The Divide

Jolina Petersheim is a bestselling author whose unique Mennonite heritage originated in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  She and her husband now live in the mountains of Tennessee with their two young daughters.
You can follow Jolina's blog at www.jolinapetersheirm.com.

In this gripping conclusion to The Alliance, nearly six months have passed since Leora Ebersole's Old Order Mennonite community fled to the mountains for refuge after an attack destroyed the power grid and altered life as they knew it.  Since then, Lora has watched and waited for news of Moses Hughes, the young Englischer pilot who held off invading looters long enough for everyone to escape.  Unsure Moses even survived, Leora has begun to warm to the affections of Jabil Snyder, who has courted her patiently.  But she struggles to see herself as the next bishop's wife, especially when she learns that Moses is alive and has now joined a local militia.
An unexpected encounter in the woods deepens Leora's crisis, as does a terrifying new threat that brings Moses's militia into the community's shaky alliance with the few Englischers left among them.  When long-held beliefs are once again put to the test, Leora wrestles with the divide between having faith and taking action.
Just how much will her shifting landscape change her?

My Thoughts:
For me, The Divide, had somewhat of a dystopian feel to it.  This is the follow-up book to Petersheim's The Alliance, which I had not read before diving into this second book.  I definitely recommend reading The Alliance first as Petersheim seems to pick up right where the first book left off.  I missed much of the characters' backstories and felt a bit lost in the drama.  With that being said, The Divide was ripe with emotion and tension both in the relationships depicted and circumstances of the Old Order Mennonite community.  Petersheim gives readers a peek into their ideologies and how they approach life in general.  I appreciated that Petersheim wrote from both Leora and Moses' perspectives.

*I received a complimentary copy of the book.  All opinions here are my own.

Happy Reading Ya'll,
Jennifer