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katyanaish's review against another edition
4.0
This one is so, so hard for me to rate. Honestly, I always kick out reviews (when I am going to do them) immediately after reading the book, when I'm still breathing the story... but I wonder if I wouldn't be better off with time to digest. Ah well, onward.
Let's begin with: this is one of my very favorite series ever. This book in no way diminishes that - it was a good cap to the series, and will keep it solidly in my favorites pile. But was it everything it could be? I just don't know. While I am left with a general feeling of satisfaction, there are definitely some things that don't sit perfectly with me.
I'm just going to throw this whole section in spoiler tags.
That brings us to March. I'll be honest... I was pretty disenchanted with March coming into this book. Part of me hoped that, in the end, it would be Vel - the way the relationship between Jax and Vel has grown in this series... it is one of the most beautiful relationships that I have come across in any book. I was angry with March. Angry that he would set Jax aside for his needs, time and time again, but that he was pissy when she wouldn't give up everything she loved to live the life he chose for himself. He had a double-standard that was beyond unfair, and he'd been hurtful and hypocritical more times than I thought I could forgive. But it was hard... I still loved March, even while I resented him. Even when I felt like he was so inconsistent that I couldn't imagine how he could possibly ever really work out with Jax. Because Jax is many things, but inconsistent isn't one of them. She's loyal - sometimes too loyal - and she will always, always have your back once you've become part of her family. But the only person who has ever had Jax's back time and again is Vel. Not March. Not ever. When it comes to doing the things she feels she needs to do, he is not there at best... and a judgmental douchecanoe at worst.
That said, I was happy with Aguirre's resolution here. The conversation, at about the halfway point, where Jax and March put all the cards on the table - all the hurts they had been harboring - and discussed whether they really had a chance together... this was an excellent moment in this book. Jax said all the things I was thinking - she called him out on his double-standard (what's okay for him is somehow not for her) and most importantly, she called him out for being a martyr. She said she deserved better than to be his hair shirt. And it felt like March finally - finally!! - got it. And yes, I know, Jax has faults too... but she would be the last person to deny that. If anything, she beats herself up too much, takes too much onto herself. But March is just so uncompromising.
Until now. In this book, March learns to compromise... about everything. About the war, about Jax, about needing to be true to yourself, needing to keep your promises, needing to assuage your guilt... and most importantly, he learns to compromise about Vel. Because I just really couldn't have taken it if he had made her choose. If he had driven a wedge between them. Vel has always had Jax's back, he has always had the utmost faith in her, and more than anyone else, Vel's unwavering love and faith has helped Jax grow into this capable, unselfish human being that she has become. For anyone to try to separate them... it would have been devastating. But March comes to understand that you really can love someone without being in love with them (as Jax does with Vel), and you can be in love with someone without closing your heart to everyone else (as Jax does with March). It is such a beautiful, grown-up statement, and it was satisfying for that arc to resolve in such a peaceful way.
Do I think that Jax and March can really make a go of it? I... do. I really think I do. And I went into this book thinking the opposite. So make of that what you will.
Moving on... war. While I don't discount the importance of the war for hte La'heng, I guess I felt like it dominated the plot in a way that... well, I don't know. Maybe it has been too long since I read the other books, but I wasn't emotionally invested enough to spend the whole book there. Not as the LAST book in the series, you know? Again, not to say that I didn't support Loras and the La'heng's quest to be free, but... to have this book literally encompass 5 years of war just felt... I don't know. I understand the tying up of loose ends. And I understand that Jax felt like she needed to make amends to Loras (though promising to help free his entire race to make it up to him seems a bit excessive). I guess I just feel that, for the final book in this amazing series, I'd like to end somewhere more transcendent, more climactic for the series as a whole. Maybe exploring the Makers, or what Grimspace really is. I think this is where the root of my weird feeling is on this book. I wanted more, I wanted bigger. We've fought planetary wars, we've fought intergalactic wars... to end with a grueling space-less ground war that drags on for literally years, has no greater implications for the mythology of the series and ends with the La'heng saying "thanks so much for the help, now GTFO of our planet" just feels really unsatisfying. *shrug*
Oh well. I could talk about this series forever, because I really do love it completely. It has been an incredibly emotional journey. I just wish it ended with more of a bang and less of a whimper.
Let's begin with: this is one of my very favorite series ever. This book in no way diminishes that - it was a good cap to the series, and will keep it solidly in my favorites pile. But was it everything it could be? I just don't know. While I am left with a general feeling of satisfaction, there are definitely some things that don't sit perfectly with me.
I'm just going to throw this whole section in spoiler tags.
