Audiobook Review: Ransom by Raena Rood
Ransom
Series: The Reverence Trilogy, Book Three
Author: Raena Rood
Narrator: Brittany Goodwin
Audio Released: April 3, 2026
Audiobook: 10 hours 52 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: June 10-16, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
Kira Liebert’s brief taste of freedom beyond Vita Nova’s wall shatters when Patrol soldiers seize young Teddy, dragging him back to face certain death. With no choice but to follow, she returns to the city that branded her a traitor—only to be captured and cast into the Confines, the brutal prison where the condemned await execution. She emerges from the darkness bearing two impossible a blue rose on her wrist and a new identity as Victor Devlin’s secret daughter.
Deep in the wilderness of the Unregulated Zone, Ghost refuses to surrender another soul to Vita Nova’s cruel ritual. A scarred and haunted man whose past with Devlin and Kira’s mother holds secrets that could topple Vita Nova itself, he knows the true cost of inaction. With Will, Brack, and Grace at his side, he plans a desperate rescue attempt. One final chance at redemption that could cost him everything.
As the clock winds down and the city watches her every move, Kira finds herself caught between two fathers on opposite sides of the wall—one who claims her as his own and one who refuses to let her go. Because while some fathers demand sacrifice, others stand ready to sacrifice everything.
RANSOM is the heart-stopping conclusion to the Reverence trilogy that when everything you love is at stake, what are you willing to sacrifice?
Jessica’s Review:
The Reverence Trilogy is a Christian Dystopian series that has a unique premise and Ransom finishes the trilogy with 5 stars!
Ransom picks up where Rebellion ended. I actually re-listened to the last few chapters of Rebellion as it had been a few months since I listened to it. I was fully emersed in the story and wanted to find out how everyone’s story was going to end. I can say this: Ransom ended the series perfectly! When I saw the dedication I wondered if I was going to cry but I did not. I think that if I had actually read it versus listen that I would have cried! All of the characters we have grown to love (or love to hate) are back for the conclusion.
This is a series about several types of love, sacrifices, hope, and fathers. Rood even dedicated the novel to her father, father-in-law, and God. The series is Christian Dystopian, but it does not ‘preach’ at you if you are a non-believer. We do have a love story with Kira and Will, but the series is so much more than their story.
This is actually a hard review to write, but in a positive way: This series is so good! I don’t feel like I can give the right words for it. If the premise of the series intrigues you, give it a chance: It has a clean and sweet romance, but there is also violence. While not graphic, but people do die before their time in Vita Nova. If you enjoy YA dystopian book or Christian Fiction then at least look to see if this series would be of interest to you.
Brittany Goodwin returns as narrator and she did a good job again! I’m glad she came back for the final book and we didn’t have a change of narrators like we did between the first and second.
This review comes at a good time with Father’s Day this weekend. I try to not think about Father’s Day much since I lost my dad at 19, but it is definitely fitting and a bit of God timing that I got this audiobook listened to and review done at this time.
Many thanks to Raena Rood for sending me an audible copy to listen to. I really enjoyed this series and will be looking at your other books you have written.
Novella Review: The Purpose of Life by Jason Hershey
The Purpose of Life
Series: To Die To Life #3
Author: Jason Hershey
Published: May 26, 2026
Kindle: 117 pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: June 7-8, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Novella Description:
Thelonious Mitchell came to Kansas to start over. A college freshman who walked away from a football scholarship, he found new purpose working with at-risk youth at Riverside Learning Academy — mentoring kids like Tommy, who needs someone to believe in him, and DeMarco, whose anger is really just grief wearing a different face.
Then a broken taillight that wasn’t broken changes everything.
After a racially motivated traffic stop leaves Theo humiliated, handcuffed, and carrying wounds he doesn’t know how to name, the man who taught kids to control their feelings can no longer control his own. The trauma spreads — into his work, his relationships, and finally into the one place it was never supposed to go: the gym where the children who trust him are just trying to play basketball.
The Purpose of Life is the story of what happens when the person who holds everyone else together starts to fall apart — and what it takes to put yourself back together without losing who you were trying to become.
