The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker Review
I'm excited to be part of a book tour for this wonderful book! The Choosing is the debut novel of Rachelle Dekker, daughter of Ted Dekker. Before I go to much further with my own thoughts, let me give you the "official" blurb for The Choosing:
Like all citizens since the Ruining, Carrington Hale knows the importance of this day. But she never expected the moment she’d spent a lifetime preparing for—her Choosing ceremony—to end in disaster. Ripped from her family, she’ll spend her days serving as a Lint, the lowest level of society. She knows it’s her duty to follow the true way of the Authority.
But as Carrington begins this nightmare, rumors of rebellion rattle her beliefs. Though the whispers contradict everything she’s been told, they resonate deep within.
Then Carrington is offered an unprecedented chance at the life she’s always dreamed of, yet she can’t shake the feeling that it may be an illusion. With a killer targeting Lints and corruption threatening the highest levels of the Authority, Carrington must uncover the truth before it destroys her.
About the author:
The oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle Dekker was inspired early on to discover truth through storytelling. She graduated with a degree in communications and spent several years in marketing and corporate recruiting before making the transition to write full time. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Daniel, and their diva cat Blair. Visit her online at www.rachelledekker.com
OBM says: Initially, I was a little concerned that this might just be a "Christianization" of the very popular current dystopian secular story concepts that have been so successful lately. But I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The dystopian world Carrington live in is one of a faith made up of rules and not relationship. Those rule keep the populace in line to a fault. Anyone who disagrees is carted off to prison or worse, publicly executed. Carrington's dreams are shattered when she finds herself not chosen as a wife and therefore cast aside as "lint" to forever serve the drudgery-type needs of the city with no prospect of ever marrying or escaping her lot in life. She finds kindness in several encounters with one city guard, a position normal characterized by coolness toward the general population and unflinching loyalty to those in authority. He, like Carrington, has had his fate chosen for him due to a stutter that makes him not prime marriage material. The plot thickens as both realize this "utopia" is really far less enchanting than they ever imagined and that that disenchantment has nothing to do with their lack of position and everything to do with the beginning seeds of real faith being sown through an underground movement that recognizes the real Truth is out there waiting for everyone to make their own.
I loved The Choosing. I read it in two days, and then quickly passed it on to my teen son. I'm glad it's part of a series and that Carrington's story continues. My only disappointment is how long I will have to wait for the next book in the series, as I believe it won't be out until 2016!
Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for giving me a copy of this book and allowing me to review it!
If you want to keep up to date on Rachelle Dekker, here are all her social media links:
- Instagram: @rachelle_dekker
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