Book Synopsis:
In a scarred and brutal future, The United Commonwealth teeters on the brink of all-out civil war. The rebel resistance plots against a government that rules with cruelty and cunning. Gifted student and Testing survivor Cia Vale vows to fight. But she can't do it alone. This is the chance to lead that Cia has trained for - but who will follow? Plunging through layers of danger and deception, Cia must risk the lives of those she loves - and gamble on the loyalty of her lethal classmates.
My Review:
4/5 stars. I liked this one more than the second book in the series, but not quite as much as the original. It had an exciting plot like the first book, and the ending was very satisfying. There were still some things I didn't like as much, though. The main character seemed inconsistent in her characterization. Also, as has been the case for all three books, the romance was extremely bland.
First, I'll talk about the inconsistent characterization. The running theme of the trilogy has been trust. Cia's dad gave her advice not to trust everyone, but Cia is a very naturally trusting person. She wrestles with this conflict many times over the course of the series. In this book, however, it was just contradictory. At one point, she says she will have to break her father's advice and trust people because she can't do the job alone. Then, other times she says something like "I want to trust him but I can't. I hear my father's words." Is she breaking her father's advice or keeping it?
Another somewhat inconsistent thing in this one were the morals/ethics. Cia's beliefs on what was right and wrong, what she could and couldn't bring herself to do, seemed to be all over the place. At times she justified her actions, then other times she said her conscience couldn't let her do the same kind of actions. They were over all very loose.
I've mentioned the romance in every single book. It's so boring. In this book, Cia had way more chemistry with a character who wasn't her boyfriend. I don't know if that was intentional or not, but I don't think it was. I think the reader is supposed to like the romance, but I definitely didn't.
Despite all of that, this was still a very enjoyable story. It had a lot of tense and exciting moments. It took a little bit to get going, but once it picked up, I read it a lot quicker. I also loved the ending. It was a great, satisfying conclusion and made me happy.
Content:
Language: D*mn, p*ssed, only once or twice each
Sexual Content: Lots of kissing, sometimes describing the intensity growing and the feelings they produce, but nothing more beyond that
Violence/Gore: Death, killing, injuries, wounds, blood but nothing too graphic
Drugs/Alcohol: None
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