being a supernatural novel—while there are certainly supernatural elements in the book, it reads more like a contemporary piece instead. Now, I love contemporary fiction and didn’t mind that the novel sort of drifted into that area, but one of the fatal flaws in the genre is that it very easily slips into boredom. As much as I loved watching Abby grow and develop in her personality and her faith, I have to be honest and say that not much happened in the book. The most exciting part was the opening, and it was so intriguing that everything after seemed to fizzle out.
There were definitely moments that pulled me back into the story, small bursts of excitement here and there, but altogether it felt like a sputtering flame. Sometimes it was hot, sometimes cold—just flickering back and forth between dull and exciting. The writing wasn’t bad at all and the characterization was great too (I loved Abby’s relationship with her husband), but all the time we spent following Abby around as she rode the bus, traversed Mexico, and stared at architecture—amongst other things she suddenly had the urge to draw—there just wasn’t much going on in the long stretches to keep things interesting.
Overall, Thirteen Miracles was a great Christian book that kept Christ at the center and encouraged readers to cling to God during the worst of their struggles. This could have easily been a non-fiction, self-help type of book but instead it was told through the eyes of a very real and relatable character who grew stronger on every page.
I recommend this book to readers of all ages. It will be most appreciated by Christian audiences, especially those with a love for spiritual journeys, self-discovery, and contemporary fiction.
*I received a free copy of this book on behalf of The Rebel Christian Publishing in exchange for an honest review*