Rebecca Taylor's The Exquisite and Immaculate Grace of Carmen Espinoza is Breathtaking!

How many of you have read Dante's Inferno?

Today I have a modern work that draws from Alighieri's religious classic for you. We travel through a realm similar to that of the inferno, on a quest for truth and insight. It left me hungry for more by this talented and perceptive author!

The Exquisite and Immaculate Grace of Carmen Espinosa is a paranormal fantasy written by Rebecca Taylor.

So what's it about?

Carmen Espinoza is a foreign exchange student living with her host family in Oaxaca, Mexico. Carmen comes from a broken home: her brother died when he was still very young, her father left soon after, and her mother spends her time praying, reading from the bible, and making Carmen feel as though she's worthless and worse, a pariah. Carmen's senior year was supposed to be her chance to open up and be 'normal.' But during a Day of the Dead festival she sees her dead brother, so she follows him and ends up on a quest for truth... a quest in which her very soul is at stake.

So, I'm just going to say...

Wow!

Seriously. Wow. I loved everything about this one.

Carmen is a very well-rounded, believable character. More than that, though, her successes and failures feel personal. While I've never been one to hide from the contact of others, I got a glimpse into what that feels like: the yearning for basic human contact mixed with fear of the unknown, sprinkled with a healthy dose of distrust.

At first, this ebook felt extraordinarily black and white. The reader knows the truth, knows who the 'good' people in Carmen's life are, versus the 'bad.' Everything makes perfect sense. Carmen's perspective was a bit skewed, but the reader completely understood why. The truth was obvious.

Maybe. 

The farther you read into this, the more complex it becomes. You begin to see shades of gray that make you question what you think is correct. You begin to realize that there's something more to Carmen's life than you previously thought, and that discovery is exciting!

"Something's missing..." becomes the overall thought.

There's no frustration in this, though, because as you read you're completely dazzled by the richness of the Between. Images form in your mind that leave you spellbound. You're both awed and disgusted by the many events and spirits you come across.

Indeed, you find yourself questioning your own actions in life.

I'd tell you more, but doing so would mean nasty spoilers, and we know how much I hate those! What I will tell you, though, is that I was wholeheartedly impressed and enthralled.

This one gets added to the others that have reached

Treasured Tome Status!!!

I couldn't find a single flaw worth noting. The grammar, the environment, the characters, the story? All amazing. This ebook will stay with me for quite a while. It entertains, and to a large extent, it teaches.

This is not a title that you want to pass up.

The Exquisite and Immaculate Grace of Carmen Espinoza is only available on Kindle.