Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9
Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. Isaiah 46:3-4
My Thoughts
I don’t know where to start. This book was sooo good and sooo hard, in a good way! Lilliora is such an inspiring young woman and her struggles are so real and relatable and I love her heart for children and babies, born and unborn. I was the little girl who wanted to hold every baby she saw and play with the little ones, so I related very much to Lilliora.
The faith in this book is so palpable and real, even when Lilliora feels abandoned by Adon Olam and that all her trying to save the babies is all for naught. She still rises in the love and power of Adon Olam to do what He has called her to.
The characters were amazing and I loved seeing characters from Promises Prayer and Victory’s Voice return since we’re following the different members of the same family and I can’t wait to read the next book! (I missed reading the previous book but hope to read it soon.)
Keltan and Kethin were such good brothers to Lilliora and I loved all the interactions between the siblings. Although, it was hard for me to keep track of which brother had done what throughout the story and they kind of just merged together by the end of the book…
Oh, and then there’s Tae! I love Tae and I love how Erika showed the plight of not only the babies threatened with abortion but also the little children who are said they would have been better off murdered in the womb than given the chance at life, even if that life is of a poorer quality than the world’s “standards”. Tae is adorable, and quickly stole my heart.
There’s also a few special babies throughout the story, little Jabez, Regita, Victor, Sonrisa, and a few others but oh, how those babies captured my heart! And speaking of children, all the neighborhood children were just adorable, especially on Story Nights.
Madame Togni, the “Lightener” who runs the abortion house, was very chilling and reminded me of Ursula from The Little Mermaid, touting the poor unfortunate women who need “lightening” of their condition. I just… I am not a violent person but I wanted to strangle Togni, she loved her job and I just… she’s the kind of character you hate but at the same time are abhorrently fascinated by how she can think the way she does.
The hard part of the book is when the abortions happen or when a newborn is killed, this book is not descriptive but does not shy away from the truth. In some of the abortions the baby survived the attempted murder and was born alive but was then left screaming in a corner until they died from lack of care, and there are others where the mother has 90 days to “return” the newborn and the abortionist will kill the baby. And there are some women who don’t meet the requirements for an abortion and so they perform the abortion themselves by drinking poison or some other such method.
All in all, I loved this book and the values it portrays. A baby doesn’t become a baby when they’re wanted, a baby is a baby from the moment of conception and has a right to life. Please read this book!
Rating
Content Cautions
Talk of abortions, some vaguely-detailed descriptions of abortion methods, newborns murdered off-scene, abortions happen off-scene, a woman accidentally drinks a potion meant to kill a newborn and the affects it had on her are briefly described, babies die, this book may be very triggering for those who have miscarried babies or lost babies in infancy, I would recommend this book for 16+.
I received an e-arc copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I wasn’t required to give a positive rating.
Learn the Basics
- It’s Book Four of Truth from Taerna but it can easily be read as a standalone.
- It’s a prolife novel.
- It tells the story of Liliora Ellith, who makes peace with her past and discovers her future among the cradles of Taerna’s unwanted babies, born and unborn.
- It’s a kingdom adventure fiction novel.
- It’s clean and family-friendly, though it’s recommended for teens and up due to dealing with the issue of abortion.
Its launch date is October 21 but it’s available for preorder right now!
View or Buy Sustainer’s Smile on Amazon
See the Blurb
Suffering suffocates her soul.
How can she ever smile again?
A helpless newborn…that’s exactly how twenty-four-year-old Liliora Ellith feels in her efforts to speak up on behalf of the youngest members of Taerna’s pleasure-driven society. Her tender heart for the defenseless and deep aversion to conflict throw Liliora’s soul into turmoil when tragedy opens her eyes to the quiet yet heartrending war on Taerna’s babies—both born and unborn. Adon Olam’s Word coupled with a secret in her own past fuel her determination. All she wants is to make peace with her past and discover her future among the cradles of unwanted babies. However, the challenges ahead of her threaten to send her spiraling into hopeless depression time and again. Saving innocent lives from the crush of the destroyer and raising a generation in the ways of Adon Olam seem more impossible than ever. At the very end of herself, will the sufferings of her and her babies prove to be anything less than the catalyst for complete disaster?
Enter the Giveaway
Win a signed paperback of Promise’s Prayer (Truth from Taerna #1) and other fun prizes! Enter here.
Find the Rest
There’s a bookstagram/blog challenge, author interviews, character spotlights, and more!
View or Buy Sustainer’s Smile on Amazon
See the Rest of the Prolife Tour
Living Outside the Lines 
This sounds like SUCH a beautiful, meaningful story! I don’t think I have ever seen a prolife fantasy/kingdom adventure novel out there, and I couldn’t be more thrilled there is one now!
I, too, am the one who gets so excited when there’s a baby or child around. Lol. I just love ’em! ❤ And it's GREAT when novels have them too. This whole cast sounds PRECIOUS. I absolutely loved all your thoughts. Thank you so much for sharing!
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Sounds like a great book with a great message! Thank you for sharing. 💜
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It is!! Thanks for reading! 💙
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