REVIEW: TO THE UTTERMOST by Kristina Hall!

Hey everyone!  I was given the wonderful opportunity to read To The Uttermost by Kristina Hall, a Christian Western novel -- and while I promised to have this review done at the end of June, I'm posting it (obviously pretty early) now because I ended up reading it a lot quicker than I intended, and was excited to share about it! Without further ado --  

BLURB

How far will he take his quest for vengeance?

Owen Lockart will track down and kill the man who murdered his three brothers and left him to die in the Colorado wilderness. And no one will get in his way.

Sally Reiner doesn't know a stranger. She thinks nothing of befriending Owen, her family's new ranch hand. Little does she know he's won her trust to gain information about her no-good murderer of a brother.

Will deceit and vengeance destroy Sally and Owen, or will they trust in the only One Who is able to deliver them?

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BOOK 1 OF THE SERIES | BARNES & NOBLE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristina Hall is a sinner saved by grace who seeks to glorify God with her words. She is a homeschool graduate and holds a degree in accounting. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading, arm wrestling, lifting weights, and playing the violin. Visit her website at kristinahallauthor.wordpress.com.

MY REVIEW

This book definitely maintained my interest through the entire thing!  While I found it initially a little difficult to keep track of all the characters, I was able to pick everything up within a few chapters.  To The Uttermost starts out with some action pretty quickly and does a great job of enveloping the reader into the problems at hand, the post-Civil War landscape, and the high stakes each character faces.  The story also includes really wonderful faith aspects and grapples with some of the biggest arguments that Christians face involving forgiveness, cleansing of sins, and the lines that separate sin and protection.  I was impressed with how deftly Hall managed each discussion, and I really appreciated how well the topics were presented.  There's one scene in particular where one character finally "gets" some of the things he's been told, and that one was so powerful and well-described that I just got the biggest grin on my face (and that doesn't usually happen while reading) -- so I really enjoyed reading this one overall. Additionally, the dialogue was perfect for the time period and worked very well to draw the readers in.  It's a well-researched story, enjoyable to read, and obviously a lot of thought was put into its themes.   I'll give it a solid 4.5 out of 5!