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Xander had known it was only a matter of time before his lies caught up to him. While awaiting his execution, ordered by President Saevus - the tyrant he once served - Xander finds solace in knowing Deryn has finally escaped Utopia.
But Deryn won’t give up on Xander quite so easily. After manipulating her own brother into helping her, she and her new comrades devise a plan to free Xander. The plan is set in motion the morning of his execution, but when everything begins to unravel Deryn is left to wonder, is she strong enough to save the man she loves?
In this exciting conclusion to the Cruel and Beautiful World trilogy, the war between Utopia and the Outsiders finally comes to a head. Bonds are broken, loyalties are tested, loved ones are torn apart and no one is safe. A new world is on the horizon and Deryn and Xander must risk everything they hold dear, destroying the cruel and beautiful world they live in once and for all.
But Deryn won’t give up on Xander quite so easily. After manipulating her own brother into helping her, she and her new comrades devise a plan to free Xander. The plan is set in motion the morning of his execution, but when everything begins to unravel Deryn is left to wonder, is she strong enough to save the man she loves?
In this exciting conclusion to the Cruel and Beautiful World trilogy, the war between Utopia and the Outsiders finally comes to a head. Bonds are broken, loyalties are tested, loved ones are torn apart and no one is safe. A new world is on the horizon and Deryn and Xander must risk everything they hold dear, destroying the cruel and beautiful world they live in once and for all.
- GenresDystopia
715 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 5, 2018
29 people are currently reading
271 people want to read
About the author
L. Stoddard Hancock
3 books119 followersLaura Hancock is the author of the Cruel and Beautiful World trilogy. She has been writing books for as long as she can remember and still owns several hand-written stories from her youth. She currently lives in Portland, OR with her cat Milo. You can follow her on Facebook, on Instagram and on Tumblr.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 1, 2019
The third and final instalment of the Cruel and Beautiful World series, is the one that went on a complete different route than the fanfiction and the most disappointing one.
I would love to say that my disappointment wasn't with the changes that were made from the original story, but I would be lying. In fact the only parts that I did enjoy from this book were the original parts of the fic.
The story dragged and even tho it was one of my most anticipated releases of this year, I dreaded picking it up every time I stopped.
The only reason I kept on going was just to see how the side characters would end up.
I didn't care about Deryn and I absolutely hated the way Xander was changed from the last book to this one.
He was completely absent frome the plot and only showed up to be Deryn's boyfriend. They plotted, strategorized, they trained and went on missions and all that time, Xander was helping out in the kitchen.
Xander, who climbed the guardians latter so fast that he became the presidents second hand.
Xander who was the leader of said guardians on missions and who made up all the plans.
Xander who trigged the element to not kill someone but to only make them look dead for a short while.
Xander who knows more killing moves than all the outsiders combined.
Xander who managed to hide and rescue so many people without anyone finding out.
Xander. That Xander that we all came to know and love, that is supposed to be the same Xander that is portrayed in this book?
And all that just to show that Deryn is a strong, independent woman?
I am so mad and disappointed at this book, I want to erase it completely from my memory.
I will stick to the fanfic and forget all about this series.
2 Stars for all the side characters that I more than love and for the parts that transferred from the fic to this book.
April 4, 2020
1.5 stars overall. 0 stars for the ending.
Where to start? Where did this series go wrong? Probably when it went from being a dystopian fantasy romance to whatever the hell it ended as. I’ll start with the less spoilers things and then end with things that completely destroy what was a pretty good series. The action scenes are clunky and turn annoying and unnecessarily long. The book itself is way too long. It should have been trimmed down and SOMEONE should have been like “hey do you really think it’s a good idea to end it that way? Do you have any good reasons/justifications for ending the series this way?”
Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers. If you don’t want to know how the book ends, absolutely don’t read any further. If you’re cool with being spoiled or already read the book, continue forth.
Killing Bronson off was the start of the end for me. Oh how novel to kill off one of the gay characters? Not cool. Then Xander gets killed? For real, no bringing him back killed? Just no. The way the first two books play out in the series, this leans more toward a romance (esp. in book one) with dystopian elements. You can’t have a happy ending without one of the main characters and certainly not when you kill off two halves of relationships. What was the point?
Where to start? Where did this series go wrong? Probably when it went from being a dystopian fantasy romance to whatever the hell it ended as. I’ll start with the less spoilers things and then end with things that completely destroy what was a pretty good series. The action scenes are clunky and turn annoying and unnecessarily long. The book itself is way too long. It should have been trimmed down and SOMEONE should have been like “hey do you really think it’s a good idea to end it that way? Do you have any good reasons/justifications for ending the series this way?”
Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers. If you don’t want to know how the book ends, absolutely don’t read any further. If you’re cool with being spoiled or already read the book, continue forth.
