The Returning

Seer #3

by Rachelle Dekker

Twenty years have passed since Carrington and Remko Brant's baby, Elise, was kidnapped and they were forced to leave her captive in the Authority City. Though they fled with the Seers far from Authority reach, they've never given up hope of rescuing their daughter from the man who betrayed them. Now Authority President, he's ushered the city into a new era of "peace"--one where the Scientist Roth Reynard's Genesis Serum has eradicated all memory of emotion or rebellion.But the mysterious Aaron and his Seers are once again on the move, threatening the illusion the Authority has worked so hard to build. As the Seers send seven chosen warriors to rescue Elise and bring restoration to the Authority City, the lines are drawn for a final battle between light and darkness. The key to ultimate victory may rest within the strangely powerful girl who has felt forgotten but was never abandoned--a truth she'll need to wage war against the powerful forces of evil.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Dystopia, Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Christian, Christian Fantasy

415 pages, Paperback

First published January 17, 2017

About the author

The oldest daughter of "New York Times" bestselling author Ted Dekker, Rachelle Dekker was inspired early on to discover truth through storytelling. She graduated with a degree in communications and spent several years in marketing and corporate recruiting before making the transition to write full time. She lives in Nashville with her husband, Daniel, and their diva cat Blair. Visit her online at www.rachelledekker.com.

Reviews

[Micaiah Keough · Rating 1 out of 5]

There were a lot of things that bothered me about this whole trilogy, but it was much more pronounced in The Returning.

First off, the characters, or, specifically, the MC, Elise, have what I'd call "superpowers" that come from believing in God. NOW OF COURSE I BELIEVE JESUS CAN DO AMAZING THINGS, AND HE DOES, AND HE USES US TOO. But this was ridiculous. They could legit "convert" people by using said-superpowers at the right time. IT WAS SUPER WEIRD and completely unfounded from a Biblical perspective.

Secondly, Jesus is practically thrown out of the picture. Jesus says Himself in the New Testament that the ONLY way to the Father is THROUGH HIM. But in this trilogy, all the characters have to do to be saved is believe in their identity in the Father. SO I UNDERSTAND that Aaron was kinda supposed to be Christ, but at the same time...he wasn't? He was the teacher that led people to knowledge of their identities in the Father, BUT he's quoted to be a "man" and then, at a different point, "more than a man." IDK IT JUST DIDN'T WORK, and I was left wondering who he was even supposed to be. AGAIN, I believe that our identities as Christians are rooted in our Heavenly Father, through Christ, and we're given the Holy Spirit - but without Christ in the equation none of this is possible.

The last thing I'm going to mention is another thing about the theology, and it's also my main problem with the series: the author blatantly says throughout the novel that everyone in the world just needs to come back to the knowledge of their identities in the Father. Basically, she was saying that everybody already has the light in them (i.e. Christ) and they just have to realize it. This is so fundamentally against what the Bible teaches it blew my mind.

Overall, this whole trilogy was a bust, at least for me personally. I wouldn't recommend it. Besides the theological faults, I didn't connect with the characters and was pretty disconnected from the story itself - it was an odd mix of stressing because of everything that was happening and at the same not caring about it at all and being really bored. I don't think I'd read any more books by Rachelle Dekker, despite liking novels written by her father, Ted Dekker (and I've never come across anything theologically in his books that I disagreed with). The main reason I finished this trilogy (really the last novel) was because I needed it for a challenge and didn't want to start all over with a new series... *ahem*

[Hayden · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is going to be a hard review for me to write, because I haven't written a review this negative in some time. However, there were several things that kept me from liking The Returning. I won't overwhelm you with all of them, but my top three issues are as follows.

1) The spiritual aspect of this series was not to my liking, something I suspected in the other two books but became especially prominent here. The vague, mystic form of spirituality used in this novel, so focused on power within an individual, felt very theologically flawed and untrue. Not that it's entirely wrong when combined in a Christian context, but I felt like only a portion of faith was shown here to the exclusion of anything else so that it didn't work as a Christian metaphorical message or as a secular storytelling device. Many will probably disagree with me on this, but I did not think that so-called "Christian" aspect of the story worked well at all.

2) The spirituality also served as a deus ex machina; by a certain point the "stressful" bits lost their punch because I knew there would be a fix coming. They were always saved by supernatural power, so very few of the consequences of decisions, deaths, and illness lasted.

3) I don't know if this was really only a problem in this book, or I've just forgotten or didn't notice this in the previous books, but the writing here was cluttered with clichés with an occasional poetic sentence and was difficult for me to get through.

Was there anything I did like? Well, despite my complaints about the "out" that the spiritual element continually gave the characters, I did appreciate the scene where there was a confrontation between physical science and supernatural power: I do believe that God is the creator of the laws of the universe and so is not mastered by it. Some things we just can't scientifically explain, and to deny that is...well, bad science. Also, I did appreciate Jesse's character journey and found it the most interesting part of the book.

