The Delusion by Laura Gallier

About the book: (from the publisher) By March of Owen Edmonds’s senior year, eleven students at Masonville High School have committed suicide. Amid the media frenzy and chaos, Owen tries to remain levelheaded―until he endures his own near-death experience and wakes to a distressing new reality.

The people around him suddenly appear to be shackled and enslaved.

Owen frantically seeks a cure for what he thinks are crazed hallucinations, but his delusions become even more sinister. An army of hideous, towering beings, unseen by anyone but Owen, are preying on his girlfriend and classmates, provoking them to self-destruction.

Owen eventually arrives at a mind-bending conclusion: he’s not imagining the evil―everyone else is blind to its reality. He must warn and rescue those he loves . . . but this proves to be no simple mission. Will he be able to convince anyone to believe him before it’s too late?

Owen’s heart-pounding journey through truth and delusion will force him to reconsider everything he believes. He both longs for and fears the answers to questions that are quickly becoming too dangerous to ignore.

About the author: In a youth culture intrigued by the paranormal yet often skeptical of biblical claims, Laura Gallier seeks to bring awareness and understanding to issues surrounding the supernatural. Having battled her own enemies of the soul throughout her teen and young adult years, she is on a mission to expose deception with the light of truth, bringing hope and healing to a generation in need. Laura lives in the greater Houston area with her husband, Patrick, and their three children.

Connect with the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

Genre: Fiction/Young Adult/Christian/Fantasy

[bctt tweet=”Gripping YA fantasy fiction with an appeal to grownups too. THE DELUSION. @LauraGallier @TyndaleHouse ” username=”KatherineSJones”]

My take: The Delusion by Laura Gallier may be outside-the-box fantasy fiction written for young adults, but it’s sophisticated enough to be appreciated by older audiences as well. A powerful, swiftly paced, masterfully written story for fans of Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, and Erin Healy.

Gripping from first page to last, it features a full cast of original characters. No cardboard cutouts here. While the supernatural spin is a product of the author’s vivid imagination, it’s quite credible and — important for Christian parents to understand — grounded in biblical truth.

Relevant, startling, perception changing. Recommended.

Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for providing me this book free of charge. All opinions are mine.

Read the first chapter here; buy it here. 

After words: Do you have any creepy fantasy fiction on  your TBR pile? Written by whom?