Killing Bronson off was the start of the end for me. Oh how novel to kill off one of the gay characters? Not cool. Then Xander gets killed? For real, no bringing him back killed? Just no. The way the first two books play out in the series, this leans more toward a romance (esp. in book one) with dystopian elements. You can’t have a happy ending without one of the main characters and certainly not when you kill off two halves of relationships. What was the point?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2018
After the ending of Sunken Eyes, I feel like I had been waiting for this book my whole life! I was so excited to finally get it in my hands, and it definitely didn't disappoint. It picks up right where we left off and basically doesn't let up until the end. I didn't feel like the book dragged at all, despite being over 700 pages. I love these characters so much so I never wanted it to end! Their banter is perfect.
But THEN. It ended and over a month later and I'M STILL NOT OVER IT.
But THEN. It ended and over a month later and I'M STILL NOT OVER IT.
October 8, 2018
Ok
Its not that it wasn,t beautifully written because it was . What i didn, t like was the turn out. It wasn,t as happy as i wanted it to be. I feel like i wasted my time. Sorry i just hate sad endings.
Its not that it wasn,t beautifully written because it was . What i didn, t like was the turn out. It wasn,t as happy as i wanted it to be. I feel like i wasted my time. Sorry i just hate sad endings.
October 9, 2021
Well that ending wasn't expected...
March 28, 2025
how could she do this
September 16, 2025
I’m really disappointed with the final book. It dragged and the scenes were poorly written.
I’m going to pretend I didn’t read that.
I’m going to pretend I didn’t read that.
November 21, 2018
I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for this conclusion (especially after the cliffhanger in book 2!) and that’s pobably part of why I devoured this one in a day. Arise is about twice the size of its predecessors but not once does it feel like things dragged on. We get to see the POV of several more characters in this one and the changes happen seamlessly allowing us to see what is happening inside and out of Utopia. Mixed in with the characters we’ve come to know and love (or loathe) are some new faces (one of them became a fast fave of mine.)
But...this is war folks and as such not everyone survives to see the end. No spoilers of course but the last chunk of pages had me a sobbing mess and when it comes to battles Hancock channels JKR much more than SJM to give you an idea of what to expect.
Basically Arise is A great conclusion to one of my fave series!
But...this is war folks and as such not everyone survives to see the end. No spoilers of course but the last chunk of pages had me a sobbing mess and when it comes to battles Hancock channels JKR much more than SJM to give you an idea of what to expect.
Basically Arise is A great conclusion to one of my fave series!
November 5, 2018
!!!!!!MILD SPOILERS!!!!!!
I haven’t cried this hard reading a book since I read Harry Potter the first time, I swear! As heart wrenching as it was, this book dared to do something that most other books won’t try. It broke my heart into a million pieces but it also reminded me how important friends and family are. After recent personal events, this message of family and love hit me even harder. Tell your friends and family you love them.
Overall an amazing book and I’m so glad I decided to finish it now instead of at work!
I haven’t cried this hard reading a book since I read Harry Potter the first time, I swear! As heart wrenching as it was, this book dared to do something that most other books won’t try. It broke my heart into a million pieces but it also reminded me how important friends and family are. After recent personal events, this message of family and love hit me even harder. Tell your friends and family you love them.
Overall an amazing book and I’m so glad I decided to finish it now instead of at work!
March 9, 2025
”Citizens of Utopia, everything you have been told is a lie.”
The ending really disappointed me and I’m so sad that they didn’t get the same ending in this universe (I’ve read the fanfiction so this ending came as a shock).
I also felt like we didn’t really see Xander that much?
I rated it five stars because even though I did not agree with the ending the rest of the book was really entertaining.
Throughout the book series I fell in love with the all of the characters and their stories.
LOVE THE ILLUSTRATIONS, It’s the details that matter.
The ending really disappointed me and I’m so sad that they didn’t get the same ending in this universe (I’ve read the fanfiction so this ending came as a shock).
I also felt like we didn’t really see Xander that much?
I rated it five stars because even though I did not agree with the ending the rest of the book was really entertaining.
Throughout the book series I fell in love with the all of the characters and their stories.
LOVE THE ILLUSTRATIONS, It’s the details that matter.
October 22, 2018
Easily the best book of the trilogy.
As a long time fan, the first two books were well loved and familiar. Arise went above and beyond and breathed new life into the series, seamlessly introducing new characters and plot lines without losing track of old favorites. Suspenseful until the very end, as beautiful as it was heartbreaking. A truly epic conclusion to the Cruel and Beautiful World Series
As a long time fan, the first two books were well loved and familiar. Arise went above and beyond and breathed new life into the series, seamlessly introducing new characters and plot lines without losing track of old favorites. Suspenseful until the very end, as beautiful as it was heartbreaking. A truly epic conclusion to the Cruel and Beautiful World Series
October 23, 2023
Well I know why the author commented on my TikTok asking me to not hate her once I got to the third book now🫢 (Yes I prefer the original fanfic to the published version but I would love to see more from this author in the future.)
