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tonydragon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
rellimreads's review
4.0
The Final Hour is the 7th Victor the Assassin book by Tom Wood. There are a lot of references to previous books in this one and the series is best enjoyed in order.
Wood brought back Raven!!!! I love, love, love Victor and all these books. However, I simply adore the interplay between these two. It makes for a fantastic story. Or six. Because holy moly did Wood give backstories and smaller incidents to create an intense last third that kept me giving the stink eye to anyone who dared ask me to pause the audio. I enjoy their banter, how they work together, how they fight, and that the fact still remains… neither truly trusts the other.
Yet Victor & Raven make a pact to work together as long as it serves both their interests. With enemies coming at them from all directions it does. Until it doesn’t.
There’s even more depth and insight as we’re treated to Alvarez’s perspective on what it’s like to hunt for Victor. How Victor has alliances and enemies and it’s often difficult to tell them apart.
So good. I’m ready for even more Victor in Kill for Me.
Narration:
Rob Shapiro continues to be a fantastic match for Wood’s writing. Wood has so many personalities, accents, & emotions and Shapiro does justice to them all. I just love listening to these books.
Wood brought back Raven!!!! I love, love, love Victor and all these books. However, I simply adore the interplay between these two. It makes for a fantastic story. Or six. Because holy moly did Wood give backstories and smaller incidents to create an intense last third that kept me giving the stink eye to anyone who dared ask me to pause the audio. I enjoy their banter, how they work together, how they fight, and that the fact still remains… neither truly trusts the other.
Yet Victor & Raven make a pact to work together as long as it serves both their interests. With enemies coming at them from all directions it does. Until it doesn’t.
There’s even more depth and insight as we’re treated to Alvarez’s perspective on what it’s like to hunt for Victor. How Victor has alliances and enemies and it’s often difficult to tell them apart.
So good. I’m ready for even more Victor in Kill for Me.
Narration:
Rob Shapiro continues to be a fantastic match for Wood’s writing. Wood has so many personalities, accents, & emotions and Shapiro does justice to them all. I just love listening to these books.
jillyrabb101's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting. Lots of moving pieces to keep track of. A lot of groundwork to read through but very satisfying end. Slow to build up but has periods of action to keep the interest.
beastreader's review against another edition
5.0
I stumbled upon this series at book five. Instantly, I became a fan. Victor is gold. He is what makes this series so great. He is cool under pressure. The more challenging the situation, the better. If, he and James Bond were fighting, my money would be on Victor. Although, I am a fan of Bond. Victor does show compassion. How many people can say that they heard their killer's confession before they were killed. Not many. Poor priest. God rest his soul.
Yet, Victor is not the only reason I was giddy with excitement for this book. Raven! She and Victor team up again. She is probably the only person that Victor respects and who could get close enough to Victor to kill him. In fact, they both have a point on the score board as it relates to attempting to kill each other. My only regret regarding this book is that I read it so fast that I have to wait for the next one. The Final Hour is a top notch thrill ride thriller featuring ass kicking characters!
Yet, Victor is not the only reason I was giddy with excitement for this book. Raven! She and Victor team up again. She is probably the only person that Victor respects and who could get close enough to Victor to kill him. In fact, they both have a point on the score board as it relates to attempting to kill each other. My only regret regarding this book is that I read it so fast that I have to wait for the next one. The Final Hour is a top notch thrill ride thriller featuring ass kicking characters!
jacki_f's review against another edition
3.0
I've been a fan of Victor since the very first book, but I can't help feeling that the series is gradually running out of puff. Victor is an assassin, a lone wolf: when he teams up with others we lose some of his strengths and instead get robotic dialogue. Additionally this story - which I think may be the longest yet, certainly it's the most complex - tries to layer on a whole Bourne Identity layer of Government conspiracy and it feels out of place. If I wanted a silly storyline like that I'd read a David Baldacci book.
It's still not bad because-duh - it's written by Tom Wood, but please Tom, next time let's lose the sidekick, let's lose the secret conspiracy, let's lose the ridiculous wooden dialogue and just get back to Victor doing what he does best.
It's still not bad because-duh - it's written by Tom Wood, but please Tom, next time let's lose the sidekick, let's lose the secret conspiracy, let's lose the ridiculous wooden dialogue and just get back to Victor doing what he does best.
mojoshivers's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A great pushing the pieces around book. I don’t know if there is so much a single plot as a lot of subplots that advance the characters in different directions. Victor, Raven, Alvarez, and Phoenix all get new directions to head on. Alliances form, break, and form again.
I didn’t think I’d be satisfied with something like a filler novel, but it doesn’t feel that way. It very much feels like an action-packed installment in the series, albeit a very serialized one instead of episodic one. I’m okay with that. This series has earned enough good will to trust that they all won’t be resetting the board type storylines.
I didn’t think I’d be satisfied with something like a filler novel, but it doesn’t feel that way. It very much feels like an action-packed installment in the series, albeit a very serialized one instead of episodic one. I’m okay with that. This series has earned enough good will to trust that they all won’t be resetting the board type storylines.
bean_there_done_that's review against another edition
4.0
Another great installment in the series.
I was really glad Wood brought Raven back. She's a great contrast to Victor, and you can see how different their personalities are, despite them being in the same line of "work." The bantering between them was amusing, and it's great to see someone who can fluster Victor.
While this novel lacks the action-packed scenes I've grown to love from previous novels, I didn't feel like it was less suspenseful compared to the other novels. I respect how the author has handled the series, because none of his books follow the same formula, which a lot of other thriller novels suffer from. We have had Victor on the run, acting as a bodyguard, on an assassination job, impersonating another assassin, etc. It's interesting to see how differently Victor handles each situation.
This book features a lot of character perspectives, mainly characters who have appeared in previous novels, so I wouldn't really recommend this novel to first time readers. To fully understand and appreciate the connections all the characters share, I think the previous novels need to be read first. Consequences and effects of Victor's actions are shown here, and having prior knowledge of what he's done and whom he's interacted with are necessary to be able to fully appreciate the story.
I feel like this novel is a big turning point in the series, since many previous characters make an appearance, and the consequences of Victor's past actions show up. Victor makes several heavy decisions in the book, ones which I wonder if Victor will ever regret.
By this point I know to expect an amazing ending, and Wood didn't disappoint. I can't wait to see where Victor is headed now and what the author has in store for him.
edit: Oops, I forgot to mention how much I love the cover! I think it's the best cover in this series. It's simple, yet so gorgeous with the snow in the background.
I was really glad Wood brought Raven back. She's a great contrast to Victor, and you can see how different their personalities are, despite them being in the same line of "work." The bantering between them was amusing, and it's great to see someone who can fluster Victor.
Spoiler
I do hope she appears again, since she's really one of the few who haven't been killed by Victor. She also knows more about him that anyone else so far, really. I was sad that she and Victor didn't become friends/allies, but then again I understood why they couldn't be.While this novel lacks the action-packed scenes I've grown to love from previous novels, I didn't feel like it was less suspenseful compared to the other novels. I respect how the author has handled the series, because none of his books follow the same formula, which a lot of other thriller novels suffer from. We have had Victor on the run, acting as a bodyguard, on an assassination job, impersonating another assassin, etc. It's interesting to see how differently Victor handles each situation.
This book features a lot of character perspectives, mainly characters who have appeared in previous novels, so I wouldn't really recommend this novel to first time readers. To fully understand and appreciate the connections all the characters share, I think the previous novels need to be read first. Consequences and effects of Victor's actions are shown here, and having prior knowledge of what he's done and whom he's interacted with are necessary to be able to fully appreciate the story.
I feel like this novel is a big turning point in the series, since many previous characters make an appearance, and the consequences of Victor's past actions show up. Victor makes several heavy decisions in the book, ones which I wonder if Victor will ever regret.
By this point I know to expect an amazing ending, and Wood didn't disappoint. I can't wait to see where Victor is headed now and what the author has in store for him.
edit: Oops, I forgot to mention how much I love the cover! I think it's the best cover in this series. It's simple, yet so gorgeous with the snow in the background.