Genre: Released: December 10, 2015 Pages: 392 Published By: Young Mountain Publishing Website Julie Anne Nelson Goodreads Review Copy: Gifted from Author
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Synopsis
Cecily thought her fighting days were over. She’d surrendered to her fate. She’d left her home, her family, her love, and her sister sevens. She’d given everything, but nothing in her life prepared her for what she’d find in the Source. And for those she left behind, a greater darkness emerges, and their success or failure carries the fates of all.
Quotes
I stared up at the sky; only it wasn't the real sky, certainly not the sky I knew when I was just a girl in Dunlowe, dreaming of living in a world less cruel. In the real clouds that danced across the real sky above my old home, I'd dreamed of the possibility of life and love with no Pastor Rowe and his hateful words, no sevens who were feared since the day they were born, and no cages.
The cold infected Dusty and he shivered, grateful for the wolf's warm fur. "I used to believe in something, in everything. Now I know there is nothing left to believe in. Not any more."
He turned back just as the army reached them and let out a battle cry that Zoe was proud to join. A fight. Another fight. And another. And the people of Dunlowe would still never surrender.
Maybe the ship held more enemies, but Abigail chose to hope for better, because a false hope was better than no hope at all.
My Thoughts
You will not find writing like Julie Anne Nelson's very often. This is an author that has such a beautiful written word, and such a powerful voice that you will not be able to resist falling for her books. With each book, each twist and each loss, my attachment to the characters, and the story that's being told only grows stronger. The Deep East proved to be a difficult chapter to process, with so many twists blind siding me but it also proved Nelson's talent as an artist. There was not one moment, one twist (no matter how wicked) that I didn't devour but that isn't unusual for an author of this calliper.
Like with the previous two novels, Nelson chose to write The Deep East with multiple narratives. This is actually one of the things that I love the most about these books and their creator. Each character has their own clear voice, and despite hearing from each of the sevens and a couple of other characters, I never get lost or confused. What you end up getting is a story that has more depth and makes you turn the pages faster to find out what happened to that character. This also gives you a chance to see all of the strings that are being pulled and how they all are connected. How one coming undone can strengthen others, even if this means losing something you didn't think the team could go on without.
Each and every one of the sevens seems to be on their own journey now. They each have a purpose that they need to live up to or accept, and I would be lying if I said this was easy to process. The Deep East is the first book in which the sevens were not one, and though I love everyone's individual growth, I also miss the strength that came in numbers. This being said, each girl is coming into their own strength or showing their true colors. Some girls, my heart soared for because I couldn't wish more for them and was proud that despite it being difficult they accepted their fate... Embraced it actually. While there were moments that my heart sank and I couldn't believe that one of the sister sevens would stray so far from those that had loved and supported them when no one else did. Sadly, I do accept this as part of the progression of both the story and characters, but that doesn't mean my heart is not bleeding a little.
I also really enjoyed all of the relationships and how they are there, but never overtake the journey that each character is on. However, there was once again loss with each gain. Some lost more than others and my heart twisted for them. It was like the people that really deserved that spark of love, of happiness in their lives were the ones that had it ripped away from them. This is just another way that Nelson keeps you invested. Many people have conflicted feelings when loosing a character that they have grown to love (and you will grow to love these characters), but Nelson does it in such a way that your heart will break but there is also acceptance. Acceptance is an odd way to describe not only the loss of a character but the destruction of a true love. The thing is that with these books you know that there is a reason. There is a reason for every moment of joy and every moment of pain, you just have to wait and find out what it is.
The Deep East made me question so many things that I thought I knew about this series. That being said it also changed my mind and heart about certain characters, and twisted it with others. There is no way to guess where things are going to go, because at any moment what you thought was true could be found to be a lie, and the people that you believed could only carry a good heart, actually have a taint that you could never have imagined. Julie Anne Nelson is an inspiration as an independently published author and will always remain one of my most treasured authors. If you haven't started The Seven's series I can't stress enough that you are missing out. From The Wild Wood to The Deep East you will fall in love with the characters, the plot, the adventures and without a doubt the author and her beautiful writing.
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