I thought the other two books in this series were "okay" but this one just didn't do it for me. If you loved The Choosing and The Calling, then you may enjoy this one, but I thought The Returning just had too many problems, both literary and theological, for me to get past.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Madelyn]

Since this is the third book in the series, you’ll need to go ahead and read the first two books (The Choosing & The Calling), as the plots are linked together. The first builds the premise that the latter books rest on. Because of that, I’ll provide an overview for the series, specifically discussing the third.

The plotline was well thought through, intriguing, and unique. The characters were both compelling as well as continually developed through each book. The base concept was provoking – the idea of knowing who you are in Christ as children of God. A song by Beautiful Eulogy comes to mind when it says “Even when I face rejection, Jesus is my validation.” The central theme is that we should never let outward circumstances dictate our value – it should be inherent within us as children of the King.

Though this novel was not infallible by any means, it was enjoyable and written with a good spirit. I look forward to more of Rachelle Dekker’s books and I would encourage you to add this one to you tbr-list.

*A free copy was provided by the publisher for an unbiased review *

-Literary Cafe Guest Poster (http://literarycafe.weebly.com/review...)

[David Bergsland · Rating 3 out of 5]

An emotional, spiritual fantasy stripped of truth
This book is #3 of the Seer series, by Dekker’s daughter, Rachelle. I found it to be well written, seriously entertaining, but a spiritual fantasy stripped of truth. I haven’t read The Choosing, book one in the series, but this story works fairly well without that background. It’s just a bit more effort to get into the world she built.

The world built is sparse on detail, but very well constructed with just enough to cover the story. Her characters are compelling—sorta, and the story is riveting, even though I tried to quit reading it several times. I finished the book, but it left a bad taste in my spirit. Why?

This book is a spiritual fantasy stripped of truth
Technically, this is not Christian fiction. There is no messiah. An allusion to the Holy Spirit seems emotionally solid, but it’s simply a device to show the presence of the Light. Yes, this is a light versus darkness, good versus evil novel—not Truth versus the lie. Elise is a spiritual superhero, dependent upon God, and confused as Hell. And, here I find my disquiet—the reason for the phrase: a spiritual fantasy stripped of truth.

Though the book feels like a Christian tale (and emotionally powerful), the Truth is missing. The deepIy intimate personal relationship is replaced by a nearly fatalistic spiritual destiny. I agree that many Christians live how Rachelle shows us so eloquently. But it is not Christianity. The story feels really good, and seems Christian (solidly so to the soul and flesh), yet Truth is missing in a heart-breaking manner. Spiritually, this novel impacts the soul and flesh, but it’s far off base in the spirit.

What is missing?
Remember, Jesus told us He is the Way, the Truth, the Life and without Him (or an accurate fictional representation of Him) these three essentials are missing. So, the question becomes a discernment of usefulness. This novel does not edify, it entertains in a strongly tickle-the-soul-and-flesh manner. I have no doubt it will sell well, and be very popular. But then worldly things are like that.

This is a slick, contemporary, deluded tale showing a poor counterfeit of the real Christian life. There’s a lot of seemingly intimate communication with God—but the focus is on the human, not the Divine. I know there will be many who argue vehemently with this review. Any spoilers must be avoided, though that is quite difficult when I review a book like this. Spiritually, I am really tempted to lash out—yet, that would serve no good purpose.

Parents! This spiritual fantasy stripped of truth could be dangerous
It promotes an emotional spirituality with lots of power and excitement. The characters really seem like strong believers, full of faith. Yet, the reality is they are believing in a false vision of Truth. This is not a Christian book, only a tale that feels strongly, and attractively, spiritual to your soul. If your child’s spiritual character is weak or lacking, the world built could be a tempting alternative to the reality of the Christian walk. It’s not even religious.

World building>>>3
Characters>>>5
Spiritual level >>> 1
Story>>> 5
Spiritual Enemy Level>>> 1
Average>>> 3

I was given a review copy by the publisher, Tyndale House, with no strings attached. I am happy for the opportunity to review it even with all the spiritual problems.

[Becky Van Daniker · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first snagged a copy to review, I was excited. I loved the first two books in the series. Only after having finished reading, I didn't find myself loving it. In fact, I'm honestly having a hard time figuring out what to write in this review. This is a work of fiction and the book was enjoyable, but there are a couple theological errors that must be addressed. There also stands the fact that I don't want to come across like this is a bad book because if read as just fiction, it's not. Due to this particular genre, I would fear that too many would gloss over the theology of this particular book, which is more in line with Unitarian Universalism rather than mainline Christianity.

It's twenty years later where see very little of Carrington and Remko. They take a back seat this time and allow their oldest daughter, Elise, to take the lead. Elise was an interesting character that intrigued me. She was a prisoner and told her family didn't want her all her life. Elise became the key for rescuing her friends, family, and the rest of the city that were under the Genesis Serum in the Authority City. This was interesting because that reminds me of Divergent.

