Scan barcode
alicebme's review against another edition
4.0
Well, I feel like the end was executed well. I thought it was realistic enough, but I sure was secretly hoping for the happily ever after ending on all counts. Must be the pacifist in me.
madiganinwonderland's review against another edition
Ok yeah I skipped like 70% of this cuz I just don't care. I'm like 10 minutes from finishing it on audio and am so ready to be done. I guess I won't rate this but overall this series gets a 2.5 for me if that's any idea how I felt about this.
I'm glad to be done with this trilogy.
I'm glad to be done with this trilogy.
renuked's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, this is so unfortunate. You know a series has to be really good when the ending bother you this much. I'll make this short.
I really, really enjoyed this series. The second book was my complete and utter favorite, and I thought book 3 would surpass them all. I loved how much Gaia was growing and expanding out of her midwife role to become a leader. The inhabitants of Sylum were starting new lives, and old characters and new characters met face-to-face for the first time. Of course, tension would be high, and the conflict would be exciting and fiery. It was fantastic, and I was reveling in it.
The plot was great, I loved the story of how all the peoples had to learn to work together to save humanity. The genetic abnormalities occurring in both tribes were frightening and intense. The book had a lot of maturity, and it handled difficult topics really well. But I just can't get over my dislike of how it ended. I feel so hung up on it, and that reflects how deeply I was into this series. It was highly upsetting.
One good thing was, the characters had incredible amounts of depth surfacing. Leon went from distant soldier, to broody hunk, to intense lover boy. I couldn't get enough of him. Gaia grew, and even though she made many idiotic mistakes, I still loved how much she cared for her people. The adorably annoying Chardos are back too, and the Protectorat was more insane than ever.
Overall, the book rose to new heights with the characters, the world-building, and the tense hostility. The characters had to work together and form new bonds to overcome their strife and survive. However, I just can't stem my disappointment over the way the series concluded. But, I would still recommend it to people who enjoy interesting dystopian fiction, bright characters, genetics, and bittersweet endings.
I really, really enjoyed this series. The second book was my complete and utter favorite, and I thought book 3 would surpass them all. I loved how much Gaia was growing and expanding out of her midwife role to become a leader. The inhabitants of Sylum were starting new lives, and old characters and new characters met face-to-face for the first time. Of course, tension would be high, and the conflict would be exciting and fiery. It was fantastic, and I was reveling in it.
The plot was great, I loved the story of how all the peoples had to learn to work together to save humanity. The genetic abnormalities occurring in both tribes were frightening and intense. The book had a lot of maturity, and it handled difficult topics really well. But I just can't get over my dislike of how it ended. I feel so hung up on it, and that reflects how deeply I was into this series. It was highly upsetting.
One good thing was, the characters had incredible amounts of depth surfacing. Leon went from distant soldier, to broody hunk, to intense lover boy. I couldn't get enough of him. Gaia grew, and even though she made many idiotic mistakes, I still loved how much she cared for her people. The adorably annoying Chardos are back too, and the Protectorat was more insane than ever.
Overall, the book rose to new heights with the characters, the world-building, and the tense hostility. The characters had to work together and form new bonds to overcome their strife and survive. However, I just can't stem my disappointment over the way the series concluded. But, I would still recommend it to people who enjoy interesting dystopian fiction, bright characters, genetics, and bittersweet endings.
anna3101's review against another edition
3.0
Thank god, it wasn't as disappointing as the previous book. It was readable and even exciting in places. But I'm glad I'm done with the series :)
callmecat's review against another edition
2.0
Gaia is appallingly immature and irrational and I hated her despite liking the last two books. I can't decide if this book shows (a) a lack of character development in her or (b) an unraveling of it. But I hated every single decision she made and the way she made them. EVERY SINGLE ONE! How exhausting. >_<
Leon is disturbingly reckless but in his case I don't think it's bad writing, just legitimate character faults. I'm not so sure about Gaia. I feel like the author just wanted "this to happen" then "this to happen" and MADE Gaia act accordingly rather than letting Gaia act like Gaia. We are all irrational at times, but I fail to comprehend a character who is supposedly sane who is this irrational EVEN IF she is a teenager.
'Let's pretend we're not in love and cover it up however we can so that the Enclave can't use us against each other!' First of all, I cannot believe she said that. Second of all, I cannot believe she even partially followed through with it. I can't help hating her (a little) for it. This doesn't just make her a bad girlfriend--I can't help feeling that it makes her a bad person. But that's just my opinion. Third, GAG ME. How cliche!!! In other situations maybe it could have worked but in this story IT DIDN'T.
I guess the irrationality and immaturity I mentioned are both wrapped up in her naivete. She's woefully, appallingly ignorant about the way the Enclave works. Heck, about the way the world works. She KEPT SAYING "I'm the matron you can't do this to me" WHILE THEY WERE DOING IT TO HER. Wake up you little idiot. I can't even call her a sweet summer child and accept her innocence. This girl shouldn't be like this. By now she should know better! And even if she doesn't--at least learn it after the first time it happens in this book. UGH.
I guess by the end she SORT OF learned. But it didn't change my opinion of her. She was VERY ill-suited to her role and she did not rise to the occasion, although she tried.
I will never ever forgive her for going into those tunnels and getting lost. If she had surprised me and done well for herself I could've gotten over it but the disgustingly high level of stupidity and pointlessness of those scenes should have been enough to make me put down the book. If it was book one I WOULD have. The ONLY reason the author did that was so that she could run into that girl and that IS bad writing. She should have found a better way to accomplish that. Or waited until they had news and made it a real mission to save Leon with some backup then I could've understood.
Also, dragging out love triangles is stupid, lazy, and cheap.
Yeah, even after Gaia made her decision in the last book of course her feelings for the other boys wouldn't just disappear but there was no need to hash them out like this. It's even stated in the very beginning of the book that she is "sure about Leon" and he's sure about her and they both know it. So what is there to work out? She comes up with some reasons why they shouldn't get married yet but all of them are hollow and that is also clear from the beginning. And they're already sleeping together. So WHAT THE HECK?? GET MARRIED.
The only reason they're not married is another out of character reason--because it's a YA book and somebody thought it would be weird to write about a married young couple for teenage readers and they wanted to drag out the triangle (but so halfheartedly! Why!)
The story would have been so much stronger if Gaia and Leon had gotten married, determined to return to the Enclave united. As a team.
I just finished reading a book where two lovers literally fall into Hell together. But it doesn't matter. Together they can do anything. WHY couldn't we have gotten a message like that? That was what the conclusion to this series deserved.
I don't want to read about Gaia ever again. There are very few series where I feel like the last book ruined it, or the sequel if there are only two. But this one has because of how it sucked out every ounce of tolerance for her that I had. I will never be able to stomach her again even if I got back to the previous books, I just know it.
Leon is disturbingly reckless but in his case I don't think it's bad writing, just legitimate character faults. I'm not so sure about Gaia. I feel like the author just wanted "this to happen" then "this to happen" and MADE Gaia act accordingly rather than letting Gaia act like Gaia. We are all irrational at times, but I fail to comprehend a character who is supposedly sane who is this irrational EVEN IF she is a teenager.
'Let's pretend we're not in love and cover it up however we can so that the Enclave can't use us against each other!' First of all, I cannot believe she said that. Second of all, I cannot believe she even partially followed through with it. I can't help hating her (a little) for it. This doesn't just make her a bad girlfriend--I can't help feeling that it makes her a bad person. But that's just my opinion. Third, GAG ME. How cliche!!! In other situations maybe it could have worked but in this story IT DIDN'T.
I guess the irrationality and immaturity I mentioned are both wrapped up in her naivete. She's woefully, appallingly ignorant about the way the Enclave works. Heck, about the way the world works. She KEPT SAYING "I'm the matron you can't do this to me" WHILE THEY WERE DOING IT TO HER. Wake up you little idiot. I can't even call her a sweet summer child and accept her innocence. This girl shouldn't be like this. By now she should know better! And even if she doesn't--at least learn it after the first time it happens in this book. UGH.
I guess by the end she SORT OF learned. But it didn't change my opinion of her. She was VERY ill-suited to her role and she did not rise to the occasion, although she tried.
I will never ever forgive her for going into those tunnels and getting lost. If she had surprised me and done well for herself I could've gotten over it but the disgustingly high level of stupidity and pointlessness of those scenes should have been enough to make me put down the book. If it was book one I WOULD have. The ONLY reason the author did that was so that she could run into that girl and that IS bad writing. She should have found a better way to accomplish that. Or waited until they had news and made it a real mission to save Leon with some backup then I could've understood.
Also, dragging out love triangles is stupid, lazy, and cheap.
Yeah, even after Gaia made her decision in the last book of course her feelings for the other boys wouldn't just disappear but there was no need to hash them out like this. It's even stated in the very beginning of the book that she is "sure about Leon" and he's sure about her and they both know it. So what is there to work out? She comes up with some reasons why they shouldn't get married yet but all of them are hollow and that is also clear from the beginning. And they're already sleeping together. So WHAT THE HECK?? GET MARRIED.
The only reason they're not married is another out of character reason--because it's a YA book and somebody thought it would be weird to write about a married young couple for teenage readers and they wanted to drag out the triangle (but so halfheartedly! Why!)
The story would have been so much stronger if Gaia and Leon had gotten married, determined to return to the Enclave united. As a team.
I just finished reading a book where two lovers literally fall into Hell together. But it doesn't matter. Together they can do anything. WHY couldn't we have gotten a message like that? That was what the conclusion to this series deserved.
I don't want to read about Gaia ever again. There are very few series where I feel like the last book ruined it, or the sequel if there are only two. But this one has because of how it sucked out every ounce of tolerance for her that I had. I will never be able to stomach her again even if I got back to the previous books, I just know it.
books4susie's review against another edition
5.0
The time has come for Gaia Stone to lead some of the people of Sylum back to Wharfton and the Enclave in order to survive. Unfortunately not all of the changes since her departure a year ago have been good. Babies with the right genes are highly prized and sought after while status deeply divides the citizenry. When diplomacy and negations fail, is all that is left terrorist threats? In this gripping conclusion, Gaia finds what matters to her most and what she is willing to sacrifice in order to achieve peace.
corvingreene's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like this book as much as the first two. I hated the way it ended, but I am glad I read the series.
booklovinalicia's review against another edition
5.0
In my opinion this series is as good or better than Hunger Games! I am so glad they are making movies on this series!
abrug647's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0