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LESLEA WAHL, CYNTHIA T. TONEY, MARIE C. KEISER, CAROLYN ASTFALK, AMANDA LAUER, ELLEN GABLE, CORINNA TURNER, ANTONY B. KOLENC, T.M. GAOUETTE, THERESA LINDEN
Age Range: 12 and up
Reading Level: Middle School and High School
Lenten short stories by ten Catholic Teen Books authors.
Finishing the Journey: When Liz's faith journey hits a roadblock, will an unexpected detour and chance encounter set her back on track?
Follow Me: A teen’s future was all set—before his tragic loss. But his best friend’s secret past just might save it.
Take Up Your Cross: Justin's religion is outlawed. When an unbeliever asks him about the meaning of life, what can he say?
A Big Ask: Could God be asking Paul to sacrifice a piece of himself for Lent—literally?
Lent Royal & Ancient: A modern American teen discovers what faith, life and love are like in seventeenth-century Scotland.
No Greater Love: Teenager Lexie Dugan struggles to understand the sacrifice of Lent when she’s asked to help take care of her siblings while her pregnant mother is on bed rest.
A Very Jurassic Lent: When a risky Ash Wednesday mission to sterilize T. rex eggs goes wrong, fasting is the least of Joshua, Darryl, and Harry's worries.
Lucy and the Forsaken Path: A medieval girl stranded on a forsaken path confronts threats from without and turmoil from within.
Bread Alone: Struggling with loss, hunger, and temptation, Ethan finds himself walking in the steps of Jesus.
Prepare the Way: Asher’s desire to prepare for the Messiah intensifies after he’s robbed by bandits, but would fighting alongside the Zealots be the best way?
I didn't know what to expect from these Lenten stories, but I was delighted by what I read. Each story was about a teen in very different stages in life, periods, and even worlds, but they all had one thing in common, the Catholic faith. It was interesting how I was relating to so many of these characters, and it made me think a lot about myself and my own Lenten journeys.
One of the things I loved about Ashes: Visible and Invisible is the different lessons and experiences each character had during their Lenten journey. Each story talked about a different part of lent, and I loved it! Like I did, any teen reading this will see that there is more to Lent than just fasting and sacrifices, even though that is a part of it; there is also a lot of love and mercy, and it was beautiful to see!
Some of my favorite short stories in this book are Follow Me, Take Up Your Cross, and A Very Jurassic Lent. Follow Me was a wonderfully written short story about a guy who wanted to become a priest, but then after the death of a family member, he is not so sure anymore. This story is part of a series by Cynthia T. Toney that I want to read now. I loved how self-sacrifice was shown lovingly and how a different angle of lent was shown. Take Up Your Cross had the best message for me: "God doesn't ask us to do anything He didn't already do Himself." This was the first thing I read by Marie C. Keiser, and I am excited to read more. A Very Jurassic Lent is about, not surprisingly, dinosaurs. I didn't expect to like this short story as much as I did, but first, Corinna Turner is a fantastic writer, and second, there was a great love of the Eucharist throughout the whole that made me want to go to adoration. Besides the great messages all 10 of these stories sent, they were also very enjoyable and absorbing.
Ashes: Visible and Invisible was another great addition to the Catholic Teen Books Anthologies Series! I am always so excited to see what these incredible authors put together. I recommend this book to all teens (especially now, with Lent starting this month)!
(As a side note, I love the cover)!
Special thanks to T. M. Gaouette for sending me a complimentary copy of Ashes: Visible and Invisible for my unbiased review!
Things to Mention: There’s a car accident. One damn. In one of the stories it is insinuated that Catholics are being hunted down and taken. There is a slight description of changing a baby’s diaper and being able to tell the baby’s gender. Some people are chased by dinosaurs. A kiss with no details.
Click here to buy!
Catholic Teen Books Anthologies Series:
More Books By Leslea Wahl:
Stand Alone Novels:
Blindside Series:
Finding Faith Series:
More Books by Amanda Lauer:
Heaven Intended Series:
More Books by Corinna Turner
I Am Margaret Series:
More books by Antony B. Kolenc:
The Hardwood Mysteries:
More books by T. M. Gaouette:
Faith & Kung Fu Series:
Stand Alone Novels:
More books by Theresa Linden:
Liberty Trilogy:
If you have read Ashes: Visible and Invisible, let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Do you have a book you want to be reviewed? Let me know, and I'll add it to my list! Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you're here.
