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writingwwolves's review against another edition
4.0
Fighting Back is the penultimate instalment in the Battle Ground series; in this book we follow Bex as she continues to struggle with the consequences of her actions & what she feels she should do next. Fighting Back was definitely a slow burner, similarly to book three, but things got more intense toward the end of the story giving a good lead up to the fifth & final book in the series... I can’t wait!
⚠️ Violence, terrorism, ableism & threats made toward a disabled person ⚠️
I was sent a copy of this book to review as part of a blog tour organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-31N
⚠️ Violence, terrorism, ableism & threats made toward a disabled person ⚠️
I was sent a copy of this book to review as part of a blog tour organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-31N
bishopjoey's review against another edition
5.0
Ketty and Bex are once again engaging the battle between England's dictatorship and the Opposition In Exile. At the same time, they're both realising that the sides they've ended up on don't necessarily have their own best interests at heart. While each sees the other as her antagonist, the bigger pictures of how the various sides are fighting the war are coming clearer and clearer. Highly recommended.
Note: I received an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Note: I received an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
paperbacksandpinot's review
5.0
**Whilst I have tried to keep this review spoiler free there will be many spoilers for earlier books in the series**
I’m going to start by saying that Fighting Back is the stand out novel of the series so far for me. It has a different feel to the first three, almost a calm before the storm or a chance to take a breath assess the gravity of everything that is happening. I have to admit I felt the lines blurring between the government and resistance and may actually be finding something to like in Ketty.
To the story though, having settled in Edinburgh, Bex and her friends are still dealing with the fall out of Jake’s decision, but despite her treatment by him, Bex continues to be the parent figure of the group trying to problem solve as best she can. Her problem solving on this occasion however, leads to an unexpected opportunity which creates a real shift in her. In short, Bex has to grow up, fast. I found myself very much liking this more measured Bex, her time spent not running for her life allows her to settle more in herself and her monologues are thoughtful rather than the rash decisions of circumstance.
Ketty shone for me this time, it’s a big ask for me to change my tune about her and I went into this book expecting the loss of Jackson to have been her driving force for ill, but in fact her ability to maintain business as usual showed a real fortitude. In many ways Ketty is an incredibly complex character, yet actually when you bring it down to the baseline there is a simplicity in what makes her tick, she has a strong moral compass and she is all or nothing in her feelings of right and wrong. I love how she is 100% unshakeable until she is presented with fact but then, to her credit, is able to step back and think about that fact in a rational way, which is a skill lacking in many who are so firmly entrenched in their beliefs.
What is clear from both women is that the manipulations being woven around them are so beautifully subtle it’s hard to know where it does indeed begin. Both are being used in different ways and the correlation of deceit and realisation between them made me feel that they weren’t so far apart after all. The way their actions and reactions feed into one another is really quite masterful and demonstrates great thought and skill from the author. The locations are fairly static but the book benefits from this as it is the most character driven book of the series, but the London location leads to the availability of iconic landmarks. These really brings home the ability to fully visualise the closing stages as even those who have never visited the city will know exactly what to imagine. What a closing stage as well, just wow, I was totally on the edge of my seat as things played out, a trigger for the resistance was needed and that is a trigger and then some.
I started by saying that this was a stand out book in the series and I have to give it 5 very well deserved stars!
I’m going to start by saying that Fighting Back is the stand out novel of the series so far for me. It has a different feel to the first three, almost a calm before the storm or a chance to take a breath assess the gravity of everything that is happening. I have to admit I felt the lines blurring between the government and resistance and may actually be finding something to like in Ketty.
To the story though, having settled in Edinburgh, Bex and her friends are still dealing with the fall out of Jake’s decision, but despite her treatment by him, Bex continues to be the parent figure of the group trying to problem solve as best she can. Her problem solving on this occasion however, leads to an unexpected opportunity which creates a real shift in her. In short, Bex has to grow up, fast. I found myself very much liking this more measured Bex, her time spent not running for her life allows her to settle more in herself and her monologues are thoughtful rather than the rash decisions of circumstance.
