In the Afterlight (The Darkest Minds #3)

                Hello happy readers!  So the bright side to me being MIA for a while is that I did get to finish some books so now I can get ahead so next time things get crazy I won’t get so off track.  That said I finished another book which at the time I thought was the series ender until I found out the new book isn’t a spin-off but is being marketed as book 4 set into the future some.  So while I’m sad it won’t count towards my series ender challenge I did finally finished the original trilogy with In the Afterlight (The Darkest Minds #3) by Alexandra Bracken and I can’t believe it took me so long to get there!  I am ready to start the newest book because I let my friend read it first and she loved it so that should be on the horizon before too long.  I previously reviewed the first two books here:  The Darkest Minds / Never Fade.

Rating:  5 Stars

                Many were killed.  Ruby lose someone close to her and looking back could break her.  The ones who survived the LA bombing move north to regroup with their prisoner, a fellow Orange like Ruby who is basically a twisted evil genius.  They are set back but they are determined to regroup and continue to free other Psi kids from the “rehabilitation camps” and bring an end to the corrupt government that has hunted them and covered up the cause of IAAN.  Despite her attempts to save him by erasing herself from his memories Liam is back and a small bright spot in the sea of bleakness.  Still the repercussions of her choice and everything that has transpired since has left everyone with demons as we reach the conclusion to this journey and see what will happen and who will survive. 

                So I read the first two books back in January 2016.  I enjoyed them and meant to continue on but for whatever reason I took a break before finishing it and it just kept getting pushed back.  So with the movie and new sequel coming out I was determined to finish it and be caught up again.  With two years between I was a bit nervous that I would have forgotten things but I was able to dive right back in.  A couple of the names (non-core) were a bit rusty but it was very easy to fall back into this world and remember what was happening.  That says a lot about the writing.

“Everyone needs reality to punch them in the face every once in a while.  Keeps you on guard.”

                The pacing for this book did seem a bit faster than the others.  We are left a bit broken and defeated but not ready to give up.  They need to regroup and figure out the best way to finish this once and for all.  Saving kids from the camps and getting the government exposed for the liars they are seems to be the main focus as it should be.  No one is fighting for themselves anymore they are fighting for a better world for all children which I love.  There is a lot happening with the powers and process.  Everyone has a different theory of what method to use and which would best serve the needs of the group.  This can divide people and it's true you can all want the same goal but have different ways of going about it.  I liked seeing that as it seemed very true to the world they Bracken has built. 

                Ruby and Liam.  I was devastated when she took his memories in the first book.  To have all their sweetness erased and for him to look at her and not know her was hard in book two but in a way some parts of this were harder.  Everyone has been through so much and being in Ruby’s POV I could see all of her pain both for the losses she has suffered and the consequences of her actions.  She is an Orange and while some trust and respect her there will always be the knowledge that she can get in anyones head.  There are parts that have you down but also some very amazing parts that just bring you back up and fill your heart.   

               

                Overall as a series my only downside is that I wish I had read all together and not taken so long in between but that is on me.  Bracken did an amazing job in each of the following books making sure she reminded the reader who everyone was and what happened last without being over the top about it.  I cared for these kids and their fight.  It was such a complex story full of challenging and important issues and I think that for the most part the majority of it was handled though there are still some open questions given the ending but I am hoping with the next book and the time jump we will see more of what became of everyone and the world as a whole.  While this was a story about kids with powers the whole world as a whole suffered in devastating ways during this time and a fact that is never lost. 

                Until next time…

Sentinel (Covenant #5)

                 Hello happy readers!  So first things first don’t forget I still have a giveaway up and running for a SIGNED copy of A Crown of Wishes here.  Today I'm going to be discussing my thoughts on the final book in the Covenant series, Sentinel, by Jennifer L. Armentrout and my overall thoughts on the series.  Spoilers through the series, duh.

Rating:  5 Stars

                So when we left off in the last book stuff had gotten real.  Our group was taking hit after hit and it ended with Alex being broken by Ares but being spirited away and healed by Apollo.  Like I said series.  We finally know which god is behind things pulling all the strings and bent on war.  Makes sense really.  But as the mortal world starts to slip into chaos Alex has to reconcile what happened and shake herself doubt away and dive back into the fray.  She will do anything necessary even work with a known enemy of the past to face the enemy of the present. All while trying to figure out a way out of this mess that lets her have her happily ever after in the end.

                 The options don't look good.  Alex has been this strong force of nature through the books so far.  She has had her moments of weakness and doubt sure but never like this.  She actually wanted to die.  Ares broke her.  This is a hard hit to suffer.  Aiden as always is there by her side willing to do anything to help.  I love how supportive he is with her.  Their connection from the start has always been off the charts but in this one it just really hits you in the core.  There are so many moments where they just know the other and what they need on instinct or a single look.  They are equals and always have been despite the breed order or her Apollyon powers they have always treated each other as equals.  Both knowing the other is in danger and not trying to shut them away but instead trusting them and their ability to make it through.  This really touches the heart.

                 Then we have Seth.  I hated him.  I didn't like him from the start but then I grew to hate his character and the evil he was a part of in his power hungry daze.  I equated him with a rapist drugging her with the bond and then leeching her power even when she tried to say no.  At the end of the last book with the showdown with Ares, all the pain, misery, and despair she felt as he broke her body and spirit I hoped he would feel every ounce through the bond.  Let him take on the horror he brought on.  He did.  He is suddenly seeing through the haze of his power madness and wants to help, suddenly seeing the error of his ways.  There was nothing he could do to redeem himself in my eyes.  Though watching as he tried and meet skepticism and resistance from everyone else I enjoyed that.  He got back on charm for so long seeing it not work, that everyone held him accountable for his evil deeds was refreshing.  I liked that they never tried to belittle those deeds.

                 Now adding this into the story was huge story points but we still have a war to finish.  This is the final book and there was a lot of ground to cover.  We have to save the world and nothing is ever easy or without cost.  This doesn't change here.  There is a price to be demanded and no matter how hard or gut wrenching for the good of all our heroes will face it.  I was constantly on the edge of my seat finishing this book trying to think of any twists or loop holes to make everything I wanted to happen to happen.  There was a lot to cover and it wasn't smooth sailing and in war people die.  This book actually had me getting teary and/or crying in different parts just thinking about certain characters futures (yes I know vague me) and this got more intense the closer we got to the end.

                 I was so nervous as I got closer that it might not end in a way that satisfied me.  I should not have worried though because JLA knows what she's doing and this series was amazing.  It hits you with all the feels and then some but you end feeling complete.  Like how it ends you can instantly see it from the start looking back on the whole journey.  It also did something that I wasn't sure was possible given how I felt about Seth pre this book and that's make me want to read his spin-off/sequel series.  I think I'm going to hold off a few months before I start these but I have the first three ready to go.  While there is the spin-off/sequel series I think the Covenant series wraps up nicely in Sentinel and I highly recommend it. 

                Until next time…

The One (Selection #3)

                Hello happy readers!  So quick heads up there is still a giveaway open for the SIGNED copy of The Last Star by Rick Yancey until 6/6 here so don’t forget to enter!  Now back to matters, you may have noticed that I’ve been working my way through the Selection series by Kiera Cass.  I have finished the original trilogy now and the bind-up of novellas and now plan to finish the newest two books in the series.  Today I’m going to be reviewing The One (Selection #3) and Happily Ever After the novella bind-up so there will be spoilers for the first two books just be warned. 

Rating: 5 Stars

                So when we left off we found out that the founder wasn't as awesome as we first thought, rather vindictive to his own family really.  He created the caste systems and after a bout of misunderstanding, anger, and hurt feelings America pitched dismantling the castes as her 'per project' on air to all the country to see.  As one can imagine the king was not pleased.  She was almost sent home but a raid by the rebels forced America and Maxon into a safe room together for the night where they could get some things cleared up between them and give Maxon a good story for his father to let her stay.  Things aren't that easy though because now she has broken Maxon's trust and he wants her to earn it back.  Things both inside and outside the palace are heating up as America gets closer to being the one, something she never thought she could want and now as she is close to losing it, him really, she will have to stop sitting back and waiting and fight for what she wants.

                This series I marathoned pretty closely back to back mostly listening in audiobook form.  I only ever got upset with America in this one finally for a few of her 'agh' moments.  At the time I remember remarking that I was so irritated with her at one point near the front but as time has let things sit I realize it was less annoyance at her and more my desire for things to go my way quickly in the story.  America did some things I wasn't thrilled about sure but the same personality traits I liked in the first two books are what got me upset in this one.  She is the same character who is coming to terms with her past and her present and understanding what it is she wants and who she wants to be.  That said I also had a few moments of annoyance with Maxon as well but that is par for the course when mix-up and misunderstandings keep popping up and interfering with what you want to happen.

                That said I was really excited to meet Georgia and August and learn more about the rebels and the country and where it stands overall.  There is much more going on than a simple selection and Maxon has more to worry about than choosing the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with and also with how he can save his people.  Neither task is made simple with interference by pretty much every outside force imaginable.  Violence erupts and we discover more and more that leaves everything in question.

                Overall as a series I really enjoyed the ride and the way things from all the books would come back into play or something I remembered thinking it was important coming back up later proving me right.  Lots of things happened.  Emotions run high and things are intense.  Overall while I found the series as a whole somewhat predictable I didn't find myself caring because it was still fun and while I knew what to expect how it got to those points were always interesting. 

                Now for Happily Ever After, the novella bind-up.  I dove into this directly because I knew it contained a story of where everyone was as well as scenes after The One.  I read the novellas totally out of order but that was okay.  I think my favorite, pun intended, might have been The Favorite followed by the after scenes and even the scenes from Celeste.  None of them are necessary to enjoy the series by any means they only add to them and give a better sense of some of the characters and I have to say The Queen may have been the most interesting one just to have that glimpse.  The Guard was my least favorite of the stories and it wasn't that I disliked it but more that I like Maxon more and even seeing Aspens side of some things didn't change much for me so it didn't really add much for me. 

                That's all for this I look forward to continuing on and finishing the last two books, the final one should be arriving via Amazon this week.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the first three books and how everything played out.  How everything ended?  Did you see it coming?  Were you rooting for it? Tell me in the comments below.

                Until next time…