5 STARS. Where do I begin?? This book, this series and ITS WHOLE UNIVERSE is very close to my heart. Kate does it again � crushing the souls of compel5 STARS. Where do I begin?? This book, this series and ITS WHOLE UNIVERSE is very close to my heart. Kate does it again � crushing the souls of compellingly raw characters, painting a world with vibrant and haunting clarity, keeping us on the edge of our seats with suspense, and cleverly weaving everything together with deep truths that will shake you to your core and leave you thinking long after you turn the final page.
Resurgence is the suspenseful conclusion to The Blood Race series, which has followed “anomalies� Icarus and Hawk through perilous adventures in both the real world and other dimensions. Now, in the third and final book, they face the biggest challenge of all: healing a horribly messed-up earth, 200 years into the future.
All the characters go on a transformative journey that tortures them, tempts them, and forces them into the ring with their greatest fears � creating some incredible internal conflict. I particularly loved all the tension and angst between Hawk and Fin of course!!!! (no spoilers lol but you’ll enjoy it, mark my words.) But I also particularly fell in love with Icarus in this book. His character development really comes full circle, and feels SO SATISFYING. We’ve watched him struggle through this whole series, combating his demons and overcoming his trials…and in this third and final book, Icarus finally discovers a truth about himself that changes his reality forever.
On top of all the amazing themes and character development, there’s THE SUSPENSE. Guys, I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book. Like, “I can’t read fast enough� and wanting to see what happens next while constantly wanting to savor every word� agh!!! SO GOOD.
I like to look at the final book in a series as the culmination of the greater whole. And this whole series, let me tell you� it is PURE GOLD. Gorgeous, haunting, spellbinding, mysterious, thrilling, enlightening, and everything you could possibly want in a book. Sci-fi isn’t my thing. Fantasy? Not really. But this series surpasses its genre and proves that good books are good books. Give this whole series a read; it will blow your mind, crush your heart, and rock your world. ...more
5 STARS. Prepare to be blown away. Worlds Beneath will grab you by the throat and submerge you into a masterfully-written story of courage, trust, lov5 STARS. Prepare to be blown away. Worlds Beneath will grab you by the throat and submerge you into a masterfully-written story of courage, trust, love, and fear - then leave you breathless on the last page, begging for more. I still don't know how to sum up this book in a review because IT IS THAT GOOD. I want to give it A MILLION STARS.
If you read the first book in the series, The Blood Race, you are in for a wild ride with book 2. If you fell in love with the characters in book 1, you will fall even harder in Worlds Beneath. (no pun intended�falling, get it? Ha. Ha. *crickets*) But EVEN IF YOU READ THE FIRST BOOK, nothing will prepare you the absolute masterpiece that is Worlds Beneath.
The characters, plot, themes, and writing all work together to create a symphony of unforgettable story - you won't want to return to the real world after reading this. K.A. Emmons has an incredible knack for building dread and unraveling secrets. I loved how the mystery of the plot slowly pieced together from other characters' points of view. Even though I knew what was going to happen in the end, I was still shook when I got there. Not only could I not put it down, I WAS SHAKING. My hands were sweating (sorry, book pages) and I could vividly feel the surprise and dread in the characters - as if I didn't see the plot twists coming at all. THAT IS GOOD WRITING, MY FRIEND.
Although the sheer action, mystery, and suspense in this book is reason enough to read it ASAP, I have to say that my favorite element is the themes. The spiritual allegories left me thinking for MONTHS after finishing this book. Emmons covers a lot of ground in the themes - all without ever jeopardizing story, plot, or character development. In fact, the themes only add fuel to the fire of EVERYTHING ELSE in this book. While Hawk battles her fears and discovers courage, Icarus awakens to his true identity and Fin struggles with doubt, loss, and leadership. Out of all the characters, I could relate to Fin's journey the most. We all love him because he's perfect - but, really, he's not. He's flawed, too. And that's part of what makes him a great character. ALL THE CHARACTERS ARE JUST SO GOOD. They surprise you, but not by doing anything out of character. They all learn and grow and have a moral compass guiding them towards the truth - even if they stumble a bit along the way. (And the villains will make you want to jump through the pages and STRANGLE THEM.)
