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The Resistance Trilogy #3
Rebellion
Aided by the Insubordinates, Kress and her Conspiracy wage a daring counter-offensive against the Patriot Army in an effort to liberate the city of San Francisco. Outnumbered, facing impossible odds, and opposed by a powerful and ruthless enemy named General Ekker, Kress and her friends hope for help as they struggle to understand and control their emerging abilities.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 29, 2019
1735 people are currently reading
1854 people want to read
About the author
K.A. Riley
65 books551 followersK. A. Riley is a writer of speculative and science fiction, dedicated to creating worlds just different enough from our own to be entertaining, intriguing and a little frightening all at once. For Riley, writing isn't a job. It's a laboratory where readers can wander into a land of ideas; it's a playground where they can scamper around, giggling, gasping, and freaking out to their hearts' content.
Riley is the top-secret pen-name of a NYT and USA Today best-selling author.
Riley is the top-secret pen-name of a NYT and USA Today best-selling author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
June 24, 2022
Had to finish the trilogy but it was kinda meh
October 18, 2024
Unless you REALLY like YA dystopian books, I'd give this a miss. It's a slog, the characters are mostly dull and the 'twists' are obvious.
November 26, 2023
I was hoping for a better conclusion to the story, something that would make the slog of the second book feel like it was worth it. Unfortunately, I did not find that here. In fact, it was even worse than the second book, but not so much worse I feel I should subtract a star from it, especially since the typos have mostly disappeared (still spotted 1-2, though) and some of the more irritating things from the first and second books are not a problem in the third.
However, the third book is not at all what I was hoping for. A good 85% of the book is just the main cast going through endless military training to get ready for their inevitable battle with President Krug, who we still know little to nothing about and who, if I remember correctly, hasn’t spoken a word throughout the entire series. The entire Patriot Army just seems like a convenient bogeyman just like the cast finds out the Eastern Order has been. We don’t know anything about them except that they use fear to keep people in check, but we don’t know how they managed to do this or why people continue to live under their rule even in semi-freed cities like San Francisco. What is keeping these people from rising u against a faction that they know is in the wrong? Normally, I would say some kind of threat from Krug, because I’d understand if he had nukes trained on them or something. That would make it a lot more believable. However, during their battle with him, all he does is call in the Patriot Army that is already there and have them fight against the main cast, which… is basically their daily lives already, if they bothered to fight against them. Krug didn’t even need to be there because he adds absolutely nothing to any of it and gets away in the end anyway.
I’m also less and less convinced as the series goes on about the validity of the Emergents. Firstly, how are these people developing these abilities? Canon says it’s just a “rapid evolution” that seems to occur along the 39th parallel but we’re not given any explanation for this and after nearly 1000 pages you would expect at least a hint as to why. But nope, absolutely nothing. And then we witness Cardyn asking a Patriot to lower his weapon, that he doesn’t have to be one of the bad guys, which the man does, and everyone is shocked and treats this as if it is one of the Emergent abilities. How on Earth is convincing a person they don’t need to commit atrocities some kind of super power? It would have been an easy fix, since all you’d have to do is make the guy so incredibly convinced he needs to kill the main cast that he won’t budge an inch on it, and then have Cardyn use his abilities to convince him not to, making it clear it was oly because of Cardyn’s abilities that he did anything. But with it written like this, I just rolled my eyes and hoped that was the only instance of that sort of thing I would run into. (Kress’s “flying” is also never explained. Even with Emergent abilities, you can’t just have a human body with that sort of bone density fly through the air. There needs to be something physical going on to allow it. And Render only spoke in “kraa”s before, with Kress having to guess at his intentions, when she could understand them at all, so why is he speaking in full sentences now and coming up with nicknames for other species?)
I want to like this series. I really do. It has a good premise. I really like the idea of a war being fought that was based on the concept of fear — that someone kept a people under their control by turning them against an invisible enemy. That’s a good plot, and it mirrors a lot of the things going on today. Riley’s writing isn’t bad. But there are so many ways in which they fall short, and it brings the entire book down.
I guess there’s something to be said for the fact that I did go ahead and download the next three books in the series, though. I thought eh, what the hell, they sound like they’re possibly going somewhere, I hope? And maybe it’s going to get better? Part of it’s also the sunk-cost fallacy, I guess, and the fact that I hate leaving things unfinished. So we’ll see what those installments have in store and hopefully they can save this series for me.
