Review of Always Before Me

[Reiandra]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Always Before Me" by John Servant.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Always Before Me is a fictional story written by John Servant and is about redemption and the persistent persecution; Father Paul endured for his beliefs and vocation. Father Paul was wrongfully charged and locked up in a place he never thought he would be. He suffered tremendous pain and betrayal from those he helped and the embarrassment of losing his livelihood.

Father Paul was held in high regard wherever he went but faced much opposition when his faith took precedence over the agenda of the local state. Father Paul's strong stance for his Catholic faith would see him through a persecuted journey that carries the reader through the ups and downs, the favor, the evil plots, the setups, and divine interventions he faced before his untimely death.

My dislikes are found early within the storytelling. It was confusing as it pertains to the dialogue and the different "Fathers" in the conversation. It took me a while to acquaint myself with who was speaking because of the language used in Catholicism.
Beyond that, the storytelling struggled to come alive in the initial chapters. My imagination was not fully engaged, and it prolonged my reading time for me to follow along.

However, after I passed those difficult pages, I was finally grabbed by the story. As more of the story unfolded, I related to the deep pains of the protagonist. Here, it was the storytelling that brought the details to life. Coupled with that was the use of biblical parables that guides the reader into Father Paul's mindset and his reasoning towards his daily battles.
It brought home the visual representation, providing us greater insight into why the characters were the way there are.

With this book, there needs to be a check and balance. The story is based on an overly religious mindset and misses Jesus' mantra of 'A time and season for everything.' In this world, we will have suffering, but we do not have to take all things.

The preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ comes with rebuttals. But preaching it with conviction and consistency without compromise comes with tremendous persecution. Always Before Me, undoubtedly mirrored that story through the life of Father Paul.

The book had a few grammatical and spelling issues, but could still be understood. I award this book a 2 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book primarily to all Catholics. This book best suits them because of their stance on Mary versus the majority of other Christian denominations.

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Always Before Me
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