The Delusion - Review and Giveaway

It doesn't matter whether you want to be in a spiritual battle or not - you are in one. The battle is between good and evil, and you are the prize. ~ Charles Stanley

"By March of my senior year, eleven students at my high school had committed suicide. What a sickening realization it was to discover their deaths had been provoked. I could see what was tormenting and inciting them, but it didn't matter. I was hard pressed to get anyone to believe me.

I realize you likely won't believe me either. Admittedly, my story is twisted an bizarre and nearly impossible to accept. Still, I'm holding out hope that, in the end, you'll turn out to be one of the rare ones - one of a small minority willing to venture beyond the five senses to see what is almost always completely and intentionally unseen.

It all began on what I assumed would be a typical Monday." (pg 1).

In the debut novel Delusion by Laura Gallier, she introduces us to what could be any high school senior, Owen Edmonds. While walking through Franklin Park one afternoon with his girlfriend, Jess, they happen upon an buried underground water source. Not knowing where it came from or where it ends, Jess, has Owen scoop up some of the liquid in a water bottle. When they bring it back up from the ground, it appears like normal water. However under the ground it glows with a phosphorous light and appears warm. When Jess threatens to drink it, Owen does one better and drinks it instead. What happens after that will change life for Owen forever.

After becoming violently ill, Owen gains a rare glimpse into the spiritual world. At first he doesn't believe what he is experiencing because he isn't the type to believe in things like God and demons. Yet when he sees demonic beings he calls Creepers and shackles around 90% of the people he encounters, he believes he has completely lost his mind. His mother has them around her neck and their are labeled, braided cords coming from the back of her head with things like humiliation, shame, guilt and more. Owen is used to seeing his mom drunk and now things have been taken to a whole new level. The more people he attempts to tell, the more people think he has lost his mind. The school believes that Owen is just one of the many students in the school that could be having suicidal thoughts and offers him counseling. How can he convince people that what he can see is real even though no one else can?

Owen does have hope when he sees what he calls Warriors, angelic-like beings that show up just when Creepers are about to intervene in the life of a girl called Misty who is having suicidal thoughts. However no matter how much Owen tries to communicate with them, they seem to ignore him. Not all the students at Lincoln Forest High School are chained and shackled, there are some that admit a glowing light that seems to repel the Creepers. Owen is more than fascinated by their power and their ability that not everyone seems to have. He feels that they are the answer to what is happening at his high school and he has to find out before anyone else dies.

I received The Delusion by Laura Gallier compliments of AdminiSmith, The Publishing Navigator and the author for my honest review. I've been addicted to Christian Speculative Fiction for many years now and was honored and excited to have the opportunity to read and review this one. Speculative Fiction is now the new label assigned to what some would consider Christian Horror and this one is right in that category. In fact once I started this book, I literally could not put it down. I was carrying with me wherever I was going through my day. I made the mistake of reading this one late at night as we had a huge rain and windstorm. Not a great idea. I scared myself with all the noises that were happening outside and the fact I was reading this book. Yet to me, that's the sign of a terrific novel.

Laura takes the reader right into the spiritual world that remains unseen for most. Only a few have had the opportunity to gain insight and what Owen sees would literally make any of us think we are crazy. Not only does he see angels and demons but he can see how people are used by the enemy. I think this line from the book captures the essence perfectly,

"Think about it. To destroy an opponent, what better strategy is there than to go stealth? Do your most damaging work under the cloak of invisibility? And even if some cursed soul like me happens to discover what's really going on, the truth is so outlandish and farfetched no one would believe it. My stories sounded more like the plot of a bestselling fiction than a real life dilemma. And I was sure that was exactly the way they wanted it." (pg 93).

"I mentally debated which was worse, to see wickedness at work or not see it at all? Both felt like a death sentence" (pg 104).

If you are fans of books dealing with spiritual warfare like Frank Peretti or Ted Dekker, you might just want to pick up a copy of this amazing book. I personally give this one a 5 out of 5 stars! Be forewarned however, I wouldn't recommend reading it late at night, not only will it keep you up all night wanting to see what happens next but it just might make you wonder what is in the world we can not see right around us. This book is perfect for opening up those conversations with non believers!!!

For more information about The Delusion, Laura Gallier, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

The Delusion by Laura Gallier

You can also find out more information on The Delusion by visiting Facebook. 

Thanks to the generosity of Laura Gallier and AdminiSmith, they are providing a giveaway copy of this book to one lucky follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here are your guidelines to enter.

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. 

2. "Like" The Delusion Book Facebook page and leave a comment.

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. Leave me a comment below telling me what your thoughts are about the spiritual world along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

The giveaway will end on January 20th. I will notify the winner by email.