Review of Emara's Challenge
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- Yoli García
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Review of Emara's Challenge
Sixteen-year-old Princess Emara of Uthal is at a crossroads in her life. This year is her turn at the Stand, a public ceremony where she will choose between the Joining and the Challenge. It is rare for the women to choose the dangerous Challenge, as it involves leaving the city with a guardian for a year. Most women opt to take a husband and perform the Joining ceremony. However, Emara does not feel sure about being ready for a husband.
Furthermore, Emara, her family, and friends are preparing for the Journey, a yearly voyage young women of age take with their mothers before the Stand. Unexpected events and a man named Ammon make Emara's decision harder. What circumstances influence Emara's decision? Does she turn into the woman she wants to be? What is her final choice?
Written by Monica Flores, Emara's Challenge is a young adult novel consisting of 286 pages. Flores' effortless prose was a pleasure to read, and a professional edited the book pretty well, as I found only two minor errors. The author based her story on the Book of Mormon and selected Native American historical sources, particularly about the Hopewell culture. Her purpose was to explore what life might have been like for a young Lamanite woman.
The main themes of this story are family, self-discovery, love, and tradition. The aspect that I enjoyed the most about this book was how Flores developed and portrayed these topics. Emara has an ideal family that is an excellent role model to young readers because of their stability and strong ties. Her parents are King Gilgal and Queen Suyana, and she has four brothers, of which my favorite is Enon, because of how close he is with Emara. It was great seeing Emara discovering who she is and what she wants in life and how her parents guide her while respecting her decisions. Also, Flores can portray love and intimacy with purity. The scenes in which Ammon is there for Emara when she needs someone the most make the heart skip a few beats.
I also was engrossed reading about the traditions the characters follow in the story. For example, mothers and daughters of age go on the Journey before the Stand every year. The idea is for the young women to spend time with their mothers before they marry or leave the city. During this time together, the mothers teach their daughters about womanhood. The descriptions of other traditions, like the Challenge and the Joining, were fascinating too.
I honestly cannot think of something that I disliked about Emara's Challenge by Monica Flores. I had a great time following Emara's path to womanhood, so I award it 4 out of 4 stars. The book's primary target audience is young adults who are Mormons. However, it reads like historical fiction and a coming-of-age story. On top of that, Emara is a strong female lead, and her family and friends are beautiful people. Even though I am not a Mormon, I loved this story, so I would recommend it to readers who enjoy historical fiction and coming-of-age stories with strong themes about family, self-discovery, love, and tradition.
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Emara's Challenge
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-Gabriel García Márquez
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