Book Review: Brush of Wings

It was pure happenstance that I ended up reading two Karen Kingsbury novels at the same time. This one, Brush of Wings, was on the shelf at the library when I was in dire need of another audio book to fill my daily walking time. Again, it was trust in the author's name that led me to snatch it up. Only after I had completed listening to the book did I realize it was a culmination book, the third in her Angels Walking series. I probably would have waited until I read the first two, otherwise, but the book did serve perfectly well as a stand-alone title and garnered 5 star reviews from 90% of Amazon reviewers.

The book contains all the excitement of grand storytelling: good versus evil, a spiritual battle, a damsel in distress, a knight in shining armor, obstacles to the quest, a noble sacrifice, and supernatural intervention into earthly matters. Mary Catherine is in need of a heart transplant but cannot bring herself to share the news with those closest to her for fear they will worry and attempt to stop her from heading to Uganda to work with orphans. She has given up her dreams of marriage and children, and pushed away the love of Marcus Dillinger, in a desperate attempt to live fully the last days of her life. But, God has important plans surrounding her life and she has no idea how many angels are working on her behalf to bring her to God's ultimate purposes.

I will say the beginning was a bit confusing (perhaps just an audio problem) as the reader is introduced to numerous angels and humans and the gist of the story line. But, once I was a fair bit in, things became clearer and I was sucked into the story. At one point, I thought I knew where the story was headed (thought a certain individual was going to die, providing the necessary heart for a transplant to take place), but the ending didn't go exactly as I had anticipated. Despite that, the story ends on a positive note, stirring great reflection on the lengths God must go to in order to protect and carry out His divine purposes in our lives. Moreover, the reader comes away realizing how important each life is in the life story of another individual and how important prayer is for believers to participate in God's plans.