Introduction
Yes, you read that title right. I am FINALLY getting around to reviewing Grace Johnson’s excellent historical fiction, Prisoner at Heart (which is the second book in her Daughters of the Seven Seas series, BTW. Check out my review of Held Captive here. ;))
So firstly, I’m just going to give a big shout out and thank you to Grace Johnson for putting up with my slow reading/procrastinating skills. 😉 Thanks so much, Grace!! I really appreciate your patience. 🙂
Secondly, thanks to YOU guys – my faithful readers, mostly for putting up with my cringe-worthy reviews over the past few months as I scrambled to find something to review when I hadn’t finished POH. XD Y’all are THE BEST.
Now! To the review!
Prisoner at Heart by Grace Johnson
(As a warning, there might be spoilers in here. So beware. I’ll try to make sure the spoilers are alerted, but just sayin’. 😉)
I have to say that I admire Johnson, y’all. She doesn’t hesitate to dive into the tough, nitty-gritty stuff of this world and tackle it from a Biblical standpoint. She isn’t terribly graphic, either – just gives you the main idea of what happened and then addresses the problem. And then, through it all, she manages to weave a gorgeous plot and interesting characters and heart-breaking themes.
Suffice it to say, I enjoyed this book. XD
Content
Pros:
Language – little to none – at least that’s mentioned. Johnson does include things like, “he swore” or “she swallowed a curse”, or uses words like “deuce” to replace other, more inappropriate things.
No magic (yay!!!)
Spiritual – this entire story is written from a Biblical perspective. Characters talk about God multiple times. He does miracles, including (SPOILER ALERT!!) raising someone from the dead! (SPOILER END!!) Christians share their faith, non-Christians battle their own internal disbelief, and all in all it’s quite the “religious” book – but in a way I like. There was one scene that made me a tad uncomfy: a man and woman go into a church seeking shelter, and meet some rather odd peeps there. One woman claims she can see the spiritual. (SPOILER ALERT!!) This was never explicitly mentioned, but in that scene Johnson implied that Crimson had been tortured by demons. (SPOILER END!!) IDK how much research she did into the kinds of demons and their types of torment (I know that there are some demons that take control of a person’s body (Mark 5:1-20), some that make people mute (Matthew 9:32-34), and some that cause seizures (Mark 9:14-29 – and vs. 29 indicates that there are more than one type of demon)), but from everything I’ve ever heard about demons, the oppressed person tends to know that they have one. I could be wrong on this – I’ve never done a lot of study into exorcism and all that. However, I get a little uncomfortable when authors address the subject of demons. That’s high ground, y’all. If you decide to have demons or other spiritual forces in your stories, I’d suggest seeking God in that for a LONG time before going into that – and when you do, make sure you do your research and pour a lot of prayer into that manuscript. Humans messing with the spiritual world can get… well, for lack of a better word, messy.
Cons:
Sexual stuff – again, a bit more than I would have preferred. Characters kiss (married and unmarried couples), get pregnant and give birth, have flashbacks of rape, talk about abuse, and talk about (or are – or even have) illegitimate children. This is not a book for the young ones, y’all. (SPOILER ALERT!!) A girl is kidnapped and sent to a “brothel”, from which she is later rescued before being used, though the threat is very present on her mind and only enforced by those she shares a room with. (SPOILER END!!) If you’re going into this book, be prepared for some heavy sexual things. Now don’t get me wrong – I don’t believe sexual stuff is bad, per se. After all, go read the book of Judges in the Bible and you’ll see all sorts of nasty stuff. However, I do believe it should be handled with taste and not present in children’s books. Johnson did an excellent job of handling these tough subjects tactfully and Biblically, so kudos to her!
Drinking – I am proud to say that Rina has dropped her addiction in this book! (*applause for Rina*) And it’s not like she just drops it like a hot skillet and is never tempted again – no, our captain struggles with the lure of the bottle, but learns to defeat it. Other characters do drink and get drunk, though they later regret it and their actions while they were drunk.
Suicide — Yes. Some of Johnson’s characters consider suicide. They’re depressed, feel worthless, and are ready to just end it all. (SPOILER ALERT!!) Thankfully, no one actually commits it (SPOILER END!!), but it’s worth considering all the same. Once again, Johnson handles this heavy, dark topic with Biblical tact.
Neutral:
Violence – there is violence, which is neither gory nor completely undescribed. People fight. Blood is spilled. People die. Murder happens (though it’s deserved. The killer regrets his/her actions).
Messages
Pros:
This time it’s not Rina wrestling with the question of salvation – it’s Crimson. She struggles to believe that God cares about a dirty bit of pirate scum, or even that he exists in the first place! (SPOILER ALERT!!) She does eventually come to faith in a heart-breakingly beautiful scene where “…all [her] darkness became beautiful light.” (SPOILER END!!) Crimson’s arc is a gorgeous one, one I would enjoy re-reading.
