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A review by digerbop
Blink by Ted Dekker
3.0
This was an okay book. It definitely has that Dekker feel, but didn't seem to itch my Dekker desire for suspense and on-the-edge-of-you-seat-action. Why is this? There are two things that I feel contributed largely to this failing.
The plot twist. Yes, there is a plot twist (if there wasn't I would maybe be even more disappointed), but most of the time Dekker tells a fairly regular tale with a few interesting mechanics and characters to draw you in before throwing a curve ball at you 2/3 of the way through that keeps you hooks for the entirety of the book and are sad to see it end. Yes, there are usually some subtle hints (or oddities) in the story that make the plot twist connected to the tale and not seemingly come out of nowhere, but the problem with Blink is that these hunts are not very subtle. I saw the plot twist coming from the first hint and was no surprised at all. Because of this I wasn't drawn into the final third of the book after the plot twist like I am in most Dekker books.
The second problem with this book is after the introduction of the "main" characters the story progresses (as it should). The problem with this is that as soon as the is on, too many characters are introduced all at once to allow to story to flow nicely. Many of these characters were briefly introduced previously, but I got a feel that they were more side characters than anything else. This feeling continues even while the story is being told from their perspective because there is a lack of character development for these characters. This is not necessarily a bad thing if they are to remain as side characters, but if so, why tell certain portions of the story from their perspective? By the end this issue mostly resolves itself, but it makes the story feel a little bit choppy and disjointed as the reader is bounced between character POVs.
Other than this, the book was great. It had some good mechanics that kept things fresh as the reader seeks to learn more about them. It has that Dekker feel, and that works. If you enjoy Dekker, you will enjoy this book, but don't expect it to be in your top 10. Dekker has definitely done a lot better.
The plot twist. Yes, there is a plot twist (if there wasn't I would maybe be even more disappointed), but most of the time Dekker tells a fairly regular tale with a few interesting mechanics and characters to draw you in before throwing a curve ball at you 2/3 of the way through that keeps you hooks for the entirety of the book and are sad to see it end. Yes, there are usually some subtle hints (or oddities) in the story that make the plot twist connected to the tale and not seemingly come out of nowhere, but the problem with Blink is that these hunts are not very subtle. I saw the plot twist coming from the first hint and was no surprised at all. Because of this I wasn't drawn into the final third of the book after the plot twist like I am in most Dekker books.
The second problem with this book is after the introduction of the "main" characters the story progresses (as it should). The problem with this is that as soon as the
Spoiler
hunt for MiriamOther than this, the book was great. It had some good mechanics that kept things fresh as the reader seeks to learn more about them. It has that Dekker feel, and that works. If you enjoy Dekker, you will enjoy this book, but don't expect it to be in your top 10. Dekker has definitely done a lot better.