Unbroken Bones: Book 1

Greater Love

Young Adult - Adventure
348 Pages
Reviewed on 05/05/2025
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

Unbroken Bones: Greater Love, Book One by Alana C Marks is a heartfelt, faith-filled YA adventure that merges mystery, supernatural elements, and spiritual allegory into a captivating tale. When Natasha discovers a cryptic map hidden inside her grandmother’s Bible, it sparks a journey that transcends time, space, and ordinary understanding. Alongside an unlikely team including a skeptical classmate and a troubled mentor, Natasha begins to uncover secrets about her family, her faith, and a battle far greater than she imagined. Meanwhile, John wrestles with personal demons and a difficult home life, unaware that his pain is leading him toward a redemptive destiny. In another realm, Matthias, a newly appointed guardian angel, prepares for a mission that will entwine his fate with theirs. As light and darkness clash, each character is drawn into a divine mystery centered on grace, love, and purpose.

Author Alana C Marks brings a whole new level of energy to the spiritual awakening genre with this exciting and adventurous novel. It’s a hard sell to pitch a YA work with such strength of faith and have it still be edgy and compelling, but Marks achieves it time and again with twisting chapters that lead to new surprises and keep us guessing at every turn. There’s also a fantastic sense of emotional investment in Natasha and her gang as they discover new truths about themselves, and the well-paced plot lets them rise to new challenges to naturally find new strengths they didn’t know they possessed. The surrounding cast of strong characters, real emotional stakes, and a powerful message of grace sink in realistically, too, with a well-considered blend of earthly realism and celestial wonder that creates a compelling and unique narrative voice that is consistently warm and confident. All of this makes for a standout debut that shows how faith, courage, and love can illuminate even the darkest paths and introduces readers to a really promising author. Overall, Unbroken Bones is a spiritually charged mystery that teens and adults alike will find deeply engaging and inspiring, and I would certainly recommend it.

Eric Ferrar

Unbroken Bones: Greater Love by Alana C. Marks revolves around Natasha, a young woman who discovers a mysterious map in her grandmother’s Bible. This map guides her on a wonderful adventure that requires her to unearth family secrets and discover the truth behind hidden ancient bones. This journey takes her out of her comfort zone in a way she never dreamed it would. John, Natasha's college classmate, is struggling with issues at home. He eventually becomes intertwined with Natasha's quest. This spellbinding journey challenges their perceptions of reality and reveals spiritual forces that want these unique bones to remain undiscovered. Matthias is an angel being groomed for his duty as a guardian protector. His role in this quest is to learn how fallen angels became separated from God in the past. This saga chronicles their riveting tale.

Unbroken Bones: Greater Love is the first installment in the Unbroken Bones trilogy. It is a heartfelt Christian fantasy that perfectly merges spiritual topics, supernatural elements, adventure, and mystery. Through Natasha's, John's, and Matthias' thought-provoking journeys, Alana C. Marks warmly encourages readers to examine unknown spiritual truths and intricate views on topics like God's love, our purpose, forgiveness, redemption, and the fight between good and evil. The plot is elegantly crafted. It gracefully interlaces Natasha's, John's, and Matthias' lives as they encounter transformative tribulations, profound discoveries, and the crucial decisions they need to make. Marks does a remarkable job of incorporating tension-filled moments with earnest ones, making this a powerful story on faith. Unbroken Bones is a compelling tale for readers searching for adventure and spiritual understanding. It will resonate deeply with adults and young readers alike.

Carol Thompson

Unbroken Bones: Book One – Greater Love by Alana C. Marks is a spiritually rich novel that blends adventure, faith, family, and divine mystery into an unforgettable story. At the center of the narrative is Natasha, a curious and determined teenager who discovers a mysterious map left by her late grandmother. Her quest to uncover a hidden treasure leads her into a cave, where a harrowing fall begins to change her understanding of the world and her heart. The reader is also introduced to Matthias, an ethereal being from a luminous realm beyond Earth. His divine mission is to confront the darkness on a planet consumed by sorrow and deception. The novel alternates between celestial and earthly perspectives, weaving Natasha’s emotional coming-of-age journey with a broader cosmic conflict between good and evil. The contrast between Matthias’s radiant homeland and the decaying state of Earth is depicted in vivid prose, highlighting themes of hope, sacrifice, and spiritual awakening.

Biblical references and scriptural themes are woven throughout, offering moments of reflection and encouragement. The book explores redemption, identity, and the enduring power of truth, making it a compelling read for those who enjoy faith-based fiction with speculative elements. The imagery, particularly of Matthias’s celestial home and descent into Earth’s darkness, is poetic and immersive, inviting readers to contemplate deeper spiritual truths. Unbroken Bones is a moving exploration of light overcoming darkness. Alana C. Marks invites readers to consider the unseen forces at work in their lives and the beauty that can emerge from loss, pain, and perseverance. It is a stirring beginning to a trilogy that promises spiritual insight and heartwarming storytelling.