This Life of Mine - Victoria Lynn
★★★★★
Brutal, raw, but diamonds are not formed without pressure
Marcus, a medicinal with a lame leg and his own pains, struggles to find his worth in the eyes of the Lord while administering to a young refugee, Dilara, whose horrific past of being trafficked haunts her every waking moment.
Narrative Voice: 3rd person limited (dual)
Cussing/profanity: 0/5
Drug/alcohol use: 1/5
Kissing: 1/5
Sex/nudity: 1/5*
Violence/gore: 3/5
This is an emotionally heavy book, I’ll start off with that. Victoria Lynn handles the horrors of sex trafficking and abortion with respect, providing all the emotion without the graphic description in a digestible balance.
You WILL need tissues.
A majority of the book stews in pain, cold, and the fear of being unlovable or unvalued. What Marcus and Dilara experience isn’t something that can be overcome in a couple pages. No, this story takes you on a realistic rollercoaster about the desperate fight to overcome suffering spanning months. This is a story about redemption, and how NO ONE is beyond the infinite love of God. I will say, I found myself yelling at Marcus to snap out of it and realize of COURSE he has worth.
This book brought many tears, and prompted me to pray for the poor innocent souls in real life who are suffering these atrocities even at this moment. Victoria Lynn also included an amazing roster of resources at the end of the book to combat abortion and human trafficking.
This Life of Mine is dark and heartbreaking, but that only adds to the realness and joy of redemption. We are all diamonds in the rough, but the pain and pressure we face will only form us into the gems we are destined to be. God makes diamonds out of dust. Yes, this book does have a happy ending, don’t worry!
But for goodness’ sake, give Marcus an ESCALATOR!!! Poor boi! XD
Beautiful story, beautiful writing, and VERY important message: you are loved, you are valued, and every life is beloved by God.
*prostitution and sexual violence is inferred
5/5 would recommend
