I enjoyed reading this series, was different then the typical stories the main thing i can comment negatively about is the ending felt rushed and didnt really fedl like the right ending but otherwise an enjoyable story.
This review is going to be more of a rant. I feel tricked and very mad. Also, some mild spoilers ahead - so beware.
I had rated the first 2 books with 5 stars, however I can not give this book anything but a lowest number. In addition, Im going back and changing my rating on first 2 books to 1 star.
From the first book I wanted to hear an answer as to who had caused the apocalypse. By the end of book 2, with understanding that only North America was infected, it became fairly obvious that infection was not result of a war, done as an experiment by someone, in collusion with people in the USA.
This last book in series put the name to someone - organization called the Throne. Now, this is not explicitly explained in the book, but I see no other conclusion, given that different faction of the Throne use the virus to infect and kill everyone they feel like whenever they feel like.
The Throne had killed 99% of the North American population for some weird experiment, while keeping their own people on other continents happy. This is evil on the almost unimaginable level. And then they had continued that experiment for who knows what reasons. Not only that, they randomly continued spreading the infection which resulted in complete wipe out of (supposedly) protected villages, just for some political power play between themselves. The evil of this series is infinitely worse than evil described in Maze Runner series. But that evil is not addressed in any way. The only thing that author seems to care about is plight of holograms. And even that is incredibly inconsistent. The holograms can die without “substrate”, but then some dont. Some holograms can not transfer from village to village but some can, and there are absolutely no explanation as to why. The AI can essentially scan and convert humans into holograms but can not save existing holograms from death. Holograms would age and die, even though there is no need for it. They eat and consume valuable food resources while they don’t need it at all. There is a inoculation against virus, but only few chosen people get it, again, why? The story ends on a supposedly happy note. But it’s not happy at all. The evil organization continues to live in luxury and to run their experiments on pitiful survivors of once great nation without any consequences. The villagers are still live in a same prisons as before, the only difference is that that someone who use to be a real human is now a hologram, producing cute holographic children instead of real ones, who are blissfully ignorant in what’s going on around them.
But internal inconsistencies are not what make me hate this. The utter evilness of the story, without the explanation, without any satisfactory conclusion is what driving me mad and making me very angry.
Too many unanswered or poorly answered questions and motivations for actions didn't seem plausible to me. Too many parts of the plot were just abandoned or seemingly so. I so wanted to like this but at the end of the day I read a three-part book because it wasn't really a series (I can't imagine any reader reading just the first book - it would be like putting a single book down 1/3 of the way in), just to be left with a ton of what happened with X, what happened with Y, Why was this mentioned - and never discussed again, etc...
I did enjoy many of the characters - even with their strange and poorly justified motivations - or willingness to trust when that trust was abused. I also really loved the world that was created. I just wish the loose ends would have been tied up and the motivations of the characters would have been reasonable and convincing.
I hesitated to read this series at first, because I hate fantasy, and the first book’s description sounded a little like fantasy. But my favorite author recommended the series, in fact , he went on and on about this author, so I decided to give it a try. The first book was good. Not out there fantasy like I thought it would be. I gave it a 4 star. But the second and third book in this series are both great!! I would definitely give it a 10 star if possible.
I've been a fan of Terry Scott's stories ever since I encountered "The Game" as a Bookbub freebie. I was immediately hooked by Terry's masterful storytelling. Ghost was a satisfying conclusion to another great series. I can hardly wait to for his next story, whether it be the beginning of a new series or the continuation of one of his other series (maybe "Blades VR"? Hint, hint).
Binge read the series. It was good, the ups downs, twists, kept you engaged. Author took its time developing the stories and introducing surprises as he went and then the ending was rushed and ended with everything as it was at the beginning. To me the ending was disappointing. Kind of let me deflated. I am not a writer, but there were too many grammar errors that can easily be cleaned up. I find those distracting.
Shade is a great conclusion to the trilogy and now I don't have anymore books to read by this author. Let's hope The Game #10 comes soon and more of the Blight and Epoch series are soon to follow.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this series - mysterious, twisty and full of surprises. Some of the 'whys' weren't answered but it was still an intriguing story with believable characters and hidden agendas.
The characters are well fleshed out and the action just pulls you right in. Very immersive, I felt like I was right there. With the overall series there was some confusion and things that didn't quite fit right? Not quite sure how to describe it but very obvious. Not enough to take away from the 5 star rating, its that good. If you're tired of cliched dystopian novels, I highly recommend this series.
Hmm… I am not sure what to say. The writing in this one was a bit juvenile for me. I wasn’t as invested in the characters and I felt like there were a lot of strange plot holes and plot jumps. The ending was a bit rushed for me and I really did not enjoy it. Overall I really liked book 2 of the series but not so much book 3. I don’t think I’ll be rereading this series again.
I like the authors broader work. And this story had my attention until a little after the start of book 3. Then it seemed to lose its way. And what a scooby-doo ending! I’d strongly suggest that the author consider a rewrite to plug plot holes, address thematic issues, and build out the ending a bit more. Terry Schott has a friend who just re-wrote the first book of his new series, so might be open to the idea?
So good! This third and final book in the series tied it all up nicely. So many shocking twists. I love that all of Terry Schott’s books are like that. I wasn’t entirely ecstatic with the ending but it I’m happy enough. Do yourself a favor and look for other books by this author. You won’t be disappointed.
Not really sure how I feel about this book and this whole series. It feels like it could’ve been he’s handled better. Maybe it was the pacing and too much time spent on irrelevant things and not enough time spent on the overall concept and plot.
The descriptive powers of this author are exceptional! The scenes come alive as the story unfolds, yet there is no dragging of the action. I have read so many action and fantasy books during the pandemic (and during my lifetime) that it’s rare for me to be surprised by the story line, but this series surely did not become predictable, even by the last book, or by the last chapter.
Having spent months reading Terry Schott's collection of books, it's always a pleasure to have the opportunity to read sequels to his book series! The alternating perspectives came together wonderfully at the end, like they always do!
This series kept me intrigued the entire time. Luna's journey is inspiring and you fall in love with her immediately. The twists in the story are unpredictable and I could not put the books down.
What a fantastic series, this is a fascinating story and I like the way it really surprises you with the goings on in this dystopian world, I definitely didn't see the end coming, this is a very good series.
This series was full of adventure and intrigue with memorable character that were nicely developed through each book. The storyline was good with twist and turns to keep you reading with interest and needing to know what will happen next. A nice recommend
I enjoyed the trilogy because… it was entertaining, it had great character development, and it allowed for suspension of disbelief. I enjoyed the characters and how well they interacted.
This was an amazing read. It kept you on your toes with trying to figure out what was about to happen next but not so over the top that the writer lost focus. It was well written and I highly recommend the whole series.
This turned out to be a quick - and unexpected - read. A 3-book series, it took me places I did not anticipate when I started it. I enjoyed it & the characters, but it was...unexpected.
I really enjoyed this story but it could have all been told in one book. The characters were all well written and the extended relationships were a very interesting surprise.
I was waiting for the next book from my favorite author to come out when I picked up the first book in this trilogy. Well, the book was released and I haven't read it yet and I now have another favorite author. Great reads!! Enjoy.
Not as good as the first two, I did manage to devour it and really enjoy it. It was just too predictable for me. That aside, this series was pretty well thought out and planned and I enjoyed it very much. I will be getting other books from this author!