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The Last Year #4
Summer Ruins
A final battle for the survival of Earth is coming.
Between the alien Others and the destruction of humanity stand four Dissidents.
When the Prime Other banishes them to the Harvest Site to live the remainder of their time on earth as slaves, the Dissidents use the opportunity to learn more about the substance that keeps the Others alive…and how they might use it to their advantage. But the Others guard their secrets well, and the Prime Other has proven his willingness to do whatever’s necessary to secure a future for his race, no matter what or who is destroyed in the process.
When Althea and the boys realize their lives could be the key to allowing another planet to suffer the same fate as earth, they promise they’ll die before they let that happen. If they can’t figure out how to turn the tables in their favor before the Summer Celebration, they might have to do just that.
The end draws near, and there’s only one question left—are the Dissidents going to save their chosen people or perish alongside them?
Between the alien Others and the destruction of humanity stand four Dissidents.
When the Prime Other banishes them to the Harvest Site to live the remainder of their time on earth as slaves, the Dissidents use the opportunity to learn more about the substance that keeps the Others alive…and how they might use it to their advantage. But the Others guard their secrets well, and the Prime Other has proven his willingness to do whatever’s necessary to secure a future for his race, no matter what or who is destroyed in the process.
When Althea and the boys realize their lives could be the key to allowing another planet to suffer the same fate as earth, they promise they’ll die before they let that happen. If they can’t figure out how to turn the tables in their favor before the Summer Celebration, they might have to do just that.
The end draws near, and there’s only one question left—are the Dissidents going to save their chosen people or perish alongside them?
520 pages, Paperback
First published February 19, 2013
17 people are currently reading
816 people want to read
About the author
Trisha Leigh
13 books519 followersTrisha Leigh is a product of the Midwest, which means it’s pop, not soda, garage sales, not tag sales, and you guys as opposed to y’all. Most of the time. She’s been writing seriously for five years now, and has published 4 young adult novels and 4 new adult novels (under her pen name Lyla Payne). Her favorite things, in no particular order, include: reading, Game of Thrones, Hershey’s kisses, reading, her dogs (Yoda and Jilly), summer, movies, reading, Jude Law, coffee, and rewatching WB series from the 90’s-00’s.
Her family is made up of farmers and/or almost rock stars from Iowa, people who numerous, loud, full of love, and the kind of people that make the world better. Trisha tries her best to honor them, and the lessons they’ve taught, through characters and stories—made up, of course, but true enough in their way.
Trisha is the author of THE LAST YEAR series and the WHITMAN UNIVERSITY books. She’s represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
Her family is made up of farmers and/or almost rock stars from Iowa, people who numerous, loud, full of love, and the kind of people that make the world better. Trisha tries her best to honor them, and the lessons they’ve taught, through characters and stories—made up, of course, but true enough in their way.
Trisha is the author of THE LAST YEAR series and the WHITMAN UNIVERSITY books. She’s represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
May 15, 2019
At the end of book three, Althea and the guys are captured again by the Others with Deshi's help. They are tortured for a while but it also gives them a chance to try to convince Deshi to join them. Eventually, they are sent to the "Harvest Site" and begin to learn more about this mysterious substance that the Others are mining from Earth. People die. They end up
I had high hopes for the finale of this series and I was disappointed. I thought that we would finally see some ACTION from these kids to liberate the humans on Earth - it took forever to get some and even then it was a bit underwhelming. I can't think of another series where I've liked the premise and the characters so much and yet was so disappointed in the way the plot unfolded. It dragged!!!!! I feel unsatisfied even though . I'm just "meh" about it all because of how we got there.
I had high hopes for the finale of this series and I was disappointed. I thought that we would finally see some ACTION from these kids to liberate the humans on Earth - it took forever to get some and even then it was a bit underwhelming. I can't think of another series where I've liked the premise and the characters so much and yet was so disappointed in the way the plot unfolded. It dragged!!!!! I feel unsatisfied even though . I'm just "meh" about it all because of how we got there.
May 2, 2020
(Source: Purchased on Kindle from Amazon.co.uk for £2.65.)
This is the fourth and final book in the ‘The Last Year’ series, and picks up where book 3 ‘Betrayals in Spring’ left off. **Warning, some unavoidable spoilers for the previous books in this series**
Althea, Pax, and Lucas are imprisoned by the others, with little hope of escape. If they are unable to find a way out, mankind is doomed, and the Others will continue to pillage Earth until it is no longer habitable.
Not only do the dissidents need to escape, they also need to find some way back to their friends, find a way to defeat the Others, and work out how to get things back on track for the remaining humans.
Can the dissidents escape the Others captivity? How can they possibly fight back? And what to do with the Others once they have defeated them?
This was a good ending, but I didn’t like it as much as the previous three books.
Althea remains strong and determined in this book, no matter what is thrown at her, or who the Others kill to get back at her. Her relationship with Lucas stays strong, and her friendship with Pax is solid also. There are appearances or mention of a lot of characters that we met in previous books in this story, but a lot of the side characters get killed in this book. A lot. There are very few people who are actually safe in this final instalment, but I didn’t feel emotional about these deaths the way I expected to. They just happened, and I just kept reading. I don’t know why I felt this way, but their deaths just didn’t affect me. How much of this is just me I don’t know.
I actually don’t like talking about what I didn’t like in this book, I loved the other three books, and I feel like I’m dissing them by not liking this one as much, but there were things that just bugged me about the storyline in this one.
Althea, Pax, and Lucas have to escape the Others to start with in this book, and it takes them a long time. They get moved around a bit, and they think about ways to try to escape, but it takes them weeks to even attempt anything. I know how stuck they were, but this very slow ‘trying to escape’ period began to drag after a while, and the constant talking but not doing was a bit annoying too.
The plan that the Dissidents came up with for fighting back also irritated me. They decided that they would work out what the Others were mining, work out how it worked for them, and then synthesise an alternative that looked the same, but didn’t do what the Others expected it to do. This storyline would have been fine, if I had actually believed that these kids had the ability to actually do this. I mean, admittedly they had a chemistry teacher with them for a short time, but this was before they even started looking at the metal on a chemical level, and her telling Leah some stuff while they were in the mines, just didn’t seem like enough to explain to these kids how to do what they did.
Even though they found a lab, I just don’t think that these kids had the knowledge to do what they did, especially considering that this chemical/metal was also radioactive! And even if they did have the knowledge, ability, and raw materials to manufacture a synthetic form of this compound, and change it enough so that it didn’t do what the Others wanted it to do, how exactly were they able to produce enough of this stuff to deal with all the Others? This just seemed a bit far-fetched to me.
As interesting an idea as this was, I just didn’t believe it, and this spoilt this instalment for me. I expected the dissidents to use something other than chemistry to beat the Others. I expected their powers to have more of an input at the end, but they were almost forgotten about.
As if this whole metal/chemistry stuff wasn’t difficult enough to believe; Althea, Pax, Lucas, and Deshi decide to start testing these random chemical compounds that the kids have created on themselves!! How stupid and dangerous is that? I just couldn’t believe it! What a bad example to set to kids reading this book! Drinking random chemical concoctions that your friends have made in a lab??? Utterly ridiculous. I’m sorry, but that is just such a bad idea I can’t not say anything about it. I know they justified this by saying that they had to test it on someone, but considering that they were biologically only half-Other anyway, I just did not like this idea. Kidnap an Other for heaven’s sake, don’t start drinking random chemicals!
I did enjoy this book overall, and I thought that the overall end outcome was okay, I just didn’t like how they got there. I did find the ending of the series quite sad, and I can understand why the author was teary by the end, but I found a lot of emotion lacking from the rest of this book.
I have enjoyed this series, and I would still recommend it to people, but this last book is just not quite up there with the rest. I would definitely read whatever the author writes next though, as I love what she has done with this series, and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Overall; an end to a great series.
8 out of 10.
This is the fourth and final book in the ‘The Last Year’ series, and picks up where book 3 ‘Betrayals in Spring’ left off. **Warning, some unavoidable spoilers for the previous books in this series**
Althea, Pax, and Lucas are imprisoned by the others, with little hope of escape. If they are unable to find a way out, mankind is doomed, and the Others will continue to pillage Earth until it is no longer habitable.
Not only do the dissidents need to escape, they also need to find some way back to their friends, find a way to defeat the Others, and work out how to get things back on track for the remaining humans.
Can the dissidents escape the Others captivity? How can they possibly fight back? And what to do with the Others once they have defeated them?
This was a good ending, but I didn’t like it as much as the previous three books.
Althea remains strong and determined in this book, no matter what is thrown at her, or who the Others kill to get back at her. Her relationship with Lucas stays strong, and her friendship with Pax is solid also. There are appearances or mention of a lot of characters that we met in previous books in this story, but a lot of the side characters get killed in this book. A lot. There are very few people who are actually safe in this final instalment, but I didn’t feel emotional about these deaths the way I expected to. They just happened, and I just kept reading. I don’t know why I felt this way, but their deaths just didn’t affect me. How much of this is just me I don’t know.
I actually don’t like talking about what I didn’t like in this book, I loved the other three books, and I feel like I’m dissing them by not liking this one as much, but there were things that just bugged me about the storyline in this one.
Althea, Pax, and Lucas have to escape the Others to start with in this book, and it takes them a long time. They get moved around a bit, and they think about ways to try to escape, but it takes them weeks to even attempt anything. I know how stuck they were, but this very slow ‘trying to escape’ period began to drag after a while, and the constant talking but not doing was a bit annoying too.
The plan that the Dissidents came up with for fighting back also irritated me. They decided that they would work out what the Others were mining, work out how it worked for them, and then synthesise an alternative that looked the same, but didn’t do what the Others expected it to do. This storyline would have been fine, if I had actually believed that these kids had the ability to actually do this. I mean, admittedly they had a chemistry teacher with them for a short time, but this was before they even started looking at the metal on a chemical level, and her telling Leah some stuff while they were in the mines, just didn’t seem like enough to explain to these kids how to do what they did.
Even though they found a lab, I just don’t think that these kids had the knowledge to do what they did, especially considering that this chemical/metal was also radioactive! And even if they did have the knowledge, ability, and raw materials to manufacture a synthetic form of this compound, and change it enough so that it didn’t do what the Others wanted it to do, how exactly were they able to produce enough of this stuff to deal with all the Others? This just seemed a bit far-fetched to me.
As interesting an idea as this was, I just didn’t believe it, and this spoilt this instalment for me. I expected the dissidents to use something other than chemistry to beat the Others. I expected their powers to have more of an input at the end, but they were almost forgotten about.
As if this whole metal/chemistry stuff wasn’t difficult enough to believe; Althea, Pax, Lucas, and Deshi decide to start testing these random chemical compounds that the kids have created on themselves!! How stupid and dangerous is that? I just couldn’t believe it! What a bad example to set to kids reading this book! Drinking random chemical concoctions that your friends have made in a lab??? Utterly ridiculous. I’m sorry, but that is just such a bad idea I can’t not say anything about it. I know they justified this by saying that they had to test it on someone, but considering that they were biologically only half-Other anyway, I just did not like this idea. Kidnap an Other for heaven’s sake, don’t start drinking random chemicals!
I did enjoy this book overall, and I thought that the overall end outcome was okay, I just didn’t like how they got there. I did find the ending of the series quite sad, and I can understand why the author was teary by the end, but I found a lot of emotion lacking from the rest of this book.
I have enjoyed this series, and I would still recommend it to people, but this last book is just not quite up there with the rest. I would definitely read whatever the author writes next though, as I love what she has done with this series, and can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Overall; an end to a great series.
8 out of 10.
January 25, 2016
This has been an ok series. I think this was the weakest book of the four in the series. I also think that the story told in these books could have been combined into just two books, instead of four. There is a lot of filler where nothing really happens. 2 1/2 stars mainly because of stupidity on the part of the characters. They just stood there and let Kindaja attack and kill friends? My goodness don't just stand there, do something!
They couldn't think of a way to get out of the harvest sight and came up with this big plan that included a lot of other people to help them. Why didn't they just have Pax fly them out? They didn't need help from anyone else to do that. And why oh why couldn't they have been a little more patient and waited to see if the poison would work? They had nothing to lose by waiting until that night. They ended up making some really stupid decisions that cost a lot of lives.
Another thing that didn't make since to me was, if the Prime didn't know where they were then how was the goblert able to find them and deliver his messages to them about the killings? There was also no real explanation as to how The Prime was able to take over the hive in the first place.
The author also contradicted herself when it came to the subject of balance in the world, and got all preachy about it. I'm sorry, it may sound terrible, but there is no balance if everyone is happy. A balanced world includes unhappiness too, and there is no way to "get it right this time" and make sure that there is no misery in the world. Ultimately people have to be free to make choices, good or bad for there to be balance in the world. There will always be those who make choices that make themselves and others miserable, and that unfortunately includes people who wage war on others.
At the end of the book it sounded like they were going to try to make some sort of utopia. Utopias end up being dystopias because they don't work. Did they not learn anything from The Others? What would make them any different than The Others if they insured everyone's happiness? Everyone thought they were happy when The Others were in control, but no one was in their right mind either.
They couldn't think of a way to get out of the harvest sight and came up with this big plan that included a lot of other people to help them. Why didn't they just have Pax fly them out? They didn't need help from anyone else to do that. And why oh why couldn't they have been a little more patient and waited to see if the poison would work? They had nothing to lose by waiting until that night. They ended up making some really stupid decisions that cost a lot of lives.
Another thing that didn't make since to me was, if the Prime didn't know where they were then how was the goblert able to find them and deliver his messages to them about the killings? There was also no real explanation as to how The Prime was able to take over the hive in the first place.
The author also contradicted herself when it came to the subject of balance in the world, and got all preachy about it. I'm sorry, it may sound terrible, but there is no balance if everyone is happy. A balanced world includes unhappiness too, and there is no way to "get it right this time" and make sure that there is no misery in the world. Ultimately people have to be free to make choices, good or bad for there to be balance in the world. There will always be those who make choices that make themselves and others miserable, and that unfortunately includes people who wage war on others.
At the end of the book it sounded like they were going to try to make some sort of utopia. Utopias end up being dystopias because they don't work. Did they not learn anything from The Others? What would make them any different than The Others if they insured everyone's happiness? Everyone thought they were happy when The Others were in control, but no one was in their right mind either.
September 29, 2014
I'm not even entirely sure where to start with my review because this series as a whole was absolute perfection for me. I do not envy any author who has to wrap up a series but everyone should take notes because this is how you do it.
Book 4 - Summer Ruins is the culmination of everything that The Dissidents have been fighting for. Captured by The Others, their lives are spared when Deshi points out their value to the Prime Other and so Pax, Althea, and Lucas are sent to The Harvest Site to spend their remaining time on Earth as slaves. Reuniting with those they can consider friends they put in motion a plan to escape and begin working to do whatever is necessary to save their world.