Once again, I was pleased with how Johnson dealt with the morally grey areas of a pirate-turned-legal-sailor. Killing is cast in a negative light, pillaging is longed-for but not allowed unless it’s an enemy ship, etc.
However, the biggest theme that I noticed was Johnson’s message that God uses the broken things. He doesn’t shun people, doesn’t turn them away for their shattered, filthy, impure parts. He loves them. Cleanses them. Pieces them back together. No one is too messed-up for God. And what a beautiful thing it is too.
Cons:
NONE!! YAS!!
Morals
Pros:
Chivalry – once again, the guys treat the girls with respect. Well, the nice guys do. The bad guys… not so much. (See “Sexual Stuff” under “Content”) And Elliot isn’t exactly nice (SPOILER ALERT!!) before he gets saved (SPOILER END!!). BUT STILL
Love – when you read a romance, you can expect love. You could say it goes with the genre. XD But I’ll keep it short and sweet this time: the characters love unconditionally – a beautiful and Biblical gesture. (SPOILER ALERT!!) Also, can I say that out of all the romance tropes I dislike, I actually enjoy the enemy-to-lovers thing, when done well. And Crimson and Elliot were GREAT, especially with that tad of Ellie in there. *gives Johnson a thumbs up* (SPOILER END!!) Not only romantic love is shown, though – Rina forgives her enemies, even cares for them. Crimson takes a liking to Ellie. Xavier cares for his whole crew like they’re one big happy family. The list goes on. XD
Loyalty — so many loyalties (though some can seem a little wishy-washy (SPOILER ALERT – looking at you, Keaton – SPOILER END) at times)! Julius is loyal to Rina and Crimson. Xavier is loyal to Rina. The crew is loyal to Rina. Crimson is loyal to… well, no one, really. But Tomas (ok, little spiel here: at first I was like, “Eh, this guy’s kinda bland and backgroundy.” BUT LATER!! OH MY WORD THE POOR BOY NEEDS A HUG OR SOMEONE TO WHACK HIM OVER THE HEAD A FEW TIMES AND GET SOME SENSE IN HIS NOGGIN I WANT HIM SHIPPED WITH A SASSY LADY GRACE JUST SAYIN’) *coughs* But Tomas was so loyal and caring, especially towards Scarlette. Poor girl. Poor family. Actually, let’s just heap all of those characters into the “poor” category. XD
Compassion — Rina’s really softened up, y’all. Like a lot. So much so that she loves her enemies, cries… so much. I love that lady.
Cons:
None that I can think of
Technical Corner
Pros:
Plot — mm, the middle was kinda saggy. Not gonna lie, I got kind of bored once we got in there. HOWEVER. The climax made up for it, y’all. It was… spectacular. I would read this whole book again purely for that climax. XD AND THE PROLOGUE!! Such a perfect picture of happiness and calm after that hectic ride. AND THE CLIFFHANGER OH MY WORD YOU GUYS I CAN’T DECIDE IF I WANT TO STRANGLE JOHNSON OR PRAISE HER FOR HER INGENIOUSNESS BUT DON’T READ THIS BOOK UNTIL THE OTHER ONE IS OUT OR FACE THE CLIFFHANGER XD
Characters — round, 3D, not a one of them was useless. (However, I did get Charlie and Elliot mixed up for the first bit there. Not sure why.) Johnson does a great job of writing all of them in their own ages realistically – from three-year-old children to old geezers getting ready to die. All of them were personable and realistic human beings with strengths and flaws. Great job!
Prose — MAN Y’ALL I LOVE JOHNSON’S PROSE!! It’s so unique and flowy and easy-to-read. She’s also got a sense of humor, which is always nice.
Research (after all, this is historical fiction XD) — I’m not very knowledgeable about this time period, but Johnson seems to have done her research. There was a tad bit of info-dumping, but nothing too serious.
Cons:
Typos — I did catch several typos (I can try and find those again if you want me to, Grace), but other than that, excellent job!
Other Stuff
Star Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Favorite Quotes: “Maybe it took the ugly things—the ashes, the scraps, the dirt—to grow the beautiful things.”
Describes Johnson’s theme pretty well, ey?
Wrap Up
PHEW! There you have it: one ginormous review. XD One note I had was that I would think there would be more thoughts and reactions about the whole (SPOILER ALERT!!) man-got-raised-from-the-dead thing (SPOILER END!!). Everyone freaked out for a few chapters and then got very calm about it. More internal conflict over that and mentions to it would have been nice.
All in all, Johnson pulled this book off nicely. The plot, characters, and prose were magnificent, and the way she handled tough subjects was a fresh breath of air in this culture. All the same, I wouldn’t recommend it for readers under the age of 13, maybe older. If you would like to read it and you’re not sure if you’re up for it, maybe check with your parents first. 😉
Until the next post!
Take courage, pursue God, and smile while you still have teeth!
~Joelle
(P.S. The newsletter is launching tomorrow!! If you want to catch it, make sure to sign up today. ;))
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