And the ending. Oh boy. The ending will rip your heart out and leave you in a puddle of tears on the floor. But before the heartbreaking cliffhanger, the climax is OUT OF THIS WORLD. I was on the edge of my seat, unable to read fast enough to satisfy the adrenaline. I honestly felt like I was watching a movie. (Uh, Hollywood? GET OVER HERE.) Hawk's character development comes full-circle in this book and IT IS POWERFUL. I usually have a hard time liking female characters in books, but Hawk is truly a heroine to look up to.
I recommend setting aside a few days to do nothing but READ THIS BOOK. It is literally THAT hard to put down. Emmons outdid herself with this one. I can't wait to see it on the top of the New York Times bestseller list because that's where it belongs....more
4 stars. THIS BOOK. ASDFHKSLFJAJSDS. DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING TO SAY THAT I ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND THE GIVER SERIES??? Like…years. YEA4 stars. THIS BOOK. ASDFHKSLFJAJSDS. DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING TO SAY THAT I ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND THE GIVER SERIES??? Like…years. YEARS, BRO. But I'm still not exactly sure I understand it 100% (lololol) which is why I'm not giving 5 stars here BUT! IT WAS SO GOOD. And the ending was amazing I was smiling so hard. :') OKAY LET'S MAKE A LIST BEFORE I RUN AWAY WITH MY EMOTIONS.
LOVELIES:
Everything?? HAHA SO MUCH FOR NOT RUNNING AWAY WITH MY EMOTIONS. This was a good book. It was the most unique of them all, and I was surprised by how invested I was in the story of Claire. And it circled all the way around to the beginning of the series which was AWESOME. I SO APPRECIATE STUFF LIKE THAT. This book also contains three separate "books" (or parts) which are all SUPER different from each other and I liked that element a lot even though there were some major time jumps that threw me off.
Character development was spot-on. JUST SPOT ON!! I loved watching Claire's character start off kind of oatmeal and then transform into deeply caring, empathetic, courageous heroine. It was so well done and not at all rushed. The story itself was just SUPER WELL TOLD. Anybody who knows me also knows that I'm a sucker for good storytelling, and well� Lois Lowry NAILED IT. The characters are all so real and human. It was also super cool to watch the story of THE GIVER sort of transpire off-screen through another character's eyes.
World building. WHEN IS LOWRY NOT GOOD AT WORLD BUILDING?? That's what I want to know, Rodney. Like I said before, all three "parts" in this book had TOTALLY DIFFERENT FLAVORS. Which I loved! The first was kind of cold and unfeeling, matching the vibe of the setting and the deeper meaning behind it; the second was vibrant and rustic, with some old Cornish influence (I dig it); and the last was wholesome and simple…perfect for the setting it matched. IT WAS LIKE WATCHING A MOVIE OK. IT WAS YUMMY.
Gaaaaaabe. MY BABY HE'S ALL GROWN UP. (Well, kind of. 14. Ahem.) He is a precious aggressive cinnamon roll of determination and I loved everything about him. (I also imagined him to look like Lucas Jade Zumann???? ANYBODY ELSE??) I also loved how he discovered his gift and it all tied in PERFECTLY with the ending. *screams into a pillow lest I spoil anything* GABE IS FLAWLESS OKAY.
Einar is also flawless. I SHIPPED HIM AND CLAIRE SO HARD AND GOT SO ANGRY WHEN THE PLOT DIDN'T DO WHAT I WANTED IT TO. Like� I know it couldn't have worked out. But how could anyone not love Einar??? He was a jaded broken blueberry waffle and sang with birds and took care of sheep and he was always so soft and kind and caring <3 UGH. I LOVE HIM TOO MUCH.
THE ENDING. THE ENDING WAS AMAZING. AND THERE WAS A PLOT TWIST THAT I LITERALLY NEVER SAW COMING AND IT WAS JUST SO GOOD I CAN'T PUT IT INTO WORDS EVEN TO SPOIL IT LOL JUST READ IT OKAY.
SQUABBLES:
I didn't get as much closure as I would have liked. I KNOW. NOW I'M JUST BEING PICKY. I understand that the world is different and futuristic but I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW EXACTLY THE HIGH TECH COMMUNITY IS SO HIGH TECH WHEN EVERYONE ELSE LIVES SO PRIMITIVE. And I also don't know where the high tech community is (geographically) in relation to everything else because THAT WHOLE SECTION OF THE BOOK WAS BLIPPED OUT OF CLAIRE'S MEMORY. HOW CONVENIENT. There was SOME closure…but nothing specific. And I guess this is personal preference but I LIKE SPECIFICS. Not a whole bunch of info-dumping, but…one or two sentences?? Just so I can sleep at night??? OH WELL. I'M HAPPY ANYWAY.
The beginning was a bit slow. This is a pretty long book. I may or may not have been peeking ahead in part one because I was WAITING for something to actually happen. It felt like a standalone?? Kind of? But we always know what's going on (unless you didn't read the first three books I guess) so idk I just felt like we could have cut to the chase a lot sooner. BUT HONESTLY THIS ISN'T A BIG DEAL.
All in all, I loved this series. Lowry's deep allegories and themes will forever exceed my expectations and leave me thinking for months after I've put the book back on the shelf. The characters are unforgettable, the story is timeless. SON is a beautiful conclusion to a triumph of a series. I would recommend these books to anyone and everyone. SO SO SO SO SO GOOD. ...more
5 stars. I honestly cannot think of one thing I didn't like about this book. IT WAS SO GOOD. Full of surprises and twists and allegories and ugh ugh U5 stars. I honestly cannot think of one thing I didn't like about this book. IT WAS SO GOOD. Full of surprises and twists and allegories and ugh ugh UGH I'M NO GOOD AT WRITING REVIEWS FOR BOOKS THAT I REALLY LOVED. Because I can't do anything but fangirl and babble incoherently. :''') IT'S FINE.
I can't even make a list of things I liked and didn't like because I LIKED EVERYTHING. Even the ending, as it broke my heart into little smithereens. *cries into a pillow* The characters were filled with depth and emotion � they each had unique voices and personalities. I loved how the characters from THE GIVER were finally reintroduced into the story (AT LAST A BIT OF CLOSURE *gasps desperately and hugs Jonas*) Matty was definitely my favorite. His character development was A+++++++ and he was just the perfect blend of strength and gentleness. His gift was intriguing and I totally didn't expect the ending� *cries some more* SO BAD IT'S GOOD. And the allegories of Forest and how it related to the spiritual changes in the people of Village� ASDFGHJKL YES MMMHMM. It left me thinking. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE books that make me think.
Like THE GIVER, I couldn't put this book down. It was definitely my favorite in the series so far…not sure if that means I'm getting used to the lack of explanatory endings or what. :') OH WELL. I CAN DEAL WITH A LITTLE CONFUSION. *runs off to read book 4*...more
4 stars. WOWOWOW THIS BOOK SURPRISED ME. I started reading it right after I finished THE GIVER and I’ve gotta admit…I WAS LITTLE BORED. I was rather t4 stars. WOWOWOW THIS BOOK SURPRISED ME. I started reading it right after I finished THE GIVER and I’ve gotta admit…I WAS LITTLE BORED. I was rather turned off by the slooowwwww beginning and how suddenly the reader is flung into (seemingly) an entirely different world than that of the first book in the series. But then the pace started to pick up and WOOOO I COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN. But I have too many thoughts right now so LET’S LIST.
LOVELIES:
Spot-on world-building. SUCH DETAIL. I FELT LIKE I WAS THERE. And honestly this was actually really good because like I said, THIS IS NOT LIKE THE GIVER. It feels completely different. Where the world of THE GIVER was utopian and modern, the world of GATHERING BLUE is primitive and woodsy. I actually really liked the change of pace (especially since I know it will make sense eventually lollll) and the setting just felt super solid and well-built.
THEMES!! There were all kinds of themes going on here. Yummy themes, deep themes, simple themes, complex themes, dark themes, beautiful themes…THEEEEEMES. I particularly liked one underlying message about artists � allowing a free-spirited person to create of themselves, and not be “forced� to do what everyone tells them to do. How the magic leaves your art when you lose your love for it. LIKE, WHOA. MIND BLOWN. IT WAS INTENSE.
Kira. STILL DON’T KNOW HOW TO SAY HER NAME BUT I REALLY LIKED HER. I liked how she was flawed and imperfect, but not in a cliche way. She wasn’t your typical “something is going on here I AM DESTINED TO FIND OUT WHAT IT IS!!� protagonist. And I really appreciated that. I also wasn’t expecting her to do some of the things she did but it didn’t feel out of character!!! IT WAS GOOD. SO GOOD. mmmmm.
THOMAAAAS. Okay, whatever. There wasn’t actually that much with Thomas, but HE WAS ADORABLE NONETHELESS. A little stale cinnamon roll, too set in his ways � but!!! I HAVE HOPE FOR HIM. I also lowkey ship him and Kira even though there is literally nothing going on???? LOLOL I’M A HOPELESS ROMANTIC DON’T MIND ME. *cries silently in a corner*
Plot twists! THERE WERE SOME DARN GOOD PLOT TWISTS IN THIS BOOK. Although I did call some of them?? It was still awesome. Because I love to predict the unfolding of a mystery and then watch it turn out just like I thought it would. Still, it surprised me! There were some twists and turns that I definitely did not see coming.
SQUABBLES:
Slow. So slow. Yes, the world building was good. But I felt like there was kind of too much of it sometimes??? I also was NOT HOOKED AT ALL. The beginning was a bit confusing and just kind of “meh� to me. Also the “inciting incident� that Brough Kira into the world of the Guardians was kind of irrelevant??? IDK IT JUST FELT A BIT AWKWARD TO ME. I feel bad saying this because I’m not exactly sure what bothered me about it…but I was just kind of impatiently saying to myself “come on, what’s going to happen here?� I started reading this book and then I put it down for LIKE A WHOLE MONTH. But then I picked it back up again, fought through the slow parts, and was surprised by how intriguing it turned out to be!
I could have lived without knowing what Matt’s dog was doing every 0.2 seconds. I’M SERIOUS. THERE WAS SO MUCH DESCRIPTION ABOUT THAT DOG. And all of it was 110% irrelevant. There was also a lot of useless description in general. It felt kind of literary for a kids� book. But maybe I just have the attention span of a goldfish???
I’m confused. It was a little frustrating to finish reading THE GIVER and then pick this book up out of desperation for some closure and then � BOOM IT’S A WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY (seemingly??) I know this is a series, which means the story will continue and hopefully I’ll get some closure at the end of it. But as of right now, I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS, SIR. I guess that means I should go read MESSENGER as soon as possible. ;)
So, in conclusion, THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. I was a little bored at first, but all the story’s twists and turns took care of that without too much of a wait. I’m intrigued, surprised, and can’t wait to read the next book in this series!!...more
I’ve read sci-fi/fantasy thrillers before � and I’m kind of a picky reader, too � but The Blood Race blew me EVERYONE needs this book in their lives.
I’ve read sci-fi/fantasy thrillers before � and I’m kind of a picky reader, too � but The Blood Race blew me away with how unique it is. This is not your average teenager-with-superpowers book. This story is woven together with such detail and precision. It’s beautiful. You will fall in love with the characters (and want to hug some of them and take them home with you.) Not to mention, the writing is next level � beautifully crafted prose, deep themes, complex plot, epic world-building� but above all, this is a wonderfully-told story. The author has a way of making you feel what her characters are going through. An emotional connection that is hard to find in a lot of YA fiction.
All I can say is: this book is unlike anything you’ll ever read. The Blood Race will take you for a wild, sweeping, heart-pounding ride � and you won’t be able to put it down....more
I think I automatically give a book four stars if I LITERALLY CANNOT PUT IT DOWN. And that's what happened with this book. I read it in probably a fewI think I automatically give a book four stars if I LITERALLY CANNOT PUT IT DOWN. And that's what happened with this book. I read it in probably a few hours?? AND IT WAS SO GOOD but also a little confusing (okay super confusing!!) THE GIVER had been sitting very near the top of my TBR pile for a long time...and I finally started this series and SO GLAD I DID. This book is beautiful and intricate and well thought-out. The themes were super thought-provoking, too, and I'M STILL THINKING ABOUT CERTAIN ELEMENTS WEEKS AFTER FINISHING THIS BOOK. It's one of those stories where you KNOW there is something more, hidden just behind a veil of well-written fiction...a world of depth and truth. But I was super confused about the ending. I KNOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE OPEN-ENDED but...I just don't like open-endings??? I'M BORING I KNOW. And it also just felt a bit rushed, like the direction took a major pivotal turn in just a few chapters and then BOOM -- the end. It bothered me!! BUT ALL IN ALL THIS BOOK IS AWESOME and I'm super pumped to read the rest of the series!! SORRY FOR THE INCOHERENT REVIEW!!...more
This book is brilliant. Not just as a book, but as a marketing strategy (yes, I AM A TOTAL GEEK LIKE THAT. I'm also very inspired to extend one of my This book is brilliant. Not just as a book, but as a marketing strategy (yes, I AM A TOTAL GEEK LIKE THAT. I'm also very inspired to extend one of my own future book series by writing a book of short stories like this. I MEAN WHY NOT?? It's brilliant.) I'm all about back story. BACK STORY IS MY THING. (Besides parallels -- those are my absolute favorite thing in the world.) So obviously I seriously enjoyed this book. But I feel kind of weird rating a book of short stories with just one rating (because THERE ARE NINE STORIES IN THIS BOOK) so I'm going to have to break this down, frens.
