Reviews

Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson

lachimolala981's review against another edition

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4.0

I think the thing I enjoyed most about this book was the realistic aspect. While I have never been part of a plan to take down a thieving politician, I would imagine that doing so would be, at times, quite tedious. Days and days of waiting. Slowly gathering information. Meeting and collecting people who could be instrumental. Parts not going to plan because life doesn't go to plan.

This was a slower read than the first two in the series, but I appreciated the twists and turns that much more because Carson didn't necessarily write a fast-paced adventure series. She wrote about a girl who lived in a difficult time in history and included at length the extreme hardships, deaths, and evil that one would have likely encountered then. I appreciated the pace of the series that reflected the small details and often tedious parts of a life, which felt more realistic.

amybraunauthor's review against another edition

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5.0

Couldn't have asked for a more suitable ending to this fun, unique trilogy! The story was nice and complex, with the crew from Glory working to stop a power-hungry millionaire from crushing the already downtrodden. I enjoyed the pace of the book, and how there was a little more insight into Lee's witchy powers and more of the history with her mother. Their plans were expertly well-crafted, though they definitely hit some hurdles I wasn't sure they'd overcome. Lee remains one of the coolest females in YA fantasy, though I actually have to give props to two side characters called Large and Larger. I just couldn't help but love them whenever they showed up on the pages and will actually miss them! As always, the writing was stellar and I'm sad to see this story go, but I'm not complaining about the ending. Definitely one to check out if you haven't already.

ginamiya's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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nicolemhewitt's review against another edition

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4.0

This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction

This conclusion to the Gold Seer Trilogy has our crew of miners planning a heist to bring down a major political player in California. They have to figure out how to outsmart the people who would hold them back and hold them down (and cheat them out of what they deserve). While I didn’t love this conclusion to the series quite as much as I enjoyed the first two books (mostly due to the way the ending played out with their whole plot being explained instead of us seeing it), I’m still glad I got to witness Leah’s happy ending. And I do love the focus on the racial and gender inequalities of the wild west. I also really loved that Leah’s “witchy” powers were a major factor in their success. These books make me want to read more historicals from this time period, and that right there is a ringing endorsement.

infinite_tbr's review against another edition

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4.0

4/5

This is a solid conclusion to the Gold Seer trilogy. Having destroyed Hiram’s mine and negotiated a promise of a charter, Leah and her friends now travel to San Francisco to retrieve Becky Joyner’s house. Once there, they find themselves pitted against James Henry Hardwick — the millionaire who had held Hiram’s debts and promised Leah a charter.

While Leah’s gold sense plays a much smaller role, she does ultimately save the day with it. I love that we get to see the team work together to combat Hardwick and the corruption he represents. The book turns into a heist story, which is a fun departure from the seriousness of the other books in some ways — though they are still fighting for their lives. And we learn that Leah is not alone in having special powers. The book also directly addresses the blatant sexism of the period since the heist is necessary due to the laws of couverture — a woman cannot inherit property, her husband or father will hold it for her.

This book covers a fascinating moment as California is still quite lawless. On the cusp of statehood, with gold pouring out of the ground, and people building vast fortunes, the political ambitions of some are suddenly within reach. Overall, this is a great conclusion and Carson includes a final note describing the historical accuracies and inaccuracies in her trilogy.

pantsreads's review against another edition

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3.0

A little disappointed in this series finale, as it lacked a lot of the action that made the other two books so compelling.

Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.

rays_reads's review against another edition

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3.0

AYO IM WRITING THIS ON MY PHONE AND HAVE NOT BLOCKED OUT SPOILERS SO READ AT YOUR OWN WILL OK? OK

This series honestly could've ended as a duology because the last book.... didn't really make sense.... I liked it but... it was kinda unneeded.

So this story picks off back in Glory once all the folks finally get settled after dealing with Hiram. Then they find out the person above Hiram who funded his mining project isn't keeping his end of the deal... in the end of the second book he seems like every other rich business man who, if they got their money, would keep up their end of the bargain.

But the author was like "sike! You thought we were done with the rich?! Never!" And cue the Billionaire stealing all of San Francisco land (and Becky's baby daddy's house).

The Billionaire (ill refer to him as such because.... i cant remember his name) seemed like such a rushed villian who just stole to steal... which is like... fine I guess but at least with Hiram he had a motive... NOT TO MENTION FRANK... HOW DID THAT MF SURVIVE BURING ALIVE LIKE WHAT

Moving onto other issues.... I did like the further exploration of societal issues in this book as it went somewhat into more detail if women's right (meaning zero, zilch, nada) and the treatment of minorities, focusing on black people. Jim's character was a nice suprise return and I like how he pointed out Leah's hypocrisy at times but it wasn't out of malice but simply because she was an ignorant 16/17 year old... and a white woman... Also how in df did the man get shot in one clip and then live to tell the tale in the next clip... like what kinda Naruto sheet is that.

Overall this book felt very rushed in plot and lackluster in villans and character growth as the author introduced more characters rather than developing the ones she already had *cough* Tom *cough* but I did enjoy it and was happy to see the couples I was routing for work out all in the end.

Overall rating: 3.5

guylou's review against another edition

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3.0

This is the last book in the Gold Seer Trilogy. I really enjoyed the first two and the third one was ok. The story is interesting and there are several historical facts about the California gold rush. The third book did not add much to the story, but was still entertaining. Great YA series.

kristyreadsalot_'s review against another edition

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5.0

4.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this one! A great end to the series!

illborrowthisone's review against another edition

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4.0

This certainly provides a small reminder of the difficulties for minorities and women in the 1850s. Thankfully much has changed and hopefully so much more will continue to change. Can Leah triumph in the face of adversity? You should read and find out.

I love the historical journey this series took me on. The American frontier can really feel like a fantasy for our modern world and I just loved Carson's take with this fascinating magical twist.