The Calling by Rachelle Dekker- Review

Fear is a powerful sedative for rebellion.

A year and a half has passed since Carrington Hale and Remko Brandt escaped the seemingly perfect society under the rule of the Authority and joined the Seers– a group of those called by a mysterious man named Aaron to has called them to live in freedom. Now, Damien Gold, the new leader of the Authority, sets his eyes on ushering in a new era for society and destroying the Seers from the inside out.

Characters: While Remko did have quite a number of scenes focused on himself in The Choosing, the book mostly belonged to Carrington. As such, I didn’t feel like I got to know Remko as much as I would have liked in that book. I was excited to find out that The Calling would be focusing on him. Rachelle does a wonderful job of bringing him to life, making him a multi-layered character that I, as a guy, can identify with.

As for the other characters, I really enjoyed Jesse and Aaron. They are both great characters with a lot of depth.

The only issue I had when it comes to the characters is that there was a large number of them and it was hard to keep track of all of them at times.

Setting: I feel like there is a lot of world-building that could be done, but Rachelle doesn’t dabble in too much of it. I wish we could see a bit more, as I sometimes felt like the story could have been set in the present day without being changed very much at all. Thankfully, the last– and final– book in the trilogy promises to expand the world even just a little more.

Plot: This is a tricky one as the novel tends to focus more on the inner struggles of the characters than the conflict that is happening around them. This isn’t a bad thing, but I do hope to see a bit more of the latter in the final book.

Theme: The Choosing addressed the issue of self-worth; The Calling addresses letting go of fear, which is a message that so many people need to hear. Throughout a slew of thought-provoking scenes, we see characters– namely Remko– learning to let go of their fear and find who they truly are in their Father.

Conclusion: I would definitely recommend reading The Calling. It may not be packed with action and suspense, but it delivers a message that would change many lives if only they listened.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Read below for a quick interview with author Rachelle Dekker!

1.  This book is written from Remko’s perspective. Did you face any challenges writing from a male point-of-view?
There was definitely a looming pressure as I started to write the book. As a woman writer, I wanted to make sure Remko felt masculine and authentic, so I was constantly aware of how he sounded, and how he reacted. Once I got into a flow with his character though, it started to feel more familiar I didn’t have to think about it as much.

2.  Remko struggles with his anger often throughout the book. Is this expression of anger connected to his fears? If so, how?
Anger is just a natural reaction to the circumstances Remko faces. Sometimes being afraid can stir up anger because it makes us feel weak or out of control. This is definitely true for Remko in The Calling.

3. What can readers expect in the final book of the series?
Characters they know and some new ones I hope they’ll love! More questions of identity, and fear, but the characters will also be looking at forgiveness and letting go. I’m really happy with the way the final book played out, and I’m hoping readers will be as well.