Book Review: The Departed by Kristy Cooper

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I went to a Christian college for two years, and one night we decided to play a joke on someone to make her think the rapture happened and she was left behind.  This was in the days before the Left Behind series, and we thought we were so clever -- there were stereos playing music, water running, and a couple girls who were the least likely to be raptured according to themselves were around but no one else was.  When our friend got to the final room, everyone was waiting on her so she only had a few minutes to be concerned as to if she was left behind.

But what if that happened on a large scale?  A VERY large scale?  In this series, the world wakes up to find hundreds of thousands of people missing.  Most are in America, but some in Australia, Europe, and Korea.



Gwen is a teenager, and her best friend Lana is among the missing.  No trace can be found of those who have disappeared, but Gwen and her new friend Isaiah are trying to figure out what happened. A famous televangelist says he has been left behind because of his wicked ways, and he begins telling everyone the rapture has happened.  Gwen and Lana's friend Mindy gets swept up in the whole theory that the rapture has happened and becomes a teen spokesperson for the True Believer's Temple.

But when Lana contacts Gwen, no one will believe her because of the belief that everyone disappeared in the rapture and the fact she is a teenager.  When she goes to the police, she is cursed at.  Will anyone believe her before it is too late for Lana and thousands of other people?

I absolutely loved these two books and I can't wait for a third.  (At least I hope the author is planning a third, it seemed as if she is based on the ending of the second.)

While far fetched --there is no way that many people could disappear without something or someone letting something slip -- it was a fun read.  Unlike many dystopian books, this is a clean book appropriate for young adults.   Even though it was far fetched, the only thing that annoyed me about the book was Isaiah turning the key in the Prius.  I have owned a Prius for ten years, and the key only needs to be somewhere in the car as it is electronic.  Even if you put it into the key slot (which you have to do if the battery is dead or dying), there is no turning of the key.

Note:  Although this book has Christian themes, it is NOT a Christian book.  To me that didn't matter, but it may to some.

I highly recommend this series.  I read both books straight through.  They are free on Kindle Unlimited if you have a subscription or available to purchase.

You can read the beginning of the first book here: