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Gray Widow #3
Gray Widow's War
When Janey Sinclair vowed to use her ability to teleport from shadow to shadow to protect the city of Atlanta, she only wanted to spare others the kind of agony she’d endured herself. To prove that not all suffering is necessary. To heal the splinter-edged rifts in her own heart.
But soon Janey realized she was part of something much larger. Something that spanned the globe…
And reached beyond it.
The forces behind Janey’s Augmentation—the authors of the grand experiment striving to use human DNA as raw material in a vast intergalactic war—have arrived on Earth. And if the planet is to survive, Janey Sinclair must unite friends and foes alike. Humanity itself hangs in the balance, as Janey wages the
GRAY WIDOW’S WAR
But soon Janey realized she was part of something much larger. Something that spanned the globe…
And reached beyond it.
The forces behind Janey’s Augmentation—the authors of the grand experiment striving to use human DNA as raw material in a vast intergalactic war—have arrived on Earth. And if the planet is to survive, Janey Sinclair must unite friends and foes alike. Humanity itself hangs in the balance, as Janey wages the
GRAY WIDOW’S WAR
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
ebook
First published May 21, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 21, 2023
As a whole, this trilogy was a masterpiece. The depth of the characters, the plot, the pacing, the action scenes, the suspense, the mystery, the creativity…. incredible. I demolished the first two books in one sitting and rated both five stars. This last book though fell a little bit short for me.
Firstly, the ending. It felt rushed and I would’ve appreciated more time and focus on really fleshing things out and tying loose ends. The action scenes were powerful sure, but I would’ve liked more depth regarding the aliens. What happens from here? Why was this a thing in the first place? What was this war everyone kept talking about? I needed answers and didn’t get them. Also, for me personally, it would’ve been far more satisfying for things to have been resolved in a more sophisticated way. I mean the aliens were willing to hear them out, why all that destruction? I understand there was a need for intensity, action, suspense etc, but it began to feel a bit repetitive and predictable by that point so why not switch it up?
The complete turnaround of Simon and Aphrodite was kind of jarring I must admit, but I actually ended up really loving the new dynamic. Simons character especially provided some much needed comedic relief which was a nice addition. Having said that, it was all a bit too convenient. Aphrodite realises they’re not the enemy within the space of a few minutes and Simon being healed from death? I mean there’s only so much the imagination can be stretched. Simon coming back to life just felt like an easy way to get him back into the action and have him suddenly be the good guy because he was necessary to the plot. If Simon was revived why not anyone else working for Stanford? And as for Aphrodite… well it just brought a whole new meaning to the word communication. It felt disrespectful to the previous book in a way? I mean everything they went through with Aphrodite could’ve been avoided if Janey had just heard her out the first time.
The next issue I had was the religion incorporation. Sha’dae is Muslim - great, love the representation, but why the nathan storyline? It didn’t really serve a purpose besides nathan getting really mad at anyone hurting Sha’dae. That’s not the main issue though. The main issue is the fact that they got together when intimacy before marriage is considered haram in Islam. Sha’dae seemed like she really cared about her religious beliefs, and although she wasn’t as strict like her father, she respected Islams core values. She even says to nathan right before they go to have sex that her faith is a massive part of who she is, and before that, she’s at war with herself because she likes him but knows nothing physical can happen. See, that doesn’t make sense to me because if that was the case she wouldn’t have got with a man she starts feeling physical attraction for and who she hasn’t known for very long because that goes against her religion. Maybe if Nathan and her were planning on getting married or had known each other a long time and had a deep connection it would’ve made it more believable that she would go against her faith like that, but she met the guy a few months back, thinks he’s hot, and jumps into bed with him? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying all Muslims follow the no intimacy before marriage rule, and I probably wouldn’t have been bothered by Sha’dae getting with Nathan if it hadn’t been for her comment about faith being a massive part of who she is and then throwing all of that out the window by proceeding to sit on Nathan’s lap and say that she’s not human anymore anyway so, what, the Islamic values she has don’t matter? Not okay and kind of disrespectful.
Also justice for Parker and Anastasia and all the other subjects Stanford had locked up. Feel like they needed more book time, especially Parker.
Apart from that though, still a really good book.
Firstly, the ending. It felt rushed and I would’ve appreciated more time and focus on really fleshing things out and tying loose ends. The action scenes were powerful sure, but I would’ve liked more depth regarding the aliens. What happens from here? Why was this a thing in the first place? What was this war everyone kept talking about? I needed answers and didn’t get them. Also, for me personally, it would’ve been far more satisfying for things to have been resolved in a more sophisticated way. I mean the aliens were willing to hear them out, why all that destruction? I understand there was a need for intensity, action, suspense etc, but it began to feel a bit repetitive and predictable by that point so why not switch it up?