Readers should read the prior books before beginning this one because there is a ton of background information in order to understand what's going on and how the world became the way it is. For example, Dekker doesn't describe the city and the Authority like she did in the previous books so readers will need to refer to those.

I wish we had a little more insight on the other characters because I struggled connecting with any of them other than Elise. Will and Elise are immediately drawn to each other and fall in love, but the romance was random and forced. It was like the author just decided two random characters should fall in love and decided not to show it except for the adorable way that they met. Then there's Jesse who has a romantic love interest in Elise. That was plain weird. Jesse is old enough to be her father for he should be at least twenty years older than her. What was the point in that?

I'm not sure if this is the author's theology or just simply trying to please the masses. It was noticed in the prior two books but seemed to appear even more so in this final installment. Aaron, who seems to be a Holy Spirit representation, explains to Elise that she is the daughter of the Father (referring to God) and that she is chosen. He also goes on to tell us that everyone is born of the Father, we just have forgotten who we belong to. What?! The Bible does not tell us that we are all children of God. The Bible tells us that we are all God's creation (Colossians 1:16), and that God loves the entire world (John 3:16), but the only ones who are children of God are those who are born again believers (John 1:12, John 11:52, Romans 8:16, 1 John 3:1-10).

Ephesians 2:3 tells us that before we were saved we were, "by nature children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:1-3). This means that we are not all born as children of God. We are born in sin, which separates us from God and puts us on the same page as Satan who is the enemy of God (James 4:4, 1 John 3:8). Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me (John 8:42). 1 John 3:10 also tells us that those who aren't saved aren't children of God. So when do we become God's children? We become God's children once we are saved. The reason we become God's children when we are saved is because we are adopted into God's family through our relationship with Jesus Christ (Galations 4:5-6, Ephesians 1:5, Romans 8:14-17).

Aaron then goes on to explain the idea that we just have to reach down inside ourselves and remember who we belong to. Kind of like Star Wars theology:"The force is with you." Again what? Dekker has the perfect opportunity to share the gospel message here but instead misses out.

Rachelle Dekker has a unique writing style from her father's and she has the gift of writing an excellent book. This one however just wasn't her best work.

Only recommended for those who are strong in their faith and know how to be discerning between fiction and truth.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Tracey Dyck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a disclaimer: it's hard to review a book when life slows down your reading pace to a crawl. I didn't feel as connected to Elise as I expected to, but that could be my fault. It was also a bit odd at first to focus on a new generation of characters, with Carrington and Remko twenty years older and taking background roles. I wished they played a bigger part.

But this book had some truly beautiful scenes, much like the first two! (One scene in a hospital almost elicited tears.) Powerful truths about our identity are woven into the story in a thought-provoking way. Some readers feel that the God stuff in this trilogy was too vague, as Dekker constantly refers to "the light" and "He," with the occasional reference to "the Father." I didn't feel that was an issue, but I can see how the Biblical message COULD be misconstrued, depending on the reader's perspective.

I did feel there were too many characters in one particular group to keep track of. Their group dynamic could have had more depth if there weren't 7+ people to suddenly get to know. I liked Willis, though; he's really sweet! So is Kennedy, and Kane gets a cool mini arc of his own. Everyone else in their group felt mostly faceless.

Now. Aaron. I still love him and his mannerisms, BUT I am still unsure of whom he's meant to represent. In some ways, he seems like Jesus, or perhaps the Holy Spirit. Yet in other ways he seems like a regular human, and kind of almost refers to himself that way--a good comparison might be John the Baptist. I was hoping this last book might clear it up, but it didn't.

And Jesse. Due to #spoilers, I rode the fence on him for most of the book. He also had a creepy crush on Elise, even though I'm pretty sure he's around 10-15 years older than her. (It's been a while since I read the last book, though, so don't quote me on that!) But in the end, I was satisfied with where the story took him.

Sigh. I sound like I'm complaining a lot, don't I? I really did enjoy this book, and don't want to put anyone off it! Look, here's a list of random awesome things to wrap it up:

-There were some cool dystopian things going on, like the Genesis Serum.
-The good guys took a crazy approach I was convinced wouldn't work, yet it did and it was awesome.
-Dekker did a beautiful job of putting me right in Elise's skin during key moments.
-Two characters shared dreams, which reminded me of my own WIP.
-I was reminded of just how powerful we are as children of God, with His love and light and life living within us, alway accessible! Like I said, the themes of identity in this trilogy are incredible.

[Soleil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come

[Brigette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual review: 1.5 stars

I honestly don't know whether to give this book 1 or 2 stars for this Goodreads rating system, but I'm feeling a little generous, so I'll round up to 2 stars for now. Might change later though. We'll see.

But oh man, this book frustrated me. I wasn't expecting to love it anyway, since I enjoyed but had a few problems with the first book and thought the second one was mostly okay. But I was surprised by just how much I disliked this book.

