Official Review: Turning Your Scars into Stars: A Journe...

EricaWilson · Post by **EricaWilson** » 30 May 2018, 01:22

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Turning Your Scars into Stars: A Journey from Mourning to Joy" by Sue Hamby, PhD.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Turning Your Scars into Stars, by Sue Hamby, details one woman’s journey from mourning to joy after discovering her only son has been murdered. His sudden death floods her with a sea of grief, and she has no idea how to navigate it. It isn’t until she looks towards our Heavenly Father that she begins to see the light at the end of the dark tunnel. Overcoming the death of a loved one is something that no one can do alone. God can bring joy to sorrow, happiness to depression, and hope to a broken soul. Through him, we have the power to turn our scars into stars.

Sue Hamby’s novel showed me that trials and tribulations occur to teach us perseverance, gratitude, and humility. They mold our character so that we are better equipped to serve God. I greatly enjoyed the metaphors Hamby uses to describe God’s power. For example, she compares our brokenness to a broken pottery vase. If there is a lighted candle inside the vase, it can only be seen after the vase is broken. She also states that bitterness grows like a weed and describes how God refines our faith like gold and silver. This imagery enhances the idea of having Godly character and shows how He enables us to live our lives through Him.

The prayers and scriptures located at the end of each chapter are a nice addition to the novel. The scriptures provide a way for readers to connect the concepts discussed in Hamby’s novel to actual bible verses. The end of each chapter also includes questions for personal growth. I feel that these are unnecessary because they ask the reader to think about what they have learned and how they can apply it to their own life. The reader should already think about this without being reminded by the same questions at the conclusion of every chapter.

I discovered many mistakes among the pages of this book. Oftentimes, there was a word missing in a sentence or the wrong tense was used, slowing down the pace of the novel. I also found the text to be quite repetitive. Some of the stories were told multiple times in order to make similar points. Near the end of the book, I felt as if part of one chapter was quoting a previous chapter word for word. This went on for several pages.

Overall, I would give Turning Your Scars into Stars 2 out of 4 stars. It is suited for anyone looking to strengthen their faith in God through their trials and tribulations.

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Turning Your Scars into Stars: A Journey from Mourning to Joy
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Samantha Simoneau · Post by **Samantha Simoneau** » 12 Jun 2018, 08:01

I love books with these kinds of messages, but the editing issues really hurt the impact. Great review!

daniya__shah3 · Post by **daniya__shah3** » 12 Jun 2018, 11:45

I was fascinated by the summary and the title of the book. However, I think it would be hard to read a book filled with errors. Thanks for the honest review, I think I'll pass this one.

Anon_Reviewer · Post by **Anon_Reviewer** » 12 Jun 2018, 12:52

I hope the author invests in a good editing team soon because I think this book has great potential. I must also say, the cover is great. Your review was a delight to read. Thank you

Sahani Nimandra · Post by **Sahani Nimandra** » 13 Jun 2018, 05:38

It all depends on a person's belief, if one is a deep believer of God then they should do so after all it is the only person who's ears are open to listen to our sorrows. I hope such stories will breach the gap between humans and god. Too bad about the errors otherwise it is a fine read. Thank you for your review!

AmySmiles · Post by **AmySmiles** » 13 Jun 2018, 10:12

Perhaps it was meant to be a study book, to be used in group discussion? Too bad about the editing issues. I'm going to pass on this, but thanks for the review.

Kristy Khem · Post by **Kristy Khem** » 14 Jun 2018, 21:14

Sounds like a good Christian story with a relatable message. Thanks for reviewing!

Marissa Michael · Post by **Marissa Michael** » 15 Jun 2018, 00:20

I love books with this kind of message. The editing issue is the bummer to this book. Hopefully the author will send this book to through the editing process.

Plfern · Post by **Plfern** » 15 Jun 2018, 14:39

After this book is fully edited properly, I would be happy to read it. There are many people who are close to me who could benefit from a book of this nature. Thank you for your honest review.

Plfern · Post by **Plfern** » 15 Jun 2018, 14:41

After this book is fully edited properly, I would be happy to read it. There are many people who are close to me who could benefit from a book of this nature. Thank you for your honest review.