Also, hopefully Brohn and Kress will actually start showing some chemistry, because so far it’s felt like Riley only paired them up because they were the “lead” boy and girl. At this point, I almost wish for the Cardyn/Brohn fight I thought was going to happen over Kress. At least that would give them something to build on, relationship-wise.
However, the third book is not at all what I was hoping for. A good 85% of the book is just the main cast going through endless military training to get ready for their inevitable battle with President Krug, who we still know little to nothing about and who, if I remember correctly, hasn’t spoken a word throughout the entire series. The entire Patriot Army just seems like a convenient bogeyman just like the cast finds out the Eastern Order has been. We don’t know anything about them except that they use fear to keep people in check, but we don’t know how they managed to do this or why people continue to live under their rule even in semi-freed cities like San Francisco. What is keeping these people from rising u against a faction that they know is in the wrong? Normally, I would say some kind of threat from Krug, because I’d understand if he had nukes trained on them or something. That would make it a lot more believable. However, during their battle with him, all he does is call in the Patriot Army that is already there and have them fight against the main cast, which… is basically their daily lives already, if they bothered to fight against them. Krug didn’t even need to be there because he adds absolutely nothing to any of it and gets away in the end anyway.
I’m also less and less convinced as the series goes on about the validity of the Emergents. Firstly, how are these people developing these abilities? Canon says it’s just a “rapid evolution” that seems to occur along the 39th parallel but we’re not given any explanation for this and after nearly 1000 pages you would expect at least a hint as to why. But nope, absolutely nothing. And then we witness Cardyn asking a Patriot to lower his weapon, that he doesn’t have to be one of the bad guys, which the man does, and everyone is shocked and treats this as if it is one of the Emergent abilities. How on Earth is convincing a person they don’t need to commit atrocities some kind of super power? It would have been an easy fix, since all you’d have to do is make the guy so incredibly convinced he needs to kill the main cast that he won’t budge an inch on it, and then have Cardyn use his abilities to convince him not to, making it clear it was oly because of Cardyn’s abilities that he did anything. But with it written like this, I just rolled my eyes and hoped that was the only instance of that sort of thing I would run into. (Kress’s “flying” is also never explained. Even with Emergent abilities, you can’t just have a human body with that sort of bone density fly through the air. There needs to be something physical going on to allow it. And Render only spoke in “kraa”s before, with Kress having to guess at his intentions, when she could understand them at all, so why is he speaking in full sentences now and coming up with nicknames for other species?)
I want to like this series. I really do. It has a good premise. I really like the idea of a war being fought that was based on the concept of fear — that someone kept a people under their control by turning them against an invisible enemy. That’s a good plot, and it mirrors a lot of the things going on today. Riley’s writing isn’t bad. But there are so many ways in which they fall short, and it brings the entire book down.
I guess there’s something to be said for the fact that I did go ahead and download the next three books in the series, though. I thought eh, what the hell, they sound like they’re possibly going somewhere, I hope? And maybe it’s going to get better? Part of it’s also the sunk-cost fallacy, I guess, and the fact that I hate leaving things unfinished. So we’ll see what those installments have in store and hopefully they can save this series for me.
Also, hopefully Brohn and Kress will actually start showing some chemistry, because so far it’s felt like Riley only paired them up because they were the “lead” boy and girl. At this point, I almost wish for the Cardyn/Brohn fight I thought was going to happen over Kress. At least that would give them something to build on, relationship-wise.
December 30, 2024
150+ pages into an under 300pg book I was really struggling to stick with it. Soooo repetitive...I did not need a recap of the previous 2 books every 4 pages. Wait, they grew up where? They grew up how? Please tell me again! Also, highly predictable. Was bored with the story and disappointed after the second book had drawn me in so much more. Made it through out of stubbornness and competitiveness to beat my annual reading goal 🤪
April 4, 2022
I’m still enjoying this series and look forward to seeing it unfold.
The group continues to try and fight for freedom.
There were several twists I did not see coming( very refreshing).
If you enjoy a dystopian story with good versus evil, and questions around each corner, this is a book you’ll enjoy.
It is easy to pick up and put down.
