Guide to Categories: YA Review – review of books for teens

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About the Book

Book: Aivan: The One Truth

Author: Kayla E. Green

Genre: Young Adult Christian Fantasy

Release Date: July 23, 2022

Two young people from opposite sides of the Great Continent must make sense of their life.

Rune has grown up all of her life in the mountainous northern nation of Kansanai. As granddaughter of the Senior Elder, she has been a devout believer of the Vihishki gods her whole life. Yet, when a prophet challenges the Vihishki gods against his Aivan, the One Truth, everything she thought she knew is turned upside down. Will she be able to let go of the life she thought she deserved for something far greater than what she could have ever imagined?

Rolf goes through the motions of everyday life in the southern nation of Etalentin. Yet, his routine is disrupted when a voice claiming to be the one true God speaks to him. Listening to his heart, he follows Aivan, but he is thrown temptation after temptation on his journey. Will Rolf be able to resist the temptations in order to fulfill Aivan’s plan for him?

Aivan: The One Truth is a story about self-discovery, identity, and faith.

Click here to get your copy!

My YA Review

Green, Kayla E. Aivan: The One Truth. Greenville, SC: Ambassador Books, 2022.

I enjoy it when I can see a writer’s Christian beliefs and knowledge of the Bible sneak into a fiction work. That was definitely the case with Kayla Green’s book Aivan: The One Truth. There are bits of the plot that reminded me of the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel, the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, and the story of Joseph and his dreams as well as Satan’s fall from glory. This fantasy story is well-written and drew me in. It is short which is a bit rare in the realm of young adult fantasy but that did not lessen my enjoyment of it. 

There was one thing that concerns me a little – I’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out in future books in the series. There is a brief indication that the female main character will give birth to the daughter of the god Aivan and that the male main character will raise it as his own (even though it isn’t his). This sounds too close to the virgin birth of Jesus to make me feel comfortable with it. But it was just one paragraph near the end of the story so I’ll have to see how this plays out in the next book. 

Because of this one concern, I do recommend K-12 Christian school librarians (and parents) read the book for themselves before deciding if they want the children and teens they work with to read it. From a reading level stand point, it is appropriate for upper elementary through high school. I do not think I would place it in my school library even though I really enjoyed the book. 

I received a complimentary copy of Aivan: The One Truth. This is my honest review. 

About the Author – Kayla E. Green

Kayla E. Green is a school librarian, speculative fiction author, and poet who adores her husband and their furbabies. When she isn’t writing, reading, or taking photos for her bookstagram, she loves singing loudly and off-key to KLove Radio, napping, and pretending she’s a unicorn. Her award-winning YA fantasy novella, Aivan: The One Truth, and her inspirational poetry collection, Metamorphosis, are now available through book retailers. Kayla also has stories and poems featured in various anthologies, contest-winning stories published with Clean Fiction Magazine, and several flash fiction stories available online through Havok Publishing.

More from Kayla Green

Working in education, it often is disheartening to see how much darkness bombards today’s youth. With Aivan: The One Truth, the forthcoming Chronicles of the One Truth series, and all my writing, my primary goal is to offer young readers a beacon of hope in this dark world. Alluding to many stories and lessons found in the Old Testament, Aivan is a fast-paced novella designed to capture young readers and pull them into the world of the Great Continent. It is my biggest prayer with this book that Rune and Rolf’s journey in this fantasy narrative will serve as a guiding light to lead readers of all ages to seek truth in our reality—the truth that can only be found through our one true God.

One of my current projects is developing a companion devotional for Aivan: The One Truth as well as the full-length novels that will be part of the complete Chronicles of the One Truth series (which will be released at a later date). The devotional would be a tool for parents, teachers, and pastors to use along with the book to help young readers understand the themes and biblical parallels.

Two major themes within the novella center around identity and purpose. Rune’s struggles with disappointment with shattered dreams and the heartache of feeling lost, alone, and unfulfilled are struggles that are arguably universal. In looking at Rune’s journey, young readers as well as adult readers can recognize the real-world challenges of identity: Who exactly are we? In today’s world, there is a constant battle between God and society. How can one embrace their identity as a child of God when the world demands us to rage and rebel against that title?

In Exodus 3:11 (NIV) Moses asks God, “Who am I?” after he is told to go to the Pharaoh to rescue the Israelites. God tells Moses, “I am with you,” (Exodus 3:12, NIV). Similar to Moses’ walk of faith, Rune, like us all, must learn to accept the truth. Like Aivan in the fantasy novella, our God, the one true God, is always with us. We may not immediately—or ever—understand His plan; however, through Him we are whole, redeemed, and loved. And in that, we have great purpose.

I pray that whoever reads Aivan: The One Truth finds parallels to our own world and finds solace knowing that we are because God is the great “I Am.”

In my upcoming companion devotional, I will explore the concepts of identity and purpose from a biblical perspective. Anyone who wants updates on this, should follow my blog and subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to know!

Blog Stops

Splashes of Joy, January 11 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, January 12

Blossoms and Blessings, January 13 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 13

Artistic Nobody, January 14 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, January 15 (Author Interview)

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, January 16

Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 17

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 18

Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 19 (Author Interview)

Book Butterfly in Dreamland, January 19

Pause for Tales, January 20

By The Book, January 21 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, January 22

A Reader’s Brain, January 24 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kayla is giving away the grand prize package of a paperback of Aivan: The One Truth, a paperback of Metamorphosis, an Aivan inspired booksleeve, Rune and Rolf character art cards, and a $50 Barnes and Noble gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2958a/aivan-the-one-truth-celebration-tour-giveaway

Read more YA Review posts.