3 out of 4 stars
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MoMo, a Christian thriller book written by Kevin M. Kraft, takes place in the woodlands of Missouri. Mark Taylor and his son, Evan, are about to embark on a weekend they will never forget. After losing his own father, Mark wants to take Evan to a childhood cabin in hopes of reconnecting with his 15 year old son.
The cabin, one in which Mark's dad used to take him to, is located in the woodlands of Missouri, where electricity is just a dream. Mark and Evan must hike a mile or two to the very secluded cabin, only to find that something has broken into the cabin and trashed it. Mark assumes it is a bear and does not feel any real threat to begin with. He places a board with sharp screw in it outside of the door to deter the "bear" from trying to get into the cabin. As Mark and Evan go fishing for their supper, the creature returns to the cabin and is in for a rude awakening when it comes in contact with the board. Upon arriving back at the cabin, Mark and Evan see a large, bloody, oblong print from the creature. Still thinking it is only a bear, Mark sets out to clean and cook the fish they just caught, while Evan explores some of the woodlands nearest the house. It is during this exploration that Evan discovers three-toed footprints that intrigue him. After supper he describes the three-toed footprints to his dad and how the pattern of the footprints seemed to hint that the creature walked on two legs rather than four. Even though his dad found this a little odd, he really didn't put a whole lot of thought into it. After cleaning up the supper dishes, Mark invites Evan onto the porch to look at the stars in the clear night sky, as well as have a heart-to-heart talk. During this time, they hear three knocks on a tree nearby, and soon after a large rock lands on the roof of the cabin. Armed with archery gear, the two set out to find who is responsible for the intrusion. As they follow the knocks, they come face-to-face with the legendary MoMo - the Missouri Monster. Father and son have to work together and trust each other to survive in a remote cabin with only a generator providing power, and their truck a mile or so away. Then, as events unravel, an injured Mark has to do what no dad wants to do - send his son into the woodlands in hopes of reaching the truck and getting help, while being stalked by the legendary creature. Will Evan make it to the truck and find help, or will MoMo get him first? Does Mark stand a chance injured and alone in the cabin? Read to find out!
I found this book to be an enjoyable, easy read. The book is short and fast paced. It keeps the audience wanting to read more, and does not contain any profanity or vulgarity - a huge plus for me. Being a parent, I could easily relate to feeling the need to reconnect to my child. In this day and age, it is so easy to get busy with everyday life and push quality time with family to the side. My favorite part of the book, however, is a quote that Mark shares: "Beyond your own strength is God's. Push yourself there." This is such a powerful quote to me. So powerful that I wrote it on a note card to keep on my desk to remind me that once I push past my strength, God is there to provide His. That is such a comfort in this day and age, where so many want to remind us of what we cannot do.
Although this book was written in an easy-to-read format, there were quite a few spelling and grammatical errors. Verb usage was one of the biggest problems. For example, "A couple of times, it was just be him and me, and he'd teach me something new. Learned how to fish right here, archery." There are several mistakes like this throughout the book, causing the reader to have to read some sentences two or three times to figure out what the author is trying to say. Also, the book hints of being a Christian themed novel, but it is not dominant. Mark does share some of his beliefs and mentions God a time or two, but not enough to warrant this book being labeled a Christian book in my opinion.
I rate MoMo 3 out of 4 stars. The author combined an inspirational story line of a father and son reconnecting, with the intrigue and suspense of the legendary MoMo. This is a great read for those who desire to read a short, fast paced novel that is thrilling and intriguing without a lot of blood and guts mixed in. I highly recommend this book for teenagers and young adults.
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Momo
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