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bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
It was a satisfying end to the trilogy, but a couple things about it weren't my favorite. Complete review to come.
Full review:
I was hooked on the Brilliance trilogy pretty much from the first page of the first book. The concept isn't particularly innovative, but superhero-type narratives appeal to me as a means of amplifying certain aspects of our world in order to observe them more closely. The attitudes people have toward "Brilliants" in this series mirror pretty much any "ism" you can imagine, the bottom line being the very real, very flawed propensity of the human inclination to label some people as "other", to retreat to an "us versus them" mentality in times of upheaval. Though I don't think the trilogy is necessarily a deep, insightful look into this tendency, I think it resonates as it does because most people can identify with having experienced this kind of world view. Some spoilers to follow.
Much as I liked this book, there were a couple of aspects that didn't sit all that well with me. One was that I thought Shannon was very underutilized. She doesn't play a huge role in previous books, as far as I can recall, but I would have liked to see more of her in this one. Instead, she's more like a tool for Nick to use whenever he has need of her. I don't mean that to be as severe a critique as it sounds, it's just that I was disappointed not to see more of her. For as much as I like Nick, I also liked having the chance to see how other Brilliants operated, and there didn't seem to me to be quite as much of that in this book as in the previous books.
The situation with Ethan's former mentor was also resolved somewhat unsatisfactorily for me. He felt more like a plot twist than like a character who really needed to be in the book, which was kind of a letdown. It also allows the author to leave some threads hanging, as he very obviously does at the end of the book. This won't be a bad thing if he does decide to revisit the world he's created here and address that very important question, but if that doesn't happen, I think it's a mark against this trilogy. I'm not sure leaving such a big question so open-ended is for the best.
I also didn't much care for the love triangle between Nick, Shannon, and his ex-wife. I saw it coming from a mile off and was impatient with it. I get it--throughout the series Nick feels a tension between the old world and the new world. He more or less symbolizes the whole thing, this attempt to mesh the "threat" of the new with the discomfort of the old, but the device didn't work for me in this case. It felt obvious to me which choice Nick would make in the end, and I was okay with that, I just wished the book hadn't bothered devoting page time to it. I'd have preferred to see that space devoted to something else--say Millie, who gets some very intriguing consideration in this book of which I would have liked to see more. To me she's one of the most interesting and enigmatic characters in the series, and her plight is interesting enough I think she'd make for a great subject for another novel.
That aside, I did like this book, and I'm a big fan of the series. I understand it's been optioned for film, and if a movie version is made I will be standing in line to buy my tickets. This book is packed full of action, so it's easily one of those books where you'll turn pages, turn pages, and be disappointed when you reach the last one because it's so engrossing. Sakey's command of pacing is excellent, and when he does slow down the action a bit in favor of introspection, it never strikes me as draggy.
Nick is also an all-around great character. Aside from his powers, he isn't particularly unique as he's a fairly stock dude sticking up for justice, but he does react in ways that are surprising and sometimes unsavory. There's one action in particular that Nick takes in his book where I felt like he was very much splitting hairs, and it made for some interesting speculation as to how far is too far. I like this because it keeps Nick from being *too* perfect while also not pushing him so far outside of the box that I could no longer identify with him.
I did like that Nick's ex-wife was given more page space in this book, and particularly the author's method for giving her that space. Throughout the series she's been rather passive in that she stays home and holds down the fort while Nick rides off to be the hero. This isn't a bad thing, per se, but I like that this book acknowledges that she knows what's at stake and that she's willing to do whatever it takes to protect what's important to her.
I guess my biggest disappointment with this series is that it's over. While I am glad that it was kept within a reasonable scope--few things are worse to me than when an author gets stuck in a rut and keeps releasing books in a successful series, only to end up watering down the series and disappointing--it's a bummer to me that I won't have more of these books to look forward to in the future.
Full review:
I was hooked on the Brilliance trilogy pretty much from the first page of the first book. The concept isn't particularly innovative, but superhero-type narratives appeal to me as a means of amplifying certain aspects of our world in order to observe them more closely. The attitudes people have toward "Brilliants" in this series mirror pretty much any "ism" you can imagine, the bottom line being the very real, very flawed propensity of the human inclination to label some people as "other", to retreat to an "us versus them" mentality in times of upheaval. Though I don't think the trilogy is necessarily a deep, insightful look into this tendency, I think it resonates as it does because most people can identify with having experienced this kind of world view. Some spoilers to follow.