The complete turnaround of Simon and Aphrodite was kind of jarring I must admit, but I actually ended up really loving the new dynamic. Simons character especially provided some much needed comedic relief which was a nice addition. Having said that, it was all a bit too convenient. Aphrodite realises they’re not the enemy within the space of a few minutes and Simon being healed from death? I mean there’s only so much the imagination can be stretched. Simon coming back to life just felt like an easy way to get him back into the action and have him suddenly be the good guy because he was necessary to the plot. If Simon was revived why not anyone else working for Stanford? And as for Aphrodite… well it just brought a whole new meaning to the word communication. It felt disrespectful to the previous book in a way? I mean everything they went through with Aphrodite could’ve been avoided if Janey had just heard her out the first time.
The next issue I had was the religion incorporation. Sha’dae is Muslim - great, love the representation, but why the nathan storyline? It didn’t really serve a purpose besides nathan getting really mad at anyone hurting Sha’dae. That’s not the main issue though. The main issue is the fact that they got together when intimacy before marriage is considered haram in Islam. Sha’dae seemed like she really cared about her religious beliefs, and although she wasn’t as strict like her father, she respected Islams core values. She even says to nathan right before they go to have sex that her faith is a massive part of who she is, and before that, she’s at war with herself because she likes him but knows nothing physical can happen. See, that doesn’t make sense to me because if that was the case she wouldn’t have got with a man she starts feeling physical attraction for and who she hasn’t known for very long because that goes against her religion. Maybe if Nathan and her were planning on getting married or had known each other a long time and had a deep connection it would’ve made it more believable that she would go against her faith like that, but she met the guy a few months back, thinks he’s hot, and jumps into bed with him? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying all Muslims follow the no intimacy before marriage rule, and I probably wouldn’t have been bothered by Sha’dae getting with Nathan if it hadn’t been for her comment about faith being a massive part of who she is and then throwing all of that out the window by proceeding to sit on Nathan’s lap and say that she’s not human anymore anyway so, what, the Islamic values she has don’t matter? Not okay and kind of disrespectful.
Also justice for Parker and Anastasia and all the other subjects Stanford had locked up. Feel like they needed more book time, especially Parker.
Apart from that though, still a really good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2020
4 stars for the book and 5 stars for the series. I know I rated 2 out of the 3 trilogy chapters as 4's but this is really a case of the sum of the whole parts being better than whatever the damn saying is.
Bottom-line is that Jolley delivers yet again a superhero epic that just gets wilder and wilder the farther in you get. Seriously, if you think back to Chapter 1, Book 1, you would never ever imagine that we've gotten to this point. Along the way he does a fantastic job developing a whole host of characters - some within the space of just a few paragraphs (which in a few cases is necessary as they don't survive longer than that) - and making their interactions and ... evolutions? just fantastic. This is what you want from a book like this, namely, plots that don't fit into the genre they would usually find themselves in. This is, after all, not your parents' version of X-Men (or whomever, just play along).
Again, I think Jolley's use of some pretty scary and even gory parts works well. There's emotional conflict, emotional damage and emotional tension throughout. HOWEVER, having said that, some of that doesn't necessarily fit into what I = me, personally likes to read in a book. I know the main love triangle is necessary and yes, some of the physical bits that occur are perfectly natural but I could have done without them. I'm more interested in things like 'she sprouted giant claws from her arms that went pinchy-pinchy' than I am 'he lowered his hand on her heaving bosoms and went pinchy-pinchy on her...' Well, you get the picture.
I'm also a little frustrated with the potential that I feel like got left on the cutting room floor in this final chapter.
***BE YE WARNED, HERE BE SPOILERS*** ->
- first and foremost, the actual face-to... face? encounters with the aliens is far too rushed imho. They have more potential than that, the battle royale had TONS more potential and even the outcome of the final bits of the battle had more potential. I would have loved to know more about how the others of 'The Team' survived (did they? We only mention 3!!! of them at the end and yes, I double-checked). Plus, I'll admit it, I was getting into the kersplatting that was going on;
- secondly, what's next? Did everyone keep their powers? We don't know. That would have been a teaser that would have kept me up geeking for the next several weeks if we had some insight. Yeah, I'm saying that because I want more. I'll say that again here in a few sentences I'm sure;
- secondly and a halfly, I wasn't satisfied with the whole Parker transition through the book. This guy - along with his fellow captured 'young mutant'-esque pals - seemed to have incredible potential but other than a little hint while he was in his room, we never really saw how he went from creepy peeping Tom to gigantic scaled killing machine that could peel away old, dead bodies in favor of new forms. What happened to his 'old' body? Was the transition for him in any way painful? Or orgasmic? Potential there methinks;
- and finally, and this is BIG BIG in my eyes, throughout this series we see that Janey was able to create these incredible works of art, some of which COULD DRIVE PEOPLE INSANE. No explanation why, no satisfying outcome in terms of how that was used, could be used (other than dealing with Aphrodite previously), etc. I think in the old days folks asked for nifty no-prizes about stuff like that, but again, I thought that would have been pretty cool to have sussed out a bit more.
Oh well, most of that is just me vacuuming up the nits because I wanted more simply because it was all truly awesome and will go into my own ballot box for best trilogy I've read this year. Oh and before I forget: a huge shout-out to https://superhero-fiction.com/ for bringing this series to my attention! That was a fun ride that I really want to revisit some day! Stay squeezy true believers!
