Reviewed by Cheryl E. Rodriguez for Readers' Favorite

Twelve Smooth Stones by Wanda MacAvoy is a beautiful, yet heart-wrenching novel. It is a journey in search of truth, paved with the horrific nightmares of the Holocaust. A trail drenched with tears that leads to a divinely, wonder-filled dream of freedom. It is more than a story of survival; it is a story of salvation. Esther Ruth Rual is given a priceless heirloom on her sixteenth birthday. A precious gift - an oval gold locket bejeweled with twelve stones of various colors – is a constant reminder of who she is. As Jews living in Amsterdam in 1944, the Raul family followed all the regulations required by the German occupation. A family of strong traditions and conviction “could do nothing but survive.” But, could they survive Auschwitz, the place where Jews were gassed, starved or worked to death? Moreover, could they withstand the aftermath of such atrocity? Esther finds herself alone and broken. Cleaving to God’s Word, Esther has so many questions; could it be true that God had prepared her heart through all the trials and tribulations? As she travels across many lands and oceans, she discovers a renewed strength, a new faith; could it be leading her to her promised Messiah?

Twelve Smooth Stones is historical work of fiction. Wanda MacAvoy includes real places and people within her story’s plot. The mixture of fact and fiction brings the story to life, it authenticates the conflict and the time setting of the narrative. The author starts her prologue in the future and then thrusts you back into the past. The plot has many twists and turns as it unfolds across decades of time and traverses various settings and locations. Wanda MacAvoy writes with vivid imagery, using metaphors and analogies with ease. She brilliantly portrays the traditions and values of the Jewish culture, the horrors of war, the diversity of mankind and, most of all, the extreme good and bad of the world we live in. She depicts the emotions of her characters, consequently creating emotions in the reader. I have read volumes of books in my time; not many have stirred my emotions and brought me to tears. Twelve Smooth Stones did exactly that so you might want to have some tissues handy. I grew to love her characters and longed for a happily ever after ending. I was not disappointed.