Much as I liked this book, there were a couple of aspects that didn't sit all that well with me. One was that I thought Shannon was very underutilized. She doesn't play a huge role in previous books, as far as I can recall, but I would have liked to see more of her in this one. Instead, she's more like a tool for Nick to use whenever he has need of her. I don't mean that to be as severe a critique as it sounds, it's just that I was disappointed not to see more of her. For as much as I like Nick, I also liked having the chance to see how other Brilliants operated, and there didn't seem to me to be quite as much of that in this book as in the previous books.
The situation with Ethan's former mentor was also resolved somewhat unsatisfactorily for me. He felt more like a plot twist than like a character who really needed to be in the book, which was kind of a letdown. It also allows the author to leave some threads hanging, as he very obviously does at the end of the book. This won't be a bad thing if he does decide to revisit the world he's created here and address that very important question, but if that doesn't happen, I think it's a mark against this trilogy. I'm not sure leaving such a big question so open-ended is for the best.
I also didn't much care for the love triangle between Nick, Shannon, and his ex-wife. I saw it coming from a mile off and was impatient with it. I get it--throughout the series Nick feels a tension between the old world and the new world. He more or less symbolizes the whole thing, this attempt to mesh the "threat" of the new with the discomfort of the old, but the device didn't work for me in this case. It felt obvious to me which choice Nick would make in the end, and I was okay with that, I just wished the book hadn't bothered devoting page time to it. I'd have preferred to see that space devoted to something else--say Millie, who gets some very intriguing consideration in this book of which I would have liked to see more. To me she's one of the most interesting and enigmatic characters in the series, and her plight is interesting enough I think she'd make for a great subject for another novel.
That aside, I did like this book, and I'm a big fan of the series. I understand it's been optioned for film, and if a movie version is made I will be standing in line to buy my tickets. This book is packed full of action, so it's easily one of those books where you'll turn pages, turn pages, and be disappointed when you reach the last one because it's so engrossing. Sakey's command of pacing is excellent, and when he does slow down the action a bit in favor of introspection, it never strikes me as draggy.
Nick is also an all-around great character. Aside from his powers, he isn't particularly unique as he's a fairly stock dude sticking up for justice, but he does react in ways that are surprising and sometimes unsavory. There's one action in particular that Nick takes in his book where I felt like he was very much splitting hairs, and it made for some interesting speculation as to how far is too far. I like this because it keeps Nick from being *too* perfect while also not pushing him so far outside of the box that I could no longer identify with him.
I did like that Nick's ex-wife was given more page space in this book, and particularly the author's method for giving her that space. Throughout the series she's been rather passive in that she stays home and holds down the fort while Nick rides off to be the hero. This isn't a bad thing, per se, but I like that this book acknowledges that she knows what's at stake and that she's willing to do whatever it takes to protect what's important to her.
I guess my biggest disappointment with this series is that it's over. While I am glad that it was kept within a reasonable scope--few things are worse to me than when an author gets stuck in a rut and keeps releasing books in a successful series, only to end up watering down the series and disappointing--it's a bummer to me that I won't have more of these books to look forward to in the future.
shadybanana's review against another edition
4.0
This had a good buildup. The last book particularly contributed to that.
This also felt like the culmination. A reasonable conclusion.
One thing that the author preserved in this saga was his predictability. You could see the twist and the turn and the death and the not-really-dead from miles away. Again, there was one moment where I wanted this person to die and I had hoped they were dead but they weren’t. I think we all know who I’m referring to. It would’ve made a certain relationship conversation less awkward and more reasonable.
The best part of this finale? Not the action, not the suspense, not the plot, none of that. Characters. But not really. Heres what I liked.
I liked that Nick wasn’t sure of himself. He wasn’t a do-gooder who only did the right.
I liked that Kate and Todd were somehow kept involved.
I liked that they showed the human and emotional side of Erik and Millie
I liked how they tried to trick Soren in every way but failed. It makes sense. Dude is literally OP. The last duel was kind of cliche in that sense though.
I liked the fact that the ending isn’t actually happy. Shit I’m not marking this as a spoiler. Now you’ll be waiting for that horrible turn of events after which shit hits the fan. Maybe I’m lying. Maybe I’m not. Rip
This also felt like the culmination. A reasonable conclusion.
