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aggressive_nostalgia's review against another edition
Honestly, a disappointment. I've read most of Ted Dekker's other books (including the rest of the Martyr's Song series) and was completely engrossed by them all; he is one of my all-time favorite authors. Perhaps it's just my young age and personality, but the plot line and premise had absolutely no draw for me, and I found myself completely devoid of any feeling for the main character (except in those moments where I wanted to knock some sense into him with something large, heavy, and dangerous). I can see the good in the message the book is trying to convey, and I definitely caught Dekker's trademark suspense and creativity—enough to tell he did a superb job as an author yet again—but for whatever reason, I just could not engage with this novel. The only Dekker novel I disliked at all.
caitlin_89's review against another edition
3.0
Pros: The story did keep me turning pages. I only put it down last night because my head kept falling on the pages. Other than the last 6 pages, I read it all in one day.
Cons: There's a thing or two that I felt were left unaddressed and so are now nagging at the back of my mind. Not good. And I don't think Dekker's writing style is my favorite. I felt like a snob because I kept inwardly groaning at some of his expressions.
A pleasant read, but I'm more of a "meh" than a "yay" on this one.
Cons: There's a thing or two that I felt were left unaddressed and so are now nagging at the back of my mind. Not good. And I don't think Dekker's writing style is my favorite. I felt like a snob because I kept inwardly groaning at some of his expressions.
A pleasant read, but I'm more of a "meh" than a "yay" on this one.
sarah_lynn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
irongold's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely outstanding. The whole seeing heaven thing was a bit weird but otherwise an awesome book.
docsol22's review
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
brennieree33's review against another edition
2.0
As always, the ending of a book by Ted Dekker was fantastic, and the book was a great reminder of God's love. The rest? Not so great. So, quick review, if you want to read a Ted Dekker series that's truly a five star read, go read the Circle Series and the Lost Books. Not this.
Throughout the book, Kent was SUCH an unlikable character. Even before his family died, he was arrogant and a jerk and he just got worse as the plot went on. It's not even like we get to see him get better as the plot goes on- it just abruptly ends and we go back to the prolouge scene that I completely forgot about over the course of the week I spent reading this book.
This book was just so hard to get through. Out of pure stubbornness, I think I'll finish the trilogy and hope that the other books are better, but I'm really dissapointed in Ted Dekker right now.
Spoiler
The events of this book happened very fast. With the reveal that this was a reverse Job situation, it does make sense, but it's still kind of jarring. And with everything going so fast at the beginning, the rest of the book was really tedious to get through. I often wanted to DNF this book while reading it, as I have other books that I think I'd enjoy more on my TBR. But I kept going, and I'm glad, because the ending was what I expect out of a Ted Dekker book.Throughout the book, Kent was SUCH an unlikable character. Even before his family died, he was arrogant and a jerk and he just got worse as the plot went on. It's not even like we get to see him get better as the plot goes on- it just abruptly ends and we go back to the prolouge scene that I completely forgot about over the course of the week I spent reading this book.
This book was just so hard to get through. Out of pure stubbornness, I think I'll finish the trilogy and hope that the other books are better, but I'm really dissapointed in Ted Dekker right now.
nadoislandgirl's review against another edition
2.0
Not my favorite. A bit Frank Peretti-ish, but cheesier.
jljaina's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting story! This story focuses around a man named Kent, who has no faith in God. His wife, son and mother-in-law (Helen) do strongly. Kent is a programmer who wrote a program for the bank he works for and was promised a hefty reward for such a valuable program. One the day he was to present his program a tragedy strikes his family. Shortly after, he learns that he supervisor has taken full credit for the program at work. In less than a month he has lost his family, and want his has worked on for years. And that is just the beginning!
As Kent spirals down downward first despair and than a very elaborate plan of revenge, we have Helen who saw the death of the family before they happened. She starts fiercely praying for Kent's soul as she learns that everything that is happening is related to his salvation or ultimate demise.
Dekker has done a great job creating characters in this story. A great reversal twist to the story of Job from the Bible! I enjoyed reading the plotting and the steps Kent takes to pull off the heist. Although I must admit the death of the boy was a bit hard to read about. Very sad. Yet event hat deserves congratulations! This book had me often hating Kent and feeling utterly sorry for him, often at the same time. Helen is a great character and would be so fantastic to know someone like her in real life! Well done, Ted Dekker.
As Kent spirals down downward first despair and than a very elaborate plan of revenge, we have Helen who saw the death of the family before they happened. She starts fiercely praying for Kent's soul as she learns that everything that is happening is related to his salvation or ultimate demise.
Dekker has done a great job creating characters in this story. A great reversal twist to the story of Job from the Bible! I enjoyed reading the plotting and the steps Kent takes to pull off the heist. Although I must admit the death of the boy was a bit hard to read about. Very sad. Yet event hat deserves congratulations! This book had me often hating Kent and feeling utterly sorry for him, often at the same time. Helen is a great character and would be so fantastic to know someone like her in real life! Well done, Ted Dekker.
lorkay's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
onceuponajess's review against another edition
4.0
Going into this book I knew it was Dekker's first work, and I was expecting something like his more recent works (Bride Collector, Thr3e, etc) and I was kind of disappointed. I found the book hard to get through, it felt more like I was reading it for school than out of enjoyment, but once things started picking up after the death of his wife, and son, and the whole bank robbery scheme came into play, I was definitely more interested. My favorite character had to be Helen, although at first the whole 'seeing and hearing heaven' threw me a bit, she grew on me and her faith was inspiring. The end of the book is what pushed my rating from a 3.5 to a 4 star, because the overall message of the book, and Kent just having such an experience really made it worth it. Ted Dekker still remains one of my favorite authors and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this trilogy 'When Heaven Weeps"
God bless ♥
God bless ♥