Book Review: "The Fourth Nephite" by Jeffrey S. Savage

In Jeffrey S. Savage's new book, "The Fourth Nephite," we meet Kaleo Steele, who's in a jam.  He's the star of his high school's football team, but his seminary teacher just caught him with a bunch of his friends, holding a beer can.  He hadn't taken a sip, but his teacher is duty bound to report him, and he won't get to play in the big game.  Kaleo is more than frustrated by this turn of events - he's the star. He should be in that game.  But Brother Mortensen, his seminary teacher, has other plans, and sends Kaleo on a quest that will be more mind-blowing than anything Kaleo could have ever imagined.

Sent back in time to meet the Prophet Joseph Smith, Kaleo begins to understand that the stories he hears in seminary aren't just mumbo-jumbo, but real events in the lives of real people.  As he comes to care for the Prophet, he's stunned to learn of a plot to steal the gold plates from Joseph Smith, and he must decide how to act.  Oh, and there's a girl.  Of course there has to be a girl, or there's not really a story ...

Jeff Savage is a remarkably talented author who has the ability to reach out and grab his readers, whether it be through his tech thrillers, his think pieces, his fantasy novels (written under the name J. Scott Savage) and now in this LDS Young Adult adventure.  He knows what his readers want, and he knows how to give it to them.  This results in highly addictive storytelling, and in the case of "The Fourth Nephite," you or your teen reader will also learn about the era of Joseph Smith while you read.

If you're looking for an exciting, clean, faith-promoting book that will take you on a thrilling journey, well, you just found it.

I was provided with an ARC of this novel for review purposes, but that didn't influence my review.  Jeff influenced my review by writing a dang good book.