​This book is first and foremost very well-written. I have read a lot of Christian lifestyle books with similar content and felt myself bogged down with too much of an emphasis on eloquent language and the like. But Jen Wilkin’s In His Image struck me as the kind of read that made me feel like I could actually apply the wisdom from its pages to my life beyond finishing the last chapter. As a young woman figuring out what life looks like within college as well as what it will look like afterward, this book helped me confront my fear of what my purpose is with the truth that loving and looking like my Creator is what I am called to. Wilkin sprinkles in many relatable as well as entertaining anecdotes that connect to the main points of the chapters in ways that seem to elevate the more biblical aspects of how we, in all our humanness, can reflect the God that we were made to be like. Each chapter focuses on an attribute of God; there are ten, unique chapters in all, ranging from “God Most Holy,” to “God Most Merciful,” and “God Most Wise.” I felt encouraged by Wilkin’s examination of the Scriptures as well. She focuses on how God operates within the Bible, simultaneously offering verses for readers to meditate on. 
On the whole, In His Image focuses on a God that loves us as his mirror-imaged creations. Christ’s life served as a sacrifice for our sins as well as an example of how we can live in righteousness that allows us to fulfill our mirror image status in God’s eyes. 



Some of my favorite quotes from In His Image:


“For the believer wanting to know God’s will for her life, the first question to pose is not ‘What should I do?’ but ‘Who should I be?’”


“Simply put, God’s will for your life is that you be holy.”


“Sin can cause us to love a version of God that is not accurate.”


“Those who know good awaits them in heaven can afford to be generous on earth.”


“It matters that we revere God, for those who forget his gloriousness will soon forget his good law.”


“Willingly, the just suffered for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.”


“Withholding mercy from others reveals that we do not recognize what we ourselves have received.”


“God in his sovereignty extends grace to us before we can even contemplate its possibility or its worth.”


“If grace is seen only as a free gift to cover our sins and not also as a means to growing in holiness, we will grow lax in our obedience.”


“Christians should not have a reputation for being merely fair. We should have a reputation for playing favorites with everyone except ourselves.”


“The manifold witness of nature testifies to a God who is great in faithfulness.”


“When we meet trials, we do not rejoice in the suffering they bring but in the faithfulness of God to use them to shape us, that we might become like Christ.”


“When we answer his faithfulness with our faithfulness, temptation loses both its glitter and its brawn.”


“He is patient to await a harvest, and patient to bring in the sheaves in the fullness of time.”


“Patience is not just the ability to wait, but to abide.”


“It takes patience to run with endurance, but that is the race the world needs to see us run.”


“Every other system of belief involves earning a reward through self-sacrifice or self-discipline.”


“Honesty should characterize all of your dealings, great and small, so that when you are asked to give a reason for what you believe, your credibility is a foregone conclusion.”


“Though wisdom is a sign of maturity in humans, it is a simple fact in God.”


“The Word of God gives us discernment into what is arguably the area we need it most: the thoughts and intentions of our own hearts.”


“Becoming better people is the process of reflecting with increasing clarity and fidelity the very face of God.”

This is definitely going to be a shorter review because I feel like this book speaks for itself. For one thing, everyone not living under a rock has seen the movie and most likely enjoyed it. It's a timeless story that manages to balance dry humor and wit with even drier, wittier characters and, of course, high adventure and quests for love. To put it simply: it's a classic. If you haven't read it already, what are you waiting for? 
This particular version from 2017 is complete with intricate illustrations from an earlier, 2013 edition. These illustrations reminded me of my deep-seated love of picture books while offering imaginings of the characters apart from the attributable Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, etc. Reading the book also gives you Inigo and Fezzik's backstories, two things that the film version does not provide. Goldman's commentary asides throughout are undeniably a part of the story itself and add a certain level of intimacy, too. Overall, I feel like this is a story you just can't go wrong with. I mean, at its core, it's about the very concept we all adore: true love. As Miracle Max once said, "True love is the best thing in the world, except for cough drops."


Some of my favorite quotes from "The Princess Bride:"

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya; you killed my father; prepare to die." (it would be a grave crime to not include this one)

"Just because you're beautiful and perfect, it's made you conceited."

"Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches."

"We'll never survive!"
"Nonsense. You're only saying that because no one ever has."

"Love is many things, none of them logical."

"Her heart was a secret garden and the walls were very high."

"'You seem a decent fellow,' Inigo said. 'I hate to kill you.'"
"'You seem a decent fellow,' answered the man in black. 'I hate to die.'"

"Everybody always talks about how beautiful I am. I've got a mind, Westley. Talk about that."