A good book for people who like adventure stories.
Plot
Note: This is the sequel to Harold Myra's book "Children in the Night."
When 6-year-old Mela becomes blind, the people of her Askirit village automatically anticipate that she will fulfill the prophecy that a blind girl will lead a pagan people out of the caves so they can see the light. Mela is annoyed by their gossip and is upset at God because the others conveniently forget the fact that they have a mission too. Meanwhile, Geln, a boy who was scarred by fire, tries to become powerful by listening to the darkness.
Morality
The good characters mainly do the right thing. Mela's father encourages her to do what is best for her. Mela babysits children for the village party even though the villagers won't let her go to the festival because she is blind. The king and queen are very interested in following God and leading by example.
Spiritual Content
The Askirit people praise God for being the Giver of light. They have liturgies, ceremonies, and songs. One main character thinks he gets power from evil spirits and believes the evil spirits have put power in a carving.
Violence
Some characters try to kill each other; once it is for capital punishment. The statues of the old ways depict people fighting each other. One boy thinks about murdering his friends by using the dark power.
Drug and Alcohol Content
None.
Sexual Content
Because the Askirit people lived underground in the darkness so long, they recognize each other by running their hands over each others faces; this can feel like flirting to American readers. A couple gets married at the end of the story and part of their honeymoon is included (there is nothing pornographic in the book).
Crude or Profane Language or Content
Geln likes spitting.
Conclusion
This book is about following God even when other professing Christians do not seem to be. The characters are called on special missions to share God's light with those that have never seen it. This book is nice to read, but the author invents place and character names which can become jumbled if you don't pay attention to the differences.
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