The Girl behind the Red Rope
by Ted Dekker; Rachelle Dekker
Revell
Christian
Pub Date 03 Sep 2019

I am reviewing a copy of The Girl behind the Red Rope through Revell and Netgalley:

Father and daughters talents shine brightly in The Girl Behind the Red Rope Rope!

Ten years before the opening of the story, Grace saw something that would forever change history. Evil in it’s purest form was released leading her and others to from their religious community are already hidden deep in the hills of Tennessee, abiding by every rule that will keep them safe, pure–and alive. As long as they stay there, behind the red perimeter.

As arrivals for the first time in over a decade come upon them leaving her older brother to question what the purpose is, events take place leaving everything she built her life on in question. There are enemies on all sides, but who is the real enemy?

I Give The Girl behind the Red Rope five out of five stars.

This was an interesting book to say the least. There is a cult like feel to the book with a lot of rule following and fear. **You think it will save you, but fear can't save you. Only love can, and God is love. You can choose the light, which shows itself as love, or you can choose darkness, which shows itself as fear. Not both.**

There is a lot of symbolism throughout the book that in my opinion could mean different things to different people. Which makes this book a soul searching and thought provoking book.

The quote below really sums up what the book is about. It's about how our fears can overtake us as believer's and can completely rule us.

"My Fury/fears didn't have faces, but if they did, they would all be versions of me, and for the first
time I truly understood them for what they were. My self-pity, my anxiousness, my anger, my
hopelessness, my judgment, my self-criticism, my worthlessness, my victim-hood, my self-righteousness, my disapproval of others, my fear of being deceived, my need to control any situation, my guilt . . . "

The character's are well crafted and believable as well as the world that was created for them. I think the Dekker's are a great father and daughter duo writing team. I'd love to read another book by them.

Great job, guys!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book via the publisher. I was not required to write a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Grace and the rest of her religious community have been living isolated since a vision they all had ten years ago. In their vision, they saw the Furies, taking over the world and killing everyone. The community lives with the philosophy that fear will keep them safe. When Grace's brother is caught living the bounds of their community, Grace and her brother are both sent out to explore the world. The first night, Grace's brother is attacked by a fury, and a woman comes to Grace promising to protect her.

Although the book had an interesting premise, I don't think it was well executed. Grace came across as completely wishy washy. She felt like a weak secondary character, rather than the main character. I also thought that the philosophy needed some work. Sure, love is light, fear is dark. But the idea that light banishes dark, therefore love banishes fear, didn't really work for me. Overall, 2 out of 5 stars.

This is a book of science fiction and a bit of fantasy and a bit of Christianity. What happens when someone is part of a religion and has visions of a savior. This person gets everyone to believe that they are all in danger unless they conform in a certain way. If they conform than they will be saved someday. This is a bit of the premise for this book. This story made me laugh and cry. There are lots of hidden meanings throughout the story. This flows very nicely. I loved the characters. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

It was good…in a creepy way. It has to do with a cult, and this theme always makes me cringe when it comes to marriages and punishments. There were a few parts of the story where I wondered ‘why am I reading this?’ It was so engaging though, I couldn’t quit, and I wanted to find out the end. Many of the members see visions or Angels and Grace tries to find out the truth while trying to figure out who is disguising themselves as an Angel of light. There is a gruesome execution near the end that made want to stop but I couldn’t. I had gotten past other hard to swallow stuff, so why quit then. I pressed on. I think it made the release of bondage at the end more sweeter, knowing everything Grace had endured. I must say that the fantastic way Ted and Rachelle describe darkness, light and, fear was mind-blowing. Only creative minds could bring life to these words. It has profound spiritual truth wrapped in eerie suspense and laced with humor throughout. I found myself chuckling often.

Throughout the book, my rating would bounce back and forth between 4 & 5 stars. Perhaps I’ll let you be the judge.

This novel was given to me by the publisher, but I was not required to provide a good review. This post reflects my honest opinions.

Grace is the good girl until her brother gets her into trouble thinking that it is safe to go beyond the borders of their town the ones marked by the red rope. But he comes back traumatized into the strict ways of the town and Grace comes back with all the questions. Then when her father shows up with a boy he says is her brother and for her to take care of him, well everything goes up in the air than, or I should say on the run.