Spoiler
Firstly, a Jax book with literally no space travel, NO GRIMSPACE, it leaves me off-kilter. I think that the "she's grown and changed into a whole new woman!! kitsch was taken a bit too far in this book, and this is one place where that was definitely true. Yes, I liked that Jax no longer needs to be defined by her addiction to Grimspace, but at the same time... it is who she is. So much so that, for example, that is the tattoo that Vel wears in honor of her (the Ithtorian for "grimspace"). So much of the theme of this series seems to be that you can't find happiness if you subjugate yourself for someone else - a theme that I am completely in support of - but to literally completely deny this aspect of Jax in the final book of the series feels to go against that. I love that she no longer embraces Grimspace like a thrill-seeking addict, but at the same time, that space-faring Jax is Jax at her most alive. Her most vital. Her most real. It is hard to feel happily complete without a whole, vitally alive Jax. Even better would be a whole, vitally alive Jax, paired with March in Grimspace navigation.That brings us to March. I'll be honest... I was pretty disenchanted with March coming into this book. Part of me hoped that, in the end, it would be Vel - the way the relationship between Jax and Vel has grown in this series... it is one of the most beautiful relationships that I have come across in any book. I was angry with March. Angry that he would set Jax aside for his needs, time and time again, but that he was pissy when she wouldn't give up everything she loved to live the life he chose for himself. He had a double-standard that was beyond unfair, and he'd been hurtful and hypocritical more times than I thought I could forgive. But it was hard... I still loved March, even while I resented him. Even when I felt like he was so inconsistent that I couldn't imagine how he could possibly ever really work out with Jax. Because Jax is many things, but inconsistent isn't one of them. She's loyal - sometimes too loyal - and she will always, always have your back once you've become part of her family. But the only person who has ever had Jax's back time and again is Vel. Not March. Not ever. When it comes to doing the things she feels she needs to do, he is not there at best... and a judgmental douchecanoe at worst.
That said, I was happy with Aguirre's resolution here. The conversation, at about the halfway point, where Jax and March put all the cards on the table - all the hurts they had been harboring - and discussed whether they really had a chance together... this was an excellent moment in this book. Jax said all the things I was thinking - she called him out on his double-standard (what's okay for him is somehow not for her) and most importantly, she called him out for being a martyr. She said she deserved better than to be his hair shirt. And it felt like March finally - finally!! - got it. And yes, I know, Jax has faults too... but she would be the last person to deny that. If anything, she beats herself up too much, takes too much onto herself. But March is just so uncompromising.
Until now. In this book, March learns to compromise... about everything. About the war, about Jax, about needing to be true to yourself, needing to keep your promises, needing to assuage your guilt... and most importantly, he learns to compromise about Vel. Because I just really couldn't have taken it if he had made her choose. If he had driven a wedge between them. Vel has always had Jax's back, he has always had the utmost faith in her, and more than anyone else, Vel's unwavering love and faith has helped Jax grow into this capable, unselfish human being that she has become. For anyone to try to separate them... it would have been devastating. But March comes to understand that you really can love someone without being in love with them (as Jax does with Vel), and you can be in love with someone without closing your heart to everyone else (as Jax does with March). It is such a beautiful, grown-up statement, and it was satisfying for that arc to resolve in such a peaceful way.
Do I think that Jax and March can really make a go of it? I... do. I really think I do. And I went into this book thinking the opposite. So make of that what you will.
Moving on... war. While I don't discount the importance of the war for hte La'heng, I guess I felt like it dominated the plot in a way that... well, I don't know. Maybe it has been too long since I read the other books, but I wasn't emotionally invested enough to spend the whole book there. Not as the LAST book in the series, you know? Again, not to say that I didn't support Loras and the La'heng's quest to be free, but... to have this book literally encompass 5 years of war just felt... I don't know. I understand the tying up of loose ends. And I understand that Jax felt like she needed to make amends to Loras (though promising to help free his entire race to make it up to him seems a bit excessive). I guess I just feel that, for the final book in this amazing series, I'd like to end somewhere more transcendent, more climactic for the series as a whole. Maybe exploring the Makers, or what Grimspace really is. I think this is where the root of my weird feeling is on this book. I wanted more, I wanted bigger. We've fought planetary wars, we've fought intergalactic wars... to end with a grueling space-less ground war that drags on for literally years, has no greater implications for the mythology of the series and ends with the La'heng saying "thanks so much for the help, now GTFO of our planet" just feels really unsatisfying. *shrug*
Oh well. I could talk about this series forever, because I really do love it completely. It has been an incredibly emotional journey. I just wish it ended with more of a bang and less of a whimper.
mellhay's review against another edition
5.0
Jax is running into all kinds of snags while trying to uphold her promise to Loras - to free the La'heng from the compliant servitude state induced by a drug inflected by humans. The "protectors" now don't want to loss their control, or slaves. Jax has been here six months here trying to get through legally with every Nicuan official possible, while Laras rallies rebels with their cure. The first mission after acquiring rebels; to red code the planet so Conglomerate won't let any ships come, or leave, stopping the Nicuan from sending support here. This should give Le'heng time to cure and fight back. First March and Sasha are expected for a two week visit then head out before the war starts. Jax had thought she was done with bloodshed after the wars she saw and fought. Now she's at the top of the list to fight for her friend and his peoples freedom, and not everyone she knows and loves will make it out alive.
I miss the characters who were lost or left and remembered through out the series, but love the characters present and returning, and even new joining us. Jax's past always seems to be in the forefront as a memory or how it can help with what she's learned by her mistakes. Always making Jax think.
