Right off the bat this was moving. That first chapter grabbed my heart and I was ready for the journey ahead. Although I wasn't sure I was going to like the journey. I mean this first chapter, so very short, grabbed at the depths of my mama heart. I was forcing myself to slow down my reading.
Here we are four months after tragedy. The main character is having a difficult time coping with this new life. A life she never imagined, but is now forced to live. I am in for the journey. Because I have to see what happens. She must find healing. Even I know she can't remain where she is.
Friendship found here in these pages is powerful. It is a testimony to how we should treat those we call friends. Here we find a friend willing to reach out beyond the fun of yesterday and walk the valley of brokeness with her childhood friend. They haven't seen one another for years, but yet they pick up right where they left off. That love that reaches far beyond any boundary.
I couldn't read fast fast enough. Each time I placed down my book I was pondering what I had just read. Rachelle Dekker is gifted. Her heart, her Jesus is living within these pages. She goes beyond the normal and expected, taking the reader on a heart journey. One that urged me to dive deeper, to live more fierce, to walk with a determination to feel and to not shut out a faith that is wanting more than anything to live through me.
Oh, if we could all just allow the Spirit to move in us, not shutting Him out. Too often we shut Him out and allow the world and all it holds to take over our every thought which forces us to focus on fear and doubt. That isn't what He wants for us. He wants us to experience ALL of Him. Right here in these pages Rachelle challenges us to let go and let God. Yes, that has become a catch phrase, but I mean in it the most powerful sense.
This novel was vivid and poignant. Good and evil warring against one another. Truth and deception at battle. The spiritual warfare is real is happening daily around us and within us. The world tries to force untruth at believers. The world tries with all its might to shake us to the core. Satan is at every turn filling us with lies. As believers we can stand firm in our faith or fall victim to the tragedy that tries so hard to steal us from living life to its full abundance.
Yes, I can hear some now. "How is this even possible?" For me, the story told a far greater truth. We can close ourselves down or choose to see. This is the battle of the main character. She has a mother who is demeaning and grueling in her narcissist behavior. We travel with the main character as her eyes are open to truth, as she allows the Spirit to move in her. She remembers her grandmother. Her words that have never left her. It is all coming back amid all that is trying to keep the truth at bay. The enemy is circling and wants Alicen to commit to him, to give in, to leave this world knowing she is unworthy. But there surrounding her is hope. Spirits who have come to entertain her, to bring her to remember who she is and how big His grace is.
A psychological thriller, outside the realm of what we consider normal and sane. But letting go is where He is found. Focusing on believing, not necessarily seeing, but trusting Him with all we don't understand and knowing if we dive in He is going to catch us.
There is so much I want to share about this novel, but then the reader wouldn't experience this novel for themselves. This is a masterpiece of good verses evil. A place where the heart and mind collide. An area where the world around us wants nothing to do with believers. No matter the battle, He has equipped us with everything we need. We simply have to believe.
Oh, this is definitely a five star novel!!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This novel was a gift from Tyndale for sharing my review with you.
Rachelle Dekker the oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle Dekker was inspired early on to discover truth through storytelling. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Daniel, and their diva cat, Blair. Visit her online at www.rachelledekker.com.
