Hello, everyone! I am sorry once again for being late with this post. My schedule has been packed lately! However, I have made the decision to change my posting schedule slightly to accommodate for that. I never seem to have enough time during the week to get a post ready by Saturday, but I have more time over the weekend to work on blog posts. Therefore, I have decided to change my regular posting day to Monday. Everything else about the schedule will remain the same.

Now, for the book review! Today, I am reviewing Hearts of Fire by The Voice of the Martyrs.

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Book: Hearts of Fire by The Voice of the Martyrs

Genre: Biography

Blurb: Eight women from eight very different backgrounds. Yet the struggles they each faced rang with eerie similarity. These courageous women from across the globe-Pakistan, India, Romania, Former Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia-shared similar experiences of hardship, subjugation, and persecution, all because of their faith in Christ. Yet all of these women have emerged from adversity as leaders and heroines.

The eight modern-day pilgrims featured in “Hearts of Fire” are the hidden jewels in the church universal. They are worthy role models of faith and passion, and women of every age will gain new strength and hope for their own times of crisis and trial as they read these inspiring stories. Each story concludes with thoughtful self-reflection questions for the reader. (cover and blurb from Goodreads)

My Rating: 4 stars

Recommended Age: 18+ (or 16+ for mature readers)

My Review:

This book definitely wasn’t an easy read, but it was a very inspiring and impactful one. These stories of eight women across the world who have faced hardships or persecution because of their faith were amazing. Some of the women’s stories are more well-known, such as Sabina Wurmbrand’s, but most of them are about people I have never heard of before. These women faced everything from time in prison to torture to death of family members to being disowned by family to threats of death. Their faith was so encouraging to read about, and there was so much valuable insight into what the Christian life should be like. We should be bold and courageous for the Lord, no matter what our earthly circumstances are. He truly makes all things work together for good and brings contentment in any circumstance. He is our peace and our safety. These women’s lives certainly displayed these truths. I didn’t agree with everything in this book, and the writing style was a bit simplistic, but overall, I thought it was an inspiring look into the lives of what Christians abroad have faced and a great testimony to their faithfulness in the midst of suffering.

I listened to the audiobook version of Hearts of Fire. There were 6 different narrators who each read one or two of the stories, which made for a nice touch and helped differentiate between the different women’s stories. They did a good job, though sometimes the voices they read in for each person (particularly when they were reading the men’s voices) were hard to understand.

Content Notes/Controversial Topics: There are threats of death and many, many mentions and descriptions of murders (including those of children and animals), torture, and injuries. Grief is a large part of some of the women’s stories. There are mentions of prostitution, s*xual abuse, and r*pe. There are descriptions of rituals and beliefs of religions such as Buddhism and occultic practices of witch doctors. One woman struggles with suicidal ideation. “H—” is used once as an expletive. There is a questionable usage of “Oh my G–” (unclear whether it is being used as a sincere cry to God or if they are misusing His name). One of the women (Ling) has a preaching ministry, which I do not believe is Biblical. There are mentions of dreams/visions from God.

Be sure to check out Hearts of Fire if you are interested in reading about strong Christian women and learning more about the experiences of persecuted Christians abroad. What are your favorite biographies you have read? Let me know in the comments; I am always open to new book recommendations! I will be back with another post next Monday!