1. Starting off with a relatively minor complaint: the writing. The writing style isn't terrible or anything; I generally understood what was going on. But it was so repetitive at times. The constant repeating of "Remember who you are", "Remember who I call you", "Surrender to the light", etc., was just annoying when it happens every single chapter.

And the dialogue too was a little cringey at times, because everyone was constantly trying to sound so profound and deep and spiritual, and no one ever just talked like a normal person. It's all platitudes and feel-good phrases. There's no subtlety in anything here.

And speaking of no subtlety...

2. The theology in this book is so...bad. I'm not even talking about the message or theme. The message is okay-ish, but the theology - this "I'm not calling it Christianity because there's no Christ-figure ever mentioned or represented, but it's totally pounded into your head that it's meant to be Christianity" theology - is absolutely terribly and annoyingly written.

Look, I don't expect every book, especially fiction books, to constantly line up with every single thing I believe. And I also don't mind religion being in books (depending on how well its done). But if you're going to write Christianity-without-calling-it-Christianity into your book, along with constantly using a bunch of phrases from actual verses in the actual Bible, then you need to make sure you're doing it right because otherwise those are dangerous waters to be treading in.

Some of my problems with this theology intending to be Christianity are as follows: The belief-system in this book is very "me-centered". The characters are constantly told that they are the "light of the world," that they are "blameless" and good, that they can save the city with the light. The reason these things don't sit well with me in this specific book is because, in Christian theology, humans are not good or blameless apart from Christ. So this "Father" figure, who is clearly meant to represent God, is constantly telling them that they're already blameless and perfect and his children on their own...that's just not okay if you're intending to write a "Christian" book.

And I feel like another reason why this annoys me so much is because this book is so preachy about it all. There are ways to incorporate religion (whether a real religion that exists in the real world or a made-up one) in a book without shoving those beliefs down the reader's throat, but this book doesn't blend its belief system into the world at all. The beliefs take center stage over everything else.

It's weird because I don't remember this being a problem in the first two books. The belief system was still there, of course, but I don't remember it overtaking the the plot or the characters as much as in this book.

Which brings me to my final problem.

3. The characters are so flat in this book. Seriously, I don't know how it happened, but I just cared nothing for any of them. I liked Carrington and Remko as individual characters in the previous two books, but they're barely in this one, and when they are they do...basically nothing. Considering this book was supposed to be about them getting their daughter back, it's sad to me that their reunion at the end didn't make me feel anything. Not that there was much of a reunion scene, but still.

Their daughter Elise was such a boring character anyway. She had potential in the beginning, of course. She struggles a little, but once she "surrenders" to the light, that's basically the end of any character development, and she always does the right thing for the rest of the book. And considering that she surrenders about 1/3 of the way through, that means she was pretty flat for 2/3 of the book, all the way to the end.

And - once again reiterating that this book, seemingly, was supposed to be about how Elise's family get her back - I just have to ask: WHY. WASN'T. KENNEDY. A. POV. CHARACTER????

Seriously, what was the point of writing in a little sister for Elise, who gets chosen to be on the team to find Elise, if she does absolutely nothing and they have barely any scenes together? We never get to see how Kennedy feels about any of this. How does she feel about her life in Trylin? What did she think about her parents, who for the past 20 years have been understandably grieving over their first child who was kidnapped? How does she feel knowing that she has an older sister she hasn't met? Was she ever resentful? Overshadowed? Did she feel like she had to "prove" herself? There's so much potential for this character, but nothing is ever explored.

And then there's Willis. Oh Willis. The moment he was magically able to find Elise without any help from the others, who were supposedly chosen to help rescue Elise, and it was said that they had an "instant connection" (paraphrasing), I desperately hoped it wouldn't turn into an insta-love situation. But of course my hopes were quickly dashed because it did. I'm not that surprised, since this series started with an insta-love-y romance between Carrington and Remko, but I'm still disappointed.

And speaking of romantic love, I wasn't a fan of Jesse being "in love" with Elise. Considering that it seemed like he was one of the ones who helped care for her as she grew up (at least that's what it seemed like to me, but I'm not sure the writing was very clear in this regard)...I feel like it would have been better if he had had more of a fatherly/parental sort of love for her. It would've tied in better with a family theme and made it a little stronger, since the family stuff unfortunately took a backseat to everything else. I think it would've made their confrontation at the end a little more impactful too.

Still don't care about The Scientist as a villain, and Nicolas was really uninteresting too. Not that any of them were given the chance to be interesting, competent villains, since it was drilled into our heads that "the light is stronger", so there was no real conflict anyway.

And we still never really got any explanations about Aaron. Who or what is he supposed to be? No idea. He just appears, tries to sound profound, and then disappears.

And...I think that's about it. I am genuinely a little sad that this last book disappointed me so much. This series had a lot of potential, especially from the first book, but it unfortunately went downhill super fast for me.

