I was thrilled to be invited to be part of the Blog Tour for Downstream by Maressa Mortimer.
BLURB
Radio signals have been picked up that might reveal the location of Downstream. Macia longs to find her mother there and tries to persuade her friends Gax and Caecilia to join her in the search. But is it a dangerous mistake or a mission from God? Many difficulties await them and they will need to trust God as they encounter darkness and danger, reaching out with the Light.
Downstream is the third book in the series of the Elabi Chronicles, fiction aimed at young adults but suitable for anyone teen and above.
REVIEW
The first book Walled City introduced us to Elabi, a dystopian world set sometime in the future, where society is strictly controlled, emotions are frowned upon, and faith actively prohibited. Gax, a young man on a mission to share his faith, infiltrates the city for a time and becomes frustrated at how little he can seemingly do to make a difference. But he has made a difference – to at least one young girl’s life. When Gax is forced to leave Elabi, he takes Caecelia with him.
The second book in the series, Beyond the Hills, shows just how much a legacy Gax actually left. In the form of a few thin pages torn out of an ancient book. Macia, the daughter of a council member is aiming for the highest class status she can achieve, but inwardly she is struggling. She finds a letter containing a bundle of thin pages from a now barred book. Reading those life-giving words changes her heart, but also sets her out on a dangerous path.
DOWNSTREAM
In Downstream we are re-introduced to Gax, Caecelia and Macia. Now safely away from Elabi they are free to explore and grow in their faith. But there are people they have left behind that they just cannot forget. When a friend picks up a radio signal from a place called Downstream, Macia knows she has to go and find the source. Downstream is a foreboding place – a place where those deemed no longer useful in Elabi are sent – never to be seen again. And it is where Macia’s mother and baby brother went when she was a small child. Overwhelmed with the urge to seek out her mother, she determines to find her way to Downstream, and Gax and Caecelia offer to go with her.
The journey is not easy. They have to travel through difficult terrain, fight off wild animals, and escape evil in the form of sinister masked men and the looming dark waters of the stream. But they also carry the Book with them, and the Breath of Life within them, and they experience God’s protection and deliverance, as well as making true friends along the way.
The end of their journey is not what they hoped for, but amidst the pain and disappointment they see God do the miraculous. And it is more than their own lives that are changed for the better,
A KINGDOM STORY
I did enjoy Downstream. It did help that I had read Walled City and Beyond the Hills first, but it does stand alone as a very readable and compelling story. I found myself drawn into the journey which, as it is told in the first person is fast paced and immediate. There were some sections, particularly in the jungle setting, that I found a little confusing and repetitive, but the character portrayals and the sense of danger were well done.
I particularly loved the ending. The power of the Breath of Life to overcome evil and to restore and redeem was beautifully demonstrated. This is a Kingdom Story with Jesus very much at the centre.
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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Maressa grew up in the Netherlands, and moved to England soon after finishing teaching training college. Married to Pastor Richard Mortimer they live in a Cotswold village with their four children. She is a homeschool mum, enjoying the time spent with family, travelling, reading and turning life into stories, she wants to use her stories to show practical Christian living in a fallen world.
You can find out more about Maressa and her writing here:
Website
https://www.instagram.com/vicarioush.ome
Joy Margetts is a published author and blogger. Her books are works of Christian Historical fiction. Set in medieval Wales against the backdrop of Cistercian abbey life, they tell stories of faith, hope and God’s redemptive power. Her debut novel ‘The Healing‘ was published by Instant Apostle on 19 March 2021.
‘The Pilgrim‘, her second full length novel, was published by Instant Apostle on 22 July 2022, and her third novel, ‘The Bride‘, published on 20th October 2023. Her first non-fiction book, an Advent Devotional, ‘Christ Illuminated‘ was published in September 2023.
More information on Joy, and her books can be found here