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Charlotte Woollard's The Enemy's Table is a solid debut novel. I'm not sure if this is actually a genre, but I'd call it Christian paranormal romance. At any rate, in The Enemy's Table, both angels and demons are real and at work in a small town where teens are mysteriously committing suicide in droves. While the deaths do appear to be self-inflicted, it's clear that something fishy is going on. Our main character, Beryl, a southern beauty with a faulty heart but a strong spirit, finds herself targeted at the middle of this conspiracy that is apparently linked to a group of high school wrestlers-- including her new bad-boy love interest, Holden.Feeling-wise, I'd call this book a Christian Twilight. No, there's no vampires, but the small-town high school romance, paranormal aspects, and teen drama have a similar feel. I was worried that it might get preachy, but while it was clearly message-driven, I did not feel that it ever interfered with the story. Ultimately, I think I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed reading Twilight, and it would be a great choice for a teen looking for a belief-centered story.
What I liked best: Beryl was definitely a charmer, and I really enjoyed her falling head-over-heels for Holden, this bad boy that everyone warned her about. I also loved that she made her own decisions about him, which weren't based on what other people told her to think.
Though I felt the pacing was a touch slow in the middle, I think this was a well-written debut novel that shows Charlotte Woollard has a lot of promise. The ending packed plenty of punch and excitement, as well as some great emotional pull that was truly touching. I was rooting for Beryl and Holden all the way, and was really satisfied with the way it all turned out.
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