Eyes Wide Open by Ted Dekker

(From the back cover)
Who am I? 

My name is Christy Snow. I'm seventeen and I'm about to die.

I'm buried in a coffin under tons of concrete. No one knows where I am. My heart sounds like a monster with clobber feet, running straight toward me. I'm lying on my back, soaked with sweat from the hair on my head to the soles of my feet. My hands and feet won't stop shaking. 

Some will say that I'm not really here. Some will say I'm delusional. Some will say that I don't even exist. But who are they? I'm the one buried in a grave. My name is Christy Snow. I'm seventeen. I'm about to die.

So who are you?

In a return to the kind of storytelling that made Black, Showdown and Three unforgettable, Ted Dekker drags that question into the light with this modern day parable about how we see ourselves.

Humming with intensity and blindsided twists, Eyes Wide Open is raw adrenaline from the first page to the last pure escapism packed with inescapable truth. Not all is as it seems. Or is it? Strap yourself in for the ride of your life. Literally.

Ok, so I did cheat by copying and pasting the back cover. However, I did so because I didn't want to give anything extra away than the vague description on the back. Being the episodic story that it is, situations can change dramatically and a general synopsis didn't quite fit.

Personally, I love Ted Dekker's older novels. The Paradise Trilogy, The Circle Series, and The Martyr's Song series are some of my favorites, in part due to their supernatural themes. So of course hearing that he was returning to this style of writing was very exciting. And through reading it, I found the style to be sort of a blend between old and new. It certainly worked for me.

Once again, Ted is able to take you all over the place in a single mini-series. I love the way he is able to place you in various perspectives, and this book highlights that ability. I found the end very satisfying. I think all "Dekkies" will be equally pleased. And for those who haven't read a Dekker novel before, I think this book is a great introduction.

Iscariot: A Novel of Judas by Tosca Lee

Judas Iscariot. The man who betrayed God. The man whose very name has become synonymous with infidelity. The man who had all the guilt of the world on his shoulders, and ultimately succumbed to it. We think we know him in all his single-mindedness, but do we really?

Beginning with his childhood, Tosca Lee dives into the life of Judas Iscariot-unearthing some circumstances and the political and religious atmosphere that may have ultimately contributed to his behavior. Allowing us a glimpse of who this man may have been, Tosca brings new depth to this story of betrayal, and makes us all wonder: are we really so different?

When I first heard that Tosca's new novel would be about the life of Judas Iscariot, I was quite surprised. By that time I had read Demon: A Memoir so it wasn't really the subject of a character shrouded in darkness that threw me off guard. No, it was reading the thoughts and emotions of the man who betrayed Jesus to death, and was so crushed by the guilt that he took his own life.

Then, another thought hit me. Jesus would be a character in this book. Rather, Jesus would be the highlight in this book. Because what book that contains him does not feature the son of God as the highlight?

And so, when my copy arrived, I began- not quite sure what to expect. The story did begin with the childhood of Judas. A vivid world was painted with a history largely unknown to me. The possible atmosphere Judas grew up in was very intriguing and was really a story in itself. So the story was definitely about Judas, but also as much about Jesus. The anticipation of the coming messiah, the experiences Judas shared with Jesus, and the way he was always on the disciple’s mind.

Overall, I loved the fresh view of the stories I have heard so many times before. The retelling made me think things through in a more complete scope as sometimes it can be easy to be ignorant of the implications of some things Jesus said or did, simply because we do not have the same customs or situation that those living in Israel did two millennia ago.

Stress Test by Richard L. Mabry

Dr. Matt Newman is suddenly kidnapped on his way home from the hospital. The kidnappers intend to kill him but Matt manages to escape- or so he thinks. He awakens in the ICU with injuries only to find he is being charged with murder. His carefully planned life may be erased all by a single incident. His only hope may be in a woman who swore she would not deal with doctors again.

Stress Test pulls you straight into the action, wasting no time. While this approach can sometimes cause an air of confusion and disconnection from the characters, this proved not to be the case for this novel. Despite starting off with characters already in the middle of their own crises, it was quite easy to connect with them and I loved how realistic they were in their actions and emotions.

 Being sort of a medical suspense book and with the protagonist being a doctor, the story also included quite a few "mini stories" of individual medical emergencies. I found this to be quite a fascinating break from the main plot, almost serving the same purpose that poems or quotes do in some other novels. And yet they still pulled into the main theme and even the non-medical based happenings had their own twist with the meticulous yet rhythmic attention to detail. An excellent suspense novel featuring its own unique voice.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Opens at Nightfall
Closes at Dawn
Le Cirque des Rêves is circus unlike any other. Open only during the night this circus insinuates to be more than festive entertainment. Saturated with unbelievable acts and sights the colourless circus is to many, so much more

But the circus carries a secret. Two magicians are battling each other to the death behind the scenes and every patron who walks in is at risk.

I can honestly say with all sincerity, The Night Circus is unlike any book I have ever read. While I have read a great many stories, I've read of many fantasy worlds that can draw you right in, mysteries that can make your heart pound as if the story is truly real, and dystopian realities that can force you into survival mode, this book seems to be in a genre of its own. While dubbed a romance novel, I found this to be only partially true. It is really more of a dream put to ink.

