Forbidden, by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A terrible truth has been revealed to one man: the entire human race has been drained of every emotion except one-- fear. To bring life back to the world, Rom must embark on a journey that will end either in his own demise or a reawkening of humanity.  But to bring love and passion back into existence will also threaten the powers of the world with the revolution and anarchy that had nearly destroyed them previously.

After happening upon a journal through strange circumstance,  Rom's world is shattered. He learns that humanity long ago ceased to "live," that it exists today in a living death of emotions. In a terrible risk, Rom exposes himself to the vial of blood folded into the old leather of the journal. His change is fearful and fraught with mind-bending emotion. A once-pious observer of the Order's passionless statues, he is filled with uncontrollable impulses. He is filled with love.

He is undone, terrified, and alone in the desolate world.

Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee (Havah) are probably two of my favorite authors, so finding out that they’d teamed up on a new series was great news. This is the first of The Books of Mortals. I’d read the predictions that this series would rival the Circle Trilogy/Series but seriously doubted that would be possible. After all, those were just epic portrayals of God's master plan for humanity.  Well, maybe the predictions were on to something.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! The violence that sometimes prevents me from finishing a Dekker book was manageable this time (maybe Lee’s feminine touch helped out a bit), and I fell right into this almost-real, almost-fantasy, could-be-the-future setting. The allegory is strong, just like I prefer, and the plot had the characteristic twists and turns that keep us Dekker fans coming back for more. I did predict one major event (a little disappointing), but there were enough sneak attacks to make me feel that I didn’t know what would happen next. I liked that there was a bit of resolution but the journey of Rom and his companions is far from over. I’ll be the first in line for book 2, Mortal.


**NOTE: netGalley.com provided me with a free e-copy of this book for review.