This was a interesting, and thought provoking book with lots of action, twists and turns, and suspense so thick you could swim through it. I can't say a whole lot about it without giving up spoilers, but if you like Ted Dekker you will love this book.

I really was interested in this book as I had read books by the co-author, Ted Decker, though not by Rachelle Decker the other author. Was the book good, in its own way, yes. It however was not what I have come to expect from Mr. Decker. In fact, his style is no where near evident. I am curious how much of this he authored.

First up, I am not a politically correct person, but the 'girl' in the title is a bit misleading. When we first meet her, Grace is a child, but that lasts a chapter. After that she is a grown woman. She is 'married' and pregnant. The title should reflect that, but that is a minor point.

Is the book good, in it's own way, but it is not what I would call a never put it down book. In fact I put it down often. The characters appeared to be stereotypical caricatures of Christianity. The questioning person, Grace, our hero, is right to question all that is going on. Her brother starts that way but ends up not questioning. The rest of the people, both seen and unseen, are representations of where many people are in their faith. I was waiting for the Jesus figure to appear, and I was not disappointed. The only surprise was who it was. That was not a big one for me, as I saw no other reason to create this one person for the story. The whole thing was a bit predictable. That may be why I did not enjoy it as much as I wanted to.

The story was meant as an allegory, like maybe, C.S. Lewis's books. So many people may enjoy it if they are of the questioning mind about being a follower of Christ. That and the message that love will cast out fear are the two things that give this book the rating I gave it.

Christian book, no sex scenes. Violence, there is a taking of a life but done in a non-violent way, though I would be hesitant to let young people read it, your millage may vary. Fans of Decker may or may not like it.

I received and e-copy of the book through Net Stacks, the publisher and the Interviews and Reviews web site. This has been an honest review.

The beginning of the book really grabbed my attention and intrigued me as to what would transpire as the story was told. Grace and her family are part of a cult, led by a woman named Rose, who hide away in the hills of Tennessee in order to hide from the evil that is going to be unleashed on the world. However, Grace's father isn't buying into the rhetoric and Grace and her brother Jamie are raised by their Mother in this strict world that is governed by a being named Sylous.

Haven Valley is a place of rules that nobody is allowed to question. The community is surrounded by a red rope, which symbolizes safety and must never be crossed. However, Jamie ventures out into the world and soon has Grace wanting to know more. Can they face the Fury and live to tell about it? Or, will they bring destruction down upon themselves and everybody else in the community?

The story seems to be based on Biblical principles in a way, but there is also a heavy supernatural element throughout the book. It is never explained who or what the Fury are and the "imaginary" beings of Bobbie (whom only Grace can see) and Sylous (Rose's special spiritual guide) are never revealed as to whether they are good or evil. The Fury are the beings that are supposed to bring about the world's destruction, but we are never told what they are or where they came from.

Then, you have the reappearance of Grace and Jamie's father, accompained by a mysterious boy named Eli. Is Eli really Lukas, their (supposedly) dead brother? Or is he something more?

There is a recurrent theme throughout the book: "There is no fear in love. Only love casts out fear."
"Even here, in a place with perfect laws to keep you safe, there is danger."
"Sin is a choice you make. Just follow the rules and you'll be safe."
"Fear can't save you. Only love can, and God is love."

I felt like the authors went out of their way to pound this theme into the reader's head. I can't tell you how many times the above quotes were repeated in various ways throughout the book. All in all, I found myself becoming bored during some of the long discussions of good and evil. It seemed like the authors were trying a little too hard to drive home the point that Fear is bad and won't keep you safe.

Also, some of the characters switched their convictions very quickly without enough explanation for their actions. At first, Jamie is the rebel who is questioning everything, but after one night outside the community, he becomes the biggest robot of all, blindly following Rose and Sylous.

The story is fairly entertaining, but I feel very conflicted about it in a lot of ways. It isn't truly a Christian book, but it also isn't really a supernatural book either. I guess that sums up my feelings about the book: not sure what to make of it!