The Keeper: BACK STORYYYY. YAAAS. Out of all the short stories in this book, I was most curious about this area of the plot. The Lunar Chronicles is an entire world and sometimes when you're entering another world things get confusing?? IDK MAYBE THAT'S JUST ME. But this installment really bridged the gap between Cinder's life on Luna and Michelle's involvement in everything. It was well executed, but I would have gladly welcomed a little more backstory of Michelle's relationship with Logan.
Glitches: Cinder as a small child is glorious. I also loved seeing more of Peony and knowing how their sisterly relationship blossomed. (Because tbh I feel like we didn't get enough of darling Peony in the first book?) Also it confirmed how wretchedly selfish Adri is. I kind of wanted a little more bonding between Cinder and her adopted father, though.
The Queen's Army: HEARTBREAKING AND HORRID excuse me while I go cry in a dark corner with a chocolate bar. Wolf is my precious (and we're not going to talk about how I fancast him as Theo James no we're not going to talk about that.) He is a savage little cinnamon roll and I loved/hated to see his terrible sad backstory...but tbh it explains a lot about his personality which is WHY BACKSTORY IS SO BEAUTIFUL. Basically I'm going to flail about backstory through this entire review.
Carswell's Guide To Being Lucky: FAVORITE FAVORITE FAVORITE. If this book was Instagram (it is not) I would be obsessively clicking that like button 5650706432871 times. Carswell as a thirteen-year-old con man (is that how old he was? I HONESTLY FORGOT TOO BUSY FLAILING) is a beautiful thing. I'm fairly certain I was smiling and laughing out loud through this whole story. It is flawless.
After Sunshine Passes By: Gotta be honest, I didn't get much out of this one?? I don't know. I just feel like Cress' backstory was explained quite a bit in her book and there wasn't much else I learned from this story...OH EXCEPT FOR HOW HEARTBREAKING IT WAS. Cress is a brave little sunflower of hope and any story about her is going to be fabulous, really. So that counts for something.
The Princess And The Guard: Does anyone else wish this was copy/pasted into the front end of Winter?? BECAUSE I WISH THAT SO HARD. I felt like we got NO INFORMATION about Winter and Jacin so when I started reading the final book, I was nearly making up backstory for them! WHYY?? I wanted to know how they came to be. Why is Jacin a guard? Why does Winter have scars on her face? What is her relationship with Levana like?? Of course, this delightful (and deeeeeeep whoa) short story answered those questions for me, but IT COULD HAVE COME SOONER, MY DEAR SIR.
The Little Android: I'm going to be annoying about this one -- why?? I mean it's a cute story, yes. And Cinder is a character! But it somehow felt like it didn't really tie into the series?? Also I was having major trouble figuring out how an android can experience instalove on this scale. And a lot of Star's intentions and thoughts just didn't make sense to me?? I DON'T KNOW I GUESS I'M HARD TO PLEASE. But I just wasn't feeling it, yo.
The Mechanic: Honestly I would have been happy if every story in this book was simply a retelling of a scene from The Lunar Chronicles only from a different character's POV. I loved witnessing Kai's first thoughts when he met Cinder. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL CHEMISTRY, YO.
Something Old, Something New: No, I'm not going to be a total grouch about this one EVEN THOUGH IT DIDN'T QUITE FULFILL ALL MY NEEDS. For the final course of events that take place in this series, I was expecting a little more focus on all my dear characters -- ESPECIALLY CRESS AND THORNE. There wasn't nearly enough Cress/Thorne shipping in this story. But yes, I understand it was about Scarlet and Wolf. In that case, it was lovely. A fun and heartfelt wrap-up to this series. I MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE CRIED A SMALL HAPPY TEAR BECAUSE THE LUNAR CHRONICLES ARE OVER. :''')...more
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