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brandypainter's review against another edition
5.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Happy sigh. It is always nice when a trilogy I love ends on a high note, and Horizon, the final book Jenn Reese's Above World trilogy, does just that.
This is a review of an ARC received in exchange for a fair review.
My favorite thing about these books have been the characters. Aluna, Hoku, Calli, and Dash won my hearts thoroughly in Above World and Vachir, Nathif, and Tayan found their own places in it during Mirage. I went into this book with a whole lot of love for these characters and an equal amount of fear for their safety and well-being. I was also concerned about their relationships with each other based on the synopsis, as that is the main reason I love them all so much. They are who they are because of the way the care for, stand with, and help each other despite their differences. There are some sad moments in the book. They are all separated, Dash and Vachir going one way, Calli returning to Sky Feather Landing, and Aluna and Hoku returning to Shifting Tides, as they are all driven by a need to save their own people. What I really liked though was how they worked through that and understood what the others had to do and why. It was cause for minor conflict and there were some misunderstandings, as is always the case when people are tired, stressed, and scared, but through it all the foundation of their friendship and loyalty to each other stayed strong. From the beginning I've loved the theme of family and choice of community that is woven through these stories. This final installment stays true to that while also demonstrating how complicated and hard the world is to live in and how nothing is ever simple, particularly the choices we have to make in a crisis. It also manages to introduce even more characters who have earned places in my heart too.
All four of the main characters experience some harrowing things over the course of their final journeys. It is all very definitely there, but not too detailed and in your face, a perfect balance for the intended audience. The book starts with them all together and then as they start to split up follows them each in the places they are going. It's a lot of action, but it was not at all difficult to keep track of. I particularly enjoyed watching Aluna, Hoku, and Calli return to their homes. They've all seen and experienced so much of the outside world and it changed them. Watching them all face the changes in themselves with their new views of their homes is fascinating, and one I think will appeal to the older MG reader who is questioning their own place in the world and seeing their families and communities through a different lens than they did as a child. I really liked the way the story ended too, but won't go into too many details of why to avoid spoilers.
This trilogy is also a favorite of my daughter, who is nine, and several of my students so I know how well this works with the MG demographic. I think they are going to eat up this book as fast and happily as they did the others.
I received an e-galley from the publisher, Candlewick Press, via NetGalley. Horizon will be available on April 8th.
Happy sigh. It is always nice when a trilogy I love ends on a high note, and Horizon, the final book Jenn Reese's Above World trilogy, does just that.
This is a review of an ARC received in exchange for a fair review.
My favorite thing about these books have been the characters. Aluna, Hoku, Calli, and Dash won my hearts thoroughly in Above World and Vachir, Nathif, and Tayan found their own places in it during Mirage. I went into this book with a whole lot of love for these characters and an equal amount of fear for their safety and well-being. I was also concerned about their relationships with each other based on the synopsis, as that is the main reason I love them all so much. They are who they are because of the way the care for, stand with, and help each other despite their differences. There are some sad moments in the book. They are all separated, Dash and Vachir going one way, Calli returning to Sky Feather Landing, and Aluna and Hoku returning to Shifting Tides, as they are all driven by a need to save their own people. What I really liked though was how they worked through that and understood what the others had to do and why. It was cause for minor conflict and there were some misunderstandings, as is always the case when people are tired, stressed, and scared, but through it all the foundation of their friendship and loyalty to each other stayed strong. From the beginning I've loved the theme of family and choice of community that is woven through these stories. This final installment stays true to that while also demonstrating how complicated and hard the world is to live in and how nothing is ever simple, particularly the choices we have to make in a crisis. It also manages to introduce even more characters who have earned places in my heart too.
All four of the main characters experience some harrowing things over the course of their final journeys. It is all very definitely there, but not too detailed and in your face, a perfect balance for the intended audience. The book starts with them all together and then as they start to split up follows them each in the places they are going. It's a lot of action, but it was not at all difficult to keep track of. I particularly enjoyed watching Aluna, Hoku, and Calli return to their homes. They've all seen and experienced so much of the outside world and it changed them. Watching them all face the changes in themselves with their new views of their homes is fascinating, and one I think will appeal to the older MG reader who is questioning their own place in the world and seeing their families and communities through a different lens than they did as a child. I really liked the way the story ended too, but won't go into too many details of why to avoid spoilers.
This trilogy is also a favorite of my daughter, who is nine, and several of my students so I know how well this works with the MG demographic. I think they are going to eat up this book as fast and happily as they did the others.
I received an e-galley from the publisher, Candlewick Press, via NetGalley. Horizon will be available on April 8th.
ricksilva's review against another edition
5.0
The conclusion to the Above-World trilogy does a nice job of expanding on the world before it shifts into high gear for a non-stop-action conclusion.
The focus on the Upgraders is a nice touch, as (with an exception or two) they'd been the faceless "Imperial Stormtroopers" of the villains in the previous two books. Here, they get faces, culture, and personalities, and they get some of the best moments in the story.
There's extra focus on some of the secondary characters too, as the author expands the perspectives to give a couple of familiar characters their own POV chapters for the first time. Calli particularly shines when she gets her big moment.
There is a theme of separation as the tension builds and the tightly-knit band of friends are nearly torn apart by conflicting missions, loyalties, and issues on their respective home-fronts. But in the end, it's their loyalty for each other that they're going to need to call on in what proves to be a pretty awesome final battle sequence.
This was a solid conclusion with great pacing and a nice resolution and plenty of worldbuilding along the way.
The focus on the Upgraders is a nice touch, as (with an exception or two) they'd been the faceless "Imperial Stormtroopers" of the villains in the previous two books. Here, they get faces, culture, and personalities, and they get some of the best moments in the story.
There's extra focus on some of the secondary characters too, as the author expands the perspectives to give a couple of familiar characters their own POV chapters for the first time. Calli particularly shines when she gets her big moment.
There is a theme of separation as the tension builds and the tightly-knit band of friends are nearly torn apart by conflicting missions, loyalties, and issues on their respective home-fronts. But in the end, it's their loyalty for each other that they're going to need to call on in what proves to be a pretty awesome final battle sequence.
This was a solid conclusion with great pacing and a nice resolution and plenty of worldbuilding along the way.
miciahsreads's review against another edition
4.0
love! great conclusion to the whole series and story.
elephant's review against another edition
4.0
In this third book of the series, Aluna and her friends face Karl Strand in their war against him and against the prejudice that pervades in their world. As they join up with a group of Upgraders, they find that Upgraders are people too and have their own problems to deal with and they only support Strand because he promises them safety. Realizing that the prejudice that the various groups have against one another is wrong, Aluna and her friends must go separate ways to each deal with their own groups as they try to defeat Strand and make the world a better place.
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