Ketty shone for me this time, it’s a big ask for me to change my tune about her and I went into this book expecting the loss of Jackson to have been her driving force for ill, but in fact her ability to maintain business as usual showed a real fortitude. In many ways Ketty is an incredibly complex character, yet actually when you bring it down to the baseline there is a simplicity in what makes her tick, she has a strong moral compass and she is all or nothing in her feelings of right and wrong. I love how she is 100% unshakeable until she is presented with fact but then, to her credit, is able to step back and think about that fact in a rational way, which is a skill lacking in many who are so firmly entrenched in their beliefs.
What is clear from both women is that the manipulations being woven around them are so beautifully subtle it’s hard to know where it does indeed begin. Both are being used in different ways and the correlation of deceit and realisation between them made me feel that they weren’t so far apart after all. The way their actions and reactions feed into one another is really quite masterful and demonstrates great thought and skill from the author. The locations are fairly static but the book benefits from this as it is the most character driven book of the series, but the London location leads to the availability of iconic landmarks. These really brings home the ability to fully visualise the closing stages as even those who have never visited the city will know exactly what to imagine. What a closing stage as well, just wow, I was totally on the edge of my seat as things played out, a trigger for the resistance was needed and that is a trigger and then some.
I started by saying that this was a stand out book in the series and I have to give it 5 very well deserved stars!
pixiejazz's review
4.0
Fighting Back is book four in the Battle Ground series, and in this one, everything is coming to a head. It's the penultimate before the explosive end.
Bex is getting restless and anxious, wanting to do more than just train and practice and wait for the OIE to be ready to fight back against the government. She's determined to save her mom and Margie, and she'll fight with anyone to try and get her way.
Ketty is still reveling in her power, abusing prisoners and working to get them to incriminate themselves on public TV. But she's a powder keg waiting to explode.
Power plays and corruption abound, and Ketty and Bex are slowly realizing how little control they really have.
What happens when the hard truths hit them both? Will either of them be able to do the right thing before it's too late?
I absolutely adores Fighting Back. It's a slow burn that builds up to a wild ending, and I can only imagine how this series is going to end in book five. Ketty is still an awful person, although she's starting to realize the strain of keeping up that attitude. Is beating up prisoners and supporting the government really worth it?
Bex is also feeling the strain. She wants to do something, but she's still being used and treated like "just a face" instead of a person. But she's determined to get the OIE to listen to her, no matter what.
There's a lot of stuff going on. Not a ton of action, but tensions are escalating, and when that ending hits... wow!
I'm a huge fan of this series, and I can't wait to see how it's all going to end.
4.5 stars from me!
Bex is getting restless and anxious, wanting to do more than just train and practice and wait for the OIE to be ready to fight back against the government. She's determined to save her mom and Margie, and she'll fight with anyone to try and get her way.
Ketty is still reveling in her power, abusing prisoners and working to get them to incriminate themselves on public TV. But she's a powder keg waiting to explode.
Power plays and corruption abound, and Ketty and Bex are slowly realizing how little control they really have.
What happens when the hard truths hit them both? Will either of them be able to do the right thing before it's too late?
I absolutely adores Fighting Back. It's a slow burn that builds up to a wild ending, and I can only imagine how this series is going to end in book five. Ketty is still an awful person, although she's starting to realize the strain of keeping up that attitude. Is beating up prisoners and supporting the government really worth it?
Bex is also feeling the strain. She wants to do something, but she's still being used and treated like "just a face" instead of a person. But she's determined to get the OIE to listen to her, no matter what.
There's a lot of stuff going on. Not a ton of action, but tensions are escalating, and when that ending hits... wow!
I'm a huge fan of this series, and I can't wait to see how it's all going to end.
4.5 stars from me!
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