Shield (Spark, #3) in The Spark Army

Jul 05, 2015 Kelly (Diva Booknerd) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: loveozya, walker-books, bookgasm

The final instalment in the Spark Trilogy is absolutely breathtaking. Rachael Craw is an exquisite storyteller, creating an intelligent and intricate narrative that will captivate and consume readers until the final page.

Evie is an intense and fiercely devoted heroine, a girl who has survived The Infinity Project and now returning to the compound where change in policy is fermenting, a potential cure for the Stray mutation is on the horizon. This time Evie is unsure of who to trust.

Evie is a for The final instalment in the Spark Trilogy is absolutely breathtaking. Rachael Craw is an exquisite storyteller, creating an intelligent and intricate narrative that will captivate and consume readers until the final page.

Evie is an intense and fiercely devoted heroine, a girl who has survived The Infinity Project and now returning to the compound where change in policy is fermenting, a potential cure for the Stray mutation is on the horizon. This time Evie is unsure of who to trust.

Evie is a formidable character. She's tenacious but still remains charismatic and pragmatic. She's conflicted when it comes to Jamie and her controversial attraction to her fellow Shield in Jamie, her Aunt Miriam still remains silent on her enhanced bandwidth and being the child of a Synergist relationship ensures Evie's impeccable pedigree, hiding her true identity from Knox who will ensure Evie's life is never her own. Beyond the realm of The Infinity Project and their rigorous legislation, Shield also touches on Evie's basic freedoms of owning her own body as The Infinity Project determines approval for relationships and pregnancy.

Leader Knox is a fascist and his internal conflict with Ethan only fuelled the intensity throughout the storyline. Ethan is determined to protect Evie, especially while Miriam lies unresponsive. Evie's relationship with Ethan begins to develop, gently, tentatively and was lovely to experience. Ethan is integral to The Affinity Project, which often amplifies the tension placed upon his familial bonds.

The secondary characters were superb and so wonderfully written, Davis especially. Davis is a character who captivated my attention, his maturity and vulnerability was incredibly charming. Despite my previous animosity towards her character, Helena's character was wonderful and I've discovered a new found appreciation for who she is as an individual, furthermore to her connection with Jamie.

The romance.

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Hot. The connection between Evie and Jamie is intense, sultry and incredibly awkward. Hilariously so. Jamie has an opportunity to deactivate and despite his own safety, wants nothing more than to share his life with Evie. Their friendship and tentative relationship throughout the series has been fiercely passionate while the physical aspects of their bond, tender and gratifying.

The greatest aspect of the Spark series is the writing. Rachael Craw has created an engaging and utterly captivating narrative. Evie is magnificent, maturing and adapting while allowing readers to share her journey of evolution and self discovery. The romance is achingly beautiful, the intimate scenes breathtaking.

Rachael Craw is an exceptional author and has crafted a sensational series that will enthral and enchant readers.

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I love you, you brilliant woman. ...more

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Sep 18, 2016 Jeann (Happy Indulgence) rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, young-adult, review-copy, walker-books

This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews!

You know when you’re struggling towards a goal, but endless roadblocks are thrown in the way? That has been Evie’s journey throughout the Spark series.

The biggest blockades to her living the life she wants, are the people who make up the Affinity Project. Being a genetically enhanced weapon, Evie is constantly pulled from pillar to post. Everyone acts like they have a say in what she wants to do and who she wants to be, and This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews!

You know when you’re struggling towards a goal, but endless roadblocks are thrown in the way? That has been Evie’s journey throughout the Spark series.

The biggest blockades to her living the life she wants, are the people who make up the Affinity Project. Being a genetically enhanced weapon, Evie is constantly pulled from pillar to post. Everyone acts like they have a say in what she wants to do and who she wants to be, and I was quite annoyed at the adults in the novel at times. In Shield, there’s Knox who wants to breed her for his own science project, and others who want to protect and observe her skills. Can we just let her make her own decisions?

From the young teenager we met in Spark to the strong, resilient woman that we see today, I loved Evie’s character development throughout the series. Shield gives her some defining moments, where she acts on her own instinct much to others’ dismay. I was thankful for her journey throughout the series, where she demonstrates her strength, courage and leadership against all odds.

