Monday, April 6, 2009

Dentists and Dekker

I can smile, but it’s not a “real” smile. It’s a “I’m-giving-it-all-I’ve-got” smile. But the numbness is wearing off. I’m looking forward to eating some real food when it does, too, not just soup.

I had a cavity filled this morning. I was pretty much a bad patient. I’m not all for the needles and stuff, but I did survive. Shocking, I know. ;)

Also, I have finished Sinner, the last of Ted Dekker’s Paradise series. And…eh. Yeah. It was eh.

It’s a three book series, which is part of the Books of History chronicles. The Paradise novels are Showdown (the prequel, which I would suggest reading first), Saint, and Sinner (the endgame). I enjoyed Showdown and Saint, but SinnerSinner took about two weeks to get through. And if a book takes me that long to read, it usually means it’s not holding my attention.



Showdown gave me nightmares – not BAD nightmares, per se, but I quickly decided not to read it before bedtime. It’s CREEPY. No other word can describe it. A group of kids who are sequestered in a monastery near Paradise, Colo., wreck havoc in the townsfolk’s lives by revealing the sins within themselves and showing how fallible people are to act on the devil’s mental suggestions. It has a lot to do with Dekker’s Circle trilogy, too, which made me feel connected with those characters again. I’ll give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.



Saint tells the story of one of those who survived the Paradise showdown (I won’t say who – it’d give away the ending) and how he comes to terms with what has happened in the past and what he has done to end up where he is now. It has the political intrigue I’ve come to expect with Dekker’s books and enough action to keep the story going. It was not nearly as creepy as Showdown, but it had its own scenes that sent chills up my spine. 4 stars out of 5.

Sinner…eh.



Sinner is about three of the Paradise children who are grown up and, as with Saint, are dealing with the consequences of their actions in Colorado. The plot was slow during three-fourths of the book, but the main problem I had with Sinner was the ending. Too much craziness happened – conspiracies were revealed that I, personally, felt were just thrown in there almost randomly. They did not fit the characters’ personalities. When Sinner ended, I was glad. I was bored of the story. 2 stars out of 5…cause at least I finished it.

Not to say I’m staying away from the BH chronicles, though. Heck, no! In fact, I’m diving into the Lost Books series, which is really a young adult series, but some questions were raised in Sinner that I feel will be answered in this semi-series. I’ll let you know if they are. =)

8 comments:

septembermom said...

Hope your mouth feels somewhat normal soon! I hate sitting in that dentist chair. I don't know if Dekker is the author for me. His subject matter may freak me out too much. I'm a wimp in those ways. I did enjoy reading your entertaining review though:)

Beth@playinwiththepaulsens! said...

again, I love reading your reviews! keeps me up to date!

Brooke said...

I wonder if my regular library would have him, or if i'd have to try the church library.

Angela Nazworth said...

tHANKS FOR THE REVIEW. i HOPE YOUR MOUTH HEALS SOON

Tiffany said...

Thank you sooo much for the flip flops (more like sexy little black sandals hehe) I LOVE them! Wrote a post about them today, go check it out.
Thank you for the book review, hoping that healing takes place with your mouth ASAP!

misti said...

Hope you're back to your pretty smile! Call me if you want to eat some hospital food this week ;)

LuAnn said...

Thanks for the scoop on the books.
Feel better soon.

StephieAnne said...

Thanks for the thorough review of those three. SAINT was the only one of the three that I read and I did enjoy that, but heard that SHOWDOWN wasn't very good. I don't think I'll bother with SINNER. I've read the first two of the young adult circle books, but got lost on the third - and gave up for a while.

I'm hoping the release of "GREEN" will have Dekker returning to his original BLACK, RED, AND WHITE quality of writing.

I read your most recent post too, though my oldest students were only in middle school, I can empathize with the frustration. Hope you are feeling better!