Review of The Tomb

I recently had the privilege of reading the book, The Tomb by Stephanie Landsem. It is the third in its series and I believe it also to be the last. The whole series brings Bible stories to every day life. It makes them more realistic and easier to relate to. I understand what the people were going through better after reading these because they make more sense. In no way is Stephanie trying to rewrite the Bible or change things. She is just trying to make us realize what it was really like.

This book was about a young woman named Martha, who struggled with providing for her family while keeping a secret from all of them. It follows her through finding out her brother Lazarus is sick and dying. For those who know the Bible story, you know his life will eventually be spared when their cousin, Jesus, brings him back from the dead. However, life is a little more complicated than that (not that bringing someone back from the dead isn't complicated!). There are many plot twists in this book and it will keep you hooked until the end. I am always surprised to find myself wondering what will happen next when for the most part, I should know because I am familiar with the Bible stories.

The author does an excellent job tying up loose ends and doesn't leave you hanging. Her writing is easy to understand and has great style, making this a quick read. If I didn't have a baby to take care of, I easily could've read this in one sitting (as I did with the previous two in the series).

Even though this is based on biblical stories, I do believe that non-believers could find some worth to reading it. The story is excellent, even if you don't believe it actually happened. I highly recommend this book and I hope Stephanie writes more (probably in a different series).