After reading and loving Spark and Stray, the first 2 books in the series, I actually struggled quite a bit with Shield. Blame it on my bookish amnesia, I actually couldn’t remember a lot of the more scientific concepts behind the DNA manipulation and the Affinity Project. With concepts such as the KMT , synergist connections, de-activations, sparks, proxies and coolers being used throughout the book, not much is recapped or explained again. It builds upon prior knowledge that the reader has gained from following the series, with more concepts being thrown in and expanded upon. While the first book felt a bit info-dumpy with the genetic mutation, I felt Shield went the other way and could’ve fared with with more recapping or explanation of what these concepts were.

Much of the fun and friendship with Kitty was missed in this book, along with the motherly protection of Miriam and even Jamie’s flirtatious passes. Things are a lot more serious this time around, as Evie is dealing with grief and being separated from her loved ones. There’s a lot of angst and jealousy here, over the ‘other girl’ Helena, and there’s definitely a lot to work out between Evie, Jamie and Helena. I was thankful for Davis, a handsome and caring friend who helps Evie through some of her tougher times in the novel, given everything else that was happening.

As Evie discovers the origins of her makeup and the multiple goals behind the Affinity Project, there’s a lot of secrets and reveals in the novel. The plot is complex and mind-boggling with no single focus.

Shield is a complex exploration into the effects of DNA manipulation for science and power. With the absence of some of Evie’s loved ones, it felt darker and heavier than previous books. There are some great defining moments in the book however, and Evie proves to be a brilliant role model for someone escaping her circumstances. Because some of the scientific concepts went over my head, I think re-reading or reading these books consecutively would help with it’s complexity.

I received a review copy in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Aug 13, 2016 Emily Mead rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

BUT WHY DOES IT HAVE TO END????????

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Sep 19, 2016 Jananee (headinherbooks) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-reads

For more reviews, check out my blog --> www.headinherbooks.wordpress.com

The Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars

Shield was one of the strongest conclusions to a trilogy that I have ever read - an emotional and thrilling end to an already brilliant series. The great thing about these books is that they read very much like a movie, there isn't a dull moment in them and because of that, they make great binge read material. Which is me trying to justify that I read both Stray and Shield over the span of 24 hou For more reviews, check out my blog --> www.headinherbooks.wordpress.com

The Rating: 4.5 / 5 Stars

Shield was one of the strongest conclusions to a trilogy that I have ever read - an emotional and thrilling end to an already brilliant series. The great thing about these books is that they read very much like a movie, there isn't a dull moment in them and because of that, they make great binge read material. Which is me trying to justify that I read both Stray and Shield over the span of 24 hours. Moving along...

Rachael Craw continued to utilise her magic combination of characters, world building and plot to create a fantastic story in Shield. These books are strong because of the fact that Craw doesn't rely on just one element to drive the story, but instead wields all of them with impressive deft. We continue to learn more about the roots of Affinity and the histories of the characters introduced in Stray whilst simultaneously witnessing the impact that the ending of the second book had on all our characters.

This book focused more on the political aspects of Affinity and whilst that was super interesting (evil corporations usually are), it was not as high-paced and action packed as the second book (which, thinking back, was probably beneficial because I don't think my emotions would have handled another battering a la Stray).

Now onto the juicy stuff: Evie and Jaime.

I talk about their relationship in every single one of the my reviews on this trilogy but Evie and Jaime's relationship was hotter than ever in this book and I cannot get enough. It may just be me, but I adore forbidden romances and the tension between Evie and Jaime hits breaking point in Shield. It is so addictive to read about, with the tension off-setted by how delightfully awkward they are around each other as they try to act like everything is normal. Also doesn't help when a certain female from Jaime's past makes a reappearance ;). Speaking of, we are introduced to a few new characters in the novel who are as complex and as interesting as all the ones we have been introduced to thus far. Davis, who I never dreamed of liking in Stray, really grew on me in Shield, exemplifying Craw's spectacular character development and writing abilities. The only point of disappointment character-wise was that Kitty was not included as much as she was in the first book, which makes logical sense considering the story arc, but I missed seeing her and Evie's interactions because their relationship was so sweet and empowering.

