Review of Ted Dekker's New Book: Immanuel's Veins

Immanuel’s Veins by Ted Dekker

This story is about love but it’s not your typical love story. At every point there is a twist that’s not expected. The main character, Toma, finds himself bound by his loyalty but lost in his love.  With influences he does not understand he is forced to delve into a world unknown that dulls his senses but where his heart is opened. At the verge of being too late Toma realizes he has found a love that he cannot live without. He realizes that love challenges everything he held to be true and now he’s lost in a world that does not believe him. He has found what true love and passion are about and found that the only way to conquer the evil that incases his love is by blood-blood that flows only from Immanuel’s veins.  

As usual for a Dekker novel my emotions were like a roller coaster. As I began reading I was intrigued then disappointed as I guessed where Dekker was taking the story but in the end it took me by surprise.  He has always been one that does not follow mainstream trends but in this story I thought for sure he had changed his story. But again, in the end I was wrong. Just when I think I have his stories figured out things change. He is never predictable.  And that’s what I love about his stories. This one, unlike some of his other, has left me with a lasting impression I did not expect. The love that Toma showed in the book was one that is not often seen. I’ve only really ever saw it to that extent in one other person, Jesus.  This book challenged me to love deeper and to daily walk in that love. I would recommend this book to anyone but as Dekker’s tag line says, “This story is for everyone, but not everyone is for this story.”

This review does not do the book justice but I challenge you to take the change and open yourself up to the love that this book showcases and realize that life can only be lived through the blood that flows only in Immanuel’s veins.