Review: The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker

The Choosing by Rachelle Dekker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

~~~~~~~~~~

New author Rachelle Dekker has written a YA dystopian novel that will grip your interest and keep you riveted to the end. Carrington Hale's Choosing Ceremony Day - a moment she'd spent a lifetime preparing for - ends in disaster when she is not chosen and is ripped from her family. She is sent to the edge of the city to spend her days serving as a Lint, the lowest level of society. Through her haze of disbelief, horror, shame, and hurt, she knows it's her duty to follow the true way of the Authority and determines to accept her fate. As the days go by though, Carrington makes some friends whose ideas begin to rattle her beliefs. Though their ideas and beliefs 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.

~~~~~~~~~~
There was much to like about this debut novel from Rachelle Dekker.  The story grabbed my attention in the first chapter and kept me involved the whole way through.  I felt for Carrington and her brother as she is forced to leave him and her parents behind.  I cringed at the disappointment portrayed by her mother that she was not one of the chosen.  I felt her discomfort at the stark plainness of her new living quarters and the stiffness of her roomates.  I could almost smell the stench that made her queasy at her new job.   There is no doubt that this author has no problem writing a story.

The romance was gentle and sweet. The suspense was there from the beginning as you start reading pretty quickly about the person murdering the Lints. The supporting characters were well fleshed out. The ending will leave you wanting more.  All in all, this was a great debut for a new series!

*Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions stated are my own.*

~~~~~~~~~~

Rachelle Dekker The oldest daughter of New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle Dekker was inspired early on to discover truth through storytelling. She graduated with a degree in communications and spent several years in marketing and corporate recruiting before making the transition to write full time. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Daniel, and their diva cat Blair. Visit her online at www.rachelledekker.com.