Rebellion – Kass Morgan

Author: Kass Morgan
Series: The 100 #4
Pages: 352

Centuries after nuclear war destroyed our planet, humanity struggles to rebuild. It’s been a month since the dropships landed and the Colonists joined the Hundred on the ground. The teens, once branded juvenile delinquents, are now leaders among their people.

The Colonists and the Earthborns are celebrating their first holiday together when, to everyone’s horror, they’re attacked by a group of strangers whose unusual battle cries fill the air. The newcomers kill scores of people, seize prisoners, and pillage crucial supplies. When hotheaded Bellamy and his analytical girlfriend Clarke discover that Wells, Octavia and Glass have been captured, they vow to get them back at all costs. But as they go after their new enemies, Bellamy and Clarke find themselves increasingly at odds, unable to agree on a plan to save their friends.

Meanwhile, Wells, Octavia, and Glass are being slowly brainwashed by their captors, religious fanatics with one goal: to grow their ranks and “heal” the war-ravaged planet… by eliminating everyone else on it.

But centuries of radiation exposure have taken their toll, forcing the cult to take drastic steps to survive. And unless the rescue party arrives soon, the teen captives will face a fate more terrifying than anything they could imagine. In this thrilling fourth installment, the hundred fight to protect the people they love on the dangerous planet they always dreamed of calling home.

As far as I know, this fourth book is the last one of The 100 saga. If the author is going to write more books based on that universe, she hasn’t breathed a word about it. Even though I have liked the saga in general, I’m not really going to miss it. At least, this one is much better than the previous one!!

In this book, half of the main characters (Wells and Glass ) are kidnapped by a group of people that called themselves “The Protectors”. They do not protect anything. It’s just a bunch of people who are a bit crazy and they think they are doing Earth’s work by raiding other settlements. While Glass and Wells do whatever they can to survive, Clarke and Bellamy have to lead the rescue party…

After the crazy slow third book with many letters but zero content, the last book is a change of pace. In every page there is something happening. Lots of action and plotting that keep the characters on their toes the whole story. Once again, there are no more annoying flashbacks. And this time the romance is also left behind to focus on the Protectors and their craziness, which has proven the right step for the saga. I think this is the first book of The 100 where I couldn’t stop reading.

If you are a fan of the TV show, you are going to be disappointed with the role of Clarke and Bellamy. They have their moments, of course, but the plot has been stolen by Wells and Glass and their way more interesting situation. The most famous couple of the saga is just there to add some romantic tension, that is pretty well handle for a young adult novel (I’m looking at you, Divergent saga!!). Some other characters get a bigger focus, such as Octavia and the newbie Paul. That last one, although easy to hate, it’s also a nice addition to the mix. I would love to know more about him!!

As for the end itself… it doesn’t feel like the end of a saga. It was a bit… meh. Just the end of a book. Putting some honey in our lips to make the wait for the next one easier… but there is not other one!! I guess I needed more closure. There are so many questions unresolved. So many groups roaming the surface that could change the lives of our heroes forever. It would be so easy to keep going, that I wouldn’t be a bit suprised if the author announces a new book sooner or later.

There is nothing elese to say. A well paced book that redeems Kass as a storyteller after an easy to forget Homecomig. She is currently wirting another saga called Light Years. I will have to take a look at it to see if it catches my eye; so I can fill my needs for Sci-Fi Young Adult books!!

2018 – Book Gallery

 

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Homecoming – Kass Morgan

Author: Kass Morgan
Series: The 100 #3
Pages: 340

Weeks after landing on Earth, the Hundred have managed to create a sense of order amidst their wild, chaotic surroundings. But their delicate balance comes crashing down with the arrival of new dropships from space.

These new arrivals are the lucky ones—back on the Colony, the oxygen is almost gone—but after making it safely to Earth, GLASS’s luck seems to be running out. CLARKE leads a rescue party to the crash site, ready to treat the wounded, but she can’t stop thinking about her parents, who may still be alive. Meanwhile, WELLS struggles to maintain his authority despite the presence of the Vice Chancellor and his armed guards, and BELLAMY must decide whether to face or flee the crimes he thought he’d left behind.

It’s time for the Hundred to come together and fight for the freedom they’ve found on Earth, or risk losing everything—and everyone—they love.

One fun fact about me… well, just a fact: I love The 100 TV Show!! I can’t get enough of their never-ending drama. I must be a really bad guy for wishing them a hard time so I can get my enjoyment. As you may know, the series is based on a series of books written by Kass Morgan. The first book was published almost at the same time the first season was aired, so the CW bought the rights waaaay before the book were on bookshops. That channel bought the rights of a book written by a totally unkown author. I’ve been always curious about how that happened. No idea if that story has been made public. Anyway… I had to read the books, because I love the show. I read the first two a long time ago and I have recently decided that 2018 is my year to finish what I started.

In this third book we follow Clarke, Bellamy, Wells and Glass during the promising events of more colonists crashing on Earth. The new arrivals must face the reality that they are not alone on the planet and they must share with the Earthborns. Rhodes doesn’t want to accept that and tries to keep the unfair Gaia doctrine to rule the colonists and the hundred. He also declares Bellamy an enemy of the state, so he is in a tight spot. Meanwhile, the evil Earthborns are planning something… well, evil.

First I must point out what Kass does well: she finally drops the constant flashbacks that only drag the story unnecessarily. Sadly, that is not the cure for a really weak story. The book is not boring. The pace is OK. But almost nothing happens. So many new possibilities in those drop ships, but we only get to follow the same group as before. Too much teen love and too little battle, survival and fun. I know Bellamy, Clarke, Wells and Glass are pretty awesome; but deep down are very similar characters. I would have love to read the point of view of Rhodes to get something different. It’s a character that I hate, but we would have got a peek to the campsite of the hundred and the colonists; which would have made the book a lot richer.

The worst part of the book are the chapters with Glass and Luke. They are my favourite couple in this series, but their role in this third book is useless. I’m not a skipper, but I was tempted to jump a chapter every time I saw Glass in the header… I thought in the end their part would be relevant against the battle with the evil Earthborns, but nope. A waste of ink if you ask me. The chapters with Bellamy and Clarke are fine. It doesn’t happen anything worth mentioning (except some parent return), but at least they have a purpose.

The final battle was the moment to redeem itself, but the author rushes over it and the ending is way too happy. Even Rhodes seems to gain some kind of brain and starts making sense!! Too easy… I know there are some deaths along the way, but I haven’t been affected by any of them. I hope the fourth book packs more emotion than this one.

And the cover… I hate the cover… Yes, it is a good promotional pic for the show; but the book is too different from it. One of the characters of the cover doesn’t even exist in the book!! And Octavia is barely a cameo… The first two books of The 100 had much better covers.

Even though I’ve been a bit harsh, the book is enjoyable. Yes, it’s totally uneventful, but at least you won’t fall asleep while reading it. The fourth book is the last one of this series (I have no idea if more are on the oven…) and I hope to read it soon. Fingers crossed for a better story, though!!

2018 – Book Gallery

Intensity – Sherrilyn Kenyon

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Series: Chronicles of Nick #8
Pages: 400

It’s a demon-eat-demon world for Nick Gautier. Just when he thinks he’s finally gotten a handle on how not to take over the world and destroy it, Death returns with an all-star cast that is determined to end the Malachai reign and lineage forever. Worse? Death and War have found the one, true enemy Nick can’t find, and even if he did, it’s one he could never bring himself to banish or kill.

Now framed for murders he hasn’t committed, and surrounded by new friends who might be turncoats, Nick is learning fast how his father went down in flames.

The heat in New Orleans is rising fast, and Nick’s threat-level has gone into a whole new level of intensity. He’s learning fast that when War and Death decide to battle, they don’t take prisoners. The don’t negotiate. And they’re both immune to his biting sarcasm and Cajun charm. To win this, he will have to embrace a new set of powers, but one wrong step, and he will belong to the side of Darkness, forever.

I have already said this over here, but I don’t mind repeating myself about that matter: Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of my favourite authors ever!! I love her crazy universes where anything could happen. Her sense of humor. Her love for redeeming the irredeemable. Her sense of adventure. Kenyon’s books are always a pleasure to read!! The Chronicles of Nick is the saga that I enjoy the most. But Intensity is the book I have enjoyed the least; but it’s not a bad book at all.

It’s hard to say what is the plot of this one. Is there really a plot? It feels like the last chapter of a TV Show where the main character just makes a tour among their people to say goodbye. Everyone must get some minutes for a proper ending. The problem with Kenyon is that she likes her books packed with characters, so this book is 90% talking with other characters without any further development. Yes, Nick has some trouble… but it’s not really the most important part of the book. The story is all about more revelations about the Malachai history and little more.

This is meant to be the last book of The Chronicles of Nick saga, but Kenyon, being true to her nature, couldn’t stop here and she is planning a new set of books with Nick and his son Cyprian: Shadows of Fire. This is really good news because I love the characters. But it has also meant bad news for the ending of The Chronicles of Nick. It has been weak, leaving a lot of holes that I guess will be filled nicely in that new saga. It’s not fair, though. This saga deserved a big ending and not this huge menage of characters with a couple of minutes for each.

The reason I love Kenyon’s crazy universes is the same reason I have been a bit lost reading this book. Granted, I’ve been away for too long from the Hunterverse and my knowledge of the characters isn’t as exhaustive as before. It’s the kind of saga where you need a notepad to make notes about all the cast and facts. Otherwise, you are going to feel overwhelmed sooner or later. I could barely keep up with all the characters in this last book of The Chronicles of Nick. As I’ve said before, it seems that almost every character had something to say to Nick…

When I was almost at the end of the book I had a bad feeling about the ending. There were a lot of plot lines that needed to be closed and the author wasn’t aiming for any of those. What happens at the end has left me speechless and a bit angry. I will have to re-read it, because I’m not sure if I have understood it. The jumps in the timeline are crazier that usual, which doesn’t help at all with my understanding of the final book.

I know this review looks bad, but the book is very enjoyable. Nick is as saracstic as always and that always makes me smile. I LOVE all the characters of this Universe, so I’m glad everyone had a moment to at least say something. Fingers crossed we will see most of them in other books of the Hunterverse.

By the way… what is the deal with the cover?? They have broken the template of the saga with this one. It’s not a bad cover per se, but it is very disappointing. I guess it is as weird as the the book itself, though.

 

2018 – Book Gallery