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this final novel of the Seer Series, the year is 2278 and 20 years have passed since the second novel, The Calling. While that may seem like an odd way to continue the series, it makes perfect sense because 20 years later is when the action picks up.

The Gospel message in this novel is phenomenal. I cannot say enough positive things about that aspect of The Returning. The story line was strong in some ways and in others not as much.

My favorite of this series by far is the first novel, The Choosing. The entire series is a good one. I recommend it to fans of futuristic novels.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really surprised me in a good way! I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. I really liked the different themes that were Biblically related throughout. I definitely wouldn't say it's supposed to be an allegory to Christianity or anything. I loved the fast-paced story with the heart pumping adrenaline.

I want to thank Tyndale Publishers and Rachelle Dekker for the complimentary copy of this book for review and for judging during the INSPY awards. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I express in this review are my own. This is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s CFR 16, Part 255.

[Karen Barber · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s nothing more disappointing than seeing an interesting idea poorly executed. There was potential in this story, but it felt like it came second to another purpose.
In the third instalment of the series we lose all pretence of dystopian fiction and this read like thinly-veiled religious propaganda.
Elise is found. She has talent. It focuses on light, and using her power to reverse the changes created in those who’ve been given the Genesis serum. Her opposition is darkness.
I finished this with a sense of relief. Repetitive scenes with Aaron and the field were infuriating, and those painted as villains aren’t really explained. Disappointing.

[˚༚✧˳⁺⁎davm⁎⁺˳✧༚˚ · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5 stars*

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

*sigh* That was good! The Seer Trilogy has become one of my favourite YA Fantasy/Dystopian series in the CBA market!



About the Book



Twenty years have passed since Carrington and Remko Brant's baby, Elise, was kidnapped and they were forced to leave her captive in the Authority City. Though they fled with the Seers far from Authority reach, they've never given up hope of rescuing their daughter from the man who betrayed them. Now Authority President, he's ushered the city into a new era of "peace"--one where the Scientist Roth Reynard's Genesis Serum has eradicated all memory of emotion or rebellion.But the mysterious Aaron and his Seers are once again on the move, threatening the illusion the Authority has worked so hard to build. As the Seers send seven chosen warriors to rescue Elise and bring restoration to the Authority City, the lines are drawn for a final battle between light and darkness. The key to ultimate victory may rest within the strangely powerful girl who has felt forgotten but was never abandoned--a truth she'll need to wage war against the powerful forces of evil.






My Review


The Returing by Rachelle Dekker is the third and final installment in her YA Fantasy/Dystopian Seer trilogy. First of all, there is a decent amount of time that has passed since the second book. So be aware of that. The Returning and the Seer trilogy was an intense and wild ride that I enjoyed immensely. The characters were fully fleshed out and jumped right off the page. Carrington and Remko felt so real to me. The world building is fantastic. However, my only quabble is that I wish Rachelle had been more bold in the spiritual aspect of the story. Other than that I found the story compelling and I couldn't put it down. I recommend this to all fans of Dystopian/Fantasy.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting conclusion to this series. It's not often a series will jump twenty years from one book to the next. But I liked the fact that this book focuses on Elise and I liked the development of her character. She goes from being a captive to being the key to setting the whole Authority City free. Although I enjoyed the positive message of not forgetting who you are and letting the light flow through you, it got a little repetitive because this was mentioned over and over and over. I enjoyed getting to see glimpses into the lives of the characters from the first two books and also getting to know the next generation. There is plenty of action to keep things hopping and a little romance to keep it sweet.

*Thanks to Tyndale Blog Network for a complimentary copy of this book. I was not paid or required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are my own.*

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the best book of the series and what a great story it was. I really enjoyed the ending...

[Jennifer Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series. It was cool to read a faith based dystopian book after reading The Hunger Games and Divergent series.

[Sierra Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. It's been awhile since I've actually had goosebumps while reading, and this book did it. I was on a rollercoaster of emotions. It reminded me of what God says about me and makes me miss my childlike faith. 5/5 all the way.

[Brianne Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elise, a girl who believed she was unwanted, is called by the Father to save the city she grew up in, but never really fit into.
A good story reminding us to have faith (in the real world this should be in Jesus not just in the "light" as in the story), then always remember our true identity is as a child of God, and that God has chosen and forgiven us.

[(Jen) The Artist Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was almost scared to read The Returning. Let me explain --I have a love/hate relationship with Ted Dekker's novels. He's a great writer and I was immersed in his worldbuilding and characters, but his series endings never gave me the satisfying conclusions I was personally hoping for. For example, both the prequel/sequel Green in his Circle Series or what I personally felt was a disconnected, "did-this-have-to-be-written" last two novels of The Lost Books. His series' finales never completely met the full potential that the previous books built up, leaving me bittersweet, slightly disappointed feelings toward his series. I realize that this doesn't really have anything to do with his daughter, Rachelle Dekker, but irrationally, all of this was in the back of my mind as I began to read The Returning. Fortunately, Rachelle's Seer Trilogy closes with a satisfying, though some might say quick, conclusion.

I was taken aback for a moment when I first heard that The Returning would take place 20 years after The Calling. I was fully expecting book three to continue immediately after. Though Carrington and Remko have roles in this book, the main character truly is Elise, who we last saw as an infant. New characters, such as the seven young people chosen to infiltrate Authority City, were great. I wish we had more time to learn more about them --Kennedy and Kane Brant, Elise's younger sister and cousin, along with Willis Lane, the son of one of the Authority members, were the most highlighted of the Seven, though even then, I still wanted to know more. Maybe some e-novellas or short stories could be possible ... I definitely would enjoy that!

In my previous reviews, I mentioned that though this is a Christian dystopian trilogy, I felt that it still could crossover to the mainstream market without being being "preachy." The Returning felt like it had more blatant spiritual elements of this trilogy because of constant referrals of embodying light and darkness. Personally, as a Christian, these elements really stuck out to me, but there were also things that weren't clear enough to be distinctly "Christian" --it seemed like the spiritual elements focused on finding the light within yourself and though it's inferred that the light was given or placed there by the Creator or a higher power, it's abstract enough that it might not sit well with some Christians theologically. I give it pass since it's a fantasy world, but it did personally give me a slight pause, like something was "off." Also, the light and darkness gave people supernatural powers that made it seem "too easy" at times, but again, this is a fantasy novel ... However, I did like the emphasis Dekker placed that even "the bad guys" or those who were consumed by darkness also were originally "children of light" and could still be redeemed. In the current world we live in, I think it's good to keep the perspective that God loves all people, even those who oppose him. If the main theme of The Choosing was identity and The Calling's was fear, I think The Returning's theme is forgiveness ...

Overall, I enjoyed the Seer Trilogy and am intrigued to see what Rachelle Dekker will write next!

[Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.]

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing ending to an amazing trilogy. I'll be posting a full review on my blog on release day. Jan. 17th 2017. I promise you won't be disappointed. Get. It. Now.

I was so thrilled to pick up where everything left off from The Calling. Yet I start in and quite a bit of time has now passed. Of course, it makes perfect sense why it happened this way. The story sucks you in from the get-go and I really had a hard time putting it down. I read the whole book in a 24 hour period. I'm not kidding it was that good. Not that I sat there for 24 straight hours as I have kids and I did have to feed them. But, I was able to pick up an hour or so here and there to read this story. My husband was kind enough not to bug me as he knew I had been waiting for this book for a long time. We have a pretty good thing going. :)

The story is amazing and the perfect conclusion to this trilogy. As you read you can literally see the story play out in your head, as if you were watching it on a movie screen. I'm telling you this series would make an awesome movie trilogy but only IF they can keep everything as it is written. I have been completely taken with Rachelle's writing that I really hope she continues to write more stories.

[Tom Burkholder · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book The Returning, author Rachelle Dekker wraps up the Seer Trilogy, a journey into a future city that is controlled by the Authority President and the Scientist who wants to control the minds of everyone in the city. It has been over 20 years since the injections which control the minds of the people. The author now follows the children of the Seers who escaped the city and the mind controlling drugs to form their own community.
This is very good mystery, sci-fi series that keeps you guessing. I was disappointed at the final book, which was different from the rest. I did not care for the light being within us all. It felt more Oprah Winfrey theology than Biblical theology. While this is fiction, there are a number of ways this story could have stayed more true to Biblical Christianity. I would recommend this book series. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Christy Foss · Rating 1 out of 5]

I finished this book, but only because I hoped for something to turn around. I found myself rolling my eyes at the never ending "she felt fear, then found her light" situations that popped up every chapter. The author has NOT figured out how to tell a story without using a million words and unnecessary and lame events to move the story along. WORST OF ALL: this book isn't Christian, as the author would have you believe. It is pure Universalism. "Everyone has the light within them".... never is the Gospel shared, but suddenly everyone is redeemed?! What!!??? Someone touches you and you go to a dreamlike field to talk to a mystic who tells you that you have the light inside you. THIS IS NOT CHRISTIANITY. This is new age spiritualism and I'm disheartened that this is probably what many believe to be true.

I will not be reading any more of Dekker's books. Shame. But I pretty much had to stop reading her Dad's books too because of similar stuff. 😢

[Kelli · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first book was decent. The second one was sort of okay. This one completely falls off the wagon. It's odd, unbiblical and ridiculously redundant.
Even if we take away the odd mystical "Christian" viewpoints it wasn't even well written. The theme was stated at least 3xs per page- like we get it- you're a daughter of the father, you walk toward the light, blah blah. Over and over and over again. It took away the impact of those revelations and watered them down when you read them in every other paragraph.
Plus, having a "chosen one" is an overwrought idea especially when there is an entire team of character to pull from with their own gifts that were completely underutilized.
If we focus on the supposedly Christian aspects we are not even close to sound doctrine. It felt new age-y/ mystical ish- which is fine in fiction but not if you market the series as a "Christian" book series.
I am so glad I did not buy this and borrowed it from my library instead.