I don't even want to tell you anymore about the plot arc of this book because I don't want to give anything away so instead I'm going to focus on the reasons you should run and pick up this series.
1. The covers are gorgeous... I just purchased the fourth book and I can't wait to lay them out next to each other to create the full picture. I do realize that's a lame excuse to read/buy but come on they are gorgeous and I'm a cover hoor.
2. The characters - From Althea, Pax and Lucas to even the more minor characters of Leah and Griffin and Greer you won't be disappointed with a single one. Each of them are fleshed out incredibly well and if you asked me a favorite I couldn't even tell you because I loved them all. I especially adored the relationships between all the Dissidents and even though the end of book 3 happened, the precipice that Trisha had me on, wondering about Deshi throughout this book, was perfect. I never knew what to think about him and I love when an author can keep me guessing.
3. Romance *sigh* - While it's not a major point in the story, it's so subtle and it's so wonderfully done.
He lies down against my back, our heads sharing the single pillow, and stretches out until the length of him presses against the length of me. His heavy arm drapes over me, hand landing against my stomach, and pulls me tight against him. The kiss Lucas presses to the nape of my neck sends shivers through me that must transfer to him, but he doesn't move.
I go to sleep to the sound of his heartbeat, the feel of his cool breath on the back of my neck, wrapped in the scent of pine and needles and an incomparable feeling of belonging.
4. Lucas - "I'm sorry if the thought of losing her makes me want to die. If I can make sure that doesn't happen, that's what I'm going to do. Pax, please start talking again so that I can stop babbling."
5. The bad guys - Even the bad guys are deliciously evil. I loved Zakej and Kendaja and even the smaller bits we got of The Prime Other. The pure evil they portrayed were awesome.
6. The plot - the world that Leigh created was incredibly unique. I know, I know... Aliens sound kind of weird, but they aren't aliens like little green men aliens and the idea that these Others have taken away all emotions from humans is completely different from anything I've ever read. Because this happens in the future you get the back story of what happened to the world, why it was the way it was when The Others arrived and I thought the world building was wonderful.
So... have I babbled enough to get you to run out and get these books? I am serious when I tell you that you need to have these in your collection. If you're looking for something different than your typical dystopian definitely pick up The Last Year series. It's complete!!
This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:
Book 4 - Summer Ruins is the culmination of everything that The Dissidents have been fighting for. Captured by The Others, their lives are spared when Deshi points out their value to the Prime Other and so Pax, Althea, and Lucas are sent to The Harvest Site to spend their remaining time on Earth as slaves. Reuniting with those they can consider friends they put in motion a plan to escape and begin working to do whatever is necessary to save their world.
I don't even want to tell you anymore about the plot arc of this book because I don't want to give anything away so instead I'm going to focus on the reasons you should run and pick up this series.
1. The covers are gorgeous... I just purchased the fourth book and I can't wait to lay them out next to each other to create the full picture. I do realize that's a lame excuse to read/buy but come on they are gorgeous and I'm a cover hoor.
2. The characters - From Althea, Pax and Lucas to even the more minor characters of Leah and Griffin and Greer you won't be disappointed with a single one. Each of them are fleshed out incredibly well and if you asked me a favorite I couldn't even tell you because I loved them all. I especially adored the relationships between all the Dissidents and even though the end of book 3 happened, the precipice that Trisha had me on, wondering about Deshi throughout this book, was perfect. I never knew what to think about him and I love when an author can keep me guessing.
3. Romance *sigh* - While it's not a major point in the story, it's so subtle and it's so wonderfully done.
He lies down against my back, our heads sharing the single pillow, and stretches out until the length of him presses against the length of me. His heavy arm drapes over me, hand landing against my stomach, and pulls me tight against him. The kiss Lucas presses to the nape of my neck sends shivers through me that must transfer to him, but he doesn't move.
I go to sleep to the sound of his heartbeat, the feel of his cool breath on the back of my neck, wrapped in the scent of pine and needles and an incomparable feeling of belonging.
4. Lucas - "I'm sorry if the thought of losing her makes me want to die. If I can make sure that doesn't happen, that's what I'm going to do. Pax, please start talking again so that I can stop babbling."
5. The bad guys - Even the bad guys are deliciously evil. I loved Zakej and Kendaja and even the smaller bits we got of The Prime Other. The pure evil they portrayed were awesome.
6. The plot - the world that Leigh created was incredibly unique. I know, I know... Aliens sound kind of weird, but they aren't aliens like little green men aliens and the idea that these Others have taken away all emotions from humans is completely different from anything I've ever read. Because this happens in the future you get the back story of what happened to the world, why it was the way it was when The Others arrived and I thought the world building was wonderful.
So... have I babbled enough to get you to run out and get these books? I am serious when I tell you that you need to have these in your collection. If you're looking for something different than your typical dystopian definitely pick up The Last Year series. It's complete!!
This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:
March 24, 2013
Sci-fi is supposed to allow a reader to suspend reality, but it still needs to be believable within the world it creates. Summer Ruins fell short of that aim, in my opinion.
I very much intended to love Summer Ruins, as I was a big fan of the other 3 books in the series. Even with a slow start, I was prepared to love the remainder of the book. In the middle, I thought, "Okay, the proposed solution to the Others' invasion is stupid and unlikely, but maybe something else will happen." At the end, the stupid and unlikely did happen. Sorry, I just don't think that a bunch of kids, even smart kids trained in science, could pull off that stunt that quickly especially since the Others were smarter and older and hadn't bothered to come up with the solution themselves all those eons. Nope. Not buying it.
Another thing I found disappointing with Summer Ruins was Leah's death at the end. I appreciated that Pax was brought back and that Althea wasn't killed off in her own story, but why Leah? What did her death accomplish in the story line?
Lastly, I was irritated by the homosexual theme. Not necessary to the plot. Deshi's feelings for Zakej could have been just as strong without attaching a romantic vibe to them. It felt forced, like a political statement, and it will cost Leigh some readers.
I also never figured out what exactly the Elements DID on earth. They were supposed to be vital to the Others survival, but the readers never actually saw them at work.
Another thing that I will mention, though it didn't bother me personally, as a mother, I won't be recommending this series to anyone under 16 due to the strong sexual tones of the last 2 books. While nowhere near the "young adult" smut of Twilight, many, many pages are dedicated to the relationship between Althea and Lucas. There is no sex, but a lot of kissing and suggesting of what would hopefully be forthcoming given the right place and time. A lot of words about the strong physical desire between the two. I married my high-school sweet heart, so I get that this exists in teenage relationships, but it's not terribly helpful for young teens to read about it and assume that they are ready for such relationships.
Although I had some major frustrations with Summer Ruins, in the end I liked it. I liked that the story was wrapped up without many lose strings. It was painful, but mostly in a believable sort of way. Humanity had a chance for a new start on Earth, though I can't believe that a fallen humanity would do anything other than what it has done from the earliest days, it's a nice thought.
Summer Ruins: 3 stars
Series overall: 4 stars
I very much intended to love Summer Ruins, as I was a big fan of the other 3 books in the series. Even with a slow start, I was prepared to love the remainder of the book. In the middle, I thought, "Okay, the proposed solution to the Others' invasion is stupid and unlikely, but maybe something else will happen." At the end, the stupid and unlikely did happen. Sorry, I just don't think that a bunch of kids, even smart kids trained in science, could pull off that stunt that quickly especially since the Others were smarter and older and hadn't bothered to come up with the solution themselves all those eons. Nope. Not buying it.
