Back in the day, Ted Dekker was my favorite author. I was hesitant to read this one, however, because it seems like every time an author "teams up" with someone, I can tell. And it's not for the better. I noticed that when it came to The Book of Mortals series. That was written with Tosca Lee, another author I enjoyed, but I didn't enjoy the team up. I think it was the first series of Dekker's that I didn't finish.
Anyway, Grace lives in a religious community that's enclosed by a red rope. Her community is protected behind the rope because of a woman named Rose's link to the other side, Sylous. Grace's brother convinces her to help him explore outside the perimeter where the fabled Furies supposedly have free reign of the world. Grace has an experience outside the rope and so does her brother. Their experiences affect them in different ways and the way they see the community they live in.
Grace's father is dying. He's on his way to reunite with his family, and he has a boy with him named Eli. The boy is special with his wisdom and the freedom he seems to enjoy. But he's also a threat to the status quo of the community. Rose won't disappoint Sylous, so Eli and Grace's father have to go.
So, I knew this book was going to be a religious allegory. Dekker always seems to do that. It's just a matter of how much. And by the end, it was a LOT. The last 20% of the book was making me wish for it to end. It was all "fear is bad" and "light of the world" over and over. The ending drove me nuts a bit. Grace forgave Rose REAL quick. Considering what happened and how much she fought with herself over the whole fear thing, I thought Grace would have at least a little bit of an issue with forgiveness. Nope. Oh well. I wanted to give this one a chance, and I did. It just wasn't for me. Too preachy and repetitive.
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