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 Sinner…Sinner 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. =)