Review: The Time of Jacob's Trouble by Donna VanLiere
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A typical day at work turns into a nightmare for Emma Grady when her favorite patient and several colleagues vanish in front of her. Fear turns to chaos as Emma begins the frantic race from Brooklyn to Queens, anxious to discover if her boyfriend is safe. Subways are closed, graves are open, and countless people have inexplicably disappeared. Mayhem erupts as terror grips the residents of New York City.
What could make so many vanish in a moment?
And not just in New York, but all over the globe?
Emma wonders if this is the predicted end of the world and begins a desperate search for answers.
This page-turning story will take you on a riveting journey from New York City to Israel, and in the final chapters, Donna turns to the pages of the Bible, where you’ll learn that God has made known to us “the end from the beginning,” and that things aren’t spiraling downward but are actually looking up.
The bestselling author of The Christmas Shoes now explores a future world facing its final days in The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, weaving end-times prophecies into the lives of Emma and her friends as they struggle to survive and come face-to-face with the chilling truth about the disappearances.
My Rating: 2/5
It is to be noted that there are two parts to this book, a novel, and a study guide.
PART I - The Novel
In the spirit of the Left Behind series and with a touch of Joel C. Rosenberg, The Time of Jacob's Trouble is a story of upheaval and confusion, with millions missing and a world on the brink of war this book could have had the potential of being something great. There were some elements of hope, but in the end, it felt like the story had been rushed and it fell flat.
Told in multiple points of view, the story skips back and forth between the main characters, countries and the political rhetoric of the pending singular world government. I found this to be confusing as one minute you were reading about a character in New York and the next you were in Israel or a political forum in Europe (or where ever it was).
I tried to like this book, but . . . I'm left with the feeling that it had been done before. The plot was weak, the characters lacked development and the abrupt ending of the novel portion of the book left me frustrated.
PART II - The Study Guide
The second portion of The Time of Jacob's Trouble is an in-depth study of the Biblical book of Revelation that the story is based upon.
I recommend having a Bible handy as you read through this portion of the book as it is heavy with information and verses that you will want to take the time to read for yourself.
I found this portion of the book to be well thought out and well researched.
Final Thoughts
If the author had put as much effort into character and plot development for the novel portion of this book as she did for the study portion, it would have been a good book to pick up.
The Time of Jacob's Trouble was a disappointing read for me and I think it would have been better to have been either two separate books - or for the study guide to be a singular book.
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Publication Date: 17 March 2020
RRP: $15.99 USD
I received an ebook from the publishers via NetGalley for the purposes of a review, this review is my own personal view and is not required to be positive.
This review has also been posted on my other blog, A Speck of Salt
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