This book was provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group through Interviews and Reviews.

I loved “The Girl Behind the Red Rope”! The book is about Grace, a girl in a cult in the town of Haven Valley, which wasn’t really a haven. Instead it was a town ruled by religious rules, do’s and don’ts, punishment and fear.

And that was what the book was about…fear. What really is fear? Fear is darkness but love is light and light casts out darkness. Fear is an illusion we create. That is the overall theme of the book, and Ted and his daughter Rachelle did an excellent job portraying the theme throughout the book in a Biblical manner.
There is so much great wisdom and truth in this book…love holds no record of wrongs, how fear holds us prisoner, how our “Fury” can take on some many forms…anger, being judgmental, self-righteous, hopelessness, etc…everything that is seen in our everyday life. The book does a great job mentioning that there is so much fear in the world and how we need to discern the wisdom of the world from the true wisdom of God.

One of the underlying themes that Ted has in many of his books, not just this one, is “the costume” that many of us wears. How we wear this costume, this outer shell, but who we really our in God is beneath this costume.
I highly recommend this book.

Rating: 5 out of 5

This book was provided by Revell Publishing in exchange for a review.

I have always found Dekker's books a challenge to understand and this one is no exception. We readers see into the spirit world along with the novel's characters.

I like our attention drawn to the reality of the spirit realm. I am often unclear, however, as to the meaning and message of the content of the plot. There are plenty of twists in this novel, making the actual representation of the spirit beings more confusing and hard to understand. We do know from 2 Corinthians 11 that the Enemy can disguise as an angel of light so it shouldn't be surprising some spiritual beings are not who they initially seem to be.

There is a heavy emphasis on the role of fear in the Christian's life. Countering fear is the power of God's love. Love is portrayed as a powerful force of light in a world of darkness. I like that.

I enjoyed the story plot. It portrayed well the draw of a powerful revelation and the force of a supernatural command to be separate. The point of view jumped around a bit and I did not like that. Also, some of the negative spiritual forces were identified as our fears. I thought that put too much emphasis on our own being rather than true spiritual warfare.

As with allegorical novels, I am not certain all of the images reflect actual Christian belief. I like that the novel does draw our attention to our fears as well as the power of love and light. I recommend that readers do not form any particular beliefs from a novel like this, however.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

I have long been a fan of Ted Dekker, including the books he has co-authored with others. This offering with his daughter Rachelle, did not disappoint.

In typical fashion of a Ted Dekker book I was engrossed from the beginning. Finding myself wondering which way was up, fighting the anxiety of the twists being thrown at me and wrestling with tired eyes to read just one more chapter. This pattern followed from beginning to end, trapping me in what I thought was the answer until a new character arrives. Then they did it again.

The wrestling of moral value and strict “law abiding” citizenry within the location of their pleasant and ‘safe’ community is what our characters believe is keeping them safe from the evil outside the red perimeter. Honestly you will get chills as you see how incredibly realistic the legalism is in this community and how deeply it runs in our real world – the comparison is incredible. So to is the effect.

All in this book by Ted and Rachelle is a great addition if you are a Dekker fan or just looking for something that can open your imagination and sink you into a great read. Some parts will twist your scope of reality and if you’re the type to verbally respond to the scene playing out you may catch yourself yelling at the pages within. Do yourself favour and pick this one up!



I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. These are my personal thoughts.

This book grabbed me and didn't let go. I only put it down so I could take care of my children! It had me thinking and my heart racing to find out what would happen next! It's an exciting read that will grab you and won't let go until your eyes read the last word. Though I do feel it is very similar to Ted's Mystics books published last year, I still think he and Rachelle Dekker should team up again as they did not disappoint me with this book! Can't wait to see what they have next--together or separate.

I would like to thank Baker Publishing Group for an early copy as a member of the launch team in order to review this. All opinions are my own.

This story had me hooked very early on. I was intrigued by the characters and loved the supernatural elements of the story. I enjoyed following the main character's journey as she began to question what she believed and navigate the consequences of those questions.