One thing that the author preserved in this saga was his predictability. You could see the twist and the turn and the death and the not-really-dead from miles away. Again, there was one moment where I wanted this person to die and I had hoped they were dead but they weren’t. I think we all know who I’m referring to. It would’ve made a certain relationship conversation less awkward and more reasonable.
The best part of this finale? Not the action, not the suspense, not the plot, none of that. Characters. But not really. Heres what I liked.
I liked that Nick wasn’t sure of himself. He wasn’t a do-gooder who only did the right.
I liked that Kate and Todd were somehow kept involved.
I liked that they showed the human and emotional side of Erik and Millie
I liked how they tried to trick Soren in every way but failed. It makes sense. Dude is literally OP. The last duel was kind of cliche in that sense though.
I liked the fact that the ending isn’t actually happy. Shit I’m not marking this as a spoiler. Now you’ll be waiting for that horrible turn of events after which shit hits the fan. Maybe I’m lying. Maybe I’m not. Rip
h3dakota's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, really. Satisfying conclusion to the story.
debbie13410's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gertrude314's review against another edition
4.0
I was not surprised to find out in the acknowledgements that Mr. Sakey is friends with Blake Crouch. Both writers seem to like male leads with strong families and a relatively happy ending. Granted, this book left one more big question mark and room for another book, if he gets bored one day, but it was still a pretty happy conclusion.
This book was another stressful one. It had to be as the conclusion and climax of three books! But at least while reading this I had more time for recreational reading and for sitting on the edge of my seat.
This book was another stressful one. It had to be as the conclusion and climax of three books! But at least while reading this I had more time for recreational reading and for sitting on the edge of my seat.
literarylover37's review against another edition
5.0
When the opportunity came to get an ARC of this book, I jumped on it! I have loved (and now own) this whole series from beginning to end. These are the kind of books that keep you up at night! For those who are unaware, these books take place in a world very similar to our own except that in 1980 the first "brilliants" were born. Brilliants or abnorms, have incredible abilities far beyond those of normal people. While this sounds similar to X-men, it's done on a much more realistic scale with abilities that are just extreme versions of normal people's skills such as reading emotions, strategizing, sensing people's movements. The only one that's really wild is one character's sense of time is distorted to where one second feels like 11 to him. This leads to obvious advantages with fighting, planning, etc. Even that though is just a play on an innate ability everyone has.
So I liked that about this series because it's more imaginable than straight fantasy or sci-fi. Anyways, even though these brilliants only make up 1% of the population, they change the way the world runs from the military to the stock market. Some people embrace these brilliants and some fear them. This series follow the main character, Nick Cooper, a brilliant who works for a government agency that hunts terrorists who are brilliants, as he uncovers a scheme to launch the nation into war and bring the norm/abnorm conflict to a head.
These books got me onto the rest of Sakey's work (I've read about half of his prior books now) and while enjoyable, I still like this series best. I can easily see this being an amazing television series if it was well done and hopefully like his friend Blake Crouch (Sakey discusses their time together on a camping trip being the inspiration for this series and for Blake's Wayward Pines) Sakey's books will get the same recognition and attention.
So I liked that about this series because it's more imaginable than straight fantasy or sci-fi. Anyways, even though these brilliants only make up 1% of the population, they change the way the world runs from the military to the stock market. Some people embrace these brilliants and some fear them. This series follow the main character, Nick Cooper, a brilliant who works for a government agency that hunts terrorists who are brilliants, as he uncovers a scheme to launch the nation into war and bring the norm/abnorm conflict to a head.
These books got me onto the rest of Sakey's work (I've read about half of his prior books now) and while enjoyable, I still like this series best. I can easily see this being an amazing television series if it was well done and hopefully like his friend Blake Crouch (Sakey discusses their time together on a camping trip being the inspiration for this series and for Blake's Wayward Pines) Sakey's books will get the same recognition and attention.
hank's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars for pure, diversionary, entertainment. Not literature, but easy to read, a couple of "big" ideas to think about and a satisfying ending.
davisek223's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the first two books of this series. This one gets a big fat "meh."
shesagift's review against another edition
5.0
Well I finished this book within 24 hours... What can I say? I read books 1 and 2 of this series a couple years ago and devoured them over a few short days. And this one was no different! Action-packed with higher stakes than ever, and Sakey manages to capture it all while also allowing for some political intrigue, philosophy and moral questions to creep into the book as well. I'd highly recommend this series; it's riveting, the world-building is inventive and clear, the characters are badass and each uniquely motivated, and it will be a roller coaster of a read!