Glory

Dust Chronicles #3

by Maureen McGowan

Glory is a Deviant. That is what she was always taught, growing up in the domed city of Haven. She has the power to kill with her gaze, but she’s learned to control this power and use it only against the monstrous Shredders, who survive on the asteroid dust that mutated their DNA. Now living in a settlement Outside, Glory has the chance to embrace her “Gift” and reunite her remaining family. But she can’t hide from the threat of Shredder attacks or the knowledge of what Management is doing to the employees of Haven. Can she face losing everything she has left to bring freedom to Haven? Will she choose the familiar safety of Cal’s love or risk Burn’s dangerous passion? Ultimately, Glory must decide how far she is willing to go to keep her family safe, and what it really means to be a monster. This is the thrilling finale to The Dust Chronicles trilogy.

Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Audiobook

315 pages, Hardcover

First published June 10, 2014

About the author

Maureen has always been making up stories, but side-tracked by a persistent practical side, it took her a few years to channel her energy into writing novels. After escaping a previous career in finance and accounting, she hasn't looked back.

Aside from her love of books, she's passionate about films, fine handcrafted objects and shoes.

She lives and writes in Toronto, Canada.

Reviews

[TheLizWay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had so many issues with Glory; the book and the person. To organize my ramblings, I'm putting everything into a list.

1. Glory's brother Drake goes from saying "hi" to Glory's BFF to boyfriend in one paragraph. No getting to know each other, just flat out dating. Maybe with the dust killing off the population, the picking have become slim.

2. Cal picks out a weakness in the rebels defenses and everyone is, "No one can come that way. There's two mountains with a pass between. No one will ever find the mountain pass." Guess what... Mindless zombies found the pass and attacked the rebel camp. And then to make matters worse, Glory says this after the attack, "Cal was right. Concord's not secure from this direction." Really?

3. When the rebel camp was attacked there were only ten people or so defending it. Against an army of zombies. I guess the camp was so impenetrable and impassable that they didn't need many people defending it. Not!

4. This book has "Adults are Stupid and Kids are Smart Syndrome."

5. Way too many plot holes.

If my review peeked your interest, you can find me at  Urban Girl Book Review.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this trilogy. There were so many elements within the story that made this a unique dystopian read. I loved Glory and the fact that she was so brave. I liked the fact that although she was much more mature than a normal 16 year old, the author kept the romantic part of the story appropriate as to what a 16 year old should be experiencing. I would definitely recommend this series!

[Chris Dunham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this trilogy.

[Angela]

7 January 2016: $1.99 on Kindle

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final book of The Dust Chronicles trilogy and it didn't disappoint me.
Highly recommended to fans of dystopian books.

[Kelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glory Glory Glory Glory..... What are we going to do with you. Glory finally made her decision about the whole love triangle thing - slow clap for Glory. But oh my god she is ANNOYING. She is controlling and hypocritical Shes all "I'm going to run off and throw myself into these dangerous situations and barely think things over before I do them, but Drake you want to go back to Haven to help fight?! NO WAY! You could get hurt!" "And Jayma you want to go try to save your family? NO WAY! You could get hurt! Plus, we have to go save MY family! *pouts* *throws temper tantrum*"

I found myself actually yelling at her about how dumb she was being multiple times though-out the book. When they go to the shredder camp and Burn throws "Cal" into the pit and Glory flips out and is all "Burn is a monster!" I was like.... you're an idiot. That's obviously Zina. Cal wouldn't have tried to awkward hug/kiss you literally like a day after you had a conversation about how you just want to be friends. Cal also wouldn't have tried to get Jayma to crush Burn with rocks for defending everyone from Shredders. It was glaringly obvious that he was not acting like himself, but somehow the girl who has "been in love with him her whole life" was unable to see it.

It is not that I didn't like the book or the series. I just had some major problems with the main character. Basically she needed to grow up. Other than my issues with Glory I enjoyed this series and thought they were interesting reads (or in my case listens).

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid closing chapter

This is book 3 and the last dance is upon us. It’s everything it needs to be, exciting, intriguing, satisfying, etc. but it’s not inspired. I’d love to give this a more glowing recommendation and if you liked the first 2 your almost certain to like this as well but this is a good soup that’s missing something you can’t quite figure out. It’s fine, good even, just not quite everything you want. I think is missing a novel revelation though I can’t tell you what that should have been. It all feels like we’re just waiting for it to be over we know, more or less, how it’s all going to play out and while the twists are still surprising there surprising in the way a surprise party is, you might not have known it was happening but once it does it’s all too familiar. I love the world and it’s characters and this was a satisfying end to their story but I wanted more. Maybe that’s on me, I’d still recommend this but it won’t be a classic I’m likely to return to.

[Burn After Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

So its done and I am glad.
I liked this trilogy I had issues with it starting in book 1 and I feel slightly let down.
It was pretty predictable which is okay I guess since most YA books are. What bothered me was the lack of questions answered.
We still don't know why the dust has such an affect on everyone, something I thought surely I would have an answer to, especially after all the talk up and research that was being done in book 2.

I am very confused about the reformed shredders. They are still considered shredders?!

Does Burn even love Glory? Its implied but never stated...

Why does Glory black out when she taps into Burns mind?

I was really upset that they introduced Burns mother just to kill her off and then not even make mention of his brother after. Like, whos going to take care of the kid now? Shouldn't Burn care, its his last remaining family member..

Anywho like I said, this was a decent read but not a great one...

[Tricia Hungerford · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must Read!

I am so glad to have found this series on Amazon! I've found a new genre in the writing of Science Fiction and Dystopion imagination and at the age of 71 it's exciting to discover a writer of such imagination and writing skill!

[Carla Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

this was a great trilogy and I am sad it ended! I was hooked from the first few pages. I hope another story will come soon from this wonderful author!!!

[Book Catharsis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish it wasn’t the end

I was rushing to read more and more because I had to know what was going to happen next. Now that I finished, I wish it wasn’t over! I absolutely loved this series. She did a great job developing the characters and making you feel connected to them almost immediately. The creativity that went into this series was very refreshing, considering this genre can sometimes feel a little recycled. I loved everything about the story and will definitely recommend to all my friends!

[JenBsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this and was happy with it as a conclusion to the series. I don't know that I could summarize this sequel as much as the first two books ... in a way, more happened, but I guess I'm having a little trouble if I were to attempt to write it up (which I don't really do in my reviews, just thinking about it). But overall, I liked this series quite a bit.

[Sharon Scialo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Romance, danger and a great story!

If you want to read a great series this is one you should check out. I enjoyed the first book and the other two. This story has great characters and lots of turns that keep you reading.

[Pam Froman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this trilogy. It was a unique spin on dystopia. I wish we would have gotten more info about the origins of the dust and why it affected the characters like it did. But it was a fun series.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a decent conclusion to the series. The first half of this novel is a bit meandering and seems to be a distraction to the central Haven plot, but once we get back to it, the climax is good. A strong series I will be recommending.

[Julie Goetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow mind blown, great dystopian book. Shredders, normals, deviants and chosen. Enough said.

[Lori A Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

I really enjoyed reading this book series. You get to follow the adventures of self discovery and search for belonging with overcoming fear and self doubt.

[Allyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good finish

I wouldn't say it was a great finish but it was a good finish. I'm happy with how everything turned out and that too me makes a good story ending.

[Darlene Klapper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty juvenile

[Jana Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an okay book. Kind of a whiny main character.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

As much as I enjoyed the previous two books in the series, this last one fell a bit flat. The writing remained consistent but the plot sort of petered and died - and most of the book felt like filler. As well, many of the characters did things that were, well, out of character or simply illogical, mostly to create drama or angst. I was bored through a lot of the flabby middle and then when I woke up at the end, it was over.

Story: Glory finds she has an Aunt - only to learn she is a shredder. When her father goes missing, Glory must stage a rescue operation that might also rescue her Aunt. But does her Aunt want to come with her? New revelations about the Shredders - and how Outside 'cures' them - will challenge all that Glory has been led to believe about the world outside Haven. At the same time, fear that Burn will turn into a monster if they touch has separated the pair. Cal isn't moving in, even when Burn wants him to do so. Glory will have to choose between the two boys before she can ever hope of overthrowing Haven. For Haven has turned on its employees and begun experimenting on them in very ugly ways.

There were several plot reveals and author McGowan did a great job of revealing them organically. Glory remains as likeable a character as ever though Burn became more annoying in his endless insistence that he is a monster. The introduction of Burn's mother proved interesting but was ultimately wasted in useless plot machinations. Not a lot happens to further the plot for most of the book - either rescuing from Shredder camps or mooning over interrelationship issues (Glory gets mad at her father, brother, Burn, Cal - nearly everyone). As well, this moody Glory wasn't as interesting as the intrepid one from previous books. It wasn't character growth so much as character atrophy.

All the same, I was glad to read the final book in the series, even if it was missing the spark of the previous books. I'll definitely want to check out McGowan's next series. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Note: I listened to the audible version and the narrator did a decent job.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The conclusion was one I hoped would happen and while the first two books spent a good deal in Haven, for the amount of time spent on the Outside I was beginning to think that there was going to be a fourth. Again, this author does a wonderful job of minimizing filler and even more incredible doesn't leave anything unresolved. However, while I commend the story for being complete it didn't feel as edge of your seat thriller-y as the first two for a couple of reasons.

The first and perhaps biggest reason is that we were still being introduced to characters. Granted these were essential to understanding and giving more depth to our protagonists I was more interested in Haven's story than the origins of some of the characters. I understand why the author chose to flesh out the backgrounds of Burn and Glory a little more as Burn was little more than a side character in Compliance and we understand Dust is more than the obscure world element.

Second there were a lot more teenage romance moments than there probably needed to be. In the beginning of this book I had hope that the story wasn't going to veer into some three way romance drama. Everyone was acting all adult and mature about it. There's no fighting over Glory or duplicity to get her affection. Surprisingly our characters had their priorities straight. The revolution going on is more important than whatever hormones they might have. Of course that didn't stop the book from taking a detour from the very serious nature of the situation to sort out Glory's feelings and chose who she wanted to be with. If the first two books were lite on the romance this one makes up for both of them. I'm not saying it's bad or forced I just wasn't that into it.

We didn't go back to Haven until 80% of the story was done. While the ending didn't feel rushed I felt it was slow in reaching that point. The climax came and went pretty quickly and that buildup I wanted to see never really happened because our characters were a bit preoccupied by a host of other things. It's not a bad ending by any means and feels complete but I felt that it just wasn't as good as the first two.

[Ashleyjo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author, Maureen McGowan, has a real talent for dystopian world building. Throughout the book, I felt immersed in the dome and in the outside world. She told a few parts, but, for the most part, the world was so vividly constructed for the reader through the actions, thoughts, feelings, and plights of the characters.

I enjoyed all of the characters and felt that the author was able to draw an emotional connection between reader and each of the characters. Glory overthought things sometimes and was often a little Pollyanna about using her skills, but I can imagine the secret her father and brother kept from her might've contributed to those character traits.

The plot was interesting and moved along quickly. A lot of the twists were kinda obvious, but it was still a good ride watching the characters figure it all out. The end brought closure to the old and hope for the future.

There is a romantic triangle, but I didn't detest it nearly as much as usual.. I guess because I sensed clearly who Glory's heart truly belonged. My only complaint is that the guy she ends up with still seems hesitant at the end when he tell her, "Let's take it slow and enjoy the ride." It's not terrible, but it just didn't feel done! He never says I love you or gives readers any sign that he has truly accepted the love Glory wants to give him, which was a little anticlimactic and didn't give me the comfort/finality I like to get when a relationship is as tense and has burned so fiery as was here. This was the only reason this book was a 3star vs 4 star for me. It needed a prologue to add resolve the romance uncertainty.

Still, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this series to those that like a book with vivid world building, slightly flawed characters, a solid gov overthrow plot, and a PG 13 romance.

[Ladz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not read a dystopian trilogy in a while in which the last book did not take apart everything the first two were doing so well. The tone and atmosphere of Glory remained consistent with Deviants and Compliance. McGowan has an understanding of who her characters are that I have not experienced in a YA trilogy in a long time. Yes, Glory and pals are put into some mature situations, but since they are all under 18, I did not find an expectation that they need to necessarily be adults and be entirely coherent with their thought processes. Even with character development and "growing up", the pubescent tone of the characters was not lost. The path chosen by Glory and her romantic and ex-romantic partners was realistic, especially for a 16-year-old. Even in such dire times, I felt it would have been unrealistic for Glory to emerge fully self-actualized and adult or to behave in self-preserving ways that only adults tend to. This youth was refreshing to read and kept me connected to Glory until the very end.

My only qualm was that no main characters in the end and the ending wrapped up a little too neatly, but it's a nice reprieve from this trend of killing off main characters willy nilly seems to be the only thing giving a book emotional weight. I was satisfied with the lack of main character slaughter.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads Firstreads.

Reactions after reading the books in this series:
Deviants-- Exhilarated and Optimistic
Compliance-- Disappointed and Bored
Glory-- Surprised and Happy

I was happy with the way this series ended. Glory finally made some good choices and she made them sooner rather than later. I preferred having a Glory who knew exactly what needed to happen and how to make it happen, to the wishy-washy Glory of the second book who had no idea what the hell she was doing and who was afraid of herself. She amazed me with her strength and determination in this book and it reminded me of the Glory that I loved from the first book.

This book was all happy-endings for everyone which, let's face it, isn't very realistic. But, all-in-all, I am very happy with the way this series ended. The writing style is great and the book is filled with action-packed thrills and painful moments, which makes for a thrilling and easy read.

I'm grateful that I found The Dust Chronicles and am proud to have all three books on my shelf.

[Veray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this series and am feeling so sad that it is over. The characters have come so far and changed so much as they have traveled through all the trials and problems that they have faced. It was good to see how much Glory has grown and see her more confident in her abilities. For any of you who love Burn you will love him in this book. Even when he did something that seemed so wrong, I knew everything wasn't as it seemed and I felt so bad for him when he thought he had really done the bad thing. Glory learns that things aren't always as they seem and the things she has believed all her life aren't always true. Cal learns a lot too and so does her brother and best friend. The ending was hopeful and positive which I liked very much. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves dystopian stories with love and learning involved.

[Linda C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glory, her brother, and 3 friends are in futuristic Concord helping to guard the town against attack by the Shredders while the Free Army has gone to free the citizens of Management controlled Haven. When Concord is attacked, Glory saves a female Shredder who seems to have conflicting thoughts about attacking. Glory hopes she can save her by withdrawing her from the addicting dust. This is the concluding volume of a trilogy that continues the story of the struggle to survive and create a life after an asteroid hit has destroyed and buried much of earth in a dust that has caused mutations and addictions. The ends left dangling in previous volumes are all tied up but the story would be hard to get into if you had not read the first two.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book didn't have the same action as the festival two. I kept asking when we'd see Glory reconnect with Kalin. I wanted to see that play out in a bigger way. I did enjoy seeing another dude to life outside the dome with the shredders. I reached a point at about 75% where I basically gave up on the idea of Glory getting back into Haven and finishing the task, figuring the author must be saving it for a 4th book. When it finally happened it was just underwhelming. I wanted more. That said this is still my second favorite ya dystopian series after Hunger Games.

[Shelli King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last book in the trilogy. I was fortunate enough to win this book in a giveaway given by Goodreads. It is a nice, quick read with strong teenage characters with a compelling storyline.

Glory is a 16 year old girl who is confused by love, desperate to find missing members of her family, protect her friends, and above all to simply BE SAFE in an unsafe world. In all of this, she must learn to master her own 'deviance' - her special gift - while not falling prey to others.

I have purchased the first two books in the series as well as the prequel to read on my Kindle.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I still liked this installment, I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous two. It started feeling a bit preachy. Glory wasn't the great kid we first met. In fact, I didn't care for her so much in the end. The evil Shredders were really just drug addicts who needed help. It really went from interesting premise to standard issue fluffy ending. All the good guys lived, the bad guy was killed and now everyone can come together in one big hug. Bah. Someone really should have been killed off for a little realism.