When I describe it as a dream, I do not mean fanciful daydreams or haunting nightmares. I mean the type of dream a reader might actually have. It is a strange tale, full of magic, duels, food, the circus, and surreal beauty. The novel felt so oddly familiar, though I knew it was from vague memories of my own dreams.

To be fair, I am not sure I ever would have read this book on my own. It didn't seem to be the type of novel I tend to go for. Even while reading, it still felt slightly alien. Yet because of the insistence of several friends I took the plunge. I am thrilled I did. The pages draw you in deep until you feel at home. But the part I found the most satisfying of this tale was the ending. For such a fanciful sort of tale the conclusion bestowed solid meaning and purpose.

Soul's Gate by James Rubart

It's been thirty years since the tragedy- the tragedy that was his fault. And yet God calls Reece to visit the battle again. To battle inside of a person's soul. The pieces of an old prophecy begin falling into place, and Reece knows he cannot hold on to fear any longer, he must face it.

That is one cool cover, don't you think? Well perhaps it is a little too cool, because it pulled me right in. Yes, that's right, on some degree I do judge books by their covers and that's just how it is. And maybe it is also my fault for not reading the back of the book, but I wanted to be completely surprised by the story for once, not knowing what to expect. Maybe these things added to my experience, but overall, I have to say I was very disappointed in this book. So much so that I wasn't even able to finish it, which is pretty rare for me since I usually try to give a book as many chances as I can to redeem itself.

One of my biggest issues with this book is that it is nothing I haven't read before on some plane. It was quite monotonous with the other books I've read by James Rubart, with the story essentially consisting of a character or characters that had a painful past, and they must face it and become healed by supernatural means. Which, don't get me wrong, can be an interesting story, but not over and over with no break.

Even with the reasons stated above, I may have been able to pull through, but two more things kept nagging me. This first, I felt this book was saturated with the artificial "let's all pray together before we breath, talk, worship, or pray" mentality. And while I am all for prayer, I believe you have to be a little more realistic than that. You are never going to reach out to people if you freak them out too much to have a conversation. This book also, albeit partially fictitiously, seemed to extract select scriptures and morph them to prove such things as the Bible says you can turn invisible, transport yourself, and also travel inside other people souls. Uh...

Partials by Dan Wells

Humanity hangs by its final thread. Genetically engineered beings called Partials brutally demolished much of the human population. And then the virus RM was unleashed, reducing the humans down to about 25,000 who were immune. And while peace withe the Partials seems to ultimately have been achieved, a much larger issue is slapped on the plate of a race facing extinction. Every one of their offspring is dieing of the same virus to which they are immune.

Kira, in training to become a medic, can no longer stand to watch baby after baby die without a chance. In a desperate tumble to find the cure for the malicious disease, Kira discovers the slightest hope of a chance for a cure. But to even tread down this path will mean betraying everything she stands for.

Partials is a book I stumbled upon by accident. When a bookstore did not cary the books I was looking for, I searched the shelves for anything seeming interesting, and ultimately decided upon this book. I am so glad I did. Partials achieves what most books strive for, but few attain. While distopian to the core, this novel instantly draws you in to a world completely alien yet oddly attractive and bestows a sense of awe. I instantly connected with the characters' distinctive personalities, and cheered for them from the beginning. I felt this book held a great balance of suspense. The plot twisted often, and I always wanted to read just one more chapter. This book does have a sense of creepyness. It is not particularly scary, but it may get the adrenaline going a little. Absolutely 5 stars; I look forward to reading the next novel in the Partials Sequence.

The Prophet by R.J. Larson

Ela Roeh of Parne is just a regular seventeen-year-old girl. Without warning, she is chosen by the Infinite, her creator, to become his prophet.While she certainly feels unqualified for such a role, the bigger problem is that the prophet of Prophet of Parne has never been a goal. But the even bigger problem is that every previous prophet has died young.

Ela, the Infinite, and Ela's crippled sister, Tzana, embark on a journey save a foreign nation- both on the physical level, and the supernatural realm. Ela learns to embrace her role, but as with almost all things worth doing, it is not easy. To make things complicated above her difficult role, it seems as if the Infinite is leading her to break her duties as prophet.

Prophet starts out as a nice, poetic book. In fact, the whole book is quite poetic, really. I was able to picture every scene beautifully and down to details. Mentally, this book started out with a quiet, cinematic scene. My anticipation was instantly heightened. A little further in, and the story began to trail a predictable path, but still a pleasant one with promise. A little further, I loved the wondrously descriptive scenes, and then, smack. It sort of hit me at once. "Oh!", I thought, "This is supposed to be in the setting of the Middle East!" That thought really gnawed at me as I searched to confirm my theory, until it was dis-proven? Or was it? For the rest of the time I read the novel I was stuck trying to figure out the true setting. The setting was simply too vague and seemingly unsure of itself. I feel a map and definitive border lines would have helped. As is, the story had an almost eerie, timeless-and-lost sort of feel to it that didn't seem to blend with the story.

Another frustrating element was the predictability of the characters. I don't think a single one surprised me. I did care for them a little for a while, but their monotonous and perfect paths eventually bored me. There wasn't really much true conflict, curiosity, courage, or creativity; leaving them to be composed of naught but words. By the end, I had lost interest, and any plan of following the remainder of the story. If anything, this story seemed more like a collection of feel-good short stories and poems.
 I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House, in exchange for my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.