The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott Review & GIVEAWAY!

I received this book for free from TLC Book Tours for review consideration, opinions expressed are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links as indicated by an asterisk. Purchases from these links provides a small commission to me at no extra cost to you.

The Wonder of All Things by Jason Mott
Published by Mira
Publication Date: July 28, 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Drama, Fiction
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: TLC Book Tours
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Goodreads

Synopsis from Goodreads:

“On the heels of his critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling debut novel, The Returned, Jason Mott delivers a spellbinding tale of love and sacrifice.

On an ordinary day, at an air show like that in any small town across the country, a plane crashes into a crowd of spectators. After the dust clears, a thirteen-year-old girl named Ava is found huddled beneath a pocket of rubble with her best friend, Wash. He is injured and bleeding, and when Ava places her hands over him, his wounds disappear.

Ava has an unusual gift: she can heal others of their physical ailments. Until the air show tragedy, her gift was a secret. Now the whole world knows, and suddenly people from all over the globe begin flocking to her small town, looking for healing and eager to catch a glimpse of The Miracle Child. But Ava’s unique ability comes at a great cost, and as she grows weaker with each healing, she soon finds herself having to decide just how much she’s willing to give up in order to save the ones she loves most.

Elegantly written, deeply intimate and emotionally astute, The Wonder of All Things is an unforgettable story and a poignant reminder of life’s extraordinary gifts.”

My Thoughts:

I loved The Wonder of All Things, a beautiful and haunting story about sacrifice and the power and responsibility that comes with a healing touch. You know I’m a mom of boys when I read her story and think of Uncle Ben who tells Peter Parker (aka Spiderman), “with great power comes great responsibility.”

Ava is only 13 when she’s bestowed with a powerful and mysterious gift to heal. Her “gift” throws her into the public eye and suddenly everyone is flocking to see her hoping for a miracle. Ava is a sweet girl from small town North Carolina being raised by her father and stepmom. I found my motherly instincts activated as I wanted to protect her from the great responsibility put on her young shoulders.

Ava is not only a miracle in her healing ability but also retains her childish perspective on the wonder of all things around her. It reminds me of talking with my kids and how simple they believe right and wrong can be. It’s wrong to kill, it’s right to help. The people that approach Ava all have a desperation in their situation and voice. A cause so worthy, how can she possibly refuse them help, how can she say no when all it takes is the touch of her healing hands? How come her gift came too late to save those she lost before?

Author Jason Mott’s writing is precise and powerful. His characters are conflicted and real and drew me into the story. Another book that gave me a book hangover, where I miss the characters and their story after finishing the last page.

The Wonder of All Things is an amazing story, one that filled me with gratitude for the wonder of my family and life and the realization that miracles come to us in all shapes and sizes. I haven’t read Jason Mott’s first novel The Returned or seen the TV series but it’s moving up on my TBR. This is an author I’ll be watching.

Setting:

The Wonder of All Things is set in Stone Temple, North Carolina (a fictional town I think) near Asheville (one of my favorite places in the world to visit). We live in NC and I was thrilled to see the mountains as the backdrop of this beautiful book. Having been to these peace and solitude of these mountains added the dimension of just how jarring the throngs of people impacted Ava, a small town girl. Where else can the wonder in nature and all the small things around you fill you with awe and inspiration? We were just in Asheville last month and surrounding mountains last month…see how gorgeous? Wondrous, to say the least, I could have watched this waterfall for hours. 

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