Official Review: Always Before Me by John Servant

[Abi McCoy]

I think that the cover is particularly well done. However, I'm not particularly interested in Catholicism, but it does sound as if the author did a good job at focusing on character development as well. Thank you for your review!

[Chelsy Scherba]

This sounds like an interesting story with some neat religious elements and story building. I’ll check it out.

[jeanmtdb]

Thank you for your review. Normally, I don't read religion-based books. I am very intrigued to find out about Father Anthony's life. This is definitely on my reading list. Congratulations on BOTD!

[Ankita Chavan 1]

I really liked the story as author has described the journey of both the success and failures.rather than focusing only on strenghts.

[Maroy Gloria Ailly]

The questions asked by this book about religion and all are very interesting and provocative but the genre of the book is not one I enjoy reading so I'd pass this on. Thank you for the review though.

[Ntombifuthi Londi]

This book's author appears to have conducted much study. It appears to be both instructive and thought-provoking. Congratulations on winning the #BOTD

[Chinazo Anozie]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Always Before Me" by John Servant.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

How far can you go to stand for what you believe? When push comes to shove, will you be able to stand with your values regardless of the cost? These are the kinds of questions that Always Before Me by John Servant raises.

It was the wake of Father Anthony, who died of lung cancer. Father Richard had come to pay his final respects to a holy man. Sitting there alone, he was reminiscing on the life of the priest whose remains lay in the casket before him. While the thoughts were going through his head, another priest, Father Paul, came to mind. Father Anthony and Father Paul both died in prison, albeit for different reasons.

While Father Richard was lost in thought, a young man walked into the small room where the wake was going on. The young man was John Daly, the late Father Anthony's nephew. John came because he was informed of his uncle's death, and the possessions his uncle left for him. The only thing John knew about his uncle was the accusation of molesting a young girl leveled against him. There was something about Father Anthony that John didn't know. What could this be?

Always Before Me is one of the three Catholic novels written by John Servant. The book is deeply rooted in Catholicism and all the beliefs associated with it. Both the major and minor characters in this book have a connection to the Catholic Church. The practices, prayers, and setting all project Catholicism in its fullest expression. You have to have a Catholic foundation or an idea of their beliefs and practices to follow most parts of the story in this book. The author shows his deep roots and vast knowledge of the Catholic Church.

I applaud the author's writing skills. I have read a couple of religious novels in recent times and have been utterly disappointed. For most of these books, it was more about projecting the religion than building on a story. I usually have difficulty understanding the plot. But, John showed me in this book that a religious novel could also appeal to everyone. He did well to cater to the reading needs of religious and non-religious readers alike. He showed the utmost respect when talking about people of a different faith. Most importantly, there was a story to follow and lessons to learn from the book.

What I liked most was the way the author infused different writing styles to make the book fun and engaging. He used flashbacks to narrate the backstory effectively. He seamlessly connected it to the beginning of the book. It made the book more interesting than it was at the beginning. The author also used suspense to keep me anticipating. I fell for the temptation of predicting specific outcomes only for the author to shatter them with the twists and turns. This book also elicited different emotions at different points for me. I was excited, sad, angry, surprised, and encouraged while reading this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

I only found one error in the book, but it wasn't enough to take away any point. There was nothing I disliked about this book as it was well-written and professionally edited. I rate it four out of four stars. I recommend it specifically to anyone who enjoys religious novels. People who are opposed to religion can also read it as there wasn't any prejudice in the narrative.

******
Always Before Me
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

I like that people from other religions can also read it. It's always great when a religious book considers other forms of religion. Nice one!

[Mary Lou Mills]

You did an excellent job of making this novel which is full of Catholicism appeal to non-Catholic people as well.

[Lynda Howard]

I love the fact that the author has done well to cater to the reading needs of religious and non-religious readers alike, and the fact that the author shows the utmost respect when talking about people of a different faith. I believe that everyone would be able to learn from the lessons in this book.

[havillah108]

I'd like to learn more about the mystery surrounding Father Anthony that John is unaware of. I'm blown away by the fact that this Catholic novel appeals to individuals of all faiths. I particularly enjoyed the use of flashbacks in the book's narrative of the backstory. Thank you for your review.

[Pauline Parnell]

Each one of us needs salvation. This is a reminder that we are humans that needs God's grace. Thank you for the review.

[Duha Khan]

It's not really my type of book but I do like books based on religion and appreciate the author trying this out.

[Laura Ungureanu]

This book seems to have an interesting plot, but I'm not one who reads religious stories, so I will skip. But congrats!

[Hyacinth Bella]

These aren't my type of genre, so I would not be reading this one, but I'm intrigued how this book is written. I might influence a friend to read this one and let them tell me about it. Thank you so much for the detailed review!

[Ochieng Omuodo]

Your review of this book seems cagey. On the one hand, it is suitable to religious an non-religious readers, but, on the other, a working knowledge of Catholicism is necessary. I suspect the ‘deeply rooted in Catholicism’ is the most accurate characterisation.