Fire bird, Magic and Faith, Gate of Heaven, Forces of Evil and of Good
This dramatic fantasy adventure fully claimed my attention and admiration, right from its opening scene at the Queen’s deathbed with her twin ten year old children, Adin and Aletha. Plenty of evil characters live in this world, including Ratha, twisted advisor to the King, and hope lives in finding “the Keeper of the Promise.”
When times are dark, a few words of Scripture are quoted like “For love is as strong as death.” Look for the fire bird with gold feathers, the hermit and his wise pig, the star necklace and the stone circle which is one of the Gates of Heaven.
This book’s cover has a shimmery pearl-like sheen and features the fire bird, and the book is a rewarding read for all fans of fairy tale and fantasy. ( )

A woven masterpiece of true inspiration heavenly sent and well explicated by the introspect of Lakins.

This is the first book from the author C.S. Lakin I have ever read and I love how the bible is intermingled with her tale. It is a beautiful story of twin siblings, children of royalty, who risk their lives in search of answers to why their father, the King and their kingdom seem to be falling apart before their eyes. Aletha and Adin are very close as are most twins in real life. Adin who at one time as a young boy was treated lovingly and kindly by his father, is filled with sadness and confusion as now his father treats him like trash due to his deformities. The kings attitude becomes even worse after the death of his children's mother, the beautiful Queen. The King becomes even more hateful towards his only son, while he is eaten away by his greed and egotistical ways. Imposing heavier taxes on the people of his kingdom, the King keeps himself hidden within his walls, where he uses the money for his obsession's, accumulating more and more useless treasures. Luckily for the children they have Reya a nursemaid who raises them with much love and care while their father ignores them throughout their early childhood.

As the years move on and the city of Sherbourne grows deeper and deeper into debt. Aletha and Adin who at first think their father has gone mad begin to learn there is more to their fathers unrest and madness than just a broken heart. THE MAP ACROSS TIME takes the twins on a journey into the past and although Adin with his deformities struggles in his quest, even failing at times, he makes many friends who help him along the way. One thing that never fails is his love for his twin sister, Aletha who never seems to see him as having deformeties and is always there to guide and comfort him. This tale is rich, warm and inviting and keeps you on your toes wandering what will happen next. I true example of what love can accomplish when strangers become friends for life. I have definitely enjoyed the characters and the settings in this book, at times feeling like I was right in the story myself. Lakin has taken inspiring scripture from the bible and used it throughout this book to bring it to life and in the process teaches many lessons throughout this tale. If you should miss the interpretation of some of the Hebrew words inserted throughout the book you can go to the glossary at back for each meaning and a section on discussions. I am hooked and look forward to Lakins next book in the series "The Land of Darkness." ( )