The authors have a message to deliver through the story about living in the Light (i.e truth and love) versus living in fear. At times this message is subtle and other times I found the metaphors and double meaning to be loud and distracting. Perhaps I have a tendency to overthink things but I felt forced to pause and reflect on my own beliefs rather than just enjoy the story. I suspect this was the authors' intention all along, to encourage the reader reflect on their own ideology, not just tell an interesting story.

This book was a captivating and quick read that I finished in just a couple of days. I typically read fiction to escape to far away places rather than think about and question myself and the world around me. However this book contained both elements and I really enjoyed it. The Girl Behind the Red Rope is a spellbinding story with a powerful message.

Ted Dekker never disappoints. This novel coauthored with his daughter is a masterpiece. The intrigue and suspense you expect from his novels is in abundance. The symbolism and contrasting light and dark, fear and love is well worked throughout the novel. The message is clear for us and forces us to look to the shadows for what they are. Characters are well thought out and plot is electrifying. Great read and thoroughly enjoyable and engaging. Well done.......can't wait for the next one.

Teaming up for the first time, father and daughter Ted and Rachelle Dekker deliver an intense and fascinating read that will leave fans thirsting for them to team up again and again and again.

It has been over ten years since Grace and the rest of her community saw something that would forever change their lives. Since that time, they have lived within the confines of the red rope, a boundary that is supposed to keep them all save from the evil furies of the world. They live under strict rules put in place by Sylous, their leader who only shows himself when necessary and usually only to one in the community, Rose. After so many years, Grace and her brother Jamie wonder if it might be safe to venture outside the rope and see what is happening with the rest of the world. Jamie has gone a few times without any consequences and when they speak up to the community with their concerns, they are sent out further to see what happens. It only takes one night out for them to encounter the Fury and let the community know. While the community lets them return, they are now looked at in a different light. It doesn’t take Jamie long to repent and change to the ways of the community, but Grace has a harder time going back to believing so easily. With each passing day, the things Grace has been taught and believed for the past decade start to unfold before her eyes and she must decide if what she has always believed is still true or trust what she sees.

Anyone that has ever read a Ted Dekker novel knows they are going to be in for a fantastic ride full of fantasy, thrills, emotions and allegorical underlying spiritual tones that can be interpreted in several ways. Dekker has always had a way of pulling readers in and giving them a story that is more than an escape. His newest novel is going to give readers an escape into this world and leave their minds churning long after they turn the last page. While this was a collaboration between him and his daughter, Rachelle Dekker, I found it to be another incredible Dekker novel, no matter it was written by two Dekkers. I can’t tell yet if that gave it strength or not. It is hard to say whose writing is where within the pages. As I have read Rachelle’s novels, I have noticed the influence of her father in her writing; they are good books, but I couldn’t really see her own individual distinct voice. I enjoyed her books and maybe with her style so similar to the Elder Dekker it enhanced the story to make it more than what it would have been without the two writing together. With the two Dekker’s combined, the story takes off and pulls the reader in with no chance of escaping until the story is over. I almost read this in one sitting, if I hadn’t had anything to do, I could have easily finished this in one sitting and I can’t say when the last time I sat with a book and wanted to finish like that was. The authors did a fantastic job of portraying these characters in a way that kept the reader from questioning their actions. The empathy used to reach an emotional level was stunning. I loved Grace and the way she kept her head and tried to solve the ridiculously hard puzzle life was putting in front of her. The evil she goes up against is written in a way we can all relate to in one form or another. I recommend this book to fans of Dekker and those that enjoy a great mystery/thriller. If you have read Ted Dekker before, you will see little snippets that relate to other books he has written, (not in actual characters or settings but similar themes). If you have never read a Dekker book this would be the perfect one to get you hooked.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

“Are you dangerous?”
“Is the sunlight a danger to the night?”
Grace has grown up in an extremely legalistic community in the hills of Tennessee. The rules and the red rope around the community are meant to keep them safe. When some outsiders come, it causes Grace to question everything she’s been told. Will she continue to live in fear of the “Fury” she believes is ravaging the rest of the world? Or will she embrace love and light?
This book reminded me a lot of “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. People are trapped in fear and a child leads the way to truth.
I think this book will make some uncomfortable. Evil can masquerade as light for a while before showing its true colors. It’s a thought-provoking read.
Thank you to Revell for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Grace, her mother, and brother are in a community segregated from the world. They are waiting for the cleansing of the world so they can reap their heavenly reward. But things are not as they seem. There are enemies all around but the truth is difficult to decipher. When the strangers arrive they threaten to upset the balance of the safe, little community in which she lives.

