A strong addition to the series: My review of "Mortal" by Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee @FaithWords

ABOUT THE BOOK

On the heels of Forbidden comes Mortal, the second novel in The Books of Mortals saga penned by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee. Set in a terrifying, medieval future, where grim pageantry masks death, this tale of dark desires and staggering stakes peels back the layers of the heart for all who dare take the journey. Nine years have gone by since an unlikely hero named Rom Sebastian first discovered a secret and consumed an ancient potion of blood to bring himself back to life in Forbidden. Surviving against impossible odds, Rom has gathered a secret faction of followers who have also taken the blood—the first Mortals in a world that is dead. But The Order has raised an elite army to hunt and crush the living. Division and betrayal threaten to destroy the Mortals from within. The final surviving hope for humanity teeters on the brink of annihilation and no one knows the path to survival. 

Click to read the first chapter of Mortal.

MY REVIEW

Mortal is a tale that is wonderfully grand in scope, an epic novel that pits the forces of good against evil in a satisfying and gripping read. The scenes are painted in vivid and crisp detail, marching like a movie across the screen of your mind, and the plot is filled with twists and turns where you wonder who is good and who is evil. Indeed, by the end of the book I realized that nothing is as it seems, making the wait for the final book in the series rather unbearable as I wait to see what is actually going on! My only criticism of the book is that there seemed to be quite a lot of similarities between Ted Dekker's Circle series and Mortal in some of the plot elements and scenes. While the books are indeed supposed to be connected, I experienced perhaps too much of a sense of familiarity in some of what I was reading, rather than my usual awe at watching these authors unveil unexpected story lines. Again, though, the power in this book is watching the different characters come to life, and realizing that those characters who I assumed were good were not necessarily all that good after all. The novel is rich with symbolism, leaving me pondering what it means to be spiritually alive and spiritually dead, and the crazy power of love and the upside-down-nature of God's kingdom. As with Forbidden, readers should be warned that this book contains scenes of violence and blood being spilled, and so readers who usually shy away from such material may not find this book to be to their liking.

Fans of previous works by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee will ultimately enjoy this well-crafted, superbly paced novel. I strongly recommend this book and award it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Center Street, for the purposes of this unbiased review.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

TED DEKKER is a New York Times bestselling thriller author. Heralded as a "master of suspense" by Library Journal, Dekker has sold millions worldwide, establishing himself as one of the most widely recognized author brands. He began his career writing fantasy novels that explored spirituality (Black, Red and White) and has since become a major force in the mainstream fiction arena with his recent thrillers, "Adam," "Thr3e," "Skin," "Obsessed," "BoneMan's Daughters," which landed in the #10 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list in 2009, and "The Bride Collector". Dekker has been honored with a Christy Award as well as a Gold Medallion Award for Best Fiction. "Thr3e" and his novel "House" became feature films.

Ted Dekker's fans are comprised of readers of all ages, backgrounds, and belief systems who love his compulsively readable stories, authentic characters, and universal and relatable themes that he explores from a unique point of view. He resides in Austin, Texas with his wife and children. You can find him at Teddekker.com and Facebook.com/teddekker.

TOSCA LEE is the NY Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed DEMON: A MEMOIR, HAVAH: THE STORY OF EVE, and the Books of Mortals series with NY Times bestseller Ted Dekker: FORBIDDEN, MORTAL (June 2012) and SOVEREIGN (October 2012).

Tosca received her B.A. in English and International Relations from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She also studied at Oxford University. In her spare time, Tosca enjoys adventure travel and makes her home in the midwest.