The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker | Review

Plus a Q&A with the Author!

From Amazon…

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.

The oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle Dekker was inspired early on to discover truth through the avenue of storytelling. She writes full time from her home in Nashville, where she lives with her husband, Daniel, and their diva cat Blair.

Visit her online at rachelledekker.com.

My Review…

She’s Ted Dekker’s daughter, so I expected to enjoy Rachelle Dekker’s The Choosing. What I did NOT expect was that this book would be one of my favorites of 2015. Oh my word, this gal can write. While I definitely recognized some similarities in Rachelle’s and her father’s writing styles and story themes, I have to admit her author voice is something all its own. Let’s face it, the dystopian genre has been overdone in recent years, so much so that I’ve avoided the genre all together for months. When I saw The Choosing pop up for review from Tyndale, the cover immediately drew me, and after that the back cover blurb. I was like, “Okay. I’ll give this one a shot.”

And I’m so glad I did!

Not only is the writing pretty phenomenal, but the story is just as stellar. Sometimes I read a book where I love the writing but hate the story, or I love the story but it could’ve been written better. The Choosing has it all. It’s a well-crafted tale of love, hope, and finding where you belong. I adored the Biblical themes in this one. I could definitely tell what the message was, but at the same time I didn’t feel preached at or talked down to. I strongly believe The Choosing is a book every teen girl and woman should read. The message of self-worth and being already “chosen” really spoke to my heart and soul. I put it right up there with Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love (which I have mentioned time and time again is one of my all time favorite reads). This one’s high on my recommendation list!

Recommendation…

Ages: 17 and older

For fans of:

Content: Some violence and suspense (murder mystery). Tasteful romance. Overall I felt this book was very clean and appropriate for older teens and up.

I give The Choosing 5 out of 5 hearts for keeping me reading late into the night and for being so awesome I may just have to read it again.

Q&A with Rachelle Dekker…

1. How did you come up with the story for The Choosing?

This is a hard question because it has many answers. I wanted to write a theme-based novel about identity. I wanted to write a dystopian novel. I wanted to write in a world that was familiar, but in a setting where I could change the way the world worked. It actually is several ideas I’d been toying with pulled into one story. Once I landed on Carrington’s core revelation and story arc, I simply fell in love with her as a character and drew the rest of the story around her. That’s usually how it works for me. I come up with a character, good or bad, and create the story from there.

2. One of the story’s most significant lines is, “Life is a journey of remembering and forgetting.” What do you mean by this?

It means exactly what you probably think. We have these flashes of clarity where we see so clearly who we are—and our connection to the Father—but then, in a single moment, something pulls our attention away and we forget who we are. This is the journey of life, remembering and forgetting. But I believe the more we remember, the more we set our gaze on the Father, the less often we forget.

3. What do you hope readers will take away from the story?

I hope readers are filled with joy and power as they either realize for the first time who their Father is and what they are really worth, or as they simply remember this truth.

4. Did you discover anything about your own identity through the writing process?

I will steal a line from Ted Dekker on this one: “I write to discover.” They are one and the same. Even when I think there’s nothing left to discover, if I let myself be open to discovery, it almost always comes. So yes, I did. And I told my husband, if nothing ever comes of this book, it would still have been worth writing because of the way it impacted my life.

Have you read The Choosing? What did you like about it? Want to read it? Grab your copy from Amazon here. I love hearing from you! Tweet to me @SaraEllaWrites. Until then, happy reading!

Disclosure:

I received a copy of The Choosing through the Tyndale Blog Network. I was not asked to write a positive review. All views and opinions expressed are solely and completely my own. I received no compensation other than a copy of the book featured in this post, which is mine to keep. Recommendations are my own opinion and are not meant to be the final say on age appropriateness. This post also contains affiliate links. To learn more, please read my full policy.

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