Okay, so I was uncomfortable the whole time I was reading this book because there were things that seemed out of sorts with the Bible. This was eventually resolved but not until close to the end of the book when the author confirmed my suspicions.

The Dekker’s did a good job of creating the world and immersing you in the characters world and belief system but for me, the shifting perspective was a little off-putting. I understand why the technique was used but it was sometimes a bit jarring and took me out of the story for a bit.

Know God—this book pointed out the importance of knowing God for yourself. It’s not enough to be a Christian and attend church…it’s not even enough to read the Bible. We have to actively seek truth and make a determined attempt to learn more about God. That’s the only way we’ll be able to recognize the enemy when he comes at us.

Know yourself—a lot of the trouble the characters faced was because they weren’t allowed to be themselves. When we follow too closely to the rules and dogmas held by another person, we risk losing our true identities.
Run your race—everyone has to find God for themselves and seek to carry out their purpose and fulfill the role
God has given them. We can’t do what was intended to be accomplished by someone else because that will cause us to shirk our responsibilities.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy this book but I still appreciated the theme when it was finally revealed. It was a powerful reminder of what is expected from those who choose to align themselves with Christ.

Grace, along with her mother, brother, and many others, has spent the last 10 years living in seclusion to stay safe from the Fury. Protected by a mysterious being, they must abide by the rules, and stay within the set boundaries. Grace and her brother, Jamie, set of a chain of events that calls everything they believe into question in The Girl Behind the Red Rope.

This book is one that not only makes you want to keep reading, but gives you something to think about as you read. As the story progresses, and you learn about the characters, twists begin to appear. Things that looked to be straight-forward are revealed to be false, people who were trusted are shown to be mistaken or deceived. The truth comes out, but from an unexpected source. The book was hard to put down.

With the interesting plot comes a message that living in fear prevents us from seeing the truth. I don’t want to spoil how the book ends, so I will just leave it at this: it is easy to start worshiping rules instead of God.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

"To say you need protected from the darkness only empowers the darkness as a threat".

This book is so powerful. The quote above is one of many that I found myself jotting down to go back to as I formulated this review. But the quote above, I feel, sums up the book nicely. The darkness only has power if we say it does. Because we are light, and where there is light, darkness cannot exist. Light does not need protection from darkness.

The Girl Behind the Red Rope is faith-shaking in the same way that Dekker's recent Mystic series was. I read an early review that said "Dekker writes faith vs. religion, and people aren't going to like that", and that is precisely the point of the whole book! We get so caught up in "religion" that we forget what faith is. What is "religion" anyway? It is something man made up. It is divisive, when all could be striving toward the same goal. Dekker approaches this in a tangible way that is both easy to understand and is incredibly impactful.

I will say that there was a little bit of slowness and repetition in the middle of the book, but from the climactic point onward, it is phenomenal. As a long-time reader of Ted Dekker, I can see a definite blending of voices of Rachelle and Ted, and I always feel that there is a little awkwardness in co-authored books, but I feel like at some point around the 30% mark, they hit their stride and it becomes very hard to put it down.

I am an avid Ted Dekker fan having read many if not most of his more than forty novels. I am also a fan of Rachelle Dekker, frequently recommending her Seer series. That said, I must admit that about halfway through The Girl Behind the Red Rope I told my husband, “This is a great story, but I know there's got to be a deeper message, and I'm missing it.” Shortly thereafter I got to chapter twenty-four and the veil was lifted. While I would love to share the insights the Dekkers so skillfully crafted into this story, I will not rob you of the pleasure and depth of discovery. I can assure you this book has life-giving treasures for those who persist.

I am most grateful to have received a copy of The Girl Behind the Red Rope from Revell via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, and received no monetary compensation.