Beautiful conclusion of the series.
The characters have experienced so much growth throughout the entire series, and you can really feel that in this final installment. Yes sometimes some of them behave a bit strangely, but knowing all they have been through, it's really understandable and more of an insight in their coping mechanisms and evolution from teenagers to adults than it is irrational behaviour as such. What I also really liked, as in the other books, is to see how respectfully everyone treats each other in general in New Eden, also in their relationships (well, most of the time at least). Yes, it's a bit over the top and rather old-fashioned at times, but especially in contrast to the Outside, it becomes so clear that honour and respect are two values that we should still give an important place in our society today as well.
The only thing that bothered me a little is that, of all the seeds that are planted, of all the things that happen underneath and in the background, certain things never seem to come to light. For example, some of the characters realise something at one point, but the story doesn't seem to come back to it later. Whereas, as a reader, I am just curious as to how everything is intertwined and what conspiracies were involved. A lot of it you do discover bit by bit as a reader, but some questions remained somewhat unanswered in my head. On the other hand, some things seemed to happen rather suddenly, and were over very quickly, while as a reader you did not really think that was possible to happen so suddenly. Or maybe it was because of some underlying issues that had passed me by, that's also possible. I absolutely do not want to imply that the story is superficial, far from it. There is clearly a lot of thought put into everything, and a lot of depth is created (which is something I really appreciate in books). But perhaps some elements of that depth could have been clarified in a more explicit way, then it would have been even better in my opinion.
And as for the ending, I could not imagine a better one. A mix of a happy ending with somewhat heavier elements that are closely related to events that took place just before the end, it's just a perfect combination.
Don't forget to read the epigraphs, each time they fit together so well with the chapter that follows. These were just perfect.
Thank you Jesikah Sundin for immersing me in yet another beautifully crafted world with wonderful characters, without it being all too perfect. It definitely made me think about the contemporary society we in live in today as well, about things we should value more or stuff we might need to be more cautious about. I've happily lost myself in these books for several hours 🤩
I received an advanced copy of this book for review.