Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I wanted to love this book. I grew up with The Circle, and Dekker was one of my first favorite authors. But the 49th Mystic felt forced. There was no natural discovery or movement. Parts of the plot had me enthralled, but it would quickly be lost in the mire of theology. I wanted to go on a journey of discovery, but felt instead I was in Sunday School.
Amazingly brilliant! I LOVE the Circle Series and have read them countless times! The 49th Mystic did not disappoint!! October can not come fast enough!
Phenomenal book. I couldn't put it down. This book reminds me of my preciousness and importance to God. It is told as a fantasy story and like C.S. Lewis' space trilogy and Chronicles of Narnia it tells a story that is intriguing and worth a read separate from it's deeper truths about Faith and your relationship with God.
This book fills you with hope and love and a renewed commitment to being your true self in Christ; love for all humanity.
While Ted Dekker has written many books and I have liked all the ones I've read, you don't have to read the other books to understand this one. It is wonderful and easily understandable as a stand alone book. I suspect that you will want to dive into the circle world after reading this though. It made me want to reread them for the third time.
This is a two part book and the second part is out in Fall 2018. But don't wait. You will want to reread this one anyway, probably 2-3 times so go ahead and read it when it comes out and then you can do your second or third reread when the second book is released.
One of the crucial reminders in this book is that Faith is not about legalism, culture or the material world, but about your identity in Christ and what that means for the love you should show to the entire world.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book fills you with hope and love and a renewed commitment to being your true self in Christ; love for all humanity.
While Ted Dekker has written many books and I have liked all the ones I've read, you don't have to read the other books to understand this one. It is wonderful and easily understandable as a stand alone book. I suspect that you will want to dive into the circle world after reading this though. It made me want to reread them for the third time.
This is a two part book and the second part is out in Fall 2018. But don't wait. You will want to reread this one anyway, probably 2-3 times so go ahead and read it when it comes out and then you can do your second or third reread when the second book is released.
One of the crucial reminders in this book is that Faith is not about legalism, culture or the material world, but about your identity in Christ and what that means for the love you should show to the entire world.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A bit confusing
would be confusing to a new Christian. And I felt the characters weren't well developed. The events kept me interested enough to read the entire book though.
would be confusing to a new Christian. And I felt the characters weren't well developed. The events kept me interested enough to read the entire book though.
I discovered Ted Dekker's work when I read "House", a book that Dekker co-wrote with Frank Peretti. I was very familiar with Peretti's work but was intrigued by the new "voice" I could sense when reading "House." So I began to seek out more titles by Dekker. With every Dekker title I read, I am challenged at a spiritual level.
Dekker has clearly been sharing his faith journey with us through his stories for quite some time. He stepped away from fiction for a bit to write "The Forgotten Way" - a devotional study guide that removes the "fiction" completely and dives deeper into scripture than I have ever been. It's a study I go back to at least once a year. When I started reading "The 49th Mystic," I knew it was connected to Dekker's series known as "The Circle". But I also found glimpses of other titles and series - "The Paradise Series", "Water Walker", and "Eyes Wide Open" just to name a few.
As the main character, Rachelle, seeks to find the Five Seals, I found myself being asked to completely rethink my identity as a follower of Yeshua and re-think the way I see the world around me. It's more than just a story - it's a modern day parable in which Dekker seeks to gently lead us to a true understanding of what it means to be the son or daughter of God. In this book, I found more than just a wonderfully written story. I found a new sense of purpose, a clear picture of my identity, and an ever-widening sense of what it means when I say that I am the Daughter of the Infinite God.
Dekker has clearly been sharing his faith journey with us through his stories for quite some time. He stepped away from fiction for a bit to write "The Forgotten Way" - a devotional study guide that removes the "fiction" completely and dives deeper into scripture than I have ever been. It's a study I go back to at least once a year. When I started reading "The 49th Mystic," I knew it was connected to Dekker's series known as "The Circle". But I also found glimpses of other titles and series - "The Paradise Series", "Water Walker", and "Eyes Wide Open" just to name a few.
As the main character, Rachelle, seeks to find the Five Seals, I found myself being asked to completely rethink my identity as a follower of Yeshua and re-think the way I see the world around me. It's more than just a story - it's a modern day parable in which Dekker seeks to gently lead us to a true understanding of what it means to be the son or daughter of God. In this book, I found more than just a wonderfully written story. I found a new sense of purpose, a clear picture of my identity, and an ever-widening sense of what it means when I say that I am the Daughter of the Infinite God.
AAAAHHHHHHHH ok reading this felt like going home and it was amazing but still, gotta say nothing beats the original Circle. WHEN IS BOOK 2 COMING OUT??
[Warning: minor spoilers ahead]
Rachelle is a beautiful character who has a lot of struggles and fears but she's so admirable and strong at the same time and I was rooting for her all the way. Vlad Smith was eerily similar to one other creep earlier and. The whole town of Eden was one wild ride of guessing and twists and frustration and ALL THE APPLAUSE FOR THE THRILLER/HORROR vibes XD Other Earth was the best part, amd Talya was one mystical mentor figure who always speaks in riddles (I was rolling my eyes a lot) and Gabil and Michal MADE MY DAY. Samuel of Hunter was just the BESTEST surprise coming my way bc SAMUEL. OF. HUNTER. I love that kid. He was so messed up and full of hate and angst before and sorta kinda ruined EVERYTHING in the future/past (not sure about the timeline here) and I still love him to death. JACOB WAS COMPLETELY HUNDERED PERCENT ADORABLE AND BEAUTIFUL AND the goodest person there even though he was the Most Hated dude around cos #enemyside. Ok characters are done. ALL THE APPLAUSE.
TED DEKKER WRITES THE BEST PLOTS. Everything rolled into one - thriller and horror and mystery and humor and mmmmm A+. This book is one never ending trip of suspense and anticipation and if you read this at night you'll go hide under your covers when you're done because #majorcreepiness
It involves ...
- echolocating
- lots of blood amd sudden death
- scifi style mystery on government intentions
- memory changes
- cool scientific facts
- a creep man who messes with people's brains
- a Horde guy who is the most caring human
- a court case in which persons cannot see truth when it is staring them in the eye
- a quest for TRUTH
- torture
- bad decisions which will ruin book 2
- cliffhangers
- lots of fear
- power that others assume must be magic
- Ted Dekker's constant theme that there ARE TWO KINGDOMS
AND OK. GUESS WHAT? There are signs of a ....
...
...
...
LOVE TRIANGLE !!!
...
...
...
AND GUESS WHAT ELSE??
...
...
...
I LOVE IT!!
Only Ted Dekker can pull this of because I approve this love triangle completely amd cannot wait to see WHAT NEXT. (minor spoiler: I predict one person dies mwahahaha)
Ok so ... one minor minus point. I felt that a few chapters got kinda overly mystical/theological/nonfictional in what Rachelle was learning about spiritual things?? Like A LOT OF TELLING and speaking in riddles. I get that Ted Dekker is trying to TELL us something really important but it got kinda ... confusing and hard to untangle the nonfiction/fiction aspects and it felt slightly ... too much like ... a message. Right there.
BUT OTHERWISE. It was suspenseful and hopeful and mystical and creepy and adventurous and slightly romantic and full of hate amd love and reflections on how complex amd controversial humans can be and EEEP I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT OTHER EARTH TOO.
I was lauhing so hard amd slapping my face and screaming aloud and just having the best of time while reading.
SOMEONE COME FANGIRL WITH ME!!!
4 1/2 stars.
Content: V I O L E N C E
[Warning: minor spoilers ahead]
Rachelle is a beautiful character who has a lot of struggles and fears but she's so admirable and strong at the same time and I was rooting for her all the way. Vlad Smith was eerily similar to one other creep earlier and
Spoiler
he WAS the said creep udner another nameTED DEKKER WRITES THE BEST PLOTS. Everything rolled into one - thriller and horror and mystery and humor and mmmmm A+. This book is one never ending trip of suspense and anticipation and if you read this at night you'll go hide under your covers when you're done because #majorcreepiness
It involves ...
- echolocating
- lots of blood amd sudden death
- scifi style mystery on government intentions
- memory changes
- cool scientific facts
- a creep man who messes with people's brains
- a Horde guy who is the most caring human
- a court case in which persons cannot see truth when it is staring them in the eye
- a quest for TRUTH
- torture
- bad decisions which will ruin book 2
- cliffhangers
- lots of fear
- power that others assume must be magic
- Ted Dekker's constant theme that there ARE TWO KINGDOMS
AND OK. GUESS WHAT? There are signs of a ....
...
...
...
LOVE TRIANGLE !!!
...
...
...
AND GUESS WHAT ELSE??
...
...
...
I LOVE IT!!
Only Ted Dekker can pull this of because I approve this love triangle completely amd cannot wait to see WHAT NEXT. (minor spoiler: I predict one person dies mwahahaha)
Ok so ... one minor minus point. I felt that a few chapters got kinda overly mystical/theological/nonfictional in what Rachelle was learning about spiritual things?? Like A LOT OF TELLING and speaking in riddles. I get that Ted Dekker is trying to TELL us something really important but it got kinda ... confusing and hard to untangle the nonfiction/fiction aspects and it felt slightly ... too much like ... a message. Right there.
BUT OTHERWISE. It was suspenseful and hopeful and mystical and creepy and adventurous and slightly romantic and full of hate amd love and reflections on how complex amd controversial humans can be and EEEP I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT OTHER EARTH TOO.
I was lauhing so hard amd slapping my face and screaming aloud and just having the best of time while reading.
SOMEONE COME FANGIRL WITH ME!!!
4 1/2 stars.
Content: V I O L E N C E
Full review to come when my brain has reassembled itself, because MIND. BLOWN.
Once again, I found myself swept up, caught up, and all-around enamoured by Ted Dekker's signature thrill-of-the-chase, breakneck-pace style. The start is slow and drags a bit--maybe too much information stuffed into the narration?--but closer to the middle it seriously picked up and, naturally, left me breathless.
If I wasn't such a speed-reader, I wouldn't have to wait so long for book 2! Thanks for another exquiste cliff-hanger, Ted. Can't wait to see where you take us with it!
If I wasn't such a speed-reader, I wouldn't have to wait so long for book 2! Thanks for another exquiste cliff-hanger, Ted. Can't wait to see where you take us with it!