Kiss

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RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

DEKKER, TED
HEALY, ERIN
KISS

Let me tell you all I know for sure. My name. Shauna.

I woke up in a hospital bed missing six months of my memory. In the room was my loving boyfriend -- how could I have forgotten him? -- and my uncle and my abusive stepmother. Everyone blames me for the tragic car accident that left me near death and my dear brother brain damaged. But what they say can't be true -- can it?

I believe the medicine is doing strange things to my memory. I'm unsure who I can trust and who I should run from. And I'm starting to remember things I've never known. Things not about me. I think I'm going crazy.

And even worse, I think they want to kill me.

But who? And for what? Is dying for the truth really better than living with a lie?

My Review:

published in 2009
Thanks to my public library for providing me with an audio edition of this book

Once again I'm wrestling for ways to define Ted Dekker's work. This time he is paired up with Erin Healy (Kiss is her debut!) Both authors are known for their edgy thriller style suspense with hints of supernatural elements -- which is what makes this book so indescribable. Absolutely riveting though.

Shauna's story is edge-of-your-seat compelling. So many twists and turns and puzzle pieces to try to put together! I binged listen to Pam Turlow's narration, my heart racing as each new scene unfolded. Loved the deep characterization, the subtle inspirational threads nimbly woven throughout the chaos.and the way these authors kept me guessing about most everything right to the end.

I'm the reader book blurbs are written for. I cannot start reading until I've studied that description. I might even read it a couple of times to absorb it (yes, I know that's weird) before starting in on the story. And sometimes I flip back and study that book blurb again during my read. I don't know what that says about me -- but I really can't read a book without knowing something about it.

That's why tackling a Ted Dekker novel is so bookishly brave of me. :-) Because no matter which book description I read it will never fully prepare me for the adventure I'm about to embark upon. It's like reading blind. Just letting go and allowing the story to take me places I've never dreamed of. And I always come away soul-searching some aspect of my faith. That's what happened when I read Kiss. I've been challenged and encouraged and highly entertained. A breath-snatching thrill of a read!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  Kiss, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday November 16 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

The Girl Behind the Red Rope

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DEKKER, TED
DEKKER, RACHELLE
THE GIRL BEHIND THE RED ROPE

Ten years ago, Grace saw something that would forever change the course of history. When evil in its purest form is unleashed on the world, she and others from their religious community are already hidden deep in the hills of Tennessee, abiding by every rule that will keep them safe, pure -- and alive. As long as they stay there, behind the red perimeter.

Her older brother's questions and the arrival of the first outsiders she's seen in a decade set in motion events that will question everything Grace has built her life on. Enemies rise on all sides -- but who is the real enenmy? And what will it cost her to uncover the truth?

For the first time, bestselling authors Ted Dekker and Rachelle Dekker team up and deliver an intense, tightly focused ride through the most treacherous world of all.

My Review:

What a formidable father/daughter duo!  All that creativity and talent meshing together to create something indefinable. And hard to classify. Speculative Fiction is the closest I can get. Not quite Dystopian, though there are Dystopian elements to this story. And there's too much realism to consider it Fantasy, I think the Dekkers might have to start their own genre.  :-)

My brain is still kinda cafuzzled after completing this read. There were times I had absolutely no idea what was going on and other times where I made assumptions that were just plain wrong.So I think it's best to approach The Girl Behind the Red Rope with an open mind because nothing can really prepare you for the deep, rich layers that make up this compelling tale where truths abound -- sometimes uncomfortably so.

And it is a hard book to review because I don't want to give anything away. But Grace's quest really resonated with me. I could see parallels in my own life to varying degrees and I love the way the authors carry their message through to a spectacular ending. Scary and hopeful and everything in between. Not a light read but a worthwhile one. And it would make a fantastic book club selection because there are so many talking points. You couldn't cover them all in one meeting!

If you're in the mood for something edgy and different and utterly thought-provoking then this is definitely the book for you!

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The Girl Behind the Red Rope, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday September 14, 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Rise of the Mystics

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DEKKER, TED
RISE OF THE MYSTICS

Some say the great mystery of how one can live in two worlds at once died with Thomas Hunter many years ago. Still others that the gateway to that greater reality was and is only the stuff of dreams. They are all wrong.

Rachelle Matthews, who grew up in the small town of Eden, Utah, discovered just how wrong when she dreamed and awoke in another world. There she learned that she was the 49th Mystic, the prophesied one, tasked with finding five ancient seals before powerful enemies destroy her. If Rachelle succeeds in her quest, peace will reign. If she fails, the world will forever be locked in darkness.

