Quest for the Promised Land

I was pleasantly amazed that the product came weeks before the expected delivery date and the book was in first class condition. Thanks for a great service. Anna

I have to say that the first book in this series was better than this one because the characters blended well together, and in this one, the main girl character annoyed me, she was bratty and seemed like today's teenager. It did have some good qualities, like action & adventure.

The descendants of the van der Kemps struggle against British control and warring tribes. Christiaan van der Kemp is a peacemaker, but few others share his views. His daughter, Sina, has a big crush on the neighbor boy, Henry Klyn. Sina's good friend, Karel, advises her against pursuing the relationship with Henry. . . . And Sina advises Karel against the relationship he is pursuing with Deborah van Aardt. Karel and Sina, despite their differing opinions, have been friends for most of their lives. Jama, a descendant of Ding (the van der Kemp's slave in the first book), is struggling to find his place among the Dutch Afrikaner, or Boers as they were commonly called. He doesn't feel accepted by anyone but the van der Kemps, and he longs to marry, but finds no one he can relate with. So, at the urgings of the Xhosa tribe king, Jama joins with their ranks. After the Xhosas attack the Boers and leave the houses decimated, the van der Kemps, along with others, decide to leave South Africa and seek land by a peaceable arrangement with the Zulus. Through hardship and heartache, the van der Kemps are victorious only by the Lord.It did start slowly, but I still found it interesting. Besides, the rest of the book more than makes up for it! There was one part I especially liked--the imagery was so gripping and vivid (and scary, particularly if you're reading it at night like I was), but I won't give it away. =)

I must say I was looking forward to this book by Jack Cavanaugh, after I had read the first book, The Pride and the Passion, which I highly recommend. I was a bit disappointed though, with the sequel, because it starts out slow, and is slow through half of the book. Then it picks up and is a good read, a page-turner, with more character development, and growing. Don't get me wrong, I liked this book, but gave it four stars for its slow start! By the end of the book, I was looking forward (again) to the next one.

I must say I was looking forward to this book by Jack Cavanaugh, after I had read the first book, The Pride and the Passion, which I highly recommend. I was a bit disappointed though, with the sequel, because it starts out slow, and is slow through half of the book. Then it picks up and is a good read, a page-turner, with more character development, and growing. I like the time period of the Afrikaaners, since this was one of the first series to cover the era in South Africa. Don't get me wrong, I liked this book, but gave it four stars for its slow start! By the end of the book, I was looking forward (again) to the next one.