We get a quick refresher of the La'heng people and their servitude. I remember back to Loras when Jax learned so much about him and his kind, but it was a while ago and so much has happened since then so very nice to get the quick reminders in the story.
We see Jax and March in the beginning and they seem so good and with Jax's relationship with Vel. All seems great. But I wait knowing the other shoe's going to drop. All the losses in Jax's life are still fresh in Jax's mind. She doesn't regret, but misses them and the choices she's made over time. All this has created the Jax we see now, a new and different Jax.
Ann's writing has hurled me to this point, as I had to keep going and still in the last book ann propels me to flip pages feeling a full range of emotions; happy, giddy, sad, worried, scared.
We get the extra little snippets, as in the other books, that give us the views of the outside and enemies. We see quick letters between key fellow revolutionists, interviews with La'hengian who have taken the cure and what they've seen or lived through, and news casters against or for the rebellion. All giving a feel of the war the world is fighting.
This story is like coming home to a comfy chair, to read Jax again.
I miss the characters who were lost or left and remembered through out the series, but love the characters present and returning, and even new joining us. Jax's past always seems to be in the forefront as a memory or how it can help with what she's learned by her mistakes. Always making Jax think.
We get a quick refresher of the La'heng people and their servitude. I remember back to Loras when Jax learned so much about him and his kind, but it was a while ago and so much has happened since then so very nice to get the quick reminders in the story.
We see Jax and March in the beginning and they seem so good and with Jax's relationship with Vel. All seems great. But I wait knowing the other shoe's going to drop. All the losses in Jax's life are still fresh in Jax's mind. She doesn't regret, but misses them and the choices she's made over time. All this has created the Jax we see now, a new and different Jax.
Ann's writing has hurled me to this point, as I had to keep going and still in the last book ann propels me to flip pages feeling a full range of emotions; happy, giddy, sad, worried, scared.
We get the extra little snippets, as in the other books, that give us the views of the outside and enemies. We see quick letters between key fellow revolutionists, interviews with La'hengian who have taken the cure and what they've seen or lived through, and news casters against or for the rebellion. All giving a feel of the war the world is fighting.
This story is like coming home to a comfy chair, to read Jax again.
nevclue's review against another edition
4.0
Tonally quite different from the previous books. Here Jax, Vel and company start a rebellion to free the La'hengrin. The book unfolds over a period of about four years and sometimes the pacing doesn't quite feel right. However, the book makes for a nice end to the series. Several things are resolved in terms of Jax's relationship, while others cannot be as neatly tied up.
that is not the barometer by which its importance is judged. I've seen other reviews describe this as a "love triangle" but it's not really quite that. I'm not quite sure how to describe it. But it was a joy reading how it all unfolded.
Spoiler
Vel has been my favorite character in the series and I frankly adore his and Sirantha's relationship. I think it is a beautiful friendship and the importance the series places on that relationship is refreshing. Rarely are platonic friendships shown in such a light. While there's a definite suggestion that the relationship may turn romantic and/or sexual at some point in the future,that is not the barometer by which its importance is judged. I've seen other reviews describe this as a "love triangle" but it's not really quite that. I'm not quite sure how to describe it. But it was a joy reading how it all unfolded.
claire_loves_books's review against another edition
2.0
This was a real disappointment for me- it was so vastly different to the other books it felt like a different series- instead galaxy travelling Jax is fighting a grueling guerrilla civil war. It's slow going, the location is static and the plot is pretty repetitive- lots of fights and blowing stuff up.
I really hate her relationship with March- it mostly seems to be sex and feeling terrible about herself for Jax. They keep saying how much they love each other but they don't seem to actually improve the other's life.
It was an unsatisfying ending to a decent series.
I really hate her relationship with March- it mostly seems to be sex and feeling terrible about herself for Jax. They keep saying how much they love each other but they don't seem to actually improve the other's life.
It was an unsatisfying ending to a decent series.
julieabe89's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was such a good wrap up for the series. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how Jax settled into her relationships with her loved ones. And her role in the revolution was phenomenal. I loved every moment.
thereadingrobyn's review against another edition
1.0
didn't finish. Loved the rest of the series, but I just wasn't feeling this one.
lizzy_22's review against another edition
5.0
"Now, so far as the galaxy's concerned, I'm going quietly off the charts. After all, the adventure has only just begun."
Farewell, Sirantha! And good luck!
*sob* I can't believe it's over. If you like scifi adventure with a little bit of romance, Sirantha Jax is a MUST READ! Great adventure, emotional ties of love and friendship, loyalty to duty and friends..it has it all. So sad to see it end!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Farewell, Sirantha! And good luck!
*sob* I can't believe it's over. If you like scifi adventure with a little bit of romance, Sirantha Jax is a MUST READ! Great adventure, emotional ties of love and friendship, loyalty to duty and friends..it has it all. So sad to see it end!
HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
magiklee's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome!!!! But I can't believe my favourite series has come to an end though. That's the biggest bummer. I will miss Jax and most definitely Val!!! I was team Val from book 3. March just didn't cut it for me.