How would you behave, if all the rules are non-valid now? When the civilization has broken up and people behave like wolves? Is there a God? If yes, where and how all the pain is possible?

The second volume in the dystopian Christian novel continues where the fabulous first installment in this series (of two novels, so this is a final one, too) has stopped - in being real, raw, disturbing and holding no horses. The heroes are tested and tried, they need to make hard choices, they fail hard and they try to love hard.
And once again I was tested, too. How would I behave and to which values would I stick? Ehm...

This series is one of the most unusual, untypical, genre-crossing one I have encountered in the realm of Christian fiction. And I even if I have to frankly say that the first volume is better (or maybe novelty has waned when reading the second novel) and the plot´s internal logic could use some wise editing, this novel still more than well delivers on both the general and the personal side of the story.
The strong characters (I would marry both Moses and Jabil on the spot!), the raw story, the effort to be painstakingly honest even in the most hidden and shameful secrets of the hearts - this is something I can only write about with heaps of superlatives.

Recommended read. More: a must read.

Jolina Petersheim latest novel is a fabulous read...She is an amazing author & storyteller...Don't miss it! Five Stars!!

I was so ready to jump into this story. The first book, 'The Alliance' crept in and hooked me. I need to find out more. Back with the Old Order Mennonite Community from Mt. Hebron as they are settling into their new camp up the mountain. I'm sad that this is set to be the conclusion of this short series and am wondering how I can finagle the idea that it can, and should, continue. I know luck is most likely on my side but ya know, a girl can dream. Forget the end of the world as we know it (that song totally ran through my head as I typed it). Could you survive without electricity? Or the internet? Or coffee? I mean, Leora and her community do just fine without the first two but the last...

OK, enough about my plea for another installment, let's talk about the book. I'm gonna start, as always, with the eh moments. There's a lot that happens in this story. A LOT. With those things there were opportunities to bring depth to the situations and characters that was missing. Depth of emotion and feeling. Depth of even spiritual conflict when it comes down to making choices that involve the tenants of personal faith. The love triangle shaded into rather annoying as well. They are hard to write successfully and hard to love (at least for me). This one got petty and I didn't love it. Finally, and literally finally, the ending was just too neat.

But, there was so much good as well. Leora truly grew as a person. And Seth. And Charlie (yes even that cranky Englisher grew - in my opinion). And Moses. And Jabil. They evolved due to their situation, their faith, and the idea of what the future may hold. I have to wonder, for Leora, what her crisis of conviction regarding the tenants of her faith will lead her. It's not completely addressed in this story but you can't make the hard choices she made (in a split second mind you) and not have long term ramifications on your convictions. I grew to love this community and these characters. I'd love to see them again. I'd love to see how the end, or the beginning depending on how you look at it, plays out. I still don't know the extent of the EMP. I'm telling ya, there's so much more here to explore...

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

The completion of an outstanding look at the possible realities of a global apocalypse held me captive until the last sentence. The Old Order Mennonite community stands to loose everything even their faith at times. Others continue to defend anything they own from marauding groups. This penetrating novel illustrates what could happen to our world when all the ordinary modern conveniences are stripped away. Who will survive? What will people sacrifice in order to stay alive? Inner hearts are revealed in actions never taken before.
I highly recommend The Divide by Jolina Petersheim.

The Divide is a story about survival. The good the bad and the very very ugly of the survival after the EMP in the Mennonite Community) (what is an EMP - get the book and read about it) . It answers a lot of questions but it also starts a bunch more of them too. This is about Moses, Jabil and Sal and what GOD has called each of them to save and the book is about the journeys of each to the end where we would see if each would fulfill what GOD had designed for them to fulfill. will they be able to save those whom they loved and who needed them or would one or two of them feel like they could not do it? I tell you what, it is so much worth it to find out which one it is.... there are so many surprises in this book you will truly kick yourself if you don't find out what they are. The twists and turns are so real you need a Dramamine. Pay for the ticket and join the ride...........

In the book The Divide, author Jolina Petersheim continues the story of the Old Order Mennonite community and the EMP attack on the US. We once again follow Leora Ebersole and the struggle of her family and Mennonite community surviving after fleeing to the mountains from the destruction of their community by the hands of roving gangs.
This was a good read but very confusing at the beginning. I read the first book but felt lost and some of the story did not connect at first. The struggle with the Old Order Mennonite pacifist theology and protecting and defending life was good. I liked the ending and the sacrifice for others the story line portrays! I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Divide is the much anticipated conclusion to The Alliance. Of the two books I think I enjoyed The Alliance more, but that takes nothing away from The Divide. I just felt that the first book read faster and was more intense and the second had a couple of places that bogged down to me.

I enjoyed reading a dystopian story that felt plausible. There were many times that the characters had to make decisions in the moment that revealed what their true beliefs were. It was interesting that some held strong convictions and stuck to them to the end while others thought that they held the same beliefs but when push came to shove they chose differently.

Was I happy with the ending? Yes and no. Yes it came to a satisfying conclusion wrapping up the loose ends. But I want more! What's next for these characters? What does their life look like five or ten years later. In my opinion that it the sign of great writing. I connected with the characters enough to wonder what the future held for them.

I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review.

The stunning sequel to The Alliance is even better than I imagined!

For the last six months, Leora Ebersole and Jabil Snyder have moved the Mennonite community from their village up to the mountains in order to escape disaster. Every night, Leora still wonders about the fate of Moses Hughes, who stayed behind to give the community a chance to get away before a gang overtook their village to plunder anything that was left. But the winter has been very harsh and people are beginning to starve. The men who hunt and gather for food are starting to grow weary of providing for those who are not able to help. Worse yet, a sickness comes into the camp, threatening to kill many of the other members that are already in a weekend state. Can they survive the winter? Much less the outside world?

Okay, I realize that the synopsis is a bit vague and doesn’t really hint much on the fate of Moses and whether he continues to be a main character in the story. But that is because you really need to read this to find out for yourself. Let’s just say that there was so much tension in the Jabil-Leora-Moses triangle in the first book, that Petersheim found a way to continue that tension throughout this story. Now the title definitely draws you into believing that some event or relationship within the story causing a divide between the community. And that is true, but it is not just the Mennonite community that it divides. There is another group that is in this story that must make a decision similar to drawing a line in the sand. And the reason behind it is shocking.

I really hope that they make these two books into movies. I think they would be awesome to watch. And Petersheim has mastered the art of cliff hangers at the end of chapters to make you keep turning the pages to see what is going to happen. Spoiler alert: (two of the main characters from the first book get killed off)! Once again, the events in this book could easily happen at any time, but I hope that they never do. But if they did, I can assure you there would be natural division just as described. This is one of the must reads of 2017!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Oh my. Gripping conclusion is right! I really didn’t want to put this one down. Jolina Petersheim has crafted a story that hooks into both the emotions and the intellect, because there is no clear-cut path for these characters to tread. When it comes down to a choice between surviving and showing compassion, which do you choose? Does pacifism require you to passively accept whatever is forced upon you? How do you defend yourselves without losing your humanity and respect for life? And when a good and faithful man waits patiently and stands with you while your heart yearns for another who is far off, at what point do you choose to love the man in front of you and accept the love and security he offers?

These are just some of the choices that Moses, Leora, Jabil, and the communities they are a part of must grapple with, and the tension is like a tautly held thread intricately woven throughout the novel. Human nature is never so exposed as when survival is the day-to-day occupation, and while there are other novels that have explored how this could play out (I will never forget having to read Lord of the Flies in high school!), The Divide brings a unique perspective with its Mennonite community setting.

As powerful as the premise is, there is something about the quiet passion in Jolina Petersheim’s writing and her characters (and the romance!) that captivates me even more. Her use of imagery and subtext is subtle, but highly evocative, and her characters seek to follow their consciences before God with strength and resolve. I wish I could tell you how much that affected me with one particular character, but that would be a major spoiler!

Even if dystopian is not your usual genre, I encourage you to pick up both The Alliance and The Divide. Totally captivating!

I received a copy of this novel from the author. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.