All of the books I had read up to this point by Chautona Havig, I have loved and thoroughly enjoyed reading. However, I have to say I had a hard time finding my reading groove with this one. A woman pulled from her present to the future, a man trying to pull a woman from what is the past to him in order to save her life and offer her marriage. But when the wrong woman is brought to the future things get difficult.

But I have to say I am glad that I kept reading. Andi is a Christian brought to a future time she does not want to be in, while James is not a Christian and has struggled to find his way with Andi. The adjustment that comes from changing time periods and societal requirements and expectations made this story eventually capture my attention.

So if you want to read a book that examines what the future may look like, check out this book for yourself.

I received a copy of this book for my fair and honest review. ( )

What I think you should know:
Volition Chautona Havig is futuristic Christian Fiction. It is set in Havig’s Rockland or at least what her Rockland could be like in 2185. Andi Flanders is taken by “rescuers” from 2185 when she is mistaken for her roommate.

What you might need to know:
The author created a future society based on choices that could be made. This included food and vaccines being used to control the population and eliminate some ethnic groups. This book was written pre-pandemic.

What think about this book:
Having read historical and contemporary books by Chautona Havig I was intrigued to see how she would write a futuristic story. As a huge Rockland fan I was surprised and thrilled to see that she had the ability to weave characters’ stories from her contemporary chronicles seamlessly into the futuristic story. I was surprised by some of the future that Havig created, but enjoyed how she described how that future had come to exist. Andi was such a believable character for me, I can’t imagine that I would be happy if I had been ripped from everyone and everything I know. I enjoyed watching her character grow and change as she adjusted to the culture of 2185 and the choice that she made. James was also a complex character, seeing how he viewed his culture and more importantly how he viewed his place and choices within his culture. While I became irritated at Andi at times, she was a good representation of how Christians can get caught up in routine and forget to cultivate a relationship with Christ. The story was captivating and for me put a whole new perspective on finding ways to be a Christian Witness no matter where you are.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, this in no way influenced my review. All opinions are my own. ( )

Welcome to a world where the government has extremely strict laws and women have become mail order brides taken from different years. The concept is so over the top that it works perfectly. The imagination of the author is superior to anything I have read. I really stayed angry at Andi through the majority of the story. Okay so she was taken by mistake but can she chill a little on the hostility?
What if you really could be transported to the future ? Andi has a chance if she chooses to stay to maybe share her faith and search within herself to see what God wants to change in her. I understand that she feels as though she has been kidnapped. She is right she was, yet she will find out what sacrifice means when she decides to stay in this foreign place. She is very vocal which I have to admire because you have to stand for what you believe in.
James seems to be humble and I so hoped he would be able to stand up to Andi and show her that he is someone she can trust. I loved reading how his character developed over the story. It is a process that is not rushed by the author which makes it easy to accept the changes without being predictable. Really there is nothing predictable about this story except for the author’s ability to write hard lessons while entertaining readers.

The banter between James and Andi is very impressive as they discuss politics and religion. Each one believes their system works the best and I thought how ironic is was that in this futuristic world religion is still a hot and highly debated topic. The author does a great job of having Andi and James discuss what the Bible says about marriage and divorce. Sometimes I think we forget that when we marry we make a covenant. God takes covenant very serious and I enjoyed reading how Janes began to see why Andi was so adamant about marriage. She didn’t want to be forced to marry , she wanted to be in love and have those feelings returned. I could sense Andi felt like her faith was being taken away and she was becoming a door mat almost.

As I finished the book, I realized exactly what I would take away from this story. The story guides us to be a better Christian, prefer one another and be content where God has us. The other important lesson for me was what a Godly marriage is. God is very specific about marriage and through two characters I learned what it means to really cleave to each other, to love one another unconditionally and to be like minded. The story is set in the future where many things have changed. The one constant was that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion. ( )

Best science fiction book I’ve read to date!

I haven’t read a science fiction book in what seems like forever, but it was so much fun to get back into that with Volition a couple of weeks ago! I got to read this just before the author published it, as part of her launch team (we were trying to help with editing…it partially worked!), but I got sucked into the story a little too well to be of much value on the editing front.

What a book. It doesn’t have a plot that you’d expect, but it draws you in from the first page and doesn’t let go until the end. I loved watching Andi grow as a person and in her faith in this story. She faced many discouraging times as well as great testing of her faith, and it took a lot of wisdom to navigate the different situations she found herself in. James was a wonderful encouragement, and he also had some wisdom to share. I loved his gentle, steady character.

The writing itself could have had a bit more polishing—but I suspect that will be corrected before too long. The world-building, too, could have had a bit more work, I thought. But the plot was sound, and the ending satisfying.

I loved so many different elements of this book. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s one I go back to re-read eventually (which I think says something, because it’s rare that happens for me). But it’s such a unique setting with some wonderful life lessons in it, and for that, I really appreciated this story! Recommended if you enjoy a good Christian fiction that is engaging as well as challenging, and even if you don’t normally like sci-fi, give this a shot. I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up liking it!

I was given a free review copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.