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Secondborn #3
Rebel Born
Roselle faces a mind-reeling showdown with the deep state agent controlling her psyche....
Roselle St. Sismode is many things: victim of a conspiracy, unwilling host of an ever-evolving mind algorithm, spy for a rebel army, and heir to the Fate of Swords. As a warrior, she’s also the anticipated main event at the Secondborn Trials. When the opening ceremonies erupt in chaos, Roselle is abducted by a sadistic agent with a diabolical plan: transform Roselle into a mind-controlled assassin to topple society. But a rogue scientist has implanted Roselle with a genius technology that is far more powerful. It renders her untouchable. Faster... Stronger... And maybe immortal!
With her enhanced abilities come the highest stakes yet, as Roselle confronts shifting realities at every turn as well as her own mother’s stunning betrayal. Racing against time with a determined resistance group, can Roselle overthrow the forces of destruction and reclaim the most valuable of commodities - her humanity?
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2019
1804 people are currently reading
4428 people want to read
About the author
Amy A. Bartol
19 books6,703 followersAuthor of the Secondborn Series:
Secondborn (Book 1)
Traitor Born (Book 2)
Rebel Born (Book 3)
Author of the Premonition Series:
Inescapable (Book 1)
Intuition (Book 2)
Indebted (Book 3)
Incendiary (Book 4)
Iniquity (Book 5)
Author of the Kricket Series:
Under Different Stars (Book 1)
Sea of Stars (Book 2)
Darken the Stars (Book 3)
The Divided - A Science Fiction Romance short story, which is included in the Take Me To Your Reader: An Otherworld Anthology.
Amy A. Bartol is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Secondborn Series, The Premonition Series, The Kricket Series, and a short story entitled “The Divided.” She has won numerous awards for her writing and been nominated for several more. She's a graduate of Hillsdale College, which inspired the setting of her Premonition Series. Amy lives in Michigan with her husband and two sons, but she travels often, sparking her imagination to create more worlds like the ones with hidden angels, doorways to alien landscapes, and fantastical futuristic societies and technologies. To learn more, visit Amy's website at: https://www.amyabartol.com
Secondborn (Book 1)
Traitor Born (Book 2)
Rebel Born (Book 3)
Author of the Premonition Series:
Inescapable (Book 1)
Intuition (Book 2)
Indebted (Book 3)
Incendiary (Book 4)
Iniquity (Book 5)
Author of the Kricket Series:
Under Different Stars (Book 1)
Sea of Stars (Book 2)
Darken the Stars (Book 3)
The Divided - A Science Fiction Romance short story, which is included in the Take Me To Your Reader: An Otherworld Anthology.
Amy A. Bartol is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Secondborn Series, The Premonition Series, The Kricket Series, and a short story entitled “The Divided.” She has won numerous awards for her writing and been nominated for several more. She's a graduate of Hillsdale College, which inspired the setting of her Premonition Series. Amy lives in Michigan with her husband and two sons, but she travels often, sparking her imagination to create more worlds like the ones with hidden angels, doorways to alien landscapes, and fantastical futuristic societies and technologies. To learn more, visit Amy's website at: https://www.amyabartol.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 707 reviews
June 4, 2019
I have no idea what I read. I mean, I know I read Rebel Born, but it didn't at all feel like the third (and final) installment of the Secondborn series that I came to really enjoy.
Though I was lukewarm on the first novel, Traitor Born really captured my attention as well as my heart. It took all of the concepts of the first book and really dove into them, giving us all a clearer view of the world Roselle lives in. Not only that, but it really got deep into its characters and made us care about them.
Rebel Born throws all of that progress out the window in favor of introducing completely new concepts that, in all other cases, would be concepts you'd see in a first book, not a third. There are new sci-fi/tech elements that seem to come almost completely out of left field as well as some very fantastical god-related ideas that are introduced but never explored.
In fact, a lot of the new ideas as well as characters are interesting in theory and cause quite a stir in their introduction. However, they're never explored. They're wrapped up with a weird packaging material that's supposed to pass as a bow or completely forgotten about. There actually came a few points in the novel, both in the middle as well as about 15 pages from the end, where I questioned whether I had the book count of this series wrong. These new elements made it seem like the story was actually going to stretch into 4 books (ESPECIALLY during the final chapter), but then an epilogue hits that basically sums up what would've happened in a fourth book. It's SO ODD.
If these elements would've been introduced earlier or, at least, have been *hinted* at earlier, I think they would've landed better. But they weren't and so they don't. (Also, on a similar note, it's so sad that all of the world-building work the first two novels did was completely demolished and practically ignored. This seriously could've been a brand new story with characters we've never met before and it would've stood on its own. For the most part.)
Also, while a lot of aspects of this novel go unexplained or unexplored, there's so much exposition here. Like, an overwhelming amount. So much of the novel is Roselle trying to explain something, either to the reader or to other characters. It's so much telling with very little showing, and I still have only a vague concept of what she was actually talking about.
I was so looking forward to seeing how this series ended and where all of the characters I cared so much about ended up, but Rebel Born just fell completely flat for me. I don't know what was going on while the author was writing the end of the book, but it's uncharacteristitcally, drastically, and sadly rushed.
Like another reviewer stated in her review here, I think, for my benefit, I'm just going to pretend that the series was a duology and apply my own headcanon as an epilogue here. I hate leaving a negative review here, but I just can't suggest this book to fans of the series. It's not at all a satisfying ending in the ways that really count.
Though I was lukewarm on the first novel, Traitor Born really captured my attention as well as my heart. It took all of the concepts of the first book and really dove into them, giving us all a clearer view of the world Roselle lives in. Not only that, but it really got deep into its characters and made us care about them.
Rebel Born throws all of that progress out the window in favor of introducing completely new concepts that, in all other cases, would be concepts you'd see in a first book, not a third. There are new sci-fi/tech elements that seem to come almost completely out of left field as well as some very fantastical god-related ideas that are introduced but never explored.
In fact, a lot of the new ideas as well as characters are interesting in theory and cause quite a stir in their introduction. However, they're never explored. They're wrapped up with a weird packaging material that's supposed to pass as a bow or completely forgotten about. There actually came a few points in the novel, both in the middle as well as about 15 pages from the end, where I questioned whether I had the book count of this series wrong. These new elements made it seem like the story was actually going to stretch into 4 books (ESPECIALLY during the final chapter), but then an epilogue hits that basically sums up what would've happened in a fourth book. It's SO ODD.
If these elements would've been introduced earlier or, at least, have been *hinted* at earlier, I think they would've landed better. But they weren't and so they don't. (Also, on a similar note, it's so sad that all of the world-building work the first two novels did was completely demolished and practically ignored. This seriously could've been a brand new story with characters we've never met before and it would've stood on its own. For the most part.)
Also, while a lot of aspects of this novel go unexplained or unexplored, there's so much exposition here. Like, an overwhelming amount. So much of the novel is Roselle trying to explain something, either to the reader or to other characters. It's so much telling with very little showing, and I still have only a vague concept of what she was actually talking about.
I was so looking forward to seeing how this series ended and where all of the characters I cared so much about ended up, but Rebel Born just fell completely flat for me. I don't know what was going on while the author was writing the end of the book, but it's uncharacteristitcally, drastically, and sadly rushed.
Like another reviewer stated in her review here, I think, for my benefit, I'm just going to pretend that the series was a duology and apply my own headcanon as an epilogue here. I hate leaving a negative review here, but I just can't suggest this book to fans of the series. It's not at all a satisfying ending in the ways that really count.
May 23, 2019
FIVE FATED STARS!
I love love loved this conclusion to the Secondborn trilogy! Amy is one of my favorite authors and this book wrapped up the story nice and tight in a way I feel will make everyone happy, no matter whose team you’re on. 😏
That said, the story went in a direction I never could have anticipated but was definitely on board with! Roselle is the strongest she’s ever been and she knows what and who she wants. The revelations in this were so cool and I could have read even more about Spectrum and the anchors and all of the possibilities there (Kricket series anyone?).
Anywho, full review to come this weekend! Thank you so much to 47North for sending me a copy to review!
