by Braxton A. Cosby
A young man named Ziv struggles to find his place in life after both of his parents are murdered. Orphaned and alone by the age of six, he bounces in and out of foster homes hopeless and afraid, wondering if he will ever find a path to happiness. He resolves to accept a life of depravity, until one day he discovers he possesses the gift of sight: to see creatures from the afterlife, but not angels…demons! Ziv is recruited by The School of Ministry, a secret society that promises to help him find his best friend Stephanie, who has gone missing. But there is one catch: he must agree to join them in their quest to eradicate evil and protect the weak. Ziv learns that he is a “Conduit,” which allows him to cross over into the spirit world and transcend time itself. When he is partnered with two other young men who have similar gifts, the unlikely trio is trained in the mastery of weapons and the art of Shouting, during treacherous challenges of the tortuous Quad in preparation for their mission: to secure the Windgate. An untimely love triangle clouds Ziv’s judgment, forcing him to choose between the love of his life and the new female interest Evan. Ziv becomes entrenched in a quest of identity, love, and will, he eventually comes face to face with pure evil itself–Akabod, the spiritual prodigal son to the School of Ministry and a master of talents.
“A fast-paced adventure featuring a secret society on a divine mission…a satisfying read: The characters steadily develop, goodness prevails, and there’s even a touch of romantic intrigue. Gripping, action-packed.” —- Kirkus Review
“A memorable, unpredictable journey of hope, identity and courage. The Cosby gift of storytelling lives on in this page turning adventure.” —- Bill Cosby, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Comedian, Philanthropist
“Braxton Cosby delivers a thrill ride of suspense, fantasy, drama and fun in The School of Ministry. An unrequited love story beats at the center of Ziv’s journey to find peace, purpose and faith. You’ll root for him as he claims his life and future in this wholly inventive and original novel with a message for all. I loved it.” —- Adriana Trigiani, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Shoemaker’s Wife
Winner of The Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Book of the Year Award for Young Adult – General
MY REVIEW:
I am not sure what it is about The School of Ministry that I liked so much. Honestly, it almost held too much emotion for me. Call me sappy but I have been unable to handle strong emotions since I was pregnant with my daughter and my hormones went out of whack. Ziv goes through so much in the book that I just wanted to help and of course I couldn’t. I felt my heart constrict so often. Crosby pulled me through a such a wild adventure that I was holding my breathe throughout. There are so many reasons to like this story that its hard to say but I will admit that I got my silly stubborn husband to look at it and he was also transfixed. I spent most of the book worried for Ziv and hoping for a happy ending. He works so hard after having such a hard life. I cant even imagine how he much have felt thinking he was crazy forever and then finding out he wasn’t. Crosby adds a good spiritual feel to the book without being too religious. There were so many twists in this tale and too many surprises to count. I was slightly surprised at the actual ‘villain’ but I could sort of see it coming. Ok, I thought I saw it coming and then I changed my mind and then I was surprised. The School of Ministry were very interesting and even though the secret society idea has been done before, this was fresh and new. I honestly could have read another 200 pages of Ziv’s story.
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Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I’m so glad you liked it. Have a great weekend.