Review of The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead

The title, plot summary, and, admittedly, the front cover of The Skin Map is what initially drew me to the book; the suspense, plot execution, and writing style is what kept me reading excitedly all the way through. This is Book 1 of the “Bright Empires” series by Stephen Lawhead, and if the rest of the series is as great as this first book, then this should definitely be an excellent and quite popular series -- one I would love to follow all the way through. The novel follows Kit Livingstone’s mysterious adventures that begin when his great-grandfather appears to him and leads him to other worlds and times on a quest for the Skin Map. At just under 400 pages, this book is somewhat long, but it kept my attention throughout and was never tedious. I found myself not wanting to put the book down until the end, so length was never a problem. I would recommend The Skin Map to anyone interested in the fantasy and/or mystery genre. This will definitely be a book that I am more than happy to suggest to others! I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as a part of their book review program. I was not required to write a positive review; my opinions, therefore, are completely unbiased.