(also ... TEAM REYKIN FOR LIFE)
I love love loved this conclusion to the Secondborn trilogy! Amy is one of my favorite authors and this book wrapped up the story nice and tight in a way I feel will make everyone happy, no matter whose team you’re on. 😏
That said, the story went in a direction I never could have anticipated but was definitely on board with! Roselle is the strongest she’s ever been and she knows what and who she wants. The revelations in this were so cool and I could have read even more about Spectrum and the anchors and all of the possibilities there (Kricket series anyone?).
Anywho, full review to come this weekend! Thank you so much to 47North for sending me a copy to review!
(also ... TEAM REYKIN FOR LIFE)
June 4, 2019
1.5/5 stars
Ok see this...This is what I was afraid of.
It seriously pains me to rate it this low, but I can't give it any higher rating.
So. Rebel Born. What the hell happened to this series?
This book is so different from what Secondborn started as. You could change the names of the characters and BAM new series. Character re-introductions were off-putting, especially those like Clifton. We get slightly more development in characters from Traitor Born, such as Reykin, but besides that... Meh? I felt myself becoming more and more detached as the story went on, and the characters didn't help either. I lost all interest in Hawthorne by the end, Roselle became someone I was annoyed at, and the story was a rushed mess. I honestly have no idea how this became the train wreck it did. I know that sounds harsh, but hey someone has to be honest about it.
So besides the characters becoming very unrelatable and annoying, or even the few shining stars that don't get enough screen time, we have a very jumbled story. This builds off from where we left off in Traitor Born -which had a final act I hated btw-, and just goes overboard. Too much was trying to be done all at once. We were POUNDED with exposition and dialogue just explaining EVERYTHING. Pages and pages and pages of pure exposition in order to help make sense direction the story was going. And if you can't tell by now, I hated the way this turned out. Even the rushed ending couldn't save it. It completely detracts from what Secondborn was and goes this whole cyborg, mind control, sci-fi route that is honestly ridiculous. We lost the purpose of what Secondborn was, and unfortunately this series suffered from the sudden change in tone at the final parts of Traitor Born.
Honestly, I don't recommend reading this. Hell, just read Secondborn and just stop. I was so disappointed in this book, and it really is a shame. I hadn't read Secondborn before receiving this ARC, and you can tell that I really enjoyed the first book. This is a series that, in my opinion, got worse as each new book came out. Beautiful start to the series, but a seriously disappointing and annoying end. I don't recommend this at all. I feel terrible, but I hardly have anything nice to say.
ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Ok see this...This is what I was afraid of.
It seriously pains me to rate it this low, but I can't give it any higher rating.
So. Rebel Born. What the hell happened to this series?
This book is so different from what Secondborn started as. You could change the names of the characters and BAM new series. Character re-introductions were off-putting, especially those like Clifton. We get slightly more development in characters from Traitor Born, such as Reykin, but besides that... Meh? I felt myself becoming more and more detached as the story went on, and the characters didn't help either. I lost all interest in Hawthorne by the end, Roselle became someone I was annoyed at, and the story was a rushed mess. I honestly have no idea how this became the train wreck it did. I know that sounds harsh, but hey someone has to be honest about it.
So besides the characters becoming very unrelatable and annoying, or even the few shining stars that don't get enough screen time, we have a very jumbled story. This builds off from where we left off in Traitor Born -which had a final act I hated btw-, and just goes overboard. Too much was trying to be done all at once. We were POUNDED with exposition and dialogue just explaining EVERYTHING. Pages and pages and pages of pure exposition in order to help make sense direction the story was going. And if you can't tell by now, I hated the way this turned out. Even the rushed ending couldn't save it. It completely detracts from what Secondborn was and goes this whole cyborg, mind control, sci-fi route that is honestly ridiculous. We lost the purpose of what Secondborn was, and unfortunately this series suffered from the sudden change in tone at the final parts of Traitor Born.
Honestly, I don't recommend reading this. Hell, just read Secondborn and just stop. I was so disappointed in this book, and it really is a shame. I hadn't read Secondborn before receiving this ARC, and you can tell that I really enjoyed the first book. This is a series that, in my opinion, got worse as each new book came out. Beautiful start to the series, but a seriously disappointing and annoying end. I don't recommend this at all. I feel terrible, but I hardly have anything nice to say.
ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
June 25, 2019
I need more REYKIN, and I need him now!!
Also, there finally better be some rockin' Reykin sexy times in this book, Amy.
Also, there finally better be some rockin' Reykin sexy times in this book, Amy.
August 4, 2019
#strangesummerreading No. 6 Rebel Born by Amy Bartol ☀️☀️ (2.5 Sunshines) The conclusion to this trilogy was sadly very disappointing. Bartol is a truly gifted writer. Her Premonition series is one of my all time favorite reads and series, and the first two books for the series were amazing--keep you up late at night amazing, but I just don't think she knew where she was going with this final installment.
Here are my major issues:
⚔️ The first two books read more like dystopian novels with a touch of sci-fi, but the finale goes full throttle into a sci-fi with alternate universes and super confusing technology usage etc.
⚔️ The 'alternate' universe is super confusing and the rules for how it exists and how Roselle is able to break into it is super confusing: is it in her mind? Is it a real place? I still don't know because others can follow her there, but yet it's apparently in her mind? 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️I DON'T UNDERSTAND. SOMEONE EXPLAIN IT.
⚔️ Not only do we have major sci-fi now, we also have gods and goddesses!? So now, we are mythical, sci-fi and dystopian? I don't get it nor do I think the mythical element did anything for the story.
I am just bummed and also still so confused, but I didn't like it enough to re-read it and try to understand it. 🤷🏻♀️
Here are my major issues:
⚔️ The first two books read more like dystopian novels with a touch of sci-fi, but the finale goes full throttle into a sci-fi with alternate universes and super confusing technology usage etc.
⚔️ The 'alternate' universe is super confusing and the rules for how it exists and how Roselle is able to break into it is super confusing: is it in her mind? Is it a real place? I still don't know because others can follow her there, but yet it's apparently in her mind? 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️I DON'T UNDERSTAND. SOMEONE EXPLAIN IT.
⚔️ Not only do we have major sci-fi now, we also have gods and goddesses!? So now, we are mythical, sci-fi and dystopian? I don't get it nor do I think the mythical element did anything for the story.
I am just bummed and also still so confused, but I didn't like it enough to re-read it and try to understand it. 🤷🏻♀️
August 13, 2019
Rebel Born is the final installment in the Secondborn series. This is not a standalone book, therefor you will want to start with book 1.
This final installment has a completely different vibe than book 1 or 2. You do get a glimpse of what's to come at the very end of book 2, but I didn't realize the story was going to change so much.
I'm not unhappy about it. I still read this in one sitting and ended up being very happy with the ending, but there is a small part of me that wished the author had not changed things so drastically. I would have loved to see how Roselle would have conquered without all the "extra" that was in this book. It's the only reason this is a 4 star instead of a 5 star for me.
I still really enjoyed this series and can see myself coming back to visit this series for a re-read.
This final installment has a completely different vibe than book 1 or 2. You do get a glimpse of what's to come at the very end of book 2, but I didn't realize the story was going to change so much.
I'm not unhappy about it. I still read this in one sitting and ended up being very happy with the ending, but there is a small part of me that wished the author had not changed things so drastically. I would have loved to see how Roselle would have conquered without all the "extra" that was in this book. It's the only reason this is a 4 star instead of a 5 star for me.
I still really enjoyed this series and can see myself coming back to visit this series for a re-read.
June 5, 2019
What did I just read?!
I would describe it as Hercules meets the Matrix, with alternate dimensions.
It pains me to rate this 1/5 - but Goodreads says 1 star is "did not like", and well, I didn't. The previous books explored power/control, the failings of a flawed class system, and rebellion in a world with moderately advanced tech. I was looking forward to seeing that world reborn, and seeing Roselle come into her own. This book didn't continue with any of that, and did not feel like a natural extension of the first two Secondborn books. Everything that happens in this book, including the laws of physics and history, seems completely new, and came from nowhere. Rename the characters, and it would be an entirely new story.
