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Review

Wow. Still trying to take in everything that happened, but I can honestly say, that this book blew me away!

The devastating events that finished off the last book continue on in their devastation, but I barely had time to focus on them because SO much else is happening! First of all – eight months have passed since the ending of the last book. YES! EIGHT FREAKING MONTHS! I couldn’t believe it at first, but I like the fact that we get a lot of changes happening without it dragging down the story with too much political drama. There is a very succinct sum up of what has happened in that time, and eight months proves to be enough time for changes to have taken place to move the story along to the next level.

I also like the fact that the time jump gives June and Day the opportunity to grow up just a little bit more, and have a bit more experience under their belts, settling into their lives after the upheaval of the first two books. And then there is Anden, who really shone in this one! Having gotten used to his role as Elector, he is confident, and perhaps just a bit more savvy, and I loved watching his story unfold along with June and Day’s. These characters just get better and better as they grow into themselves even more, and they all play their parts beautifully.

I felt that there was a lot more emotion in this book than in previous books, and I teared up a number of times as loose ends are tied up, and June and Day continue to deal with everything they have been through, and prepare for the challenges to come. It’s all really beautifully written. The romance is ramped up a bit, but it still doesn’t overtake the rest of the story, instead it complements it really nicely, and brings some heart clenching moments in the middle of all of the turmoil.

And OMG, is there turmoil! The drama and the action is tied in brilliantly with the political intrigue, and it all combines to create another fast-paced, mesmerizing book and HOLY HELL, this book is FULL ON. There is SO much happening! And just when I thought I knew where the story was going, something would happen to twist it in a different direction. Lu is so clever the way she keeps you on constantly guessing, and at the edge of your seat. And then, the culmination of it all hits…

“The Republic is weak and broken … But it is still your country. Fight for it.”

Oh hell yeah! The build up and the passion to the big moment almost made me want to take up arms and fight myself! OMG, my heart was pounding so hard, the action is pretty much non-stop there for a bit with explosions, gunfights, fistfights and fighter planes going at it, all while the personal stories play out on the ground. It’s an amazing feat for an author to have us mesmerized by all of the action going on, but also to be able to create smaller, personal moments amidst the chaos that left me scared and a little bit breathless. I was frantically flicking pages desperate to know what happens next (seriously – I didn’t even have time to stop and put updates on GR!).

And then that ending… OH. MY. GOD! Very unexpected, and to be surprised I wasn’t even sure how I felt about it while reading it. But after sitting on it for a bit I have come to the conclusion that while it wasn’t the ending I would have chosen, it fits. It fits really well. The way the story is written, the journey the characters go on, and even the tone of the books, it all fits perfectly, and it makes a lot of the events of the earlier books all the more significant. I thought it was really clever. But enough of my cryptic musings, it does end well, and I think most readers will be satisfied.

I have adored this series. It’s intelligent, it’s enthralling, and it has a whole lot of heart. It’s an absolutely brilliant blend of the personal journey of two incredible characters interwoven into a larger story of war and political upheaval in a well developed, and beautifully described dystopian world.

A great ending. 5 glowing stars.