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A review by eesh25
Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
3.0
Finally, another series I can tick off. Yes! And this has been a fairly good series. I quite liked the first two books though this one... not as much.
This was the book with all the answers. Amy and Elder are finally going to land on the new planet. They're going to learn what the so-called monsters are and what threat it is they pose that's so bad that the "plague Eldest" decided to drug a ship full of people for generations. And we go all the answers, I think, so it wasn't all bad.
The starting of the book was great, with the landing and how the shipborns were reacting to something so unknown. They were going to be outside for the first time ever. Plus there was the mystery and the danger of the new planet; that created a good atmosphere.
The first time I had a problem was when a guy called Chris showed up. He was near Amy's age so, of course, we had to suffer through at least a bit of a love triangle. As if Amy and Elder didn't already have enough problem with them not having the best chemistry. I mean, we know nothing is going to happen with Chris but still had to put up with a whole thing with Chris flirting, Amy enjoying it, and Elder being jealous. It was unnecessary and it pissed me off.
Also, Amy is still kinda annoying. Her preoccupation with herself, her family, and anyone or anything to do with Earth, got better. In fact, she actually seemed to care about the shipborns. Unfortunately, she's still so rigid in her view of things. To her, being "normal" is so fucking important. Things like mono-ethnicity, absence of religion, and anything that doesn't fit her definition of 'normal', is wrong.Even her concern for the shipborns seemed to be a case of 'They're my people even though they're weirdos' instead of actual acceptance of who they are.
Elder's character development was just... gone. We spent two whole books slowing seeing him start to become a leader, only to have that mission completely abandoned in the third book. He didn't get to do anything. His thought process was basically: Amy, Amy, I need to help my people, Amy, Amy... For the most part, he was like a kid struggling to keep up with the "grown-ups" i.e. Amy's father.
So yeah, the characters were not a strong point for the novel but I like the overall story. The end was a little info-dumpy at times but most of the answers we got were properly sprinkled throughout. There were also new questions raised, and answered.
In terms of concluding the storyline, the author did a good job. It was a satisfying ending in some ways. In other ways, it was a little rushed and the characters really needed more work and attention. Also, the absence of an epilogue was very much felt. Still, I'm not unhappy with it and I'm glad to know how the series ends. That's a good thing, right? It wasn't the best end to the series but it still gave me a sense of completion (without any lingering frustration). That's more than I usually get from trilogies.
This was the book with all the answers. Amy and Elder are finally going to land on the new planet. They're going to learn what the so-called monsters are and what threat it is they pose that's so bad that the "plague Eldest" decided to drug a ship full of people for generations. And we go all the answers, I think, so it wasn't all bad.
The starting of the book was great, with the landing and how the shipborns were reacting to something so unknown. They were going to be outside for the first time ever. Plus there was the mystery and the danger of the new planet; that created a good atmosphere.
The first time I had a problem was when a guy called Chris showed up. He was near Amy's age so, of course, we had to suffer through at least a bit of a love triangle. As if Amy and Elder didn't already have enough problem with them not having the best chemistry. I mean, we know nothing is going to happen with Chris but still had to put up with a whole thing with Chris flirting, Amy enjoying it, and Elder being jealous. It was unnecessary and it pissed me off.
Also, Amy is still kinda annoying. Her preoccupation with herself, her family, and anyone or anything to do with Earth, got better. In fact, she actually seemed to care about the shipborns. Unfortunately, she's still so rigid in her view of things. To her, being "normal" is so fucking important. Things like mono-ethnicity, absence of religion, and anything that doesn't fit her definition of 'normal', is wrong.Even her concern for the shipborns seemed to be a case of 'They're my people even though they're weirdos' instead of actual acceptance of who they are.
Elder's character development was just... gone. We spent two whole books slowing seeing him start to become a leader, only to have that mission completely abandoned in the third book. He didn't get to do anything. His thought process was basically: Amy, Amy, I need to help my people, Amy, Amy... For the most part, he was like a kid struggling to keep up with the "grown-ups" i.e. Amy's father.
So yeah, the characters were not a strong point for the novel but I like the overall story. The end was a little info-dumpy at times but most of the answers we got were properly sprinkled throughout. There were also new questions raised, and answered.
In terms of concluding the storyline, the author did a good job. It was a satisfying ending in some ways. In other ways, it was a little rushed and the characters really needed more work and attention. Also, the absence of an epilogue was very much felt. Still, I'm not unhappy with it and I'm glad to know how the series ends. That's a good thing, right? It wasn't the best end to the series but it still gave me a sense of completion (without any lingering frustration). That's more than I usually get from trilogies.