In The 49th Mystic, Rachelle found the first three of those five seals through great peril and mind-altering adventure. But two seals remain hidden, and the fate of both worlds hangs in the balance.

As Rachelle sits deep in a dungeon, Vlad Smith is just getting started. Thomas Hunter's world is about to be turned inside out. The Mystics say that there is no defense against the Fifth Seal -- but finding it will cost Rachelle everything. So begins the final volume of high stakes in one girl's quest to find an ancient path that will save humanity. The clock is tickingl the end rushes forward.

Ready? Set? Dream.

My Review:

That wheezing you hear is me trying to catch my breath after finishing the sequel to The 49th Mystic! And this is definitely the case where you need to read that book first. Dekker does give a great catch-up to refresh a reader's mind but The Rise of the Mystics is way too intense and involved to pick up as a standalone read.

Once again I'm gobsmacked over this author's ability to create such depth and meaning in a work of fiction. This is a truly inspired piece of work. The kind of faith driven speculative thriller that makes you think. And wrestle. And stretch. Not to be read lightly -- or quickly -- or you'll miss experiencing the full spiritual journey.

"Do not resist. Enter that fear with love, which casts it out. Work out your salvation from the storm through that fear. It's the only way to finally see fear for what it is, a shadow." (p 138)

Rachelle is back, facing the greatest battle of her life -- and most of it happens inwardly -- the war of wills, a conflict between heart and mind. Learning what it means to live love without judgement. And that includes self-doubt and condemnation. There are times I had to pull back and just sit in the story as I made connections between Rachelle's journey and my own.

"I was now condemning myself by calling myself a failure. Did it never stop? It was no wonder there were so few water walkers in the world." (p 253)

Dekker writes about the masks we hide behind and the power they have to block out the Light. Honestly, there are layers and layers of mind blowing concepts that have the ability to lead a reader deeper into her faith. At least, that is my experience with this novel.

The Rise of the Mystic challenges and entertains -- a heart-stopping, soul-stirring thrill of a read!

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Rise of the Mystics, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If  you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday October 7 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

the 49th Mystic

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DEKKER, TED
THE 49TH MYSTIC

Some say the great mystery of how one can live in two worlds at once died with Thomas Hunter many years ago. Still others that the gateway to that greater reality was and is only the stuff of dreams.

They are wrong.

In the small town of Eden, Utah, a blind girl named Rachelle Matthews is about to find out just how wrong.

When a procedure meant to restore Rachelle's sight goes awry, she begins to dream of another world so real that she wonders if Earth might only be a dream experienced when she falls asleep in that reality.

She is the prophesied one who must find and recover five ancient seals -- in both worlds -- before powerful enemies destroy her. If Rachelle succeeds in her quest, peace will reign. If she fails, both worlds will forever be locked in darkness.

So begins a two volume saga of high stakes and a mind bending quest to find an ancient path that will save humanity. The clock is ticking; the end rushes forward.

Ready? Set? Dream.

My Review:

 I'm kinda speechless here. Gobsmacked, really. This is my first Ted Dekker novel and I'm impressed. What an incredible story! Unlike anything I`ve read before and hard to categorize. Faith driven speculative thriller?  Or maybe Dekker has created a new genre altogether. It`s a long book -- 405 pages -- but so full of meaning and imagery and truth! I kept stopping to scribble down quotes and there were lots of pondering pauses as I followed Rachelle on her journey and discovered that, in many ways, it was my journey too.

"Will you be blind and see darkness, or will you see and know light?" 

(p 199)

This is a story about a girl who gives up everything she thinks she is in order to discover who she really is. It`s spellbinding. Complicated. Action-packed. Steeped in faith. And scary too because the author captures our human frailties with eerie clarity. The 49th Mystic is a fantastical tale that challenges even as it entertains.

"What you are tempted to call a problem is only an instrument for

 awakening so that you can see what is true." (p 235)

And Rachelle has lots of problems. The life-threatening, world-ending, battling-forces-of-evil kind. But she is not alone on her quest. The author has provided an interesting array of companions to help (and sometimes hinder) her along the way. Forget everything you think you know and get ready to embrace some mind-blowing, heart-tugging, faith-building fiction like you`ve never read before!

Book provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of The 49th Mystic, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your eamil to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday June 10 2018. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!