Had this been a new series, the concept was ok, but way too much exposition. I stopped caring about all of the characters before the end. Even Reykin, who I adored in book 2, fell flat.
This is what I wish had happened:
I would describe it as Hercules meets the Matrix, with alternate dimensions.
It pains me to rate this 1/5 - but Goodreads says 1 star is "did not like", and well, I didn't. The previous books explored power/control, the failings of a flawed class system, and rebellion in a world with moderately advanced tech. I was looking forward to seeing that world reborn, and seeing Roselle come into her own. This book didn't continue with any of that, and did not feel like a natural extension of the first two Secondborn books. Everything that happens in this book, including the laws of physics and history, seems completely new, and came from nowhere. Rename the characters, and it would be an entirely new story.
Had this been a new series, the concept was ok, but way too much exposition. I stopped caring about all of the characters before the end. Even Reykin, who I adored in book 2, fell flat.
This is what I wish had happened:
June 10, 2019
What the heck? What? This is the end of the secondborn series? Did I get the right book? What happened?
I feel like the characters have been plucked up out of their story and thrown into an entirely new world, with new factions, enemies, powers and rules. (Well that actually does happen). This book plot wise just takes such a trippy and unexpected turn and goes off down this weird rabbit hole of a matrix type of world. It is hard to follow and just weird and out of place. I hated it.
So I will admit on the whole the world building for this series has been dismal. Not just bad but absolutely terrible. It is a fact I have chosen to ignore because I loved the characters and the story and I could ignore the massively egregious state of the world. I took everything for face value and tried not to over think it. (Because if I did oh my gosh the math doesn’t even come close to making sense and it just kills me). But it was consistent. So here we have some back story that was never provided in the first 2 trying to make sense of the world - okay its a stretch but alright fine the world finally has a back story. Brief Yay! Now we do a complete loop-d-loop and dive off into bizarro land where this book seems complete weird and disconnected from the first two. I mean we always had a bit of a scy-fy fantasy feel - ships, fusion guns, fusion blades, kill drones, etc but this goes to an extreme cyborgs, clones, biotech, mind control, mind reading, genetic enhancements, A.I., matrix-y borg hive mind machine, dragon eggs, talking dragon-cyborgs, self regeneration, immortality, sleeper cylons, body snatching, visions of the future. It is just too much and has nothing to do with the weird dystopian fate system of second borns. (You know the title to the entire series) Then we introduce gods, goddesses, & reincarnated gods. I mean we did have a hint there was a pantheon but it was glossed over as party dress up in the second book. I just can’t see past the crappy world building anymore nope nope nope.
The characters: Where did they go for the first half of the book? Oh my gosh we spend so much with Roselle’s introspection and just observations. The main reason I have kept going with this series is the romance and the characters and they just disappeared *poof* Many characters were killed at the end of book 2 so you’d expect those that survived to boom 3 to be important and we’d develop them a bit more right? Nope! Slaughter slaughter death death. No warning. No dialogue or discussion. I was so disconnected. Where is the series I loved? It takes almost 150 pages to get back to something that even feels similar to the first 2 books and by then I’m so defeated by getting there.
Everything feels so rushed and yet at the same time it is so repetitive. They stop and explain boring pseudo science stuff but then just gloss over things like a major character’s death. Then it repeats it again in case you had difficulty following it the first time.The writing is so sloppy and so all over the place it doesn’t even feel like the same author.
The romance - I have never seen a weirder and dodgy way of dealing with a love triangle. 2 guys in love with the same girl - they both possibly can’t have what they want without having to share - or can they?
They leave the story wide open to continue on but after this weird mind bend I’m going to have to say no. I do not want to read more of this world.
I feel like the characters have been plucked up out of their story and thrown into an entirely new world, with new factions, enemies, powers and rules. (Well that actually does happen). This book plot wise just takes such a trippy and unexpected turn and goes off down this weird rabbit hole of a matrix type of world. It is hard to follow and just weird and out of place. I hated it.
So I will admit on the whole the world building for this series has been dismal. Not just bad but absolutely terrible. It is a fact I have chosen to ignore because I loved the characters and the story and I could ignore the massively egregious state of the world. I took everything for face value and tried not to over think it. (Because if I did oh my gosh the math doesn’t even come close to making sense and it just kills me). But it was consistent. So here we have some back story that was never provided in the first 2 trying to make sense of the world - okay its a stretch but alright fine the world finally has a back story. Brief Yay! Now we do a complete loop-d-loop and dive off into bizarro land where this book seems complete weird and disconnected from the first two. I mean we always had a bit of a scy-fy fantasy feel - ships, fusion guns, fusion blades, kill drones, etc but this goes to an extreme cyborgs, clones, biotech, mind control, mind reading, genetic enhancements, A.I., matrix-y borg hive mind machine, dragon eggs, talking dragon-cyborgs, self regeneration, immortality, sleeper cylons, body snatching, visions of the future. It is just too much and has nothing to do with the weird dystopian fate system of second borns. (You know the title to the entire series) Then we introduce gods, goddesses, & reincarnated gods. I mean we did have a hint there was a pantheon but it was glossed over as party dress up in the second book. I just can’t see past the crappy world building anymore nope nope nope.
The characters: Where did they go for the first half of the book? Oh my gosh we spend so much with Roselle’s introspection and just observations. The main reason I have kept going with this series is the romance and the characters and they just disappeared *poof* Many characters were killed at the end of book 2 so you’d expect those that survived to boom 3 to be important and we’d develop them a bit more right? Nope! Slaughter slaughter death death. No warning. No dialogue or discussion. I was so disconnected. Where is the series I loved? It takes almost 150 pages to get back to something that even feels similar to the first 2 books and by then I’m so defeated by getting there.
Everything feels so rushed and yet at the same time it is so repetitive. They stop and explain boring pseudo science stuff but then just gloss over things like a major character’s death. Then it repeats it again in case you had difficulty following it the first time.The writing is so sloppy and so all over the place it doesn’t even feel like the same author.
The romance - I have never seen a weirder and dodgy way of dealing with a love triangle. 2 guys in love with the same girl - they both possibly can’t have what they want without having to share - or can they?
They leave the story wide open to continue on but after this weird mind bend I’m going to have to say no. I do not want to read more of this world.
June 8, 2019
What in the name of hot messes was this?
The first two books in this series were wonderful explorations of power, caste, political struggle, and war. We even had a nice little love triangle whose resolution was easy to predict, but was still satisfying. Now, in book 3, rather than building on the momentum from those two books, we get some weird foray into myth, legend, high-level physics, and world building that simply doesn’t work. Even worse, the romance was simultaneously flat and absurd because of the author’s refusal to make a hard choice. Just an incredible disappointment.
The first two books in this series were wonderful explorations of power, caste, political struggle, and war. We even had a nice little love triangle whose resolution was easy to predict, but was still satisfying. Now, in book 3, rather than building on the momentum from those two books, we get some weird foray into myth, legend, high-level physics, and world building that simply doesn’t work. Even worse, the romance was simultaneously flat and absurd because of the author’s refusal to make a hard choice. Just an incredible disappointment.
March 24, 2021
Oh my god I don't think I've ever read a conclusion to a series being fucked up this badly. Season 8 of GoT was better than this. At least they were still in the same realm! Literally what. the fuck. I'm having trouble believing this was a part of the same series. All of a sudden everybody is a mind-controlled cyborg, and if that twist wasn't bad/unbelievable enough, the protagonist is also a Goddess!! And her latent godlike powers are awakening in her bc an ancient diety lives inside of her!! Making her immortal and indestructible!!
What kind of drugs was the author taking when she came up w this?? Why did no one tell her these were awful ideas?? I'm also beyond pissed bc the buildup of Reykin and Roselle in the last book was *chef's kiss* They were perfect for each other, equals in every way, and I was waiting for them to finally be reunited so they could be together, but by the time they do, they're completely different people now! Reykin is soft, basically another Hawthorne, and Roselle is a robot/Goddess who now could bench press him if she wanted to.
Something I've noticed w this author is she introduces a bunch of love interests but then doesn't want to make the hard decisions of who to choose, and doesn't like the whole reverse-harem thing (which I'm relieved by, bc I'm not into it either). So in the Kricket series, Kricket chooses no one. In this series, Roselle chooses Reykin for his mortal lifespan, Hawthorne has some digital clone of Roselle to make him happy, and it's heavily implied that Clifton will be her immortal partner after Reykin dies. I cannot use this phrase enough: What. The. Fucckkkkk. The only good thing about this book was Cherno the mutant dragon!!!
What kind of drugs was the author taking when she came up w this?? Why did no one tell her these were awful ideas?? I'm also beyond pissed bc the buildup of Reykin and Roselle in the last book was *chef's kiss* They were perfect for each other, equals in every way, and I was waiting for them to finally be reunited so they could be together, but by the time they do, they're completely different people now! Reykin is soft, basically another Hawthorne, and Roselle is a robot/Goddess who now could bench press him if she wanted to.
Something I've noticed w this author is she introduces a bunch of love interests but then doesn't want to make the hard decisions of who to choose, and doesn't like the whole reverse-harem thing (which I'm relieved by, bc I'm not into it either). So in the Kricket series, Kricket chooses no one. In this series, Roselle chooses Reykin for his mortal lifespan, Hawthorne has some digital clone of Roselle to make him happy, and it's heavily implied that Clifton will be her immortal partner after Reykin dies. I cannot use this phrase enough: What. The. Fucckkkkk. The only good thing about this book was Cherno the mutant dragon!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2021
This was OK, but I have to say it felt like is was being built up for a big ending and then it was just finished. I had to check that I didn't loose my place in the book so yeah the ending felt rushed and honestly I was expecting more.
October 1, 2024
A long anticipated conclusion to the Second Born series, which did not disappoint. I couldn’t put it down.
At the end of Traitor Born, Roselle (the main character) was left in dire circumstances after a heart-rending cliffhanger. At the onset of Rebel Born, we discover that Roselle has been implanted with new technology by a pioneering technician. Forced to work with the sadistic Agent Crow and separated from her allies; Roselle has to find a way to escape from her nightmare existence, adapt to her newly enhanced abilities and discover a way to save her world. We are introduced to a couple of new characters, namely Ransom and Cherno. The latter was highly entertaining and provided some much needed comedy after some shockers early on. We also see the return of Hammon and Edgerton.
With respect to the plot, Amy Bartol did a brilliant job. I didn’t anticipate the events that unfolded, the pace kept me hooked from start to finish. Her imaginative world building, writing style and depth of characters never fails to amaze me.
I was very fortunate to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend The Secondborn Series. If you enjoy sci-fi/fantasy/pnr, with a strong female heroine you won’t be disappointed.
At the end of Traitor Born, Roselle (the main character) was left in dire circumstances after a heart-rending cliffhanger. At the onset of Rebel Born, we discover that Roselle has been implanted with new technology by a pioneering technician. Forced to work with the sadistic Agent Crow and separated from her allies; Roselle has to find a way to escape from her nightmare existence, adapt to her newly enhanced abilities and discover a way to save her world. We are introduced to a couple of new characters, namely Ransom and Cherno. The latter was highly entertaining and provided some much needed comedy after some shockers early on. We also see the return of Hammon and Edgerton.
With respect to the plot, Amy Bartol did a brilliant job. I didn’t anticipate the events that unfolded, the pace kept me hooked from start to finish. Her imaginative world building, writing style and depth of characters never fails to amaze me.
I was very fortunate to receive an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend The Secondborn Series. If you enjoy sci-fi/fantasy/pnr, with a strong female heroine you won’t be disappointed.
September 4, 2019
Agent Crow has taken over the Virtues with his Black Zeroes and captured Roselle with the intent of turning her into one as well. He succeeds for a time, but Roselle's implant behaves differently than the rest, allowing her to defy his orders. Eventually, she escapes Crow's clutches to reunite with the rebel force and form a plan to take down Crow.
First, if you are going to read this book, you might want to go back and reread the 2nd book. I jumped right in and it was a mistake. We've been waiting for this book for a while, and while I remembered the ending of book 2, I couldn't remember all the details that happened previously. Plus, the plot goes in a surprising direction. I was so lost by chapter 3 that I put it down and reread part of book 2 to refresh my memory. It helped to some extent.
Evidently, I enjoyed books 1 and 2 way more. With Crow turning out to be , this one definitely had more of a sci-fi vibe than the previous books that skirted fantasy as well. I liked it, but......not as much as the previous books. I felt like we had a lot of lecturing/explaining passages to explain what was going on since this book took such a different path from the previous. I think it detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Plus, the path of the plot felt like a completely different series to me. I'm all for unexpected twists, but certain aspects were totally out of left field for me.
First, if you are going to read this book, you might want to go back and reread the 2nd book. I jumped right in and it was a mistake. We've been waiting for this book for a while, and while I remembered the ending of book 2, I couldn't remember all the details that happened previously. Plus, the plot goes in a surprising direction. I was so lost by chapter 3 that I put it down and reread part of book 2 to refresh my memory. It helped to some extent.
Evidently, I enjoyed books 1 and 2 way more. With Crow turning out to be , this one definitely had more of a sci-fi vibe than the previous books that skirted fantasy as well. I liked it, but......not as much as the previous books. I felt like we had a lot of lecturing/explaining passages to explain what was going on since this book took such a different path from the previous. I think it detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Plus, the path of the plot felt like a completely different series to me. I'm all for unexpected twists, but certain aspects were totally out of left field for me.
June 20, 2019
I want to rate this book higher, but I honestly just can't. I was frustrated throughout most of it. I mean seriously, I loved Secondborn and Traitor Born but this book just didn't match up with the first two...and I re-read the first two immediately before reading this, so the tone change was fairly harsh.
So here's why it didn't work for me and those are just the ones that immediately pop into my head as I write this.
I'm glad that some of the people who so richly deserved got what they deserved and I think Roselle ended up with the right person. All-in-all, I was just confused and underwhelmed.
So here's why it didn't work for me and those are just the ones that immediately pop into my head as I write this.
I'm glad that some of the people who so richly deserved got what they deserved and I think Roselle ended up with the right person. All-in-all, I was just confused and underwhelmed.
December 31, 2019
This conclusion to the three book series Secondborn lacks the intrigue, politics, and mystery of it's two predecessors. As the series progressed into book 2 it held most of these elements with a slight increase in the science fiction aspects of the story. But our lead gal remained the same and her narrative was very compelling. Unfortunately book 3, Rebel Born, by Bartol is a bit of a mess. It takes our fantasy world and adds too much technology, too quickly.
Pet Peeve
Nothing bothers me more in literature than convenience. If your character needs all the stars to align every chapter for events to move forward, and you always make that automatically happen, then it's boring. Compelling stories have tension, excitement, uncertainty, etc. A good author keeps the line between what needs to happen, versus what does, very thin and always ensures that the events and outcomes are plausible (inside their worlds rules), logical and intricate enough to surprise the reader at times. Events that are curated too tightly, because the plot heavily relies on them, and don't easily fit cohesively in the story are frustrating and make me twitch. Reading is difficult when your twitching so much your eyes can't keep their place on the page.
Characters
There is one strong aspect to Bartol's trilogy however: the characters. She has a strong heroine, and sultry compassionate men whom all feel genuine. From sentimental quotes like:
"life is lost without love”
To downright evil thoughts like:
"I merely strive to annihilate weakness. Isn’t that the very purest form of evolution?”
Bartol keeps the reader entranced by having authentic and honest people in her story. If only a book could stand entirely on the shoulders of it's characters, and didn't need believable plot, then Bartol might have a hit on her hands. Unfortunately, as much as character studies are one of my favourite types of reads, a character can't save a book entirely. We are not saved by our characters from Rebel Born being stupendously unbelievable and leaping technological barriers too quickly.
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Combos
As a reader of both the science fiction and fantasy genres I often love when they merge together. But it's tricky to balance the need for magic to be well 'magical' and science to be technical. Unfortunately these types of books are rarely done well. It seems to be quite the literary challenge to set up parameters for both science and magic that don't contradict each other or feel out of place in the same world. Bartol falls to the same trap I've seen in countless other books that merge sci-fi and fantasy together. In Rebel Born magic does X and technology does well... everything else. In fact magic becomes insignificant at one point and science the 'supreme ruler' of her world. This would be fine if the science used didn't resolve every single plot issue by just being. Where's the ingenuity of the characters in the resolution? Giving all the glory to magic or science is never satisfying for the reader. I want books to be clever and represent events in a compelling way where our characters are critical to the outcome; not just have science (or magic) make everything resolve by default.
Overall
Bartol has the writing style and character development skill needed to write good books; but she needs to work on her plot resolutions. I want to see our characters analyze and sort out situations on their own more; without the power of magic or science creating a perfect fix. The resolution can involve magic or science, don't get me wrong, but it shouldn't just be a 'wave and everything is better' scenario at the end of three books. Overall I wanted more from Bartol's series. I'll look for her publications in the future but will be a little wary of investing into any large series by her until I've seen a trilogy that doesn't rely on the flip of a magic wand (or press of a button) to make everything all better.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Pet Peeve
Nothing bothers me more in literature than convenience. If your character needs all the stars to align every chapter for events to move forward, and you always make that automatically happen, then it's boring. Compelling stories have tension, excitement, uncertainty, etc. A good author keeps the line between what needs to happen, versus what does, very thin and always ensures that the events and outcomes are plausible (inside their worlds rules), logical and intricate enough to surprise the reader at times. Events that are curated too tightly, because the plot heavily relies on them, and don't easily fit cohesively in the story are frustrating and make me twitch. Reading is difficult when your twitching so much your eyes can't keep their place on the page.
Characters
There is one strong aspect to Bartol's trilogy however: the characters. She has a strong heroine, and sultry compassionate men whom all feel genuine. From sentimental quotes like:
"life is lost without love”
To downright evil thoughts like:
"I merely strive to annihilate weakness. Isn’t that the very purest form of evolution?”
Bartol keeps the reader entranced by having authentic and honest people in her story. If only a book could stand entirely on the shoulders of it's characters, and didn't need believable plot, then Bartol might have a hit on her hands. Unfortunately, as much as character studies are one of my favourite types of reads, a character can't save a book entirely. We are not saved by our characters from Rebel Born being stupendously unbelievable and leaping technological barriers too quickly.
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Combos
As a reader of both the science fiction and fantasy genres I often love when they merge together. But it's tricky to balance the need for magic to be well 'magical' and science to be technical. Unfortunately these types of books are rarely done well. It seems to be quite the literary challenge to set up parameters for both science and magic that don't contradict each other or feel out of place in the same world. Bartol falls to the same trap I've seen in countless other books that merge sci-fi and fantasy together. In Rebel Born magic does X and technology does well... everything else. In fact magic becomes insignificant at one point and science the 'supreme ruler' of her world. This would be fine if the science used didn't resolve every single plot issue by just being. Where's the ingenuity of the characters in the resolution? Giving all the glory to magic or science is never satisfying for the reader. I want books to be clever and represent events in a compelling way where our characters are critical to the outcome; not just have science (or magic) make everything resolve by default.
Overall
Bartol has the writing style and character development skill needed to write good books; but she needs to work on her plot resolutions. I want to see our characters analyze and sort out situations on their own more; without the power of magic or science creating a perfect fix. The resolution can involve magic or science, don't get me wrong, but it shouldn't just be a 'wave and everything is better' scenario at the end of three books. Overall I wanted more from Bartol's series. I'll look for her publications in the future but will be a little wary of investing into any large series by her until I've seen a trilogy that doesn't rely on the flip of a magic wand (or press of a button) to make everything all better.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
June 19, 2019
I vote to rename the book “Acidborn” because Amy Bartol must have dropped acid, sat down at her computer and typed out her trip to write this book.
In the first few chapters she absolutely destroys the entire premise she built up in the first two books. (A la game of thrones where anything can happen at the end and the plot doesn’t matter) It’s almost an entirely different novel that just happens to have some of the same characters.
The stretch from a highly advanced civilization like the Fates in the first two books to an enemy that exists purely as an advanced technology or even advanced life form is totally plausible. But I shouldn’t need multiple degrees to follow a young adult novel. Trying to explain complex scientific and technological theories is possible but a lot of the time arduous and boring. Amy didn’t even really do that well. She tried to explain her new “plot” while keeping the pace of the book and tying all of her ends up in nice little bows, but it just wasn’t possible. There was absolutely no foundation for the path she took this book. She is having to explain an entire theory and lay all of the ground work from scratch to finish a trilogy, because she burned the ground work from the first two books. She barely mentions the premises of the fates and things that happened in the previous books, but it would almost confuse me when she did mention them because it did not fit into this book’s plot AT ALL.
In the first few chapters Roselle is taken out of the world of the fates and dropped into the plot of something called “the Spectrum” an advanced AI that was the brain child of Agent Crow (who also happens to be over 200 yrs old) and was built in secret for decades. The AI is everywhere and evolving at an alarming rate. But don’t worry, somehow there are also gods of old, reawakened and sort-of ready to help you fight, but not really. Oh and while I’m thinking about it, there’s also an alternate universe/plane that was created? Or maybe it was always there because there are now also other alternate universes. It’s unclear because at this point she’s clearly just making it up as she goes.
It does have a satisfying ending, if you think no real ending and she just got sick of writing is a satisfying ending. There’s an epic battle that couldn’t possible be won by our few, but mighty, heros. And truly, it isn’t won. Agent Crow’s clones kill Reykin, which pisses Roselle off enough for her to be able to kill thousands of clones at once. She’s done this before in the book, killed Crow’s physical body, but that did nothing to stop him because he exists as The Spectrum now. Why does he now stop coming after Roselle in other physical forms? Now he is willing to lay dormant as everyone slowly roots out all of his anchors and destroys them? Not to mention, Roselle 2.0. Amy couldn’t pick between Roselle having to chose between her two love interests, so she literally created a new universe with a second Roselle and Hawthorne so she could have both Reykin and Hawthorne. In summary, they don’t defeat Crow he just stops doing crow-like things, Roselle gets her happily ever after in two separate universes, but they are all working together in harmony to defeat the big bad that isn’t so big or bad anymore...just because.
If you’re wondering about the fates of the republic, they are mentioned again in the epilogue, for continuity I guess.
I’ve just touched the tip of the WTF iceberg. I have no idea what happened to Rebelborn and I wouldn’t be the least but surprised if Amy Bartol came out and said it was all a prank and the real book will be released at a future date.
I’m giving it two stars because I loved the first two books enough to actually finish this one.
In the first few chapters she absolutely destroys the entire premise she built up in the first two books. (A la game of thrones where anything can happen at the end and the plot doesn’t matter) It’s almost an entirely different novel that just happens to have some of the same characters.
The stretch from a highly advanced civilization like the Fates in the first two books to an enemy that exists purely as an advanced technology or even advanced life form is totally plausible. But I shouldn’t need multiple degrees to follow a young adult novel. Trying to explain complex scientific and technological theories is possible but a lot of the time arduous and boring. Amy didn’t even really do that well. She tried to explain her new “plot” while keeping the pace of the book and tying all of her ends up in nice little bows, but it just wasn’t possible. There was absolutely no foundation for the path she took this book. She is having to explain an entire theory and lay all of the ground work from scratch to finish a trilogy, because she burned the ground work from the first two books. She barely mentions the premises of the fates and things that happened in the previous books, but it would almost confuse me when she did mention them because it did not fit into this book’s plot AT ALL.
In the first few chapters Roselle is taken out of the world of the fates and dropped into the plot of something called “the Spectrum” an advanced AI that was the brain child of Agent Crow (who also happens to be over 200 yrs old) and was built in secret for decades. The AI is everywhere and evolving at an alarming rate. But don’t worry, somehow there are also gods of old, reawakened and sort-of ready to help you fight, but not really. Oh and while I’m thinking about it, there’s also an alternate universe/plane that was created? Or maybe it was always there because there are now also other alternate universes. It’s unclear because at this point she’s clearly just making it up as she goes.
It does have a satisfying ending, if you think no real ending and she just got sick of writing is a satisfying ending. There’s an epic battle that couldn’t possible be won by our few, but mighty, heros. And truly, it isn’t won. Agent Crow’s clones kill Reykin, which pisses Roselle off enough for her to be able to kill thousands of clones at once. She’s done this before in the book, killed Crow’s physical body, but that did nothing to stop him because he exists as The Spectrum now. Why does he now stop coming after Roselle in other physical forms? Now he is willing to lay dormant as everyone slowly roots out all of his anchors and destroys them? Not to mention, Roselle 2.0. Amy couldn’t pick between Roselle having to chose between her two love interests, so she literally created a new universe with a second Roselle and Hawthorne so she could have both Reykin and Hawthorne. In summary, they don’t defeat Crow he just stops doing crow-like things, Roselle gets her happily ever after in two separate universes, but they are all working together in harmony to defeat the big bad that isn’t so big or bad anymore...just because.
If you’re wondering about the fates of the republic, they are mentioned again in the epilogue, for continuity I guess.
I’ve just touched the tip of the WTF iceberg. I have no idea what happened to Rebelborn and I wouldn’t be the least but surprised if Amy Bartol came out and said it was all a prank and the real book will be released at a future date.
I’m giving it two stars because I loved the first two books enough to actually finish this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2019
Small bite review here.
I was so excited for this book as I am a fan of Roselle St Sismode through and through. She is the epitome of badass heroine!
I also adored the first two books and Amy left us on a huge cliffhanger with things having taken a turn for the worst!
Yet this story completely missed the mark with me.
Did I love Roselle? Absolutely! She is still a fantastic female character.
Did I get my favorite love interest? Yes and with a cherry on top as Amy has a huge imagination.
Was it boring? Nope.
So why three stars and not four or five?
Because I did not like the spin of the story. The choice made by Amy about that world and its evolution completely took me aback and confused me!
I am so not a fan of Matrix and the likes.
What I would gobble up without any problem in a fantasy my mind simply rejected in this story.
I know that many love that kind of trope in sci-fi books and won't have the same issues as mine but I could not compute or understand.
Clifton also disappointed me and let's say that Reykin ...lost some of its edge that I so looked after.
But on the bright side we get an unexpected and unconventional gruf bodyguard that I really appreciate here.
So is it a bad book? Not at all! It was simply not the book for me.
That won't deter me from reading many more of Amy's books!
I was so excited for this book as I am a fan of Roselle St Sismode through and through. She is the epitome of badass heroine!
I also adored the first two books and Amy left us on a huge cliffhanger with things having taken a turn for the worst!
Yet this story completely missed the mark with me.
Did I love Roselle? Absolutely! She is still a fantastic female character.
Did I get my favorite love interest? Yes and with a cherry on top as Amy has a huge imagination.
Was it boring? Nope.
So why three stars and not four or five?
Because I did not like the spin of the story. The choice made by Amy about that world and its evolution completely took me aback and confused me!
I am so not a fan of Matrix and the likes.
What I would gobble up without any problem in a fantasy my mind simply rejected in this story.
I know that many love that kind of trope in sci-fi books and won't have the same issues as mine but I could not compute or understand.
Clifton also disappointed me and let's say that Reykin ...lost some of its edge that I so looked after.
But on the bright side we get an unexpected and unconventional gruf bodyguard that I really appreciate here.
So is it a bad book? Not at all! It was simply not the book for me.
That won't deter me from reading many more of Amy's books!
June 10, 2019
I'm unsure what to say. (No worries, no spoilers.)
You wait a year for a new release conclusion to what was building to an amazingly detailed series... And then *splat*.
Everything came out of left field in this book. If she tried to build up to this sci-fi grand conclusion in the previous books, she was too subtle.
And just to note, the book was too short and felt rushed to just close it up as it was.
Comments stated by Roselle that things were "too difficult to explain" and "I just don't think they can understand this yet". As an author you should definitely be able to explain it in a way the readers understand from that character. As a reader, it has to make some kind of sense. It's kind of your job.
You wait a year for a new release conclusion to what was building to an amazingly detailed series... And then *splat*.
Everything came out of left field in this book. If she tried to build up to this sci-fi grand conclusion in the previous books, she was too subtle.
And just to note, the book was too short and felt rushed to just close it up as it was.
Comments stated by Roselle that things were "too difficult to explain" and "I just don't think they can understand this yet". As an author you should definitely be able to explain it in a way the readers understand from that character. As a reader, it has to make some kind of sense. It's kind of your job.
August 1, 2019
Okay wow. I've never had such mixed feeling over a book before..especially when it comes to rating? I'm so torn. 90% of this book was a solid 4 stars...then that ending. Did I really read the end of a series? That was an end? What the hell.
I absolutely loved the way this book was going. The twist was weird and random and awesome I loved it. But then the end was rushed and it upsets me because in my opinion it ruins a whole damn series when the ending is rushed and there is all of that buildup over NOTHING.
I absolutely loved the way this book was going. The twist was weird and random and awesome I loved it. But then the end was rushed and it upsets me because in my opinion it ruins a whole damn series when the ending is rushed and there is all of that buildup over NOTHING.
January 26, 2022
What a disappointment
I Loved the other books in this series and couldn't wait for this final installment. This plot devolved into the matrix. I thought the originality of the first books were lost.
Made me wish I had never began the series
I Loved the other books in this series and couldn't wait for this final installment. This plot devolved into the matrix. I thought the originality of the first books were lost.
Made me wish I had never began the series
June 7, 2019
Suuuuper disapointed with this 3rd & final book. If you didn't like how the Divergent series ended, you're not going to like this book either.
The first two books had an awesome storyline with consistent characters that fought for something bigger than themselves. Then the author decided to change the whole purpose of the characters in the 3rd book. The story took a super abrupt left turn, the characters were flat, & then wrapped up with an ending that felt rushed. I LOVED the first 2 books & am really sad with how this series ended.
The first two books had an awesome storyline with consistent characters that fought for something bigger than themselves. Then the author decided to change the whole purpose of the characters in the 3rd book. The story took a super abrupt left turn, the characters were flat, & then wrapped up with an ending that felt rushed. I LOVED the first 2 books & am really sad with how this series ended.
December 28, 2020
I am so sad about this one. I LOVED the first 2 books and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. This final installment did a full 180 to full sci-fi mode and I was so confused at times. I still love the characters but it was so different from the previous books I couldn't get into it.
September 24, 2019
SPOILERS
Anyone wanna explain what the heck just happened because I have no idea...
This book took a huge turn from the other two, and sadly i cant say it was for the better. Amy has always been an author who's name I would give off when asked for my favorite authors, so i'm surprised at how disappointing the ending of this series proved to be. In the first two books there wasn't even a subtle hint to the gods being real...then BAM, they're everywhere and HEY!! shes one too. That really threw me for a loop. What had pulled me into the series had been all the action and a kickass heroine, but with this book all of it was just thrown out the window and replaced with science and her powers.
Overall this book just felt messy and thrown together. It was overwhelming and felt crammed together. I completely felt no attachment to the characters or the book by the end of it. Take Clifton for example; he was in there, but the Clifton we had come to know and love just wasn't THERE. All he was made into was throwing himself at Roselle and wanting his powers. Not to mention how suddenly Roselle chose Reykin, it was like she just chose who she wanted over night. Like her insisting to Clifton she was going to marry Reykin came out of no where. Was anyone else absent for that being talked about? Then again that could be because Hawthorne was taken out in the beginning of the book, only to be brought back in to be thrown in with the alternate Roselle, which felt like a total cop out. This whole book just felt so scrambled to me that i had to make myself finish it.
Gods, AIs, alternate universes, and an irritating protagonist with no actual plot, forced together= this book. Also found it really annoying how she struggled with all the crows (why there was a need to create so many I have no idea) the whole book,but she gets rid of thousands in mere seconds at the end.
Rebel Born had so much potential so its a shame it wasn't actually used.
If you're reading this do yourself a favor, read Second Born and Traitor Born, then just imagine yourself a better end t0 the series.
(I know this is brutally honest but I can't make myself be anything but.)
Anyone wanna explain what the heck just happened because I have no idea...
This book took a huge turn from the other two, and sadly i cant say it was for the better. Amy has always been an author who's name I would give off when asked for my favorite authors, so i'm surprised at how disappointing the ending of this series proved to be. In the first two books there wasn't even a subtle hint to the gods being real...then BAM, they're everywhere and HEY!! shes one too. That really threw me for a loop. What had pulled me into the series had been all the action and a kickass heroine, but with this book all of it was just thrown out the window and replaced with science and her powers.
Overall this book just felt messy and thrown together. It was overwhelming and felt crammed together. I completely felt no attachment to the characters or the book by the end of it. Take Clifton for example; he was in there, but the Clifton we had come to know and love just wasn't THERE. All he was made into was throwing himself at Roselle and wanting his powers. Not to mention how suddenly Roselle chose Reykin, it was like she just chose who she wanted over night. Like her insisting to Clifton she was going to marry Reykin came out of no where. Was anyone else absent for that being talked about? Then again that could be because Hawthorne was taken out in the beginning of the book, only to be brought back in to be thrown in with the alternate Roselle, which felt like a total cop out. This whole book just felt so scrambled to me that i had to make myself finish it.
Gods, AIs, alternate universes, and an irritating protagonist with no actual plot, forced together= this book. Also found it really annoying how she struggled with all the crows (why there was a need to create so many I have no idea) the whole book,but she gets rid of thousands in mere seconds at the end.
Rebel Born had so much potential so its a shame it wasn't actually used.
If you're reading this do yourself a favor, read Second Born and Traitor Born, then just imagine yourself a better end t0 the series.
(I know this is brutally honest but I can't make myself be anything but.)
June 5, 2019
Wow!
I didn't expect the book to take the turn it did. It was intense, and things were never at rest. The fast pace matched what was happening, and the feeling of tension never left my shoulders until the end. It takes up where the last book left off. Honest truth, some of it was truly sad but necessary. It made the first two seem almost slow (which they weren't).
That said, I LOVED it. The tension, the horror of what was going on, and even the bittersweet part (I did get teary-eyed at a part). However, add the end and the word phenomenal comes to mind. This is what everything was aiming at and at no point did it feel forced or random.
5 stars
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review.
I didn't expect the book to take the turn it did. It was intense, and things were never at rest. The fast pace matched what was happening, and the feeling of tension never left my shoulders until the end. It takes up where the last book left off. Honest truth, some of it was truly sad but necessary. It made the first two seem almost slow (which they weren't).
That said, I LOVED it. The tension, the horror of what was going on, and even the bittersweet part (I did get teary-eyed at a part). However, add the end and the word phenomenal comes to mind. This is what everything was aiming at and at no point did it feel forced or random.
5 stars
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review.
October 3, 2019
#WinterstromIsComing
❤❤❤❤
❤❤❤❤
September 29, 2019
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rebel Born was a book that I was so excited to dive into. It has been a while since I've read the previous books in this series but I honestly didn't care. Again, I was just so excited so I figured that hey - things might come back to me. Yeah, they didn't.. it was rough.
YET, I still enjoyed this one. It did start off a bit slow for me and I just kept waiting for it to get better. Unfortunately, it was just okay. Not going to lie, the first two books were way better in my eyes. That being said, I did enjoy the route of going more sci-fi-ish this time around but I just ended up being confused in some places.
If I could change one thing about this book it would be the 'villain'. Agent Crow just seemed lame to me this time around. It didn't surprise me that it was a computer program with hopes of taking over the world and everyone in it BUT it's like I wanted more. Something was missing for me and that's probably why I feel meh towards this one.
Ugh, I hate that I fell meh! Overall, I really wanted to like this so I'm disappointed that it didn't turn out how I wanted it to. Maybe with a series re-read my opinion might change?
Next year. Maybe.
Rebel Born was a book that I was so excited to dive into. It has been a while since I've read the previous books in this series but I honestly didn't care. Again, I was just so excited so I figured that hey - things might come back to me. Yeah, they didn't.. it was rough.
YET, I still enjoyed this one. It did start off a bit slow for me and I just kept waiting for it to get better. Unfortunately, it was just okay. Not going to lie, the first two books were way better in my eyes. That being said, I did enjoy the route of going more sci-fi-ish this time around but I just ended up being confused in some places.
If I could change one thing about this book it would be the 'villain'. Agent Crow just seemed lame to me this time around. It didn't surprise me that it was a computer program with hopes of taking over the world and everyone in it BUT it's like I wanted more. Something was missing for me and that's probably why I feel meh towards this one.
Ugh, I hate that I fell meh! Overall, I really wanted to like this so I'm disappointed that it didn't turn out how I wanted it to. Maybe with a series re-read my opinion might change?
Next year. Maybe.
October 3, 2024
I had already pre-purchased this book, but I was lucky to get this book early from Netgalley and read it as an ARC.
It really took a detour from where the first and second books seemed to be leading it. It was a bit different. Enjoyable, but different. There were certain aspects and story lines that I didn’t seem to get as they weren’t really in keeping with the first and second books. Still super great and focused on the main characters and secondary characters. We also got answers for characters that seemed to disappear or moved on.
In contrast to the first two books I also noted there weren’t as many quotes to highlight or that really stood out. This isn’t a biggie really, I just love a good quote that you won’t read anywhere and that stays in your mind. I’ll always remember Dunes advice in book one “never outlive your usefulness to the pack”, and Roselles “in our darkest moments we are at our best”. Like i said. I love a good quote.
The only two things I didn’t really like were it detracted from the main idea of the first two books and I thought it would focus on the trials a bit more since there was a bit of emphasis on it in the first two books. The second thing is i thought that there would be a bit more of a bang in the end. There was a bang, but not quite like where Roselle takes on the death dealers in the second book at the Gods and Demons party.
Crow remains my favourite villain. He took his crazy to a new level and I loved it. I thought that we should have maybe seen a bit more of what he did to Roselle or move of what he made her do while she was in no-mans land. I thought bringing her out of there and showing her everything he’d made her do would be another way of him hurting her and being all “villainy”.
Roselle is still the ultimate badass. She didn’t have as many kick butt moments but she’s Roselle so she gets a pass.
Reykin, reykin, reykin. I’m still in love with him in this book as much as the last one. Nothing changed. I can’t say anything more than I love him.
We meet a new character in this book and he may have stolen the show for me. If Amy starts a new series I hope he’s in my it. His dry seriousness was great and I had a few lol moments.
I was so excited and really loved the story. Out of the three books in this series I would have to say that the second book is my favourite; however, there were things in this book that were better than the others.
It really took a detour from where the first and second books seemed to be leading it. It was a bit different. Enjoyable, but different. There were certain aspects and story lines that I didn’t seem to get as they weren’t really in keeping with the first and second books. Still super great and focused on the main characters and secondary characters. We also got answers for characters that seemed to disappear or moved on.
In contrast to the first two books I also noted there weren’t as many quotes to highlight or that really stood out. This isn’t a biggie really, I just love a good quote that you won’t read anywhere and that stays in your mind. I’ll always remember Dunes advice in book one “never outlive your usefulness to the pack”, and Roselles “in our darkest moments we are at our best”. Like i said. I love a good quote.
The only two things I didn’t really like were it detracted from the main idea of the first two books and I thought it would focus on the trials a bit more since there was a bit of emphasis on it in the first two books. The second thing is i thought that there would be a bit more of a bang in the end. There was a bang, but not quite like where Roselle takes on the death dealers in the second book at the Gods and Demons party.
Crow remains my favourite villain. He took his crazy to a new level and I loved it. I thought that we should have maybe seen a bit more of what he did to Roselle or move of what he made her do while she was in no-mans land. I thought bringing her out of there and showing her everything he’d made her do would be another way of him hurting her and being all “villainy”.
Roselle is still the ultimate badass. She didn’t have as many kick butt moments but she’s Roselle so she gets a pass.
Reykin, reykin, reykin. I’m still in love with him in this book as much as the last one. Nothing changed. I can’t say anything more than I love him.
We meet a new character in this book and he may have stolen the show for me. If Amy starts a new series I hope he’s in my it. His dry seriousness was great and I had a few lol moments.
I was so excited and really loved the story. Out of the three books in this series I would have to say that the second book is my favourite; however, there were things in this book that were better than the others.
August 7, 2019
What did I just read? Not since Fate of the Tearling have I been so blindsided and disappointed in the end of a trilogy (honorable mention goes to the Divergent Series). What started as a series about an overpopulated distopia and overthrowing a chaste system/government devolved into a sci-fi/matrix/ alternate universe whimper of a story. Complete with some deus ex machina brain implants. It's like she got bored of her current story and pitched a new series, only to have her publisher make her combine them. A sad sad end to an otherwise enjoyable series.
September 19, 2021
مجموعهای که شروع خوبی داشت، ادامه بهتری داشت و آخرش نابود شد 😅 وقتی داستان رو شروع میکنی، یه حال و هوای هانگر گیمز داره که لایتسیبر دارن، چیز خوبیه نه؟ به نظر منم بود و برای همین جلد اول رو دوست داشتم. جلد دوم حال و هوای ماجرا عوض میشه و یجور مبارزه و مقاومت مخفی در برابر حکومت میشه که بازم جالب و خوب بود و مشکلی نداشت، جلد سوم بعد از کلی تلاش برای عبور از ۶ فصل اول که تقریباً فقط توضیح هست، دنیای سایفای ماجرا که همونطور که گفتم چیزی شبیه هانگر گیمز + لایتسیبر بود میاد یکهو علم و تکنولوژی رو پشمک حساب میکنه و داستان تبدیل به یه فانتزی جادو و شمشیر میشه که در عین حال ماتریکس هم هست 🤣 و یه اژدها، یه اژدها! میاد وسط داستان که هیچ اساس درستی نداره بنا بر دو جلد پیشین و حالا دارن با یه هوش مصنوعی گنده مثل اسکاینت توی سر و کله هم میزنن :| خدایان و ایمورتال هم دارن و رُزِل، شخصیت اصلی داستان، میشه نئو توی ماتریکس :)) از یه طرف هم قدرت سیری رو پیدا میکنه و میشه بانوی زمان و مکان یجورایی و یکی از تکنیکهای مبارزهاش میشه مثل حرکتی که سیری توی بازی ویچر ۳ میزنه :)) راستی جهانهای موازی هم اضافه میشه اواسط داستان! هر چیز علمی ماجرا هم که معنی نمیده و نمیخواد توضیح بده اینطوری توضیح داده میشه: کوانتوم 😂
حالا شخصاً خوندنش برام سخت نبود، اما خب کلا به شدت احمقانه بود :/
حالا اینها رو میگم نه اینکه ایدههای بدی هستن، هر کدوم به جای خودشون و توی محیط خودشون خیلی خوبن، اما نه قاطی پاتی و توی هم. این کتابی نبود که شروع کردم و اینهمه کانسپت رو قاطی پاتی کردن جالب نشده در نهایت. نبرد نهایی ماجرا هم یجورایی کپی پیست مبارزه نهایی نئو با مأمور اسمیت(ها) بود اما نتیجه ماجرا به خوبی و عمق ماتریکس نبود به هیچ عنوان
خود کتاب میتونست مثلاً ۲ ستاره باشه اما خب با این اوصاف و نگاه به کل مجموعه ۱ زیادشه :دی
حالا شخصاً خوندنش برام سخت نبود، اما خب کلا به شدت احمقانه بود :/
حالا اینها رو میگم نه اینکه ایدههای بدی هستن، هر کدوم به جای خودشون و توی محیط خودشون خیلی خوبن، اما نه قاطی پاتی و توی هم. این کتابی نبود که شروع کردم و اینهمه کانسپت رو قاطی پاتی کردن جالب نشده در نهایت. نبرد نهایی ماجرا هم یجورایی کپی پیست مبارزه نهایی نئو با مأمور اسمیت(ها) بود اما نتیجه ماجرا به خوبی و عمق ماتریکس نبود به هیچ عنوان
خود کتاب میتونست مثلاً ۲ ستاره باشه اما خب با این اوصاف و نگاه به کل مجموعه ۱ زیادشه :دی
June 7, 2019
“I don’t know what to believe. Whose side are you on?”
“There are no sides, Roselle. There’s just survival and revenge.”
After the cliffhanger ending of Traitor Born, I was really anticipating the conclusion of the Secondborn series. And it did not disappoint.
Roselle has been captured by the evil Agent Crow and implanted with a mind control device that lets him control her.
“He was weak. You’re not weak, are you?”
I feel weak—insubstantial, flimsy, brittle, inadequate, helpless. “I’m not weak,” I repeat numbly.
Agent Crow bends to whisper in my ear. “But I will break you.”
This book has a lot of matrix vibes. There’s the Spectrum - which is an alternate reality similar to the matrix itself.
“Let’s call the other world Spectrum. As I said, it’s not a computer or a sophisticated program like I once thought. It’s an alternate universe, a new world with similar properties, but with its own unique features. It won’t always conform to the laws of nature we expect.”
Agent Crow is a lot like Agent Smith - able to upload and body hop and manipulate the System to his advantage.
The love triangle between Hawthorne and Reykin concludes satisfactory - if not a little contrived. The moment I realized what Spectrum was I figured out the ending - but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable.
Reykin really shines in this book. I love his character.
He shakes his head incredulously. “Even if I could figure out a way to kill you, I won’t.”
“Why not?” I seethe. “You could before.”
“Before, I was a stupid, arrogant boy. I believed myself capable of sacrificing everything for my ideals. But now I know that I could never have ended your life—not for anything in this world, not from the moment you saved my hide on the battlefield. I was yours then. I am yours now.”
But as swoon worthy as Reykin and Hawthorne are - Roselle is a great character. Amy Bartol writes women that are strong yet vulnerable.
If you are looking for a sci fi series that has action and romance - this is a great series that is now complete and on kindle unlimited.
I received this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
“There are no sides, Roselle. There’s just survival and revenge.”
After the cliffhanger ending of Traitor Born, I was really anticipating the conclusion of the Secondborn series. And it did not disappoint.
Roselle has been captured by the evil Agent Crow and implanted with a mind control device that lets him control her.
“He was weak. You’re not weak, are you?”
I feel weak—insubstantial, flimsy, brittle, inadequate, helpless. “I’m not weak,” I repeat numbly.
Agent Crow bends to whisper in my ear. “But I will break you.”
This book has a lot of matrix vibes. There’s the Spectrum - which is an alternate reality similar to the matrix itself.
“Let’s call the other world Spectrum. As I said, it’s not a computer or a sophisticated program like I once thought. It’s an alternate universe, a new world with similar properties, but with its own unique features. It won’t always conform to the laws of nature we expect.”
Agent Crow is a lot like Agent Smith - able to upload and body hop and manipulate the System to his advantage.
The love triangle between Hawthorne and Reykin concludes satisfactory - if not a little contrived. The moment I realized what Spectrum was I figured out the ending - but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable.
Reykin really shines in this book. I love his character.
He shakes his head incredulously. “Even if I could figure out a way to kill you, I won’t.”
“Why not?” I seethe. “You could before.”
“Before, I was a stupid, arrogant boy. I believed myself capable of sacrificing everything for my ideals. But now I know that I could never have ended your life—not for anything in this world, not from the moment you saved my hide on the battlefield. I was yours then. I am yours now.”
But as swoon worthy as Reykin and Hawthorne are - Roselle is a great character. Amy Bartol writes women that are strong yet vulnerable.
If you are looking for a sci fi series that has action and romance - this is a great series that is now complete and on kindle unlimited.
I received this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
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