A Whisper of Peace by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Let me preface this by saying that I have now had the privilege of reviewing three books by Kim Vogel Sawyer. (Check out my reviews for In Every Heartbeat and Courting Miss Amsel.) I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two . . . both were 5-star books for me. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy A Whisper of Peace as much as the others.

Siblings Clay and Vivian arrive in Alaska ready to take the gospel to the natives of a remote village. Certain that this is what God has led them to do, they move into the village and begin building a mission school. When they meet Lizzie, an outcast from the village, they must decide if they will continue to befriend her or give in to the demands of the village leaders and have no further communications with her. As they wrestle with how to handle the situation, they realize that more is at stake than their friendship with Lizzie.

Kim Vogel Sawyer does an excellent job of taking you to eighteenth-century Alaska. The way she describes some of the challenges and life in the village made me feel as though I was there. I especially thought it was funny when two children who come to live with Clay and Vivian constantly comment on how often they made them "wash up." There were a number of small details like that to let me know what life was like . . . and how it was different for Clay and Vivian.

The book was a bit slow for me . . . I just had a hard time really getting into it. After a while, I felt some connection to Vivian and Lizzie and wished that their friendship would have been more of the focus of the book. Clay seemed a bit overbearing at times and I didn't quite understand his and Lizzie's relationship. The attraction really seemed more physical than a true relationship. I think I could have gotten more into the book if the characters had a bit more depth. It seemed that they each portrayed a stereotype, and the problems they faced were handled simply.

While I love Kim Vogel Sawyer and would highly recommend her novels, this one just didn't work for me. Check out the other review online, though, as many of them were quite positive, and you might have different taste than me!

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my fair and honest review.

About the Book
Ostracized by her tribe because of her white father, Lizzie Dawson lives alone in the mountains of Alaska, practicing the ways of her people even as she resides in the small cabin her father built for her mother. She dreams of reconciling with her grandparents to fulfill her mother's dying request, but she has not yet found a way to bridge the gap that separates her from her tribe.

Clay Selby has always wanted to be like his father, a missionary who holds a great love for the native people and has brought many to God. Clay arrives in Alaska to set up a church and school among the Athabascans. He is totally focused on this goal... until he meets a young, independent Indian woman with the most striking blue eyes he's ever seen.

But Lizzie is clearly not part of the tribe. And befriending her might have dire consequences for his mission. Will Clay be forced to choose between his desire to minister to the natives and the quiet nudging of his heart?

About the Author
Kim Vogel Sawyer is the author of nineteen novels, including several CBA and ECPA bestsellers. Her books have won the ACFW Book of the Year Award, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and the Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Kim is active in her church, where she leads women's fellowship and participates in both voice and bell choirs. In her spare time, she enjoys drama, quilting, and calligraphy. Kim and her husband, Don, reside in central Kansas, and have three daughters and six grandchildren. She invites you to visit her website for more information.