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foofers1622's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-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
5.0
nonesensed's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Tensions are mounting all over the solar system. A new Mother has been appointed, the Asters fight harder and harder for equal rights, and the protests among the Icarii are many since the revelation of Val Akira Labs' horrific experiments. But just as things seem to be in favor of the revolution, it turns out the Val Akira patriarch has an ace up his sleeve...
Great finale to a tense and thrilling (and many times terribly sad) story! What I enjoyed most about this trilogy was the sense that everything bad that happened to the characters had been foreshadowed and made sense. I never felt any character got injured or killed for "shock value". It's a dark story, but it's dark for understandable reasons. Fighting for equal rights has, historically, been anything but nice and peaceful.
I'm happy with how this ended. All questions I had were answered and all characters I'd been following felt like they ended up in a place that made sense. There's only one thing that irks me a little, but it didn't ruin the book for me. Spoilers ahead:
Okay, so, the Singularity that's keeping humanity from expanding farther out in space is clearly treating humanity as if the whole species <em>also were a singularity</em>. They blame all of humanity for the actions of its' (less than democratically elected) leaders and brutally kill many, many human individuals due to the actions of a few. And <em>then</em> the Singularity freaks the hell out once humans can do the same to it, forcing it to become individuals and aim to kill said individuals.
I though the big "stop the war" moment would be when the humans present would make the Singularity realize how hypocritically it was acting; that it can't treat humanity like a single hivemind entity with a gazillion bodies all linked together. But instead we got Hiro basically going "Come on, you're right about everything, but pretty please give us another chance!"
A bit of an anticlimax that, but I enjoyed the rest of the book so much (especially the part where Hiro gets their robo-sibling to realize they don't have to obey their awful father) that it didn't ruin the book for me.
All in all, recommended!
Great finale to a tense and thrilling (and many times terribly sad) story! What I enjoyed most about this trilogy was the sense that everything bad that happened to the characters had been foreshadowed and made sense. I never felt any character got injured or killed for "shock value". It's a dark story, but it's dark for understandable reasons. Fighting for equal rights has, historically, been anything but nice and peaceful.
I'm happy with how this ended. All questions I had were answered and all characters I'd been following felt like they ended up in a place that made sense. There's only one thing that irks me a little, but it didn't ruin the book for me. Spoilers ahead:
I though the big "stop the war" moment would be when the humans present would make the Singularity realize how hypocritically it was acting; that it can't treat humanity like a single hivemind entity with a gazillion bodies all linked together. But instead we got Hiro basically going "Come on, you're right about everything, but pretty please give us another chance!"
A bit of an anticlimax that, but I enjoyed the rest of the book so much (especially the part where Hiro gets their robo-sibling to realize they don't have to obey their awful father) that it didn't ruin the book for me.
All in all, recommended!
ril_amber's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
brukneem's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
The indomitable human spirit in a scifi novel!! The plot twists, the character development, the LOVE...I cried so many times. This series was absolutely excellent!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Grief, Chronic illness, War, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Torture, Slavery, Rape, Xenophobia, Blood, Sexism, Racism, Body horror, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gaslighting, and Sexual violence
miasweeney00's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-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
3.5
ghosty773's review
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
tsunni's review
dark
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.25
I loved this series a lot. This final book of the trilogy does a decent job wrapping up the story from the first two books into a somewhat satisfying conclusion, more so for the main pov characters, while leaving room for an uncertain future for the galaxy at large.
I think the world building, the tech, the different ways different cultures and factions have developed over time is always really creative and the strong point of the writing. I love all of that, and also love the main characters; Hiro and Astrid especially are my favorites, and the way they grew and changed over the course of this book (and the entire series) feels earned and realistically flawed. I really liked every personal moment they each had with loved ones around them, and I was cheering for them every time they made a breakthrough in their personal journeys.
I don't think every single character or the overarching plot is necessarily handled as well; some of the last plot turns don't always feel earned, especially for side characters who don't get the benefit of 3 full books of characterization. I actually had some mild disbelief that certain characters would act in certain ways toward the end. This is kinda in line with the last two books, it just felt like there wasn't enough time to properly engage with every character to the depths that would explain their motivations properly, for the level of major decision making that was happening.
I came away with some mild dissatisfaction with how things turned out because of some of the later plot twists, but overall I still really loved the writing, enough that I'd probably jump eagerly into whatever Linden A. Lewis writes next. I can totally see myself picking up some physical copies and rereading this in the future, there's just so much to love.
I think the world building, the tech, the different ways different cultures and factions have developed over time is always really creative and the strong point of the writing. I love all of that, and also love the main characters; Hiro and Astrid especially are my favorites, and the way they grew and changed over the course of this book (and the entire series) feels earned and realistically flawed. I really liked every personal moment they each had with loved ones around them, and I was cheering for them every time they made a breakthrough in their personal journeys.
I don't think every single character or the overarching plot is necessarily handled as well; some of the last plot turns don't always feel earned, especially for side characters who don't get the benefit of 3 full books of characterization. I actually had some mild disbelief that certain characters would act in certain ways toward the end. This is kinda in line with the last two books, it just felt like there wasn't enough time to properly engage with every character to the depths that would explain their motivations properly, for the level of major decision making that was happening.
I came away with some mild dissatisfaction with how things turned out because of some of the later plot twists, but overall I still really loved the writing, enough that I'd probably jump eagerly into whatever Linden A. Lewis writes next. I can totally see myself picking up some physical copies and rereading this in the future, there's just so much to love.
vanessa_books26's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
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
5.0
adumundead's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
5.0
gracesull's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.5