Customer Reviews

The Gifted

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When an earthquake crumbles a school building trapping three unfriends together, Miracles abound. While trapped under rubble three people are drawn together for comfort and support. Each sustains an injury, still they rejoice when they realize they will be rescued. Over night the three are Healed and God blesses them with gifts that they don't appreciate at first. Written for the young adult set, "The Gifted" is well crafted and timely. Blackstock presents her readers with writing that provokes thought long after the book is finished.
Beverly J Scott author of Righteous Revenge

I really enjoy reading Terri Blackstock's books and The Gifted was no let down. It is fast pased and a quick read. The supernatural setting is a great way of portraying the use of spiritual gifts.

This short novel just doesn't work, in my opinion. The character development is sorely lacking, and the plot is predictable and kind of hokey. Blackstock has also written a similar book for teens, called "The Gifted Sophomores".

I was expecting better from Terri Blackstock. I absolutely loved her book "The Covenant Child" and I highly recommend it (see my review of that book for more info).

Perhaps the short novel isn't something that every good author can pull off. If you're interested in an excellent short novel, check out "A Choice to Cherish" by Alan Maki, "The Touch" by Patricia Hickman, or "Lullaby" by Jane Orcutt.

You might want to check out my other reviews of Christian books and music.

I really felt this was a great concept for a story. I liked the idea of the main characters being able to help those around them find a relationship with Jesus based on their needs. This would sure make evangelism easier!!

"The Gifted" is quite a bit like its predecessor, "The Listener," in which the main characters find themselves with unique supernatural gifts from God, and then use their gifts to help the people around them (whether those people are complete strangers or people they already know). However, the key difference between the two stories is that in "The Gifted," the three protagonists are more or less forced to work together to help those in need, as their gifts are basically useless on their own. The author draws on the lesson from Romans 12, specifically that members of the church are all members of one body, even though we all may have different functions within the body. While we may do okay using our spiritual gifts on our own, we are more successful if we work together with others who have different gifts that may complement ours -- and of course we cannot do anything without the help of God. For the most part, I found the story enjoyable. My only complaints are that it came across as preachy sometimes, and that the characters did a LOT of crying -- surely there must be some other way to convey emotion to the reader! Otherwise, this is a very nice little book.

This book really made me think about what I do with my time, money, gifts, who I speak to and how

This is a short novel, but I liked it. I found the characters were pretty well developed and the situations were realistic. The time frame of the story is only a few days and so it is difficult to have full character development.

The spiritual issues involved are more thought provoking and made me wonder what I might do with a miracle, or a special empowerment by God. Overall, while it was a limited story, I found it was quite enjoyable.