During a service at Holy Family Church, six-year-old Grace Weathers, her brother, Jamie, and their mother, Julianna, witness the appearance of an angel named Sylous, who warns of demons scorching the land and killing the unfaithful in three years' time. The angel's prophecy shakes the entire church. The rafters begin to crumble and the pews rip away from bolts holding them to the floor. The congregation panics and scramble to build a hidden community and escape the clutches of eternal damnation.
Thirteen years later, the utopian town of Haven Valley lies in the middle of the woods encircled by a simple red rope Sylous says keeps the demons out. Church leader Rose Pierce and her council members insist it's still not safe to rejoin society, while Sylous cautions of strangers pretending to be people of light who will enter Haven Valley.
Grace isn't happy about Haven Valley's strict, pious ways, especially the arranged marriages, but it's Jamie who escapes the town confines to see if the dangers beyond the red rope really exist. Grace covers for him and both rule-breaking siblings are brought before the council for punishment. Then an old man and a smiling child companion suddenly appear, asking for Grace and her family. Are these the strangers Sylous warned the town about?
The father-daughter writing team of Ted Dekker (The 49th Mystic), and Rachelle Dekker (The Choosing) have crafted a dark, fast-paced parable about fear-based religious zealotry running amok and the price of being a true believer. --Paul Dinh-McCrillis, freelance reviewer