Forbidden

Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee

The Books of Mortals #1

Summary:

The world as we know it is unrecognisable.

Almost 500 years have passed since civilization’s brush with extinction. Perfect order reigns and humanity’s greatest threats have been silenced by the ruling totalitarian government.

There is no disease. No passion. No hate. No war.

There is only peace.

Until one man discovers the truth hidden in a secret journal: the human heart has been stripped of all emotion and exists only in a kind of living death. But when Rom became exposed to the vial of blood contained in the journal he was filled with uncontrollable passion. Only Rom is now truly alive, and only he has the knowledge that can reawaken humanity.

But the way is dangerous and the cost staggering...the way is Forbidden.

Plot:

I have to admit, the start of this story was not very promising in my opinion. It felt like the authors were having a bit of trouble explaining the premise of the story. However, I might have wanted something from the book that wasn’t what the author intended. I wanted the book to showcase how beautiful all emotions are, even the negative ones, but I realised about half way through that that wasn’t the point of this book. This story is about a saviour, coming to save the humans from death, and to teach them about love. I personally read it as an allegory to the life of Jesus Christ, but even if that’s not your cup of tea this is a really interesting and unique story.

Characters:

It’s kind of hard to fall in love with characters who can’t love, but Dekker and Lee manages to make them come alive, and you really start to feel for them. I didn’t have a favourite character, and that’s usually not a good sign, but this book didn’t need extremely good characters to make it special. The characters were flawed, although one was a little too good to be true, and the villian was extremely scary.

Who should read this:

13+, mainly for violence, it’s not extremely graphic, but it is disturbing. There is no language and very mild sexual content. The story might also be a little hard to understand for younger readers. If you’re looking for a book that will make you think, this is a good choice. If you want something simple and lighthearted I don't suggest this one. Also if you don't like books that have Christian undertones this might bother you a little.

My rating:

I didn’t love the beginning of this book, I felt like the authors had a little trouble explaining exactly what was going on. I did however, love the rest, and I can totally appreciate the complex ideas that they tried to incorporate. Do I think it’s the best Dekker can do? No. Do I think it’s a good book. Yes. 4/5

Quote:

It's the sorrow you feel that allows you to crave love. Without the suffering, there would be no true pleasure. Without tears, no joy. Without deficiency, no longing. This is the secret of the human heart, Rom.