[Christen Krumm · Rating 1 out of 5]

I raved over book one, book two was amazing, but book three. Book three is my absolute favorite.

One thing I find interesting about this series is the time difference that takes place between each book—there is twenty years between book one and book three. It’s not something you see very often in series—YA series especially—and I found this a fun aspect. And because of this, if you had to read as a standalone it could work—Rachelle does a fabulous job of catching readers up on the history of what has happened. But trust me, you don’t want thread just this book alone. You’ll want to read all three. As with book one, because of the allegorical and faith elements, this doesn’t seem like your typical dystopian novel. And that in and of itself is so very refreshing.

[hey, it’s katelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

this series wasn’t inherently bad, but i really only read it because it was recommended to me by a friend.
in my head, i knew that there would be very little struggle in elise’s coming back to “the light”, but i honestly wish there had been a bit more of a struggle; i think it would have made the book more interesting if she had been conflicted and confused since she had grown up in the capitol and been fed lies. i understand that the entire last book was about remko growing into his faith, but i was honestly shocked that carrington was seemingly the only one that mourned the loss of their daughter.
overall, there are definitely a couple of things i would have changed to make the plot more interesting, but it was okay.

[Nichole · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book starts out 20 years after The Calling when Elise, (Carrington and Remko's daughter) was taken. Seven warriors are chosen by the Seers to get Elise back and take over Authority City. This is the ultimate good vs. evil battle. I was really disappointed in this book. I really enjoyed the first 2 in the series, and they were somewhat religious, but this one was too much for me. I also did not like the fact that it took 20 years to go get Elise back. I thought it should have picked up where The Calling left off. I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss.

[Caleb Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

While not as good as the rest of the series, this book is a great conclusion to a fantastic series!

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast forward twenty years and we are introduced to Elise Brant, the young adult who was taken from her parents as a baby. Carrington and Remko Brants were forced to leave Elise in the Authority City but have never given up hope on finding her. Jesse has been caring for Elsie all these years and has managed to keep her from having all her memories erased by Scientist Roth Reynard. For some reason the Genesis Serum has not worked on Elise.

The Brants are members of the Seers and have chosen seven young people to be their chose warriors to enter the Authority City and rescue Elise. Of these seven are Elise’s younger sister and her cousin. As the seven are entering the City, danger is lurking everywhere. When Elise finds herself in the presence of danger she hears a voice that tells her to remember who she is. That she has great power. “Let it go, Elise. Fear not, and remember who you are. Find the light.” Elise gives into the feelings she is having and the light flows out of her. As this happens people near her who have had their memories erased are now getting their memories back.

The author was asked “You talk about the power of belief in the book. What is the purpose of faith, and what makes faith so powerful in people’s lives?” her response “Belief and faith are everything. We form our own realities. We make judgments based on the past and what we think the future will bring; then we shape our idea of what we are capable of around those beliefs. Imagine if we truly believed we were infinite sons and daughters of the creator. How different would the world look then? When we believe and have faith in who the Father calls us, then the world looks pretty different. The faith that Remko and Carrington have that they will someday see their daughter is so strong. I cannot begin to image what their past twenty years have been like, not knowing what has happened to their baby and if she is still alive. Now they are sending their younger daughter along with the chosen warriors, into the dangers of the City. The faith the seven chosen ones have to trust each other and the feelings they are given. When they unite together to accomplish something they are unstoppable.

When the author was asked “Aaron is a somewhat mysterious character throughout the series. What is he supposed to represent and what kind of spiritual leader is he?” She responded with “I like to leave this one open, which I know isn’t really the answer you want. I want the reader to decide who he is to them. For me he’s a guiding light, an angel maybe, a representation of the spirit who communicates with us and leads us. He can be many things—mostly, though, he’s a great way to hear truth.” In the first two books, Aaron was a mystery to me. He was with the Seers but would disappear. In this story there is much change from the first book and it becomes plain that he represents someone similar to the Holy Spirit. He is there to encourage his people when they need encouragement, but allows them space to deal with life issues on their own.

The Returning is book three in A Seer Novel series written by Rachelle Dekker. In my opinion, this is the best of the three by far. The story is very fast moving with danger around every corner. I found myself wanting to cheer Elise and the chosen warriors on. There were several surprises in the story with how the author used other characters. I also enjoyed the touches of young and innocent romance as well the the love Remko and Carrington have that have lasted the years despite the difficulties and challenges they have had.