Aside from not loving the changes made from the original story I feel like the direction of this book felt a bit all over and it needed condensing. The action sequences also felt a bit clunky.
Aside from not loving the changes made from the original story I feel like the direction of this book felt a bit all over and it needed condensing. The action sequences also felt a bit clunky.
October 6, 2025
this book was truly heartbreaking and tbh i would probably just read the original hp fic bc of how it tore my heart out at the end. At the beginning of the series i was kinda disappointed about how it followed the exact same time line as the fanfic, but after the second book it was totally switched up which had me at the edge of my seat. this was a very good read it made me laugh and cry, i went through all the emotions. i’d definitely recommend.
February 7, 2019
best of the trilogy
This book was the best of the trilogy.
Great action and romance.
Minus 1 star for no HEA , and my disappointment in the ending.
The book reminds me of the Divergent series, despite certainly not being a copy of it, and having more smut & violence, so it's for mature audiences, not YA.
This book was the best of the trilogy.
Great action and romance.
Minus 1 star for no HEA , and my disappointment in the ending.
The book reminds me of the Divergent series, despite certainly not being a copy of it, and having more smut & violence, so it's for mature audiences, not YA.
December 13, 2024
DNF at 25ish%, cancelled kindle unlimited and still couldn’t finish it beforehand - absolutely no desire to read anymore anyway tbh, plus now I’m read the spoilers and don’t think I’d have enjoyed it after all that. Disappointing ending to the interesting trilogy, really found this one wasn’t the same level of writing, really dragged and took a while to get into.
March 12, 2025
I have no words for the ending of this trilogy. I am smiling through the tears and pain. 10000/10 Although Xander definitely was different in this book than how we saw him in the others, and I’m not sure how I feel about that…
December 23, 2018
The ending brought me no closure or happiness 😭 but overall a great end to the series
January 30, 2019
I'm not..... okay
The ending dissapoints me. I much prefer the fanfiction version because it has happy ending
The ending dissapoints me. I much prefer the fanfiction version because it has happy ending
June 14, 2021
Points deducted for the non-cannon to fanfiction ending - what the fuckkkkk
July 26, 2023
I’M SO ANGRY
January 4, 2025
Sobbed and sobbed and sobbed so so sad. Such a good book but hated the ending
June 17, 2025
This trilogy was so captivating! I inhaled it!
May 4, 2021
SPOILERS
I have never written a full review before, but I had a lot of strong opinions on this book.
I was an original reader. I started reading the fan fiction version before it had even finished. I loved the first two books, and I loved Arise. Until the last few chapters.
After the action started, I feel like the words and the story became extremely hard to follow. The deaths That occurred were too rapid and we weren’t given enough time to mourn one character, before another one died. The characters that were very important and had been in all books that were killed, had their death moment and then weren’t mentioned again. Even the Leon’s dad, who I have a hard time even remembering his name because he was in one scene. There was a lot of lead up to a great reunion between them and there was a couple of cute lines and then he was dead. It was odd.
Then there is the main death that has me on edge. I understand the author made a decision, but it was out of nowhere & just not seem like a cohesive end. I think that the trilogy, and seeing what Xander and deryn went through together, a happy ending for them would have made this story much better. His death felt unnecessary for the story. Especially because we don’t see how it will affect Deryn.
The ending to this book did not feel like an ending. We didn’t get to see any of the characters except for a few of them and see how they ended up. There were a lot of loose ends and it left me unsatisfied.
Other then the ending this book is great.
I have never written a full review before, but I had a lot of strong opinions on this book.
I was an original reader. I started reading the fan fiction version before it had even finished. I loved the first two books, and I loved Arise. Until the last few chapters.
After the action started, I feel like the words and the story became extremely hard to follow. The deaths That occurred were too rapid and we weren’t given enough time to mourn one character, before another one died. The characters that were very important and had been in all books that were killed, had their death moment and then weren’t mentioned again. Even the Leon’s dad, who I have a hard time even remembering his name because he was in one scene. There was a lot of lead up to a great reunion between them and there was a couple of cute lines and then he was dead. It was odd.
Then there is the main death that has me on edge. I understand the author made a decision, but it was out of nowhere & just not seem like a cohesive end. I think that the trilogy, and seeing what Xander and deryn went through together, a happy ending for them would have made this story much better. His death felt unnecessary for the story. Especially because we don’t see how it will affect Deryn.
The ending to this book did not feel like an ending. We didn’t get to see any of the characters except for a few of them and see how they ended up. There were a lot of loose ends and it left me unsatisfied.
Other then the ending this book is great.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews