The Architect by Jonathan Starrett — Book Review and Reading Vlog

The Architect by Jonathan Starrett is a Christian middle-grade book. The story combines historical, dystopian, superhero, mystery and suspense genres, and it releases on the 7th of February 2023.

Reading Vlog:

Description:

“There’s a golden rule in Phantom City: “No one about when the Zeppelin is out.” But one night, twelve-year-old Charlie Crane comes face-to-face with the Zeppelin, and instead of finding trouble, she is awakened.

Determined to find the truth in a city plagued with lies, Charlie, along with a quirky band of unlikely heroes, works to free the people of Phantom City from the clutches of a shadowy, evil villain. Helped by a mysterious Architect who only communicates over radio and telephone, Charlie wrestles with two big questions: Can she trust a guide she can’t see? And is the truth actually worth the trouble?

Filled with sinister schemes, bumbling superheroes, unexpected friendships, and plenty of humor and plot twists, The Architect keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Boys and girls alike will be fascinated by the unique world of Phantom City, with its steampunk and Gotham City-type elements and will quickly find themselves cheering for our heroes in their fight against evil.”

Book Review:

The Architect by Jonathan Starrett follows an orphan girl called Charlie, who lives in Phantom City (a bit like Gotham city with Zeppelins). The era felt like 1920s/1930s New York.

Charlie has always been told that Zeppelins are dangerous and must be avoided at all costs. However, when she encounters one, she sees a bright light, and this experience changes everything. She starts questioning what is really going on in the world and who the mysterious Architect is.

First of all, I want to say thank you to Tyndale House Publishers. I requested a free copy of this book through NetGalley, and they kindly allowed me to have an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.

I thought this was a fun read, with plenty of Christian parallels.

The mix of genres took me a while to get used to, but when I did, I loved it. The world is both historical and a little dystopian. The story involves superheroes as well as a mystery to be solved.

I loved the quirkiness of this book and its characters, particularly the children. They developed throughout the story and were the main drivers of the plot.

I particularly liked the faith contained in the story, which was allegorical. Reading this as a Christian, I noticed many themes such as salvation, redemption, God’s plan for our lives, evangelism, reaching the lost, working as a team, church, second chances, and sacrifice.

I believe this book could be a good resource for parents or teachers wanting to start conversations with children about the Christian faith.

I would definitely be interested in reading the sequel to The Architect in the future.

Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I rated this book 9/10 for Story content and 3/3 for Christian faith content.

Advertisement