Rachelle Dekker is the oldest daughter of bestselling author Ted Dekker. Having not read his books in sometime, it was interesting to read Rachelle’s series and see her writing style. I would recommend this series to anyone who likes to read futurist action type stories. You can learn more about Rachelle Dekker from her website at http://rachelledekker.com/about/

I received this book from the author and Tyndale Publishing Company and I have written an honest review.

Series: A Seer Novel

432 Pages

ISBN: 9781496402295

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishing

Some places you can buy this book are

https://www.tyndale.com/p/the-returni...

https://www.amazon.com/Returning-Seer...

https://www.christianbook.com/the-ret...

http://www.deepershopping.com/item/de...

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third in the saga of the Authority City.
Elise, kidnapped by Jesse at age 4 months, has also been cared for by him. Jesse is now president of the Authority, the scientist having overthrown Damien Gold. Jesse didn't stray too far from his real story when he met the Seers, but he omitted that, once his drunken and abusive father died and his grandfsther essentially went his own way, there was someone who stepped into the vacuum. The scientist. Jesse's GF had done some work for the scientist over the years and Jesse had gotten to know the man a little. The curious little boy had an interest in science that the scientist cultivated. It was the scientist who had sent Jesse to spy on the seers, and when he had returned to report, the scientist was angry that he had been gone so long, and barely accepted the thought that the boy had had to make concessions to keep up his appearance as a would-be helper.
Elise, meanwhile, has been told by them that she is defective, that her parents dumped her because she was weird, that her inability to react to the genesis serum made her a danger to others. She believes herself unwanted. But she discovers she is wanted by the Father, and He has given her a special gift of manifesting His light. This starts when she is jailed in preparation for being executed. Jesse, who has looked after her and fallen for her, fights the execution but the scientist says it has already been done and the girl is dead. Then, when there are a lot of City Watch in the room to take her for her execution, she senses something building inside her. The next thing she knows, she is being bombarded with memories that aren't hers, as the city watch screams in agony. It is their memories she sensed, the ones suppressed in their minds by the genesis serum. She is not only not reactove to the serum herself, but now, it appears, she can burn the genesis serum away, out of the systems of others.
Meanwhile, there are 7 young people, including Elise's little sister, who have been commissioned to bring the light to the people in Authority City. They have been living in Trylin, a city protected by natural defenses. There were 100 families in Trylin when the remnant left after Neil's betrayal are led there by Aaron. They blended well. But always, Carrington's heart was broken by the loss of Elise. She wrote letters to the girl telling her how much she was loved and how they had tried to find her.
Willis is one of the 7 sent to Authority City. He has a history of prophetic dreams, and it is always Elise he sees in his dreams. Neither is sure the other is real until they manage to rescue Elise after the light bursts out from her again and frees more people from the genesis serum. He follows the directions in his dreams. Once she is rescued and joins the others, she learns about the family she came from via her sister. Elise is able to share the light with them so they can better fight the darkness.
The darkness manifests in several of the characters, esp the scientist. As it moves from person to person, the group ends up fighting more and more people affected by the darkness.
Meanwhile, Trylin City has been invaded and the population taken hostage with the intention of giving them the Genesis serum so they're obedient to the Authority. The young people don't know their families have been rounded up and are imprisoned, being brought in buses under heavy guard.
Will the young people and the light be enough? Or will Authority City once more become a place for a legalistic cult that can only maintain control by drugging its people into obedience and killing those who cannot be drugged?

[Kacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate rating this book so low after enjoying the last two, but it was just not very good. It fell into some YA tropes like the "chosen one" and the "prophecy", and it also felt so much more simplified than the other two books.

One thing the book never made clear was why Remko and Carrington just let the Authority hold their daughter for twenty years. After they spent so much time in the last book trying to free prisoners, it was weird they made no effort to free her. Even weirder that the Authority never used her as leverage to capture either of her parents, since I thought that was the whole point in capturing her. And on top of all that, Elise works through her abandonment issues and inserts into the group way too easily. It's all very odd.

And as a side note, it was super creepy how Jesse was in love with Elise. I don't know how that was meant to come across, but it made my skin crawl. The dude was like twenty years older than her and acted as her pseudo-dad. But then there was the insta-love between Elise and Willis, and how he was referred to as a "boy" despite him being twenty-something. The whole thing was uncomfortable when it tried to put in "romance".

I don't like how this series went from a corrupt religious government that prioritized the law to a brainwashing plot to this overly simplistic "darkness". I also didn't like how it seemed to be avoiding talking about God. The books didn't directly name Him either, but this one was a lot more focused on the "light". Almost like that was their god. And while it's true we are the light of the world, I didn't like how literal that got or how it seemed to magically cure people. God is amazing and He has power to change lives, but it just didn't sit right the way it was done here.

On the good end of things, I liked the way Carrington worked through her grief and guilt. I like that people still questioned and doubted and felt despair. I just wish more was done with that. And I wish they would have actually talked about God. It just felt empty and kind of shallow, honestly.

A pretty let-down ending, considering how well it was doing in the first two books.