What did I think about Uninvited?

I’ve written before about why we need to read books about demons. It shouldn’t be all we read about or even a majority, but every so often, it’s good to get a reminder of how the enemy works. Otherwise, we let our guards down and leave ourselves vulnerable to attack by these uninvited guests. And on the flip side, we forget about the power and necessity of prayer to win life’s battles.

This post was originally shared on the Real World Bible Study.

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This week, I read Becky Lindsey’s Uninvited.

It’s the second book in a young adult series, and I haven’t read the first one (but now I think I might). I have mixed feelings about this book, but not for the reasons you might think.

First, from a practical standpoint, I think you really need to read the first book. I was a little bit lost coming in. It was a reasonably short read. Sometimes the conversations felt a little contrived. The teaching was sound, if a little bit preachy at times (but clearly trying not to be). In many ways, it seemed to fall in the tradition of Frank Peretti’s This Present Darkness, which is one of my favorites. Books like this put “clothes on” what the Bible teaches about how the enemy works. They help us to see how it might play out. You guys, this is so important. We don’t know exactly how things are. We can learn a lot from Scripture and from experience. But the Holy Spirit + imagination can help us picture what Satan’s manipulations might look like in our local high school or our own homes. Story helps us take notice of where God – and often the enemy – are at work in our lives.

I would recommend this book, but only to certain people.

The content is pretty mature – which doesn’t mean we shouldn’t read it (remember, even teens need to read books with mature content). And there are a LOT of triggers. Sex, lust, porn, rape, abuse, eating disorders, alcholism, depression, suicide…they all vie for attention in this book. The author warns us ahead of time, which is wise, especially considering the YA audience. I think we need to have good fiction about all of these issues, and even how the enemy gets involved in these issues. But I think maybe trying to fit them all in the same book might be too much. It might actually detract from the message, which is a shame, because it’s a good one.

I know a little about secrets.

And sometimes, we need to read stuff that might be a trigger. I know I do. The Hunger Games is one of my favorite book and movie series’. Sometimes, I don’t read it, or watch it, because the depression factor is a little too close to home. Other times, reading it or watching it is part of how God brings me healing. I think it could be the same thing with the other triggers in this books. It’s about timing. The other thing is that sometimes it’s encouraging to read something or watch something and think, “OH. It’s okay that I’ve felt that way.” It’s validating, and that can have tremendous healing potential. So, yes, I would recommend this book…to the right person, at the right maturity level, in the right timing. I think I still would send them to This Present Darkness first, though. 🙂 I know, I know, books are like children, we shouldn’t have favorites…but that one is still one of my all-time favorites!

Uninvited is on tour with Celebrate Lit

About the Book

Book: Uninvited

Author: Beckie Lindsey

Genre: YA

Release Date: 9/16/2018

Every girl has a secret she hopes the light will never find—

but the demons already have.

Battles between unseen forces of good and evil have made unlikely friends out of high school juniors Krystal, Mackenzie, Tammi, and Sadie, who share similar secrets from their traumatic pasts.

As Krystal’s lifelong friendship with Bryce grows into something more, her new friendship with Mackenzie is tested.

While Tammi and Sadie heal from their injuries caused by a horrific accident, their deeper wounds fester as tension grown between them.

When a handsome nurse and a sultry singer join the group, things become even more tangled.

Will the relationships survive the epic spiritual battles raging around them? Or will the demons keep them chained to their secrets?

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

Beckie Lindsey is an award-winning author, poet, blogger, and the editor of Southern California Christian Voice, a division of One Christian Voice, a national news syndicating agency. She is a major coffeeholic and enjoys a good book with a cat on her lap. She also loves to hike and hang out with family and friends. Beckie and her husband, Scott have three adult children, two adorable cats and live in California.

Guest Post from Beckie

WHY I WRITE YA AND THE BFA SERIES

I believe a teenager still exists inside each of us.

We hear a familiar tune from our “glory days” and are instantly tapping our toes. Mentally, we’re back in high school —poofy bangs, scrunchie, neon off-the-shoulder sweatshirt — and all. Oh, wait. That’s me back in the ‘80s!

Ah, yes. There is something wonderfully awful about those coming-of-age years.

From the first kiss to the first breakup, there are memories we cherish and some we don’t care to ever revisit. Being a teen can be exciting, confusing, painful, joyous, or even all of those things at once!

No matter how different your teenage experience was from mine, one thing is true for us all: these years have an enormous impact on who we become as adults. We can all sympathize with the plight of puberty and the longing for independence and acceptance. Yeah, there’s still a teenager in all of us!

These are the reasons I write YA.

My hope is to use the power of storytelling to move past barriers and open hearts to accept how much God loves and desires a personal relationship with us.

At every age, we all need the grace and love of Jesus.

In the Beauties from Ashes (BFA) series, I write about relatable characters with difficult issues and traumatic pasts to enlighten readers about the unseen spiritual battle referred to in Scripture. Each character has a secret that has left them vulnerable to the battle in an invisible realm where demonic creatures fight to keep them chained to their pasts and angels of light work to free them.

The characters and their issues are complex, just like real life. In fact, some of the topics are often considered too taboo to talk about openly. But what is left in the dark, festers and grows. It is only in the light that we can be free. In the BFA series, readers experience the character’s quest for truth, love, grace, and freedom while hopefully finding the same for themselves.