Jessica’s Review:
The Purpose of Life is the third novella in the To Live To Die series with Theo Mitchell as our protagonist. This part of Theo’s story takes place just two months after Book Two: The Chosen Path, which was left on a ‘To Be Continued’ note all the way back on May 3, 2017. Theo is a college student who has given up football to help at-risk kids, much like he was. He is now working as an after-school youth counselor.
This series is true-to-life and these novellas do not end in a ‘happy ever after’. This time in Theo’s life he is going home from work (like we all do) and he is pulled over by a police officer and extremely mistreated. The rest of the novella deals with the after-effects that Theo is having to deal with. Theo’s life is permanently changed from this pullover. It affects all aspects of his life including his job with the at-risk kids he is trying to help.
Theo recognizes he needs help and I know he will work to overcome his experience and become a better man for it! Many thanks to Jason Hershey for introducing me to his novellas. If I wasn’t before, I am now fully invested in what happens with Theo next! The Purpose of Life ends in another ‘To Be Continued’, but fortunately we only have to wait until the fall of this year to get the next story. There is even a teaser included with the Prologue and Chapter One after the end of Purpose.
This novella realistically focuses on racism, the impact of decisions and actions that are taken, and PTSD. If I had to give any kind of critique, I would have liked to have seen more of what happened with officer Kowalski after the fact.
Please note that you do not have to read the series in order, these novellas can be read as standalones; but I insist that you should read them all. They are not long, just a little over 100 pages and you can’t help but become attached to Theo. Hershey just has a way with words to completely pull you in to the realness of each situation that Theo finds himself in.
I will be looking forward to The Long Road Home in the Fall!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Audiobook Review: Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Rebellion 1776
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Narrator: Phoebe Strole
Published: April 1, 2025
Audiobook: 10 hours 00 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: April 5-12, 2026
Jessica’s Rating: 3.5 stars
Book Description:
A historical fiction middle grade adventure about a girl struggling to survive amid a smallpox epidemic, the public’s fear of inoculation, and the seething Revolutionary War.
In the spring of 1776, thirteen-year-old Elsbeth Culpepper wakes to the sound of cannons. It’s the Siege of Boston, the Patriots’ massive drive to push the Loyalists out that turns the city into a chaotic war zone. Elsbeth’s father—her only living relative—has gone missing, leaving her alone and adrift in a broken town while desperately seeking employment to avoid the orphanage.
Just when things couldn’t feel worse, the smallpox epidemic sweeps across Boston. Now, Bostonians must fight for their lives against an invisible enemy in addition to the visible one. While a treatment is being frantically fine-tuned, thousands of people rush in from the countryside begging for inoculation. At the same time, others refuse protection, for the treatment is crude at best and at times more dangerous than the disease itself.
Elsbeth, who had smallpox as a small child and is now immune, finds work taking care of a large, wealthy family with discord of their own as they await a turn at inoculation, but as the epidemic and the revolution rage on, will she find her father?
Jessica’s Review:
We have a middle grades historical fiction novel taking place in 1776 Boston. In addition to the war for Independence, the city of Boston is dealing with a smallpox epidemic. Our MC is 13-year-old Elsbeth whose father disappears and she ends up working as a ‘serving girl’ for the Pike family and their ward 16-year-old Hannah.
The listener or reader goes along with Hannah over a short time period and experiences many activities with her. At times Hannah addresses the reader/listener directly. We experience 1776 in Boston and the effects of smallpox, including the inoculation process. As the listener we realize how serious smallpox is and all of its effects. We also see how the town feels for or against the vaccine.
The novel takes place over a short time period, March 4- November 29, 1776. At the beginning of each chapter we are given the date(s) for the time period, but with the audiobook I had issues remembering how long of a piece of time each chapter was. I did not realize how important this was until I met with my book club. Reading a physical book/ kindle you could go back and look at that again. That isn’t really possible with an audiobook. Other than this issue, the narrator is a good job portraying Elsbeth.
This is a good YA novel that shows the time period and the everyday person’s struggle to survive war and disease.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK