What do you think?
Rate this book
Conquered Earth #3
Valley of Fires
The sci-fi tour de force series set in an alien-invaded post-apocalyptic world concludes as the teens must unite Earth’s disparate survivors to overthrow its alien invaders once and for all.
Earth has been conquered by an alien race known as the Assembly. The human adult population is gone, having succumbed to the Tone—a powerful, telepathic super-signal broadcast across the planet that reduces them to a state of complete subservience. But the Tone only affects the population once they reach their early twenties. Which means that there is one group left to resist: Children. In Valley of Fires the trio of kid heroes -Holt, Mira, and Zoey- are forced apart to accomplish individual quests if they are to have any hope of uniting what reamins of Earth's disparate survivors against its alien invaders.
Mira ventures west to bargain with Van Cleef, the enigmatic leader of North America's most infamous resistance group. But Van Cleef has his own plans to end the conflict, a destructive solution that might actually work...but at a horrible cost. Meanwhile, Holt travels with Ravan and Avril back to the one place he swore he would never return: Faust, the sprawling and dangerous desert city of the Menagerie pirate guild. He goes not only to resolve his issues with Tiberius, its tyrannical leader, but to enlist the Menagerie in the fight to save Zoey. Except Tiberius has his own problems. Factions within the Menagerie are splintering, and word of rebellion is beginning to spread. If Holt wants the Menagerie's help, he might have to help his greatest enemy in exchange.
Traveling separate paths with little hope of safety or reunion, Holt and Mira bring this thrilling, genre-bending series to an utterly unforgettable close.
Earth has been conquered by an alien race known as the Assembly. The human adult population is gone, having succumbed to the Tone—a powerful, telepathic super-signal broadcast across the planet that reduces them to a state of complete subservience. But the Tone only affects the population once they reach their early twenties. Which means that there is one group left to resist: Children. In Valley of Fires the trio of kid heroes -Holt, Mira, and Zoey- are forced apart to accomplish individual quests if they are to have any hope of uniting what reamins of Earth's disparate survivors against its alien invaders.
Mira ventures west to bargain with Van Cleef, the enigmatic leader of North America's most infamous resistance group. But Van Cleef has his own plans to end the conflict, a destructive solution that might actually work...but at a horrible cost. Meanwhile, Holt travels with Ravan and Avril back to the one place he swore he would never return: Faust, the sprawling and dangerous desert city of the Menagerie pirate guild. He goes not only to resolve his issues with Tiberius, its tyrannical leader, but to enlist the Menagerie in the fight to save Zoey. Except Tiberius has his own problems. Factions within the Menagerie are splintering, and word of rebellion is beginning to spread. If Holt wants the Menagerie's help, he might have to help his greatest enemy in exchange.
Traveling separate paths with little hope of safety or reunion, Holt and Mira bring this thrilling, genre-bending series to an utterly unforgettable close.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published December 2, 2014
13 people are currently reading
754 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 2, 2015
YA Steampunk Mad Max… with ALIENS!
This is the last book in the trilogy and, sadly, the first book I’ve read. (I promise to never do this again.) The book isn’t completely befuddling, but I can’t say it stands alone at all. Readers are thrown immediately into a high-pressure crisis with giant spider-like alien machines coming to destroy a post-apocalyptic city. It’s difficult to tell how old anyone is, as it’s never recapped. You gradually gather that there is something called The Tone that turns adults into mindless husks around the age of 20, although there are some who are immune without explanation.
Until near the very end, I couldn’t tell how long ago in the worldbuilding timeline the alien invasion had occurred. I’d been assuming it was many decades—perhaps even centuries. But in the last few chapters got the impression it was less than a decade. (Knowing Zoe’s age would have helped, but that info was never given in this book.)
In the hopes of saving some readers trouble, I’ll admit I was personally hoping for futuristic sci-fi. What I got was sci-fi dusted fantasy. There were so many physics-defying objects and concepts, it was easier just to do a mental {insert incomprehensible space-magic here}. There’s lots of high action, massive-scale battles, and time spent in a killer mousetrap-like arena. The writing is serviceable, if not a bit over-complicated in the plot department. The prose sometimes felt like it needed tightening. For example:
"Ahead of them probably ten miles distant, something massive and huge towered over the desert... It was a city. A big one. It's name was Faust."
(Hint: The words ‘massive’, ‘huge’, and ‘big’ all used to describe the same thing in a single paragraph.)
There’s a cardboard cutout good-guy army dying left and right, but it’s difficult to feel any kind of way about that. (Again, maybe if I’d read one or both of the previous books I would have felt more attached. My bad.) And for most of this multi-POV book, the female characters (namely Mira, Olive, and Avril) all felt indistinct and interchangeable. Ravan being the exception, as she came off as almost entirely masculine until the end. (Although, her presumed history of sexual abuse made that trait believable.)