All in all, this was a strong concluding novel to the fantastic trilogy that is Spark. I highly, HIGHLY recommend these books to everyone - especially if you are in the market for some quality YA Sci-Fi! The world-building, characterisation and plot twists are done fantastically time and time and again and I guarantee that these are books you will be adding to your favourites lists if given the chance. ...more

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Sep 29, 2016 Eugenia (Genie In A Book) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-release

*This review also appears on my blog Genie In A Book*

Thank you to Walker Books Australia for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Rachael Craw sure knows how to end a series with a bang! There's a bittersweet feeling which came with turning the final pages of this book, but I was left as impressed as I have been since the trilogy began.

In this high-octane page-turner, Evie is once again up against the Affinity Project, and in closer proxim ...more

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Jul 24, 2015 Amanda rated it it was amazing

The spine tree is complete and it’s beautiful!

It’s been a long journey from being introduced to Evie’s world after getting my copy of Spark from the only Goodreads giveaway I’ve ever won to now having just finished Shield, and oh boy what a journey it’s been! From the point of closing the cover on Stray almost a year ago to holding Shield in my hands for the first time the excitement has been steadily building. My excitement had built to the point that I was worried that it wouldn’t live up to t ...more

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Sep 09, 2015 Cassie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2016, owned

That. Was. Insane.

Rachael Craw, you evil-bloody-genius.

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Feb 21, 2017 Kristy (Book Nerd Reviews) rated it it was amazing

This review contains does not really contain spoilers for previous books in the series.

The finale of this amazingly unique series was certainly one of my most anticipated of 2016 – for me this is a series of shallowness and depth – and I was dying to delve into both!

Let me start by explaining the shallowness. I am happy to admit that I am rather superficial when it comes to this series, and the fault lies in equal parts to the publisher, the author and me. The first of the shallowness is the cov ...more

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Sep 07, 2015 Audrey rated it it was amazing

All I can say is that I'm going to have the biggest book hangover from Shield. I'm at loss for words.

I cannot begin to express my love and attachment to Jamie and Evie; Ethan and Miriam and Davis, Benjamin and even Helen, who I admit, wanted to hate in the first place.

Rachael Craw is such an amazing author and I can't wait for more characters and more worlds to come.

Now comes the big question. How devastated will I be when I wake up tomorrow knowing that I don't have to wait another year for m ...more

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Sep 06, 2015 Senyi Shen rated it it was amazing

Oh my gosh there aren't enough words in the english language for me to express how amazing this book was! Never a dull moment, full of action romance and drama, it actually physically pained me to stop reading. There's so much history and depth to each character, I really hope we get to learn even more about them in the future. I'm actually really sad that the series has ended, but I can't wait for what Rachael has in stall for us next xD Thank you for blessing us with such an amazing story <3 ...more

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Nov 29, 2015 Abbey rated it it was amazing

Review to come... but on a side note - AMAZING!!!

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Apr 10, 2019 Renee rated it it was amazing

SO.

I got this book when it came out in 2016 and only just read it because I finally had time between uni (Go do a placement, they're awesome and free up your nights!)

ANYWAY. For every other book in this series I made a GIF image of the cover to celebrate me finishing it SO HERE IT IS! (Probably improved now that I almost have my design and marketing degrees.)

"This is the Affinity Project - where freewill is turned to ash."
Evie is out of options. She must comply with the Affinity Project – obey ...more

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May 25, 2016 Samantha rated it it was amazing

First of all, you should know that I am sitting in my bed with every muscle clenched in a bid to stop hysterical, happy tears from falling out of me in sobs. I am so. happy.

Second: I cannot take another step forward without thanking the incomparable, inspiring and talented Rachael Craw. The world she has created, with her stories and characters, is something else entirely. I am in awe of her work and writing. Rachael, you are on the next level. I love the Spark series and I cannot wait to see w ...more

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Sep 15, 2016 Rachel Sanders rated it it was amazing

Fantastic end to the trilogy! Definitely fell for Davis in this book :)

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Aug 25, 2016 Alex M rated it it was amazing

Managed to get a hold of this book (bit earlier than what I think was the release date - oops!) today and absolutely devoured it. It was a satisfying end to an excellent trilogy. Although I am feeling a post-book depression I cannot wait to see what Rachael Craw writes next!

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