Bottom-line is that Jolley delivers yet again a superhero epic that just gets wilder and wilder the farther in you get. Seriously, if you think back to Chapter 1, Book 1, you would never ever imagine that we've gotten to this point. Along the way he does a fantastic job developing a whole host of characters - some within the space of just a few paragraphs (which in a few cases is necessary as they don't survive longer than that) - and making their interactions and ... evolutions? just fantastic. This is what you want from a book like this, namely, plots that don't fit into the genre they would usually find themselves in. This is, after all, not your parents' version of X-Men (or whomever, just play along).
Again, I think Jolley's use of some pretty scary and even gory parts works well. There's emotional conflict, emotional damage and emotional tension throughout. HOWEVER, having said that, some of that doesn't necessarily fit into what I = me, personally likes to read in a book. I know the main love triangle is necessary and yes, some of the physical bits that occur are perfectly natural but I could have done without them. I'm more interested in things like 'she sprouted giant claws from her arms that went pinchy-pinchy' than I am 'he lowered his hand on her heaving bosoms and went pinchy-pinchy on her...' Well, you get the picture.
I'm also a little frustrated with the potential that I feel like got left on the cutting room floor in this final chapter.
***BE YE WARNED, HERE BE SPOILERS*** ->
- first and foremost, the actual face-to... face? encounters with the aliens is far too rushed imho. They have more potential than that, the battle royale had TONS more potential and even the outcome of the final bits of the battle had more potential. I would have loved to know more about how the others of 'The Team' survived (did they? We only mention 3!!! of them at the end and yes, I double-checked). Plus, I'll admit it, I was getting into the kersplatting that was going on;
- secondly, what's next? Did everyone keep their powers? We don't know. That would have been a teaser that would have kept me up geeking for the next several weeks if we had some insight. Yeah, I'm saying that because I want more. I'll say that again here in a few sentences I'm sure;
- secondly and a halfly, I wasn't satisfied with the whole Parker transition through the book. This guy - along with his fellow captured 'young mutant'-esque pals - seemed to have incredible potential but other than a little hint while he was in his room, we never really saw how he went from creepy peeping Tom to gigantic scaled killing machine that could peel away old, dead bodies in favor of new forms. What happened to his 'old' body? Was the transition for him in any way painful? Or orgasmic? Potential there methinks;
- and finally, and this is BIG BIG in my eyes, throughout this series we see that Janey was able to create these incredible works of art, some of which COULD DRIVE PEOPLE INSANE. No explanation why, no satisfying outcome in terms of how that was used, could be used (other than dealing with Aphrodite previously), etc. I think in the old days folks asked for nifty no-prizes about stuff like that, but again, I thought that would have been pretty cool to have sussed out a bit more.
Oh well, most of that is just me vacuuming up the nits because I wanted more simply because it was all truly awesome and will go into my own ballot box for best trilogy I've read this year. Oh and before I forget: a huge shout-out to https://superhero-fiction.com/ for bringing this series to my attention! That was a fun ride that I really want to revisit some day! Stay squeezy true believers!
February 14, 2022
The conclusion to the Gray Window Trilogy delivers.
The perfect mix of superhero and horror, amazing character development (with several different characters having their own growth stories), and action. The first part of the book is called "The Calm" and the second is called "The Storm" -- action isn't as strong in the first half, but sets up everything so that the Storm doesn't have to stop, ever.
It's the character development of so many different characters that takes my breath away. Mr. Jolley (the author) is amazing.
(Read through Kindle Unlimited)
The perfect mix of superhero and horror, amazing character development (with several different characters having their own growth stories), and action. The first part of the book is called "The Calm" and the second is called "The Storm" -- action isn't as strong in the first half, but sets up everything so that the Storm doesn't have to stop, ever.
It's the character development of so many different characters that takes my breath away. Mr. Jolley (the author) is amazing.
(Read through Kindle Unlimited)
August 14, 2018
Gray Widow's War brings all the threads and relationships and threats together for a slam-bang ending to great trilogy. . It's nonstop action rooted in characters you really care about. I worried about all of them. Even the evil ones. Though not to give too much away, evil becomes a relative concept. There are lots of shocking turns leading to a very surprising ending. It's a fantastic climax to an incredible saga.
November 23, 2020
A good conclusion to a solid superhero series. I wasn’t wild about the alien aspect when it was introduced in book 2, but it all played out pretty well here. Overall the series did a good job of escalating the story and the stakes through the series. I think most superhero fans would enjoy this.
December 19, 2020
War never looked so good
In the final installment of the series the author does an exemplary job of ramping up the action. The pacing and action scenes were truly a sight to behold and I look forward to reading more books from this guy.
In the final installment of the series the author does an exemplary job of ramping up the action. The pacing and action scenes were truly a sight to behold and I look forward to reading more books from this guy.
April 28, 2024
This is a very fast-paced, twisted storyline that captivates your attention, so you don't want to stop reading.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews