Book Review - Kindred

Kindred by Tammar Stein

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Miriam, a college freshman, is given a task by the terrifying archangel Raphael. Thanks to her background-her father is a rabbi and her mother a former nun-she is able to translate the assignment given to her in Hebrew. Unfortunatly she garbles the task. Even worse, she doscovers that her twin brother, Moses (known as Mo) has received a task from the opposite end of the good-evil spectrum, and he passed with flying colors.

That begins this book, where religion and familial love battle in an ordinary small town. The weight of her failure takes its toll on Miriam, and she vows to succeed when she receives a second and more difficult task. She has to, because this time failure could cost her own life. Unfortunatly Mo also has a second assignment, one that puts the siblings on a collision course.

This book is a change from the fallen angel or angel-falls-in-love-with-his-human-charge type of romance I've seen too much of. In fact, Miriam has the definite feeling Raphael does not like her. While Mo becomes enamored with the devil, she falls for the shaved headed owner of the local tattoo parlor. The book is also a study of good and evil; the wrath of God, the Devil's punishment and even blind chance all play roles in this book. Just as there are no easy answers in life, there are no real answers in this book, only questions. I hope there will be a sequel, because I want to know what happens to Miriam and Mo next.

This book is being released Feb 2011.

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