Kindred Spirits

Guardian Angel Files, Book 2

By: Julie C. Gilbert

Narrated by: Reuben Corbett

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Victory comes at a price.

Exiled to Earth, Mina bears the weapon she stole from Satan, preventing him from destroying the angels of light. Despite this, Spirit’s Bane weakens her with pain when she uses her Gifts to protect those under her care.

Meanwhile, the Council of Light confines Allister to the Heavens. They fear what Satan will do if he captures the Kindred Spirit Pair.

Allister knows they are stronger together, but even if he defies the Council by going to Earth, there’s no guarantee he’ll reach Mina before Satan’s minions.

If Allister and Mina cannot defeat Spirit’s Bane swiftly, precious souls will be lost in the coming conflict.

This book can be read alone, but it would probably be more powerful if read after Guardian Angel Files Book 1: Spirit's Bane.

©2019 Julie C. Gilbert (P)2020 Julie C. Gilbert

Can Angels Choose Their Allegiance?

Like the previous book, Kindred Spirits was written in the style of C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters, Randy Alcorn's Lord Foulgrin's Letters, and Frank Perretti's This Present Darkness.

The story switches between communication among demons and the experiences of the angels, with humans playing an even smaller role in the story than before.

This book addressed questions such as, Can angels switch sides? What if angels didn't just decide to follow Satan in the beginning, but could still turn to darkness? And what if demons could come back to the light, choosing once again to follow the Glorious King? In addition to deceiving humans, could Satan deceive other angels?

I am struggling with this review, because while I appreciate the questions Julie brings up in her book, the theology is difficult for me. Are there young angels in training? That would surprise me, but that is also the premise of her story. Can angels fall in love and marry each other? While not as problematic theologically as angels falling for humans, it's still problematic because I see no evidence in scripture and it almost sounds to go against scripture. If angels are married and have children, could Satan kidnap the children and raise them as his own instead of God's?

This depuction of angels humanizes them. I am not saying this to criticize Julie's story, which was entertaining and of which she did a good job reminding us that this is all speculation. I bring it up because it might be confusing to people who don't have a clear understanding of what the Christianity teaches about angels and their roles. This book also seemed more focused on the angels' relationships to each other, than on their relationships to humans, although central to all of that was their relationship to God, the Glorious King.

Seen purely as fantasy and not theology, this was an entertaining story, with a lot of adventure, bogged down only by long council discussions, and tedious demons.

The narrator, Reuben Corbett, did an outstanding job.

I received a free copy of the audiobook from the author and have reviewed it willingly.

Fantasy

Though the spiritual battle between the good and evil is very real and scriptural, the author here has taken great poetic license in this book. I would consider it fiction/fantasy barring the truth of the war of principalities and powers as stated in the Bible. Having said that, if the reader keeps that in mind, and reads it as fiction, it is a very interesting story and keeps the pages turning. The good characters are very likeable on the one side and the bad very unlikeable on the other side. There are places where it is dark, but that is expected in a book that includes Lucifer and demons. Mina and Allister, and the other angels, are the rays of light in the book and keep it from becoming too dark. I always enjoy books by this author, and this one is no exception.

The narrator, Reuben Corbett, does a wonder job of bringing the characters to life and creating voices that truly reflect what they are like.

I requested this audio book from Audiobooks Unleashed and have voluntarily left this review.

Journeys

I enjoyed book two of the "Guardian Angel Files" duology. The Council of Light was concerned about the spirit weapon that Mina carried, so she was banished to Earth. Allister needed to continue his training. When Lucifer's minions increased their efforts to capture Mina, Allister felt he needed to help Mina. I liked the twists in the story. There were some surprises that I hadn't seen coming. I admired the underlying message of forgiveness and mercy. Reuben Corbett's narration was skillful, and I enjoyed his performance and various voices. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.