Another thing I found disappointing with Summer Ruins was Leah's death at the end. I appreciated that Pax was brought back and that Althea wasn't killed off in her own story, but why Leah? What did her death accomplish in the story line?
Lastly, I was irritated by the homosexual theme. Not necessary to the plot. Deshi's feelings for Zakej could have been just as strong without attaching a romantic vibe to them. It felt forced, like a political statement, and it will cost Leigh some readers.
I also never figured out what exactly the Elements DID on earth. They were supposed to be vital to the Others survival, but the readers never actually saw them at work.
Another thing that I will mention, though it didn't bother me personally, as a mother, I won't be recommending this series to anyone under 16 due to the strong sexual tones of the last 2 books. While nowhere near the "young adult" smut of Twilight, many, many pages are dedicated to the relationship between Althea and Lucas. There is no sex, but a lot of kissing and suggesting of what would hopefully be forthcoming given the right place and time. A lot of words about the strong physical desire between the two. I married my high-school sweet heart, so I get that this exists in teenage relationships, but it's not terribly helpful for young teens to read about it and assume that they are ready for such relationships.
Although I had some major frustrations with Summer Ruins, in the end I liked it. I liked that the story was wrapped up without many lose strings. It was painful, but mostly in a believable sort of way. Humanity had a chance for a new start on Earth, though I can't believe that a fallen humanity would do anything other than what it has done from the earliest days, it's a nice thought.
Summer Ruins: 3 stars
Series overall: 4 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2013
Trisha Leigh proved herself to be not only a master story teller in the first three books of The Last Year series, but a master of prose as well. She doesn't disappoint with SUMMER RUINS, the epic conclusion.
Althea, Lucas, Pax, and the friends they have gathered have everything to lose. With the survival of the planet resting on their shoulders, they face insurmountable odds to not only device a plan but implement it to defeat the Others.
Even while Althea faces the impossibility of succeeding in their fight to save humanity, she struggles with love and loss, friendship and possible betrayal. Through it all, Althea's not just a Dissident, but girl struggling to keep the people she loves safe. This series will stick with me for a long time.
Althea, Lucas, Pax, and the friends they have gathered have everything to lose. With the survival of the planet resting on their shoulders, they face insurmountable odds to not only device a plan but implement it to defeat the Others.
Even while Althea faces the impossibility of succeeding in their fight to save humanity, she struggles with love and loss, friendship and possible betrayal. Through it all, Althea's not just a Dissident, but girl struggling to keep the people she loves safe. This series will stick with me for a long time.
December 10, 2021
It took me FOREVER to read this, and not because it's long or boring. This is the last to a series I really enjoy, but I think this book and the one before it were a bit underwhelming. The characters weren't very great, the relationships were cheesy, and the writing was kinda not the best, but I enjoyed the worldbuilding done and the adventure the characters had.
Also, the covers all match up to show the MC and it's really aesthetically pleasing.
Thanks for the read Reebs.
Also, the covers all match up to show the MC and it's really aesthetically pleasing.
Thanks for the read Reebs.
February 21, 2013
The final book in a series is a delicate, difficult undertaking. Trisha Leigh concludes The Last Year with a perfect blend of heartache and triumph. The finale stays true in mood and tone to the first three books, drawing Althea's story to a close in a way that is satisfying but not without cost. She readily acknowledges the price Althea and her friends pay while still allowing the story to move forward. After devouring all four books, this was the kind of catharsis I needed as a reader. I certainly cried at points, but never felt hopeless. My belief in these characters carried me through and Trisha did not disappoint. The romance is as sweet, the writing lyrical and the story compelling. Touching on the nature of humanity and what parts of our human history is worth saving, I heartily recommend this entire series.
April 1, 2013
Such a disappointment. Trisha Leigh just didn't have enough story for four books, but since she locked herself into the four seasons thing she filled up the fourth book with nonsense. Every plan the characters made had a fatal flaw so glaringly obvious from the outset that it was sad, and then the "solutions" were overly simple or completely ridiculous. There were also tons of plot points that went no where - just gratuitous page fillers. I know it is young adult fiction, but the story had an awesome premise and could have been amazing. Honestly, I'm sorry that I read the last book at all.
February 24, 2013
Plot: 5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Style: 5 stars
Pace: 5 stars
*HAPPY SIGH* I had one of those weeks where I could only steal 15-20 minutes at a time to read, and it wasn't until today I managed to snag enough time to finish, despite my wanting to just tell the world to shove off so I could devour this book.
It was worth the wait. <3 Absolutely perfect!
Can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve next!! ;)
Characters: 5 stars
Style: 5 stars
Pace: 5 stars
*HAPPY SIGH* I had one of those weeks where I could only steal 15-20 minutes at a time to read, and it wasn't until today I managed to snag enough time to finish, despite my wanting to just tell the world to shove off so I could devour this book.
It was worth the wait. <3 Absolutely perfect!
Can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve next!! ;)
April 12, 2013
Last book, best book. I loled, annnd I cried. Such a beautiful series, Trisha Leigh is brilliant!
November 27, 2019
The Last Year Book #4- Summer Ruins by Trisha Leigh
Genre- Y/A, Sci-Fi, Dystopian-Romance
My Rating- 4.8/5
The best book of the series.
It was hell of a ride. And the tears and the power and the rage and the world and the races and the time and the science and the united front!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL MY REVIEWS ARE NOT WITHOUT SPOILERS SO HERE'S THE WARNING!!!!!
---------------------------------
Genre- Y/A, Sci-Fi, Dystopian-Romance
My Rating- 4.8/5
The best book of the series.
It was hell of a ride. And the tears and the power and the rage and the world and the races and the time and the science and the united front!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL MY REVIEWS ARE NOT WITHOUT SPOILERS SO HERE'S THE WARNING!!!!!
---------------------------------
What lacked in the last book, this was able to fill it in this. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT! Althea, Lucas, Pax and Deshi, the four of them grew separately individually in their arcs. Althea made it clear that she loves the three boys, but it is Lucas who she is in love with. Also, her growth as a dissident, a loyal friend and a being who in the end embraced even the death with open arms. Take that kiss of fire Kendaja! You bitch! While the three books of the series trailed on the same notion of the protagonist, in this, she ventured away from her own shell to actively participate and involve herself in saving the very world they lived.
The relationships were one of the fundamental aspects here. The willingness to live so that, they could have a future to dream for was heart clenching. The relationship between the four elemental children, each having their own difficulties but having a source of relief with each other. The Dissidents are incomplete without one another and together they stand strong, bound not only by their vast powers but also by their love for each other.
Individually, Althea and Lucas grew up to not just only loving each other but now, dreaming to have a future together. Pax and Leah were a pleasant surprise and I could see the fire between them flaming at every corner. Deshi, though he was still getting used to these all stuff, harboured a love for someone who wasn’t right. But that it love, right is wrong, wrong is right. And I understood the way he wanted to protect that person.
A lot of characters came forth in the finale. Leah and Brittany, Griffin and Greer, Emmy and Reese, Jas and Tommy, even the parents who came to aid. And the elemental parents(thankfully weren’t much in the book). Leah and Althea, having continued to increase their trust between them now joined by Brittany and surprisingly with Emmy and Reese. Then Greer and Althea who shared a girl bond deeper than anyone else, each taking the support lent by the other to walk. Jas and Tommy, two little firecrackers in the frozen wonders whose determination goes beyond just living. And Griffin, a final frontier who knew against all odds, all cost, has to protect to ones he cared and loved so that they could live a day another.
Dear Lord, the chemistry here was wooooo! I have hardly seen any novel indicating the use of Praseodymium and Neodymium, lol. That was a clever trick you have used, Trisha Leigh. Although I believe if we go to the scientific aspects, I am not sure if these elements are actually abundant on the earth’s crust. But who knows what we might find in the future!? This creativity alone deserves a star!
If relationships were the best, then there were places for improvements as well. Leah and Pax hit off really quick and they just had a few still moments which wasn’t that amount to sail it. And added to that, it was tragic. Then, Deshi and Zakej. This was something I really wanted to know more about. What was it? Brotherly or something more? Then we have Greer and Nat who never got their HEA. Everyone except for Althea and Lucas, everyone else lost the other person they cared about. Tragic.
I think towards the conclusive chapters, things really got waaaaaay fast. I mean, the series had progressed with a pace which suddenly just accelerated into the sky like poof! Lots of chapters had overlapping paragraphs which could have written separately. Lots of topics were spoken without even kept in check and then forgotten. And like I said, things just got rushed.
Considering that you are going to take a fight against a superior race with an army of your own, there ought to be some dazzling action sequences. The much most we got was some Wardens thowing acid slugs and humans fighting with their fists. There were some scenes where Greer and Griffin were teaching the kids about self-defense but it was short lived. I just wish there was few more heart-pounding, jaw-snatching moves to witness especially from the four dissidents and the Sidhe.
Epilogue. Yes. A bit more needed? The New world order, the departed Others, the de facto leaders. There wasn’t much. Just few sum ups. That’s all.
And now the series has ended. I was sad to say goodbye to the dissidents and even Brittany and Greer. I wished Nat, Griffin and Leah were around too but well, sometimes its the memory which drives us to our next destination and with the memories of the fallen, the Earth has become once more of the humans who march for a new order, peacefully while the Others leave it in peace as well, venturing for their next planet and this time, with better leaders.
February 19, 2013
*SPOILER ALERT*
After three stellar previous installments, The Last Year saga finds its end in a spectacular conclusion: Summer Ruins.
Author Trisha Leigh carefully crafts an Earth much different than the one we know, where aliens known as the Others have taken over our planet. Our environmental resources spent not long before the new race arrives, the Others managed to rebalance the climate of Earth and also restructure not only the government, the nations, and the use of the planet’s resources, but the minds of the inhabitants, who immediately become drones and whose minds are veiled to the reality of their condition. Many eventually become slaves who will extract a resource from Earth that is vital the survival of the Others, whose presence is actually zapping life from the planet with every day that passes.
More impressive than the world she creates is Trisha Leigh’s development of characters who are fascinating and easy to relate to for her audience. Their lives – and relationships – bring color and humanity back to the Others’ black and white world.
Over the course of the series, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know cast of The Last Year. The main characters, Pax, Lucas, Deshi, and narrator Althea, known as Dissidents, have begun the process of uncovering who they are – both human and Other – and trying to decipher what that means for their lives and their responsibilities. Each Dissident is a child of a human and one of the Others known as the Elements, those aliens who have the ability to regulate the temperature of a plane. The Elements insure the continued extraction of praseodymium, the chemical element that brings their body temperature down so that they can continue to survive.
When we last left the Dissidents, Pax, Lucas, and Althea, incomplete without their fourth, Deshi, had descended upon what is known as the, Underground Core at the former Mount Rushmore. Fooled into an attempt at rescuing Deshi, who has defected from the Dissidents after feeling as though they had largely ignored and abandoned him, they soon find themselves imprisoned and at the mercy of the Prime Other – the leader of the alien race and humans on Earth. Left behind are forty "unveiled" teenagers, stationed at a secret cabin, researching the element that Others seek to harvest from Earth.
Deshi is treated as though he is a part of the Prime Other’s family and bonds with the Prime’s son, Zakej, who becomes like a brother to him. He is instructed never to talk to or listen to any of the Dissidents.
While Lucas and Pax remain in a holding cell, Althea finds herself separated from them in a dark, dirty prison where the Others can keep a close eye on her. Despite his instructions to do absolutely otherwise, Deshi cannot contain his curiosity about the Dissidents and begins prodding Althea for information and slowly developing sense of trust. When the Prime Other returns with every intention of killing the three Dissidents, Deshi convinces them to put them to work on Earth at the Harvest Site, reasoning that if any of the Elements were to die (or try to commit suicide as Apa, Lucas’s father, once did), the Dissidents have the same ability to sustain the environment.
Once entering the Harvest Site, the Dissidents find many of their formerly Broken friends living in and working as slaves for the Others, including Leah and Emmy, as well as Reese. Gradually, they develop a plan to escape the Others clutches and to figure out what it is about the substance that helps the others to survive and possibly create an altered version that would put the Others at a physical disadvantage and allow them the chance to regain control of Earth.
The Dissidents escape the clutches of death many times, but not without losses. In the end, many die, including their host families, as well as a majority of their human friends who helped them discover the uses of praseodymium and the altered substance. The Sidhe Greer loses Nat, her true love and an Other, and then her brother, Griffin. Once defeated, the Others leave the planet guided by the Elements and with a recipe for the synthetic injection that they need to survive. Earth’s population is dwindled to 15,000. But lead by Mr. Morgan, Althea’s host father in Danbury, CT, and several other host parents and the Dissidents, the new leadership sets forth plans to restore Earth to its former glory, but in a more environmentally and socially aware way.
They say that you know how a book (or series) is good when you reach the end and feel as though you’ve lost friends. That’s how I feel about The Last Year and the final installment of Summer Ruins. I enjoyed every minute, but when the last few pages approached, I felt extreme melancholia.
The YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic world is littered these days. The field is populated by book after book looking to capture the magic of authors like Veronica Roth (Divergent trilogy) and Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games trilogy). After a while, they can start to blend together and it’s hard to find a series that doesn’t seem like it’s trying too hard to be those popular books, as opposed to striking out with your own unique idea and putting a fresh spin on it. Trisha Leigh absolutely succeeds in this area. Wound together cleverly a thread of eerie sci-fi, a touch of mythology, and even a little bit of magic, The Last Year sets itself apart from the crowded pack and joins literary powerhouses like Collins, Roth, Lauren Oliver (Delirium trilogy), and Ally Condie (Matched trilogy) – it even transcends beyond a few of them. Summer Ruins is an excellent final chapter, answering every question, sewing up loose ends, and tapping into reality of revolutions – that they don’t come without a price.
Part of what makes The Last Year series so successful is the author’s attention to detail. One part chemistry, one part history, and two parts mystery, nothing in this series has gone un-researched. In every book, new historical elements are revealed to the characters. From literature, to Wild Bill Hickok , to the JFK Memorial Plaza in Dallas and the clever use of Southern Methodist University as a final setting for the Dissidents and their revolutionary friends to educate themselves and discover the roots of the Others, readers can enjoy learning about the U.S., deciphering the mysteries and history, and revel in the things we take for granted.
Summer Ruins was a perfect conclusion to Trisha Leigh’s debut series. Reaching the end was nothing short of heartbreaking. Having been hooked on the series since its debut, I do feel once again as though I’ve lost a few good friends when finished the last page. Being allowed the opportunity to review it before its release was the highest of honors. And reading this wonderful book (and series) was nothing short of an amazing experience.
(Check out my blog: http://the-book-binge.blogspot.com/)
After three stellar previous installments, The Last Year saga finds its end in a spectacular conclusion: Summer Ruins.
Author Trisha Leigh carefully crafts an Earth much different than the one we know, where aliens known as the Others have taken over our planet. Our environmental resources spent not long before the new race arrives, the Others managed to rebalance the climate of Earth and also restructure not only the government, the nations, and the use of the planet’s resources, but the minds of the inhabitants, who immediately become drones and whose minds are veiled to the reality of their condition. Many eventually become slaves who will extract a resource from Earth that is vital the survival of the Others, whose presence is actually zapping life from the planet with every day that passes.
More impressive than the world she creates is Trisha Leigh’s development of characters who are fascinating and easy to relate to for her audience. Their lives – and relationships – bring color and humanity back to the Others’ black and white world.
Over the course of the series, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know cast of The Last Year. The main characters, Pax, Lucas, Deshi, and narrator Althea, known as Dissidents, have begun the process of uncovering who they are – both human and Other – and trying to decipher what that means for their lives and their responsibilities. Each Dissident is a child of a human and one of the Others known as the Elements, those aliens who have the ability to regulate the temperature of a plane. The Elements insure the continued extraction of praseodymium, the chemical element that brings their body temperature down so that they can continue to survive.
When we last left the Dissidents, Pax, Lucas, and Althea, incomplete without their fourth, Deshi, had descended upon what is known as the, Underground Core at the former Mount Rushmore. Fooled into an attempt at rescuing Deshi, who has defected from the Dissidents after feeling as though they had largely ignored and abandoned him, they soon find themselves imprisoned and at the mercy of the Prime Other – the leader of the alien race and humans on Earth. Left behind are forty "unveiled" teenagers, stationed at a secret cabin, researching the element that Others seek to harvest from Earth.
Deshi is treated as though he is a part of the Prime Other’s family and bonds with the Prime’s son, Zakej, who becomes like a brother to him. He is instructed never to talk to or listen to any of the Dissidents.
While Lucas and Pax remain in a holding cell, Althea finds herself separated from them in a dark, dirty prison where the Others can keep a close eye on her. Despite his instructions to do absolutely otherwise, Deshi cannot contain his curiosity about the Dissidents and begins prodding Althea for information and slowly developing sense of trust. When the Prime Other returns with every intention of killing the three Dissidents, Deshi convinces them to put them to work on Earth at the Harvest Site, reasoning that if any of the Elements were to die (or try to commit suicide as Apa, Lucas’s father, once did), the Dissidents have the same ability to sustain the environment.
Once entering the Harvest Site, the Dissidents find many of their formerly Broken friends living in and working as slaves for the Others, including Leah and Emmy, as well as Reese. Gradually, they develop a plan to escape the Others clutches and to figure out what it is about the substance that helps the others to survive and possibly create an altered version that would put the Others at a physical disadvantage and allow them the chance to regain control of Earth.
The Dissidents escape the clutches of death many times, but not without losses. In the end, many die, including their host families, as well as a majority of their human friends who helped them discover the uses of praseodymium and the altered substance. The Sidhe Greer loses Nat, her true love and an Other, and then her brother, Griffin. Once defeated, the Others leave the planet guided by the Elements and with a recipe for the synthetic injection that they need to survive. Earth’s population is dwindled to 15,000. But lead by Mr. Morgan, Althea’s host father in Danbury, CT, and several other host parents and the Dissidents, the new leadership sets forth plans to restore Earth to its former glory, but in a more environmentally and socially aware way.
They say that you know how a book (or series) is good when you reach the end and feel as though you’ve lost friends. That’s how I feel about The Last Year and the final installment of Summer Ruins. I enjoyed every minute, but when the last few pages approached, I felt extreme melancholia.
The YA dystopian/post-apocalyptic world is littered these days. The field is populated by book after book looking to capture the magic of authors like Veronica Roth (Divergent trilogy) and Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games trilogy). After a while, they can start to blend together and it’s hard to find a series that doesn’t seem like it’s trying too hard to be those popular books, as opposed to striking out with your own unique idea and putting a fresh spin on it. Trisha Leigh absolutely succeeds in this area. Wound together cleverly a thread of eerie sci-fi, a touch of mythology, and even a little bit of magic, The Last Year sets itself apart from the crowded pack and joins literary powerhouses like Collins, Roth, Lauren Oliver (Delirium trilogy), and Ally Condie (Matched trilogy) – it even transcends beyond a few of them. Summer Ruins is an excellent final chapter, answering every question, sewing up loose ends, and tapping into reality of revolutions – that they don’t come without a price.
Part of what makes The Last Year series so successful is the author’s attention to detail. One part chemistry, one part history, and two parts mystery, nothing in this series has gone un-researched. In every book, new historical elements are revealed to the characters. From literature, to Wild Bill Hickok , to the JFK Memorial Plaza in Dallas and the clever use of Southern Methodist University as a final setting for the Dissidents and their revolutionary friends to educate themselves and discover the roots of the Others, readers can enjoy learning about the U.S., deciphering the mysteries and history, and revel in the things we take for granted.
Summer Ruins was a perfect conclusion to Trisha Leigh’s debut series. Reaching the end was nothing short of heartbreaking. Having been hooked on the series since its debut, I do feel once again as though I’ve lost a few good friends when finished the last page. Being allowed the opportunity to review it before its release was the highest of honors. And reading this wonderful book (and series) was nothing short of an amazing experience.
(Check out my blog: http://the-book-binge.blogspot.com/)
March 15, 2018
I really loved this series in the beginning, but by the end it didn't interest me as much. The ending was reasonable but overall expected, and the author's writing appealed to me less as I finished it. I gave the first book 4 stars, and this one maybe 2 and a half.
I'm sad about what the author did in the end with some of the characters- my heart goes out to one of the elements.
Overall, this series was very interesting and fun to read about, and I really liked the Others as aliens and how they conquered the world. It was pretty different and I liked it a lot. The author mentioned a part in the Prime Other's family that was completely ignored in the rest of the series, and I'd be interested in reading a novella about that.
Sidenote:
Also, the name of the series (The Last Year) always kept me in suspense because it left room for many different endings, and made me doubt the expected one. :)
I'm sad about what the author did in the end with some of the characters- my heart goes out to one of the elements.
Overall, this series was very interesting and fun to read about, and I really liked the Others as aliens and how they conquered the world. It was pretty different and I liked it a lot. The author mentioned a part in the Prime Other's family that was completely ignored in the rest of the series, and I'd be interested in reading a novella about that.
Sidenote:
Also, the name of the series (The Last Year) always kept me in suspense because it left room for many different endings, and made me doubt the expected one. :)
August 12, 2017
books 3 and 4 were the best to read for me. Without giving away any spoilers I felt there was no reason for some of the events to take place in the last book.. Spoilers ahead!!! Don't read if you haven't read this book yet...
Not Ok
April 2, 2018
Improvement over the third book
Once again a great book in the series. A little shorter than I would have liked though. A few places where the story could have been developed a lot more but a definite improvement over the third book. A lot less grammar mistakes too.
The ending would have been a lot more satisfying without the tiny last part at the end of the epilogue though. Still, a good conclusion of the story, well written, and worth the money and time. Good job!
Once again a great book in the series. A little shorter than I would have liked though. A few places where the story could have been developed a lot more but a definite improvement over the third book. A lot less grammar mistakes too.
The ending would have been a lot more satisfying without the tiny last part at the end of the epilogue though. Still, a good conclusion of the story, well written, and worth the money and time. Good job!
October 13, 2018
Excellent Series
Just enough romance; great suspense; dramatic action and battles...maybe a little extra gory; and has sadness and dark themes. Still, I was well invested in the characters throughout the series. I was very impressed with the great writing. The concepts were interesting and the world she populated was believable. I like the hope for the future that she concluded with.
Just enough romance; great suspense; dramatic action and battles...maybe a little extra gory; and has sadness and dark themes. Still, I was well invested in the characters throughout the series. I was very impressed with the great writing. The concepts were interesting and the world she populated was believable. I like the hope for the future that she concluded with.
March 3, 2021
I loved this series and the whole premise of the books. I was so excited when everything seemed to come to a head and I was expecting great things from these four kids together. But the last book was not what I was hoping for. There were some great individual battles, but there was never any great convergence of the power of all four which I was anxious to see.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2021
What a satisfying conclusion. I was anxious to get through this book to see how this series ended. For me, it tied everything up realistically--as realistic you can get with a book that has aliens and elemental magic. I empathized with the characters; I felt their pain and their relief. It's everything I wanted.
September 6, 2021
Great ending to a series
Great completion to the storyline. I appreciate all the vivid imagery, and look forward to when my granddaughters get just a little older so I can share this story. I like that the focus was on the 4 and not sexual graphic. The variations between fact & ducting were well thought out and realistic. Thank you for the great story!
Great completion to the storyline. I appreciate all the vivid imagery, and look forward to when my granddaughters get just a little older so I can share this story. I like that the focus was on the 4 and not sexual graphic. The variations between fact & ducting were well thought out and realistic. Thank you for the great story!
June 16, 2018
I really liked this book and the characters very much. I like the story a lot. I have read this entire series of 4 books, and really enjoyed reading them. I will be looking for more books by this author.
July 29, 2018
A nice finish to the story. Sometimes the science stuff was a bit lacking. The whole chemistry was a bit unbelievable. Actually, the whole overthrowing of the Others was pretty unbelievable, but it was still a good read and entertaining.
May 4, 2017
Awesome series and I read a ton of this genre. It stands with the best of them!
January 22, 2016
An unprecedented phenomenon: I'm reviewing the last book in a series after already reviewing the first :0
Ok now that the shock has worn off, I have to say this won't be a terribly long review as I expressed my thoughts for the first book, and in all honesty, they haven't changed.
The book was addictive in the best way, one chapter blending so seamlessly into the next that it was near impossible to put the book down at any point.
However, my problem once again lies in the end of the book. If you know me, you know that's always my biggest problem area. To be fair to Trisha Leigh, though, it's very difficult to write a satisfying ending to a series, so I don't hold it too much against her. That being said, I still have to address the glaring problems. The ending seemed rushed to me, with not enough of a description of how everything ended.... Leigh went with the quintessential "and then suddenly everything was over" route. I mean, we spent 4 books leading up to this epic battle between the Others and humans and in like 4 pages it was done, and very conveniently too... It was too convenient for me, but maybe I'm a bit too picky.
The other biggest problem I had was with Deshi. Just because you have Althea reference how none of them are close to Deshi doesn't make it ok to ignore his characterization altogether. and we never really learned all that much about him as a person either; I wasn't as attached to him as the others, which is not good since he's part of their foursome. He needed a LOT more fleshing out in the book in my opinion.
But Ciera, why are you giving this book a 5 even though there were two major flaws, you may ask? Well, the simple answer is because the rest of the book coupled with the superb writing style was enough to make me forgive and ignore those issues. It was just so much fun to read, and it gave me the book blues after finishing it, which to me, means an automatic 5 stars. If you can make me feel melancholy and wistful after finishing your book, and I feel like I could read another hundred books just about their every day lives, then you know You've made it as an author.
Really really amazing job, Leigh. I commend you on an excellent series that kept me engaged every step of the way!
Ok now that the shock has worn off, I have to say this won't be a terribly long review as I expressed my thoughts for the first book, and in all honesty, they haven't changed.
The book was addictive in the best way, one chapter blending so seamlessly into the next that it was near impossible to put the book down at any point.
However, my problem once again lies in the end of the book. If you know me, you know that's always my biggest problem area. To be fair to Trisha Leigh, though, it's very difficult to write a satisfying ending to a series, so I don't hold it too much against her. That being said, I still have to address the glaring problems. The ending seemed rushed to me, with not enough of a description of how everything ended.... Leigh went with the quintessential "and then suddenly everything was over" route. I mean, we spent 4 books leading up to this epic battle between the Others and humans and in like 4 pages it was done, and very conveniently too... It was too convenient for me, but maybe I'm a bit too picky.
The other biggest problem I had was with Deshi. Just because you have Althea reference how none of them are close to Deshi doesn't make it ok to ignore his characterization altogether. and we never really learned all that much about him as a person either; I wasn't as attached to him as the others, which is not good since he's part of their foursome. He needed a LOT more fleshing out in the book in my opinion.
But Ciera, why are you giving this book a 5 even though there were two major flaws, you may ask? Well, the simple answer is because the rest of the book coupled with the superb writing style was enough to make me forgive and ignore those issues. It was just so much fun to read, and it gave me the book blues after finishing it, which to me, means an automatic 5 stars. If you can make me feel melancholy and wistful after finishing your book, and I feel like I could read another hundred books just about their every day lives, then you know You've made it as an author.
Really really amazing job, Leigh. I commend you on an excellent series that kept me engaged every step of the way!
February 20, 2013
Perfect conclusion to the series. 5 wonderful Stars.
I picked up the first book in this series as a freebie and I was absolutely blown away by it. I've followed along and eagerly picked up each new installment as they were released.
I'm not even sure where to start with this book besides to state that it was amazing.
Trisha Leigh has managed to weave a together a careful balance of dystopia and sci-fi. She populated her world with a blend of well-developed and relate-able characters and made them do amazing things. Her plot line is very well thought out and she manages to put a very strong and uplifting message into her story.
The main character and narrator, Althea, is strong and opinionated but just enough vulnerable and unsure of herself to make her one of my favorite female characters in the YA genre. In this book, she battles so much but gets through it with self-determination and perseverance. She works together with her friends/allies to overcome the (many) obstacles they face and she manages to accept help without becoming a "damsel in distress" who has to be rescued all the time.
Althea's relationship with Lucas develops further in this installment and it is sweet and perfect. She loves him, but she doesn't need him to survive, stating "[W]hile I don't need him to be by my side, I do want him there." I like that Althea is secure enough to stand on her own, but has entered into a healthy and mutually supportive relationship with Lucas.
All the characters face tough choices in this book They have to work together towards a common goal and they do so with intelligence, friendship, tenacity and hope. As sad as I am to see this series end, the author could not have done a better job bringing it to an emotional and fitting conclusion.
I picked up the first book in this series as a freebie and I was absolutely blown away by it. I've followed along and eagerly picked up each new installment as they were released.
I'm not even sure where to start with this book besides to state that it was amazing.
Trisha Leigh has managed to weave a together a careful balance of dystopia and sci-fi. She populated her world with a blend of well-developed and relate-able characters and made them do amazing things. Her plot line is very well thought out and she manages to put a very strong and uplifting message into her story.
The main character and narrator, Althea, is strong and opinionated but just enough vulnerable and unsure of herself to make her one of my favorite female characters in the YA genre. In this book, she battles so much but gets through it with self-determination and perseverance. She works together with her friends/allies to overcome the (many) obstacles they face and she manages to accept help without becoming a "damsel in distress" who has to be rescued all the time.
Althea's relationship with Lucas develops further in this installment and it is sweet and perfect. She loves him, but she doesn't need him to survive, stating "[W]hile I don't need him to be by my side, I do want him there." I like that Althea is secure enough to stand on her own, but has entered into a healthy and mutually supportive relationship with Lucas.
All the characters face tough choices in this book They have to work together towards a common goal and they do so with intelligence, friendship, tenacity and hope. As sad as I am to see this series end, the author could not have done a better job bringing it to an emotional and fitting conclusion.
December 27, 2013
I'm so sad that the book is over. It has been a wonderful and exciting journey lived through the eyes of Althea. Her adventures with Lucas, Pax and Deshi have been enthralling. This is definitely a very hard series to put down and if you're not mindful of the clock, you could miss bedtime lol.
The decor is just beautifully built; we see some use of modern landmarks throughout the series so we are familiar with the environment, but the dystopian empire that the Others have built make it a brand new world. It's been exciting as they discovered more of their world and made plans (with some human friends) to release the human race from the bondage of the Others. It's a long and hard journey and the four Dissidents are forever changed as a result.
In this final installment, we see Althea, Lucas and Pax struggling to find a way to reach out to Deshi and to make him realize his "friends", who are Others, are not all they appear to be. We never hear too much from Deshi perspective of how he turns around in his mindset, but there is enough info given that we can assume how it came about.
This is the type of series that would do well to have novelettes released with POV's from Pax, Lucas, and especially Deshi. It would even be interesting to have a very short novelette released that would continue on with the post-Other turn around of the world. There is much unknown about them since this series is from Althea's POV.
The decor is just beautifully built; we see some use of modern landmarks throughout the series so we are familiar with the environment, but the dystopian empire that the Others have built make it a brand new world. It's been exciting as they discovered more of their world and made plans (with some human friends) to release the human race from the bondage of the Others. It's a long and hard journey and the four Dissidents are forever changed as a result.
In this final installment, we see Althea, Lucas and Pax struggling to find a way to reach out to Deshi and to make him realize his "friends", who are Others, are not all they appear to be. We never hear too much from Deshi perspective of how he turns around in his mindset, but there is enough info given that we can assume how it came about.
This is the type of series that would do well to have novelettes released with POV's from Pax, Lucas, and especially Deshi. It would even be interesting to have a very short novelette released that would continue on with the post-Other turn around of the world. There is much unknown about them since this series is from Althea's POV.
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March 12, 2015It's hard to write a review for the 4th and last book in this series without addressing the series as a whole. I think it's important to say that I am not a usual reader of young adult or dystopian/fantasy novels but I really enjoyed this series. I can especially tell since now that I'm finished with it, I'm sad that I don't have these characters as part of my day anymore. The whole series is well-written with complex character development, action, suspense and a roller coaster of emotions. It's an interesting plot which gets smarter as you go along. The fourth book has themes very reminiscent of the Holocaust (at least to me) and messages of climate change, history and ecology. Out of the 4 books, the last was my least favorite. There is a lot of specific, detailed violence and death which I didn't expect in a young adult book. I know everyone can't make it out of a war intact but it felt like a lot to me. It also felt like the characters wrapped up the ending a little too easily but I still give it 5 stars because I loved the whole series with its intelligent plot and realistic narrative. It certainly doesn't talk down to young adults. I would recommend this series to anyone. It has changed my mind about dystopian stories. Just a note: they all could have survived quite well on just the beans (sorry, had to say it).
March 21, 2013
I was seriously disappointed with this book. I was left with a frustrated feeling. I know that it is war and that people die but she took Pax's character to a level that was a little too painful. First the poor guy doesn't get the girl (I seriously think she should have been with Pax, Lucas is a dull and predictably boring guy). I would have forgiven that and was on the road to doing so when she introduced Leah as a love interest for Pax. However, as we all know the author thought it would be a good idea to kill off Leah in the end of the book. Seriously!? How was that necessary? There was plenty of pain with the death of Nat (I almost cried over that) and Griffin. I know that these reviews are subjective due to biases but my bias is that there should be a delicate balance of pain in a novel like this. The pain inflicted on the reader was out of balance, it was a little much.
Now, on to the thing I liked about the books. One could easily get lost in the world she created. It was painted very nicely. I could imagine almost everything she wrote. The final antidote for the Other problem was a little unbelievable but it worked and it was smart.
She did an awesome job of foreshadowing.
Now, on to the thing I liked about the books. One could easily get lost in the world she created. It was painted very nicely. I could imagine almost everything she wrote. The final antidote for the Other problem was a little unbelievable but it worked and it was smart.
She did an awesome job of foreshadowing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 9, 2013
This was an interesting read but I feel that Ms Leigh got a little tired and rushed by the end; the 4th Dissident was never fully fleshed out and seems to magically change sides after simply having a few conversations with humans, despite being in love with an Other - furthermore, in order to try and make up for this deficit Ms. Leigh falls back on the trope of making him gay. It felt a little insulting that this potentially fascinating character with a completely different perspective from our heroes was tossed around so clumsily.
Additionally, the Dissidents have been so outmatched so far that their sudden and complete victory seems implausible, and the aftermath seems just a little too smooth to pass muster. There is a Deus Ex Machina conclusion without an actual Deus, and Ms. Leigh becomes rather preachy about global warming and how to create a better society towards the end; this only serves to take away from the story. ...I enjoyed Whispers in Autumn but from that book on Ms. Leigh tried too many things at one time. She excels at creating individual characters who become extremely sympathetic and interesting, but she should stick to the tone of Whispers in Autumn and avoid adding too many characters and too many plot twists.
Additionally, the Dissidents have been so outmatched so far that their sudden and complete victory seems implausible, and the aftermath seems just a little too smooth to pass muster. There is a Deus Ex Machina conclusion without an actual Deus, and Ms. Leigh becomes rather preachy about global warming and how to create a better society towards the end; this only serves to take away from the story. ...I enjoyed Whispers in Autumn but from that book on Ms. Leigh tried too many things at one time. She excels at creating individual characters who become extremely sympathetic and interesting, but she should stick to the tone of Whispers in Autumn and avoid adding too many characters and too many plot twists.
July 25, 2013
I enjoyed reading this four-book series that is actually one story. It would be hard to read any of these books without reading the others, as each book contains a part of the story that leads to its conclusion in the fourth book. This is an interesting and compelling story, although at times it is hard to read some of the more graphic parts, especially the torture scenes. I had to skim those a bit, but the series is definitely worth the read. While the first book takes some time to develop Althea's story and her current situation, the action level picks up toward the end of that book and continues throughout the series. I grew very fond of the main characters, and I intended to stretch this reading out over a few weeks this summer, but found that I had to finish it sooner, rather than wait to find out the fate of these characters and the people on Earth that they are trying to save.
I also have a "lend-me" through B&N available right now on each of these books that I'm happy to share with the first person to request it, similar to borrowing an ebook from the library for free. Just send me a message. Each book will be available to you for a two-week period, then it will revert back to me automatically.
I also have a "lend-me" through B&N available right now on each of these books that I'm happy to share with the first person to request it, similar to borrowing an ebook from the library for free. Just send me a message. Each book will be available to you for a two-week period, then it will revert back to me automatically.
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