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The Delusion

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Where do I start with The Delusion by Laura Gallier? Fans of Ted Dekker's more thrilling books like Adam and The Bride Collector will like this novel. If you're a Frank Peretti fan, too, The Delusion is right up your alley. It gave me chills, and it made my gut twist into knots. Gallier is descriptive to a fault, and the imagery is incredible; I am not exaggerating when I say I saw characters from this book in my dreams...or should I say nightmares. 

The Delusion by Laura Gallier takes spiritual warfare out of the invisible and makes it visible through the mastery of the author's imagination. So much so, honestly, that this novel disturbed me. Suicide is obviously a very heavy topic. Gallier doesn't take it lightly and uses it as a foundation for a well-developed story, narrated by a teenage boy. This was a good book--hence the high rating--but I'm not certain I actually enjoyed it. Almost every chapter ended in a cliffhanger, so I kept on reading. I related to the main characters, and I found myself rooting for them.

Sometimes, though...I think Gallier might take things too far. The "grade level" rating for this book is supposedly grades 7-9. But I would not let my early teen read this book, unless he/she is very grounded in him/herself and in his/her faith. I don't get creeped out by novels, but The Delusion did me in. God and His people are victorious; I appreciated that overarching message, but I didn't like how this book got there. The topics in this book are too heavy for an early teen, in my opinion. This book was almost a Christian version of the Netflix show "13 Reasons Why."

The big heart-pounding, climactic moment of this book depicts an instance I don't think should ever be fictionalized--and you certainly shouldn't describe it in great detail. Especially when your target audience is teenage students, who may have experienced some of the scenes in The Delusion in real life.  

The Delusion by Laura Gallier is good. Disturbingly so. I absorbed it like a sponge; I couldn't put it down until I finished the final page. But aspects of it are a little too sensitive and a little too real for my liking. I didn't completely know what I was getting myself into with this book, as I read nothing past its synopsis before opening it. I think I'd still read it, knowing what I know now. That being said, I just wouldn't read it at night, when my brain is most open and vulnerable. No creepy demon creatures in my dreams, please!

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The Delusion is a different kind of christian fiction book than what I normally read, but I was very glad I decided to review it! It's one of those books that keep you turning the pages until the very end. You won't want to sleep or do anything else, but immerse yourself into the story.

The book covers some heavy topics so if you are a parent I would read it first before passing it on to your teen. Suicide and spiritual warfare are main themes, but it has a very touching ending.

Eleven students at Masonville High School have committed suicide. Amid the media frenzy and chaos, Owen tries to remain levelheaded until he endures his own near-death experience and wakes to a destressing new reality.

The people around him suddenly appear to be shackled and enslaved.

Owen frantically seeks a cure for what he thinks are crazed hallucinations, but his delusions become even more sinister. An army of hideous, towering beings, unseen by anyone but Owen, are preying on his girlfriend and classmates, provoking them to self-destruction.

Owen eventually arrives at a mind-bending conclusion: he's not imagining the evil-everyone else is blind to its reality. He must warn and rescue those he loves, but this proves to be no simple mission. Will he be able to convince anyone to believe him before it's too late?

Owen's heart-pounding journey through truth and delusion will force him to reconsider everything he believes. He both longs for and fears the answers to questions that are quickly becoming too dangerous to ignore.

This type of book is not for everyone, but if you are willing to give it a try I don't think you'll be disappointed.

***Thanks to Tyndale Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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The Delusion was an amazing read. I didn't expect to love it, but I could hardly put the book down. It made me think about things differently and was just so creepy! I loved the characters and liked that there really wasn't a heavy romance story (or at least romance wasn't the main focus). It was good for a change.

I could really feel for the MC. It would be so weird to be able to see things that no one else sees. No one believes you and yet you know what you see. It was interesting how the demons and spiritual warfare were written. I could actually believe the plot, as it wasn't far-fetched. Read the book and you will see what I mean.

All in all, I loved The Delusion and recommend it. If you are a fan of Frank Peretti or Ted Dekker, I think you will enjoy this book. I can't wait for the next one!

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

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Holy moly. This book was on my kindle and being as I had some time at work to read, I decided to read a few chapters. Uh, yeah. I found myself deep in the book, time passed and I was unaware. The book was that good. It was fascinating. Terrifying. Eye opening.

The book is a story about Owen Edmond. He lives in Texas and goes to Masonville High School. But there is a strange thing going on with all the suicides occurring. He meets a man in a field who encourages him to drink water from the well on his land. He does so, and finds himself in a disturbing new reality. Everyone around him has shackles around their necks and long chains. Needless to say, Owen finds this extremely disturbing. But what is worse, he is the only one who can see any of this. His sharing what he see’s to a few people leads them to believe that he is having a psychotic episode. Finally, he realizes what he is seeing.

Again, this book has me enthralled. It has been a long time since I have read a book that capture my attention for such a long time. I was there with Owen experiencing what he was seeing, while trying to make sense of it all.

My kudo’s to the author, Laura Gallier, in successfully weaving a tale of good and evil, to the point where I want to stay on the good side. I think this should be a must-read for many teenagers and even adults. For me, it opens my eyes to a different perspective to life.

I did receive this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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I liked the writing style but the genre was not what i would pick for myself. I dozed off on so many parts, even though the book is not very big i still felt like the story was a bit dragged. The plot for me was too predictable and i hated that i was right!

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By March of Owen Edmonds’s senior year, eleven students at Masonville High School have committed suicide. Amid the media frenzy and chaos, Owen tries to remain levelheaded—until he endures his own near-death experience and wakes to a distressing new reality.
The people around him suddenly appear to be shackled and enslaved.
Owen’s heart-pounding journey through truth and delusion will force him to reconsider everything he believes. He both longs for and fears the answers to questions that are quickly becoming too dangerous to ignore.

When I began this book, I wasn't looking for much beyond a good story. I also didn't realize this was a book intended for the YA audience. So, while it may not have been exactly the kind of book I was looking for, as a former high school English teacher, I believe this book has merit, especially for the YA audience. The story is gripping both in the content, but also in how it moves through time. The characters are complex and it isn't until the end you get the entire story. But, most importantly, the content and issues are real and relevant. I think this book could lead to many great discussions about suicide, life as modern teenager, relationships with the opposite gender, mental health, school shootings and spiritual warfare. Those potential conversations are what lead me to recommend this book to YA readers and those in their lives. It could really make a difference.

Tyndale House Publishers has provided you with a complimentary copy of this book

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Categorized as Young-adult fiction, The Delusion, it deals with current real-life teen issues and helps them make connections with deep feelings about relationships, family ties, adult expectations, abuse, suicide and their search for spirituality and acceptance. Ms. Gullier did a superb job of writing about believable characters and offered up an engaging plot that keeps the reader going right through to the end.

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