Worlds collide in the third and final installment of the gripping New World Series by Bestselling Author Jennifer Wilson.Returning to discover their home engulfed in the flames of Tribal war, Phoenix, Mouse and Triven find themselves facing the impossible. A civil war has consumed the city of Tartarus, but with The Wall coming down in sixteen days, they have been given the impossible task of … task of uniting the Tribes to face Fandrin’s army. Can Phoenix unite the murderous clans she has spent her life evading or will they turn on her before the real battle has begun?
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To anyone wondering whether this series is consistent in quality, characters, world, drama, action and shocking dystopian twists I say this: yes. Yes it is. Unlike many mainstream YA dystopians that started out great in book one, rehashed the formula for book two, then flounder to tie everything up in book three while staying true to the story, this series felt coherent, consistent, and overall enjoyable. You feel that itch for another Hunger Games but worry the genre won’t deliver? Try this. It’ll be right up your street.
This grand finale sees Phoenix and her found family caught in the war started by Sanctuary rebels as they try to unite the Tribes of Tartarus to fight their common enemy: The Minister. It takes the gritty world outside of The Wall we saw in New World Rising and smashes it into the ordered dictatorial dystopia Phoenix experienced first hand in New World Ashes with dire consequences for all.
Ugh, can we get some praise for how well thought through the plotting is here? It feels like one story told in segments, like it was actually planned out, and I loved that about it. Phoenix and her friends grow and change and it is so satisfying to see characters with such well defined personal arcs. Even the side characters get enough airtime to be interesting (hello Archer, fancy seeing you here.) New characters became worthy additions rather than just serving as future Red Shirts (hey Tribal leaders, looking good.) The romance stays low-key; it’s more about their bond rather than smooching/lusting/swooning. I loved how relationships are explored in relation to being more like a family dynamic rather than your usual hot-blooded lip-biting-fest. Phoenix’s need to protect Mouse even when you know she can’t is really touching, and the way it plays out feels realistic.
Now I will say this: it is a young adult series, and as such it won’t be as deep as it could be. Some side characters get a bit sidelined, and the villains are pretty much bad just because that’s what they do. The tone and depth is very much in the same territory as The Hunger Games. It’s an intelligently written YA lite sci-fi, no more, no less.
Also a tiny editorial/personal preference nit-pick: over-use of “?!”, multiple exclamation marks, and characters enunciating to denote sarcasm and such by using extended words (as in “well sooooory!”). It did bug me a little, as they seemed a little immature compared to the rest of the excellent writing.
To me, it was like reading The Hunger Games again for the first time; I expected a lot of things because I know the tropes, but it was so satisfying seeing them deployed in a new way. It’s not unique or pushing the boundaries, but it’s a damn fine ride. While I wavered between a 4 and 5 star rating, I went for 5 because it was such a comfort read – as in, I knew what to expect and was not disappointed one bit. That is a rare thing.
I would very much recommend this series to fans of the YA dystopian genre who want a tough heroine who’s not rules by her hormones or a happy-go-lucky Mary Sue. This is an indie author to keep an eye on.