For those looking for romance, this book is overall lacking—as the hero and heroine are separated almost from the get-go and Holt is left presuming Mira is dead. (They have just enough time for a sex scene with no mention or regard for contraception, despite how exceedingly non-conducive the whole end-of-the-world scenario is to pregnancy.) Holt then spends the vast majority of the book in a sort of non-functional mourning state that made him EXTREMELY difficult to empathize with. His supposed love for Zoey (the basis for which isn’t really recapped) and hope for saving humanity is apparently not enough to drive him further than apathy.
This reader’s biggest pet peeve was set off in the form of fact-checking. I need to preface this assertion by saying I have no idea if this story is supposed to be taking place in some alternate universe where none of our usual rules (such as visible color scales and human audio perception range) ever applied. From what I read, I can only presume this was set in our present-day world which just happened to be overrun by energy-based aliens with a knack for possessing machinery. Unless I missed something major (and if I did please correct me) at no point in this book is the reader told that the alien invasion altered said natural human perceptions. Yet, in the middle of a somber funeral speech that is apparently meant to inspire the masses, the character Dane recites the following:
"There are not more than five musical notes," he recanted."Yet the combinations give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard."
Wait…what?
First off, I think he either meant "chanted" or "recounted," not recanted. Secondly, there ARE more than five musical notes. o.O I'm no musician, but I'm pretty sure there are 12 notes per octave if you include half notes, 7 if you don't.
Dane’s speech continues…
"There are not more than five primary colors, yet in combination they produce more hues then can ever be seen."
While I see the point he's striving for, I'm not sure where he's getting his info. There are three primary colors—Red, Yellow, & Blue for artists; cyan, magenta, and yellow for printers (so, yes, technically not more than five, I suppose...) And why is 5 the super magic number?
Not only could I not take the speech seriously, but these info declarations pulled me completely out of the story to go do research and verify that I wasn’t completely misinformed. I never really recovered from that point on.
August 3, 2020
Holt and Mira have sealed bargains with the Wind Traders and the White Helix to join in their quest to rescue Zoey. Now they must split up to retrieve the last two elements of their army - the Menagerie and the Phantom Regiment. Both are willing to risk everything, even themselves, to rid the world of the alien Assembly. However, some of the Assembly, led by Ambassador, are willing to sacrifice everything to save Zoey and be able to rejoin the Nexus. I loved everything about this book except the ending. (I didn't like the ending because the book ended.) The characters were great - Holt, Mira, Ambassador, Zoey, the Max, Ravan, Dresden, and Olive. The White Helix were amazing! Even amid the death and destruction, there were funny moments. My favorites were the relationship between the Max and Nemo. I also laughed aloud when Mira asked Smitty if he was sure about driving a train. He replied that he had never even driven a car before the alien invasion. Then I laughed again when Casper crashed the windship into a building and lamented that he had killed a bakery. This would make a great movie.
July 24, 2015
FINISHED.
THIS IS A PRE-REVIEW, WITH NO SPOILERS. ALL NAMES ARE OMITTED FROM QUOTES.FULL REVIEW AFTER I READ THE FINAL VERSION.
"We all face moments like that. Choices that lie between us and what we have to do. The point where you have to decide to keep going forwards... or just stay where you are and burn. Wind Traders call that place the Valley of Fires."
This book is easily the best thing to happen to books since the Severed Tower.
I'm obviously not going to give examples as to why, because spoilers, but I can easily say Valley of Fires surpasses Severed Tower. ... And this is just the ARC (which means: Not-Final-Version).
While reading this book, I actually had to stop several times because it was so intense. That's NEVER happened. For the back half of the book I was practically on the verge of tears (be them happy, sad, joyful, etc).
Seriously, this book does NOT disappoint. I've read quite a few books (most of which aren't on my Goodreads cuz I'm new here), and NEVER has it happened where the books get better as the series goes on. Not successively like Conquered Earth. Usually there's the really good first book, the even better second book, then the okay third book.
For some reason, finale books seem to have a trend of falling below below expectations.
Valley of Fires?
No. Expectations have been exceeded.
Valley of Fires is amazing, and in my opinion (based on the ARC), the best in the series.
It has action. It has romance. It has suspense. Betrayal. It quite literally has everything a book lover could love.
Not to mention there's like fifty quotable moments every chapter. Some of the things the characters say in this book have changed me in more ways than one. Or just like... made me cry.
And then there's this:
"Each of us is weak. Each of us has doubts. Each is afraid. Some admit to it, others don't. Either way, you have all taught me that strength is not an absence of fear. Strength... is going forwards in spite of it."
Excuse me, feels. Get back in me.
11/10.
THIS IS A PRE-REVIEW, WITH NO SPOILERS. ALL NAMES ARE OMITTED FROM QUOTES.FULL REVIEW AFTER I READ THE FINAL VERSION.
"We all face moments like that. Choices that lie between us and what we have to do. The point where you have to decide to keep going forwards... or just stay where you are and burn. Wind Traders call that place the Valley of Fires."
This book is easily the best thing to happen to books since the Severed Tower.
I'm obviously not going to give examples as to why, because spoilers, but I can easily say Valley of Fires surpasses Severed Tower. ... And this is just the ARC (which means: Not-Final-Version).
While reading this book, I actually had to stop several times because it was so intense. That's NEVER happened. For the back half of the book I was practically on the verge of tears (be them happy, sad, joyful, etc).
Seriously, this book does NOT disappoint. I've read quite a few books (most of which aren't on my Goodreads cuz I'm new here), and NEVER has it happened where the books get better as the series goes on. Not successively like Conquered Earth. Usually there's the really good first book, the even better second book, then the okay third book.
For some reason, finale books seem to have a trend of falling below below expectations.
Valley of Fires?
No. Expectations have been exceeded.
Valley of Fires is amazing, and in my opinion (based on the ARC), the best in the series.
It has action. It has romance. It has suspense. Betrayal. It quite literally has everything a book lover could love.
Not to mention there's like fifty quotable moments every chapter. Some of the things the characters say in this book have changed me in more ways than one. Or just like... made me cry.
And then there's this:
"Each of us is weak. Each of us has doubts. Each is afraid. Some admit to it, others don't. Either way, you have all taught me that strength is not an absence of fear. Strength... is going forwards in spite of it."
Excuse me, feels. Get back in me.
11/10.
March 21, 2015
Wow! This series was so good. I think this IS the series with the biggest character development ever. Everyone came out different from how they started: they learned, grew, changed... It was good knowing how experiences can affect the way we see things, and this book really held on to that premise. You could see all the character's different phases without necessarily being inside their head like in a first person point of view book. That is called good writing.
Every book was so different, yet they were all deeply connected. Each installment brought in new problems, new settings, new imagery that filled my mind with emotion, and new characters that you just ended up loving, no matter how harsh or impulsive they were. As always, not everyone comes out alive, and one particular death took me by surprise (I shed ONE tear), but I guess that's the way it's supposed to be. In the end, everything was resolved and the world was restored. This book was the perfect combination of aliens, robots, pirates, traders, factions, cities, "magic" (in some sort of way), war, tension, and love. This series did not disappoint and I'm glad I gave it a try.
MINI SPOILERS:
You will forever be remembered Ravan. Your death was the most heroic thing ever that it stung my heart. You were my favorite character and I knew from the first time that those walls built around you were because inside, there was a big heart. The Menagerie should build a monument in your name.
Dane, your death shall be remembered too as the most memorable White Helix act.
Last, but definitely not least, Zoey, your are the HERO.
P.S. Mira + Holt forever (and Max as the third-wheeler dog). So glad Masyn, Castor, Olive, Dresden, Dasha, and Avril made it out alive. I think I'm done. Wait, Ambassador was a cool Assembly robot too. Thumbs up for him. Now I'm done. Those were my favorite 13 characters.
Every book was so different, yet they were all deeply connected. Each installment brought in new problems, new settings, new imagery that filled my mind with emotion, and new characters that you just ended up loving, no matter how harsh or impulsive they were. As always, not everyone comes out alive, and one particular death took me by surprise (I shed ONE tear), but I guess that's the way it's supposed to be. In the end, everything was resolved and the world was restored. This book was the perfect combination of aliens, robots, pirates, traders, factions, cities, "magic" (in some sort of way), war, tension, and love. This series did not disappoint and I'm glad I gave it a try.
MINI SPOILERS:
You will forever be remembered Ravan. Your death was the most heroic thing ever that it stung my heart. You were my favorite character and I knew from the first time that those walls built around you were because inside, there was a big heart. The Menagerie should build a monument in your name.
Dane, your death shall be remembered too as the most memorable White Helix act.
Last, but definitely not least, Zoey, your are the HERO.
P.S. Mira + Holt forever (and Max as the third-wheeler dog). So glad Masyn, Castor, Olive, Dresden, Dasha, and Avril made it out alive. I think I'm done. Wait, Ambassador was a cool Assembly robot too. Thumbs up for him. Now I'm done. Those were my favorite 13 characters.
January 19, 2015
3.5 stars
This author puts so much work into these books. It is a different series and intelligent and I love Mira and Holt. The action and epic battles are amazing. However, it isn't an easy read. Far from it. It can get quite complicated with the overly descriptive writing and many, many characters. Mira and Holt were separated for most of this book, but as I got into their separate stories I enjoyed it. My biggest problem was with the character of Zoey. I still don't understand how Mira and Holt loved her so much, and I hated how obsessed everyone was with her. These two groups of young people go through so much death and heartache and strife and I just wished it was all for a greater reason, like taking down the assembly or making a stand, but it was all just to save a little girl. That made it difficult to stay on Mira's side. I feel like the book would have had a bigger impact on me if I knew they were going through all that for something world-changing.
I know some people might say well Zoey was world-changing, but all the menagerie knew was that Zoey was just a little girl. So I could understand their frustration and anger.
The ending was great and epic, but I didn't like the cheesiness of it all. It all comes down to love. That's what the assembly needs (rolls eyes).
This author puts so much work into these books. It is a different series and intelligent and I love Mira and Holt. The action and epic battles are amazing. However, it isn't an easy read. Far from it. It can get quite complicated with the overly descriptive writing and many, many characters. Mira and Holt were separated for most of this book, but as I got into their separate stories I enjoyed it. My biggest problem was with the character of Zoey. I still don't understand how Mira and Holt loved her so much, and I hated how obsessed everyone was with her. These two groups of young people go through so much death and heartache and strife and I just wished it was all for a greater reason, like taking down the assembly or making a stand, but it was all just to save a little girl. That made it difficult to stay on Mira's side. I feel like the book would have had a bigger impact on me if I knew they were going through all that for something world-changing.
I know some people might say well Zoey was world-changing, but all the menagerie knew was that Zoey was just a little girl. So I could understand their frustration and anger.
The ending was great and epic, but I didn't like the cheesiness of it all. It all comes down to love. That's what the assembly needs (rolls eyes).
January 18, 2016
This last book took the characters in different directions rather than keeping their adventures together as a group. It also seemed slightly slow at times, although I never did get bored and that's only because there were battles and more battles and heavy description of them.
But overall it was an amazing adventure. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, wondering who and if Mitchell was going to kill off characters. He just knows how to write a great story!
I am still annoyed that Blackstone Audio dropped this from the series and didn't produce it on audio. The previous two books in the series are available on audio narrated by Kirby Heyborne, who just brings the whole thing to life. I would have liked this book even more had I been able to experience it that way.
Regardless, it is riveting and a fantastic end to the series. And this series is far better than many of the YA post-apocalyptic/dystopians out there. Why it hasn't gotten more hype is beyond me.
But overall it was an amazing adventure. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, wondering who and if Mitchell was going to kill off characters. He just knows how to write a great story!
I am still annoyed that Blackstone Audio dropped this from the series and didn't produce it on audio. The previous two books in the series are available on audio narrated by Kirby Heyborne, who just brings the whole thing to life. I would have liked this book even more had I been able to experience it that way.
Regardless, it is riveting and a fantastic end to the series. And this series is far better than many of the YA post-apocalyptic/dystopians out there. Why it hasn't gotten more hype is beyond me.
December 16, 2015
Appropriate for: age 14+
You will like this book if you like: Post apocalyptic stories, aliens, scifi, romance
I really liked the conclusion to this trilogy. Lots of battles, but they were trying to save the planet. I liked when the story went between the 3 main characters point of view, but the other extraneous character POV were kind of boring and I skimmed over them. No swear words (yay!) except the b word (for illegitimate child). Some grammar and spelling mistakes, especially after the halfway point, but not too bad.
My favorite quote was bye Dane, "Maybe a leader isn't some all-confident, all-knowing sage, who never makes mistakes and always has an answer. Maybe sometimes a leader's just someone who has somewhere they have to be. And the only way to get there... is to take everyone else with them."
You will like this book if you like: Post apocalyptic stories, aliens, scifi, romance
I really liked the conclusion to this trilogy. Lots of battles, but they were trying to save the planet. I liked when the story went between the 3 main characters point of view, but the other extraneous character POV were kind of boring and I skimmed over them. No swear words (yay!) except the b word (for illegitimate child). Some grammar and spelling mistakes, especially after the halfway point, but not too bad.
My favorite quote was bye Dane, "Maybe a leader isn't some all-confident, all-knowing sage, who never makes mistakes and always has an answer. Maybe sometimes a leader's just someone who has somewhere they have to be. And the only way to get there... is to take everyone else with them."
September 3, 2016
This book took me a long time to read. It was a really slow book but that didnt take the fun of it.
Mitchell keeps making this world so interesting, this characters so incridible that i just cant get enough of it. I wanted more. But the book ended in perfect moment.
I actually dont know what to say here, just that this is a really good book with well writen characters and an amazing worldbuilding.
If you like scifi with aliens stuff, you are probablly going to like this book.
If you likes strong and well written characters ( specially the girls) you are going to like this.
If you dont mind read a book that is not that fast pace, you are going to like this.
Mitchell keeps making this world so interesting, this characters so incridible that i just cant get enough of it. I wanted more. But the book ended in perfect moment.
I actually dont know what to say here, just that this is a really good book with well writen characters and an amazing worldbuilding.
If you like scifi with aliens stuff, you are probablly going to like this book.
If you likes strong and well written characters ( specially the girls) you are going to like this.
If you dont mind read a book that is not that fast pace, you are going to like this.
November 8, 2014
So I want to say thanks to St.Martin Press and NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review. I personally didn't really like this book at all. I thought I would give it a chance because it said Aliens. I love books about Aliens not one book about Aliens let me down except this one. I don't think it was the story line or the plot that set me off. It was more of the authors writing style and how it was confusing for me. It dragged on for me and was a little slow.
February 18, 2015
I can't remember the last time I have fallen out with a series this bad. I loved the first one, the second was okay, and I just couldn't care about this one enough to even finish it. Not sure what happened but that's how it is...
December 1, 2014
review to come...
February 28, 2015
I really enjoyed this series a lot. Good ending to finish off the story. Looking forward in seeing what else this author writes. Really like his writing style.
July 30, 2024
Well, what a disappointing ending.
Holt becomes an idiot for some reason. He loves Mira, but then he thinks she died, so he becomes cold an detached. but wait? Doesn't he still have Zoey to save? Apparently, he could care less because Mira is dead.
Then he falls for Revan again and says she made him feel things no other woman made him feel (ouch... Mira). He promises to stay with her and never hurt her.
but wait, then Revan dies and he finds Mira again and TADA, He loves Mira again. The sad part is that when he finds Mira he says, "I KNEW IT." That means he knew Mira was alive and well, yet, he went off and promised another girl that he would always be with her. Ummm..er... ok. WTH. So much for loving Mira.
So while Mira was off risking her life and trying her best to reach Zoey, Holt was busy caring less about Zoey and making out with another girl. Nice writing. Really made me care and empathize with Holt.
It bothered me how when Mira and that jerk Holt found each other again, the writer kept us telling us "how much they changed" and made us wonder if "they changed too much to be together and would they find each other." It tried to make it seem as if there was some supernatural force in the Valley of Fires. Umm.. No. the only thing that changed was that Holt is a lying, cheating scumbag. That's it. I don't know why the writer tries to act as if Mira "changed" so much. She didn't. She was loyal, caring and brave for and toward Holt and Zoey the entire book. Can't say the same for Holt.
Then when they finally all come together we only get like a page or 2 of them together because Zoey dies in a way and her energy joins the Nexus. Um... what?
That's it?
They couldn't have at least ended up together, living in some forest, village, etc as a family. Enjoying the fruits of the labor of their work as a new world dawns upon them? Nope. Zoey is gone. Facepalm*
It's sad. It was a very enjoyable series until the end. Holt became a cheating trash character with 0 loyalty and love for Mira and Zoey. Then Zoey dies off and joined the Nexus. What a waste of my time.
Holt becomes an idiot for some reason. He loves Mira, but then he thinks she died, so he becomes cold an detached. but wait? Doesn't he still have Zoey to save? Apparently, he could care less because Mira is dead.
Then he falls for Revan again and says she made him feel things no other woman made him feel (ouch... Mira). He promises to stay with her and never hurt her.
but wait, then Revan dies and he finds Mira again and TADA, He loves Mira again. The sad part is that when he finds Mira he says, "I KNEW IT." That means he knew Mira was alive and well, yet, he went off and promised another girl that he would always be with her. Ummm..er... ok. WTH. So much for loving Mira.
So while Mira was off risking her life and trying her best to reach Zoey, Holt was busy caring less about Zoey and making out with another girl. Nice writing. Really made me care and empathize with Holt.
It bothered me how when Mira and that jerk Holt found each other again, the writer kept us telling us "how much they changed" and made us wonder if "they changed too much to be together and would they find each other." It tried to make it seem as if there was some supernatural force in the Valley of Fires. Umm.. No. the only thing that changed was that Holt is a lying, cheating scumbag. That's it. I don't know why the writer tries to act as if Mira "changed" so much. She didn't. She was loyal, caring and brave for and toward Holt and Zoey the entire book. Can't say the same for Holt.
Then when they finally all come together we only get like a page or 2 of them together because Zoey dies in a way and her energy joins the Nexus. Um... what?
That's it?
They couldn't have at least ended up together, living in some forest, village, etc as a family. Enjoying the fruits of the labor of their work as a new world dawns upon them? Nope. Zoey is gone. Facepalm*
It's sad. It was a very enjoyable series until the end. Holt became a cheating trash character with 0 loyalty and love for Mira and Zoey. Then Zoey dies off and joined the Nexus. What a waste of my time.
December 20, 2024
Holt and Mira have sealed bargains with the Wind Traders and the White Helix to join in their quest to rescue Zoey. Now they must split up to retrieve the last two elements of their army - the Menagerie and the Phantom Regiment. Both are willing to risk everything, even themselves, to rid the world of the alien Assembly. However, some of the Assembly, led by Ambassador, are willing to sacrifice everything to save Zoey and be able to rejoin the Nexus. I loved everything about this book except the ending. (I didn't like the ending because the book ended.) The characters were great - Holt, Mira, Ambassador, Zoey, the Max, Ravan, Dresden, and Olive. The White Helix were amazing! Even amid the death and destruction, there were funny moments. My favorites were the relationship between the Max and Nemo. I also laughed aloud when Mira asked Smitty if he was sure about driving a train. He replied that he had never even driven a car before the alien invasion. Then I laughed again when Casper crashed the windship into a building and lamented that he had killed a bakery. This would make a great movie.
December 19, 2020
Ahhhhh!!!!!!! This was an excellent ending to an amazing series!!! Seriously, I'm so impressed by how well this book was written! These will be added to my favorites shelf for sure!!
The fighting scenes are all so very different depending on the group fighting, and he does such a good job at describing each one! I was able to picture the setting, layout, people, and actual fighting easily.
There is also really good character development throughout the entire series. And a good outlook into each and every characters reasons for being who/what they are.
I highly recommend this book to any Sci-fi, Action, Apocalyptic, and Alien Invasion fans. Also, if you really like the move Mad Max, this is a book right up your alley! (I also get some Borderlands vibes, but I've not seen it played enough to know for sure).
May the Winds Guide You.
The fighting scenes are all so very different depending on the group fighting, and he does such a good job at describing each one! I was able to picture the setting, layout, people, and actual fighting easily.
There is also really good character development throughout the entire series. And a good outlook into each and every characters reasons for being who/what they are.
I highly recommend this book to any Sci-fi, Action, Apocalyptic, and Alien Invasion fans. Also, if you really like the move Mad Max, this is a book right up your alley! (I also get some Borderlands vibes, but I've not seen it played enough to know for sure).
May the Winds Guide You.
August 3, 2017
As the last book in the Conquered Earth series, I thought it ended well. I enjoyed the imagery of the world J. Barton Mitchell created. I could really envision what it looked like, sailing on a Land Ship and watching the world go by.
I enjoyed this series a lot.
I enjoyed this series a lot.
November 27, 2017
Loved this whole series
July 10, 2023
Oh, wow, this was a wonderful end to the series, I loved how things wrapped up with these characters!
January 7, 2025
4.5, An excellent end to this highly underrated trilogy
January 9, 2016
Actual rating: 3.5. The first two books of this Sci-Fi series kicked some serious butt, so I knew I would read book three at some point. I finally got around to picking up this book (it was released in 2014) at the end of Christmas Break, thinking I could knock it out really quickly and get back to my required Gateway committee reading. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Valley of Fires took me over a week to finish. Not a great sign. The first 200 pages of this 400 page book were slow and frustrating. My favorite thing about this series are the characters: Holt and Mira (our heroes and lovers), Holt’s adorable dog, Max, and Zoey, the little girl they saved early in book one who is the key to saving this messed-up, alien-machine infested, post-apocalyptic world. I was frustrated that Holt and Mira found it necessary to split up in order to fulfill their mission in this book. And I really never became clear on why this separation was necessary. Fortunately, about midway through the book, the reasons became more clear and the action became non-stop and pretty cool. The ending was epic and, although certainly not happily-ever-after, extremely satisfying. Not my favorite installment, but I still highly recommend the series. Holt and Mira are probably two of my all-time favorite sci fi characters (definitely one of my all-time fave couples). The 5th Wave is about to explode in popularity because of the movie (not that it isn’t already popular in its own right . . .). The Conquered Earth series will be the perfect books to give fans when they are looking for something to read after finishing The Infinite Sea and anxiously awaiting the release of The Last Star!
August 17, 2015
I'm absolutely fascinated by the world Mr. Mitchell created in this trilogy and the character development (both primary and secondary) was pretty impressive as well. I loved having an in-depth look into each of the major societies and the strange lands and the unique ways these kids found to adapt to the "new world" they inhabited. Bonus points for the way Zoey's visions from Midnight City played out in Valley of Fires. I love that sort of continuity between books because it's a sign of either a) advance planning or b) good attention to detail - both of which are particularly helpful when you're dealing with a series of books instead of just one.
I really only had two quibbles with Valley of Fires, but they were enough to drop my rating to a four out of five.
The first was the degree of Holt's...indecisiveness...on the girl front. This was a hard love triangle for me, because I genuinely loved both Ravan and Mira, but had I been them, I would have been severely tempted to punch Holt in the face on numerous occasions throughout the book (in fact, there's a good chance Ravan probably did). I understand the depth of his struggle, but the way he handled it was deeply unfair to both girls, and I found myself getting very annoyed at him on their behalf. It was pretty clear once you got to a certain point how the triangle was going to resolve, and I was fine with the way it did (because really, that was the only way it could have happened), but again, Holt...ugh. Moody.
My second quibble was the resolution with the Assembly. It was a nice sentiment, I guess, but just fell kind of flat given the build-up. Maybe I'm just too cynical, but I got to the end and couldn't help saying, "Really? THAT was the big solution? THAT was the point?"
All that being said, this was a fantastic series and I would recommend it without hesitation.
I really only had two quibbles with Valley of Fires, but they were enough to drop my rating to a four out of five.
The first was the degree of Holt's...indecisiveness...on the girl front. This was a hard love triangle for me, because I genuinely loved both Ravan and Mira, but had I been them, I would have been severely tempted to punch Holt in the face on numerous occasions throughout the book (in fact, there's a good chance Ravan probably did). I understand the depth of his struggle, but the way he handled it was deeply unfair to both girls, and I found myself getting very annoyed at him on their behalf. It was pretty clear once you got to a certain point how the triangle was going to resolve, and I was fine with the way it did (because really, that was the only way it could have happened), but again, Holt...ugh. Moody.
My second quibble was the resolution with the Assembly. It was a nice sentiment, I guess, but just fell kind of flat given the build-up. Maybe I'm just too cynical, but I got to the end and couldn't help saying, "Really? THAT was the big solution? THAT was the point?"
All that being said, this was a fantastic series and I would recommend it without hesitation.
November 10, 2014
If you enjoy this review, please check out my blog at UtopiaNeverComes.blogspot.com
-------------------------
A non-stop action packed finally to a series I have thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end, Valley of Fires was the perfect ending to Mitchell's series that began with Midnight City. What does the world look like after the invasion has already happened? How do the remaining humans cope with the loss of the life they have known? That is what this series has been about. The aftermath of alien invasion.
Mira, Holt, & Zoey have been through so much already, but can they all live through one last adventure. In Valley of Fires, the group is finally split up. With Zoey being kept at the Citadel in San Francisco after being taken, Mira & Holt will do whatever it takes to get her back... even mending the bridges of their pasts to find allies in their enemies. While Mira begins the arduous trek to California with the Wind Traders & White Helix, Holt is heading home to the Menagerie. Unfortunately Tiberius is anything but a forgiving man.
With the war having already begun, will everyone make it out alive?
How will they cope with the massive losses of the impending endgame?
I was very happy with the conclusion of this series, even if the steps that were written to get there sometimes seemed drawn out, I understand the ending is what really matters. It just took me too long to get there. It always upsets me when a character I have loved dies, but I saw it coming from halfway through the book.
If you loved this series, please make sure to pick up Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave & Stephanie Meyer's The Host.
-------------------------
A non-stop action packed finally to a series I have thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to end, Valley of Fires was the perfect ending to Mitchell's series that began with Midnight City. What does the world look like after the invasion has already happened? How do the remaining humans cope with the loss of the life they have known? That is what this series has been about. The aftermath of alien invasion.
Mira, Holt, & Zoey have been through so much already, but can they all live through one last adventure. In Valley of Fires, the group is finally split up. With Zoey being kept at the Citadel in San Francisco after being taken, Mira & Holt will do whatever it takes to get her back... even mending the bridges of their pasts to find allies in their enemies. While Mira begins the arduous trek to California with the Wind Traders & White Helix, Holt is heading home to the Menagerie. Unfortunately Tiberius is anything but a forgiving man.
With the war having already begun, will everyone make it out alive?
How will they cope with the massive losses of the impending endgame?
I was very happy with the conclusion of this series, even if the steps that were written to get there sometimes seemed drawn out, I understand the ending is what really matters. It just took me too long to get there. It always upsets me when a character I have loved dies, but I saw it coming from halfway through the book.
If you loved this series, please make sure to pick up Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave & Stephanie Meyer's The Host.
June 19, 2015
In a final standoff to rescue Zoey and defeat the Tone J. Barton Mitchell's final novel in the Midnight City Trilogy packs a real emotional punch. Be ready.
After an explosion that separates Mira and Holt. Mira, convinced that Holt's dead, ventures west to bargain with the resistance group. But they have their own ideas..
Holt now travels with Ravan and Avril and must go back to the Menagerie pirate guild he must face the pirates and convince them to join him in his quest.
Will Holt and Myra make it in time to save Zoey and earth..?
I guess Valley of Fires was a bit... I dunno... long? Too detailed? Its not that the story wasn't interesting. Bit I lost concentration, on and off. The story was good but I think that.. I don't know. The first book was good and I wanted to read to the end and see what happened.
The end really wrapped everything up. I just wish that .
After an explosion that separates Mira and Holt. Mira, convinced that Holt's dead, ventures west to bargain with the resistance group. But they have their own ideas..
Holt now travels with Ravan and Avril and must go back to the Menagerie pirate guild he must face the pirates and convince them to join him in his quest.
Will Holt and Myra make it in time to save Zoey and earth..?
I guess Valley of Fires was a bit... I dunno... long? Too detailed? Its not that the story wasn't interesting. Bit I lost concentration, on and off. The story was good but I think that.. I don't know. The first book was good and I wanted to read to the end and see what happened.
The end really wrapped everything up. I just wish that .
August 16, 2017
The bad: The writing never got better. The characterization got a little better, but not much. And the ending was cliche (the concept would have worked if it had been handled better), and altogether spoiled by the fact that I hated the romance between the two main characters during the entire series, and wished they would go back to their ex's.
The good: The world was still interesting, though it held less mysteries than the last two. The most mysterious things left were what the aliens are, why the aliens were there and how to get rid of them. The last was cliche in my opinion (the reason i didn't like the ending) but the other two were cooler.
All in all, there isn't much to say that I didn't say in my review of the last two books. Its not a waste of time, but buy it cheap if you want it.
The good: The world was still interesting, though it held less mysteries than the last two. The most mysterious things left were what the aliens are, why the aliens were there and how to get rid of them. The last was cliche in my opinion (the reason i didn't like the ending) but the other two were cooler.
All in all, there isn't much to say that I didn't say in my review of the last two books. Its not a waste of time, but buy it cheap if you want it.
September 14, 2015
Barton take a bow. A very few are capable of producing a finale to top of the series and Valley of Fires seems such an apt title for this book almost like it was yours. I fell in love with all the characters and felt every emotion there was to feel. The series especially stands out for the way the aliens are represented and what being human is all about. Right up there with the Nexus series in my books this year. The Nonagon set piece and the Ambassador were the absolute brilliant pieces followed closely by the final moments with Zoey and "The Maxx". Thank you Barton for this special and all the goosebumps and tears along the way!
June 20, 2016
This series was so adventurous and creative from word one it's hard to review the finale on its own but this book, like its predecessors did not disappoint. After 3 books the characters still did not plateu, continuing to change through darkness and heartbreak. The Nanagon is so exciting and heartpounding and I kinda need to see this come to life in all its terrifying and bloody glory. The battle scenes are many, but always exciting and I loved the epic scope to each one. I've read a load of books and there are some very authors who have written for decades that don't come close to the storytelling in this trilogy. I'm looking forward to some great things from this writer!
January 10, 2015
This is a good conclusion to the series. If you liked the 1st 2 then you will like this one as well.
Spoiler
The big issue I have is the equivalency that the author tries to draw among all the characters. At Tiberius' end it seems like there is equivalency drawn with Gideon. But Gideon's kids lost their life to the Strange Lands while Tiberius killed his people. Ravan redeemed herself, but Ben never did. Ravan died for Holt, Ben only gave up the chance generator when Zoey appealed to his vanity. It was all about Ben. And even Avril didn't fully redeem herself.
Spoiler
The big issue I have is the equivalency that the author tries to draw among all the characters. At Tiberius' end it seems like there is equivalency drawn with Gideon. But Gideon's kids lost their life to the Strange Lands while Tiberius killed his people. Ravan redeemed herself, but Ben never did. Ravan died for Holt, Ben only gave up the chance generator when Zoey appealed to his vanity. It was all about Ben. And even Avril didn't fully redeem herself.
March 24, 2015
A very good ending to this trilogy. There were a few character deaths, all with much meaning, a lot of action, and the ending was a good one. I am glad I read this series and will miss the characters now that it has ended.
September 28, 2015
OMG, I loved this trilogy and I loved this book. What a wonderful alien invasion and what a fantastic end to said invasion! I loved every minute of this book except the end. Why? Because it was the end!
December 26, 2014
the book was great would give 4.5/5,
the book and its characters had very detailed explanation to what was happening was a very good plus,
the only thing i would like is an epilogue in the end or a small book after valley of fires,
the book and its characters had very detailed explanation to what was happening was a very good plus,
the only thing i would like is an epilogue in the end or a small book after valley of fires,
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews