Early ReviewersCathy Burnham Martin

The highly anticipated conclusion in the Destiny historical fiction trilogy delivers unexpected twists linking the World War I era Armenian saga with a present-day search for ancestors and cultural harmony. In the waning years of the Ottoman Empire, true Armenian family stories deliver a slice of life reflection on the violent and volatile times that required sincere bonds of family and friendship, risk taking, and unfathomable courage to live.

This fast-read historical novel weaves human strength and mercy into the fabric of unspeakable horrors and political terror. “Destiny of Daring… Never Forget” completes the Gulumian story of extraordinary human compassion and the will to survive. As the Armenian saying reveals, “You cannot escape from destiny.”

While helpful for background, having read Books 1 and 2 is not essential to read Book 3.

Destiny of Determination: Faith and Family illuminates the stark realities of immigrants determined to settle in America, a land of opportunity and freedom. While young Hrant’s Armenian story parallels the horrors experienced by far too many cultures in both the past and present, book 2 in the Destiny trilogy also highlights the strength and hope that live within survivors of various nightmares. After witnessing and escaping genocide, Hrant may just find American prejudice and bigotry to be manageable hurdles.

Book 1 found Hrant Gulumian, the youngest child in his family, deeply relating to his granddaughter, Cassie when her nightmares precisely mirrored his traumatic childhood experiences. Destiny of Dreams… Time Is Dear shared young Hrant’s harrowingly narrow escape from the mass deportations and attempted annihilation of the Armenians in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire.

Despite the hauntingly intense and dramatic truths in Book 1, the Destiny trilogy resumes with the powerful hope and strength known only to survivors. Book 2 completes Hrant’s voyage and sweeps the reader into his family’s new life in the USA, illuminating the vulnerability of the diaspora and all forced refugees in a new and unfamiliar land filled with language, cultural, and discrimination challenges.

Author Martin celebrates her family’s quiet determination and its refusal to lose faith, despite intolerance and numerous economic woes. Set in the 20th Century, her family’s true story shines a beacon of optimism and comfort for countless other families, hailing from many nations and struggling to endure on the way to freedom and a chance for a better life in this century.

(Note: While having read Book 1 provides a solid foundation, it is not essential. Book 2 stands independently.)

The first book of the Destiny Trilogy found Hrant Gulumian, the youngest child in his family, deeply relating to his granddaughter, Cassie when her nightmares precisely mirror his traumatic childhood experiences. Destiny of Dreams… Time Is Dear shared young Hrant’s harrowingly narrow escape from the mass deportations and attempted annihilation of the Armenians in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire.

Following the hauntingly intense and dramatic truths revealed in Book 1, the Destiny Trilogy resumes with the powerful hope and strength known only to survivors. Book 2 completes Hrant’s voyage and sweeps the reader into his family’s new life in the USA, illuminating the vulnerability of the diaspora and all forced refugees in a new and unfamiliar land filled with language, cultural, and discrimination challenges.

Author Martin celebrates her family’s quiet determination and its refusal to lose faith, despite bigotry and numerous economic woes, eerily paralleled in modern society. Set in the 20th Century, her family’s true story shines a beacon of optimism and comfort for countless other families, hailing from many nations and struggling to endure on the way to freedom and a chance for a better life in this century.

(Note: While having read Book 1 provides a solid foundation, it is not essential. To avoid spoilers, we respectfully request that reviews not include information from the second half of the book.)

Set amidst religious intolerance, political instability, and social injustice in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, the passion of a young Armenian boy grows, the turmoil of a teenaged American girl unfurls, and unthinkable circumstances challenge the resilience of a remarkable mother. “Destiny of Dreams: Time Is Dear” links past and present with a painfully poignant, true story of an Armenian family struggling to survive extraordinary chaos and violence. While survival remains center stage, love and courage must emerge and prevail, or all will be both lost and forgotten. Subtle themes eerily parallel aspects of life in current judgmental times. The book contains some explicit descriptions and a couple of disturbing, though not graphic, violent scenes. Though nothing gratuitous, the depictions may be unsuitable for young readers.