The group continues to try and fight for freedom.
There were several twists I did not see coming( very refreshing).
If you enjoy a dystopian story with good versus evil, and questions around each corner, this is a book you’ll enjoy.
It is easy to pick up and put down.
April 3, 2024
I loved this book! Great continuation of the story and semi ending to this series! Good news is, there’s another spin off series to this and I’m diving right in! I love a good dystopian novel and this series has been such a treat! Great plot and character development! Super light on the romance aspect but that didn’t bother me at all!
May 21, 2023
This was a promising series but the last book drug out way more than it needed to.
September 21, 2024
This is the 3rd book in the resistance trilogy. In this book we see Kress and her "conspiracy" prepare for their biggest battle yet as they gather forces to fight back and free the city from the control of a corrupt government. I can see how the storyline will continue to be expanded and follow the conspiracy on their quest to fight back against the patriot army and Krug. This one I had a harder time getting into, l feel like the trilogy was a little drawn out and could have been one book. Some of the plot lines and characters had some gaps for me It wasn't the strong ending I was wanting but still a good series. But yay for Canadian author and it's on Kindle Unlimited.
March 8, 2023
The last book was the most action packed out of the trilogy. But it was poorly written in a small way. It definitely isn’t the worst series I’ve ever read and I may continue on to the stand-alone trilogies that follow.
May 11, 2024
’m so so so incredibly annoyed with this series. The entire basis of this series is INCREDIBLE and relatable to pretty much anyone, but especially in the US. If it were written with some better characters, a little bit better choices with all of these characters, and more believably then this would have been epic. Up to par with divergent and hunger games as it promises. However, most of the three books is ALOT of retelling, a lot of over explaining things that in the end didn’t matter, and some just overall what seems like sloppy writing in general.
From the first book there are so many major plot holes… the whole town is bombed but yet all the stands and survives is a school building and a bunch of kids and handful of children? Or the fact that these populations were important to their research and overall mission but yet they’re not actually reproducing because it’s mostly just a bunch of kids - and could this probably be assumed of all of these towns, idek? Or the fact that during their time in the processor there was so much technology but yet so many private conversations went unnoticed amongst their group? Or the fact that this whole group (aside from the two lost at the processor) has been been flagged as emergents according to multiple people but the only two who have any ‘powers’ are Kress and Manthy and Brohn who no one realizes until the end actually has any ‘power’ so it’s like anything the rest of them can do is put off as being an emergent ‘power’ even though it’s just normal stuff? Or the fact that you’ve got a 14 year old girl leading the entire rebellion? Or the fact that there’s been so much emphasis across the three books about Kress’s dad and his involvement in the technology built for the government and her tattoos and her tattoos being some sort of key to ruin everything but yet that never went anywhere? Not to mention the fact that after it’s all said and done there really weren’t a lot of answers about the emergent ‘powers’ either? Or the fact that there’s virtually no resistance even though this is a somewhat worldwide phenomenon? It all just lends to being entirely unbelievable or hard to follow.
My big issue with this book in particular is that the vast majority of the book is spent on their week of training. While I understand this is obviously a massive part of the whole story we really didn’t need a day by day play by play with every little minute detail. This was just bad writing. It literally could have been briefly summarized while hitting in the exact same detail as the author went into all of the important parts of the story and it would have been way shorter and ultimately done just as good of a job painting the picture.
If I were going to write this exact same series over for the author I would take the first book and leave it mostly alone structurally and just do it better. The second book could have been summarized into like 10 chapters max and the whole week of preparations could have been summarized into 10-20 chapters and written better. Then I would have had the main group stick around after the battle to do some investigation and recon and most importantly to interrogate Keller so they could finally get some answers about who they really are, what they’re really capable of, and what the government really plans on doing with their abilities. A third book could pick up with the decision they need to leave and then go into their travels. Like it literally could have been such a great series if done better so it’s quite disappointing to see how it all fell in the end.
I don’t think I will be reading the rest of the books since the writing just seems to be getting worse and worse.
From the first book there are so many major plot holes… the whole town is bombed but yet all the stands and survives is a school building and a bunch of kids and handful of children? Or the fact that these populations were important to their research and overall mission but yet they’re not actually reproducing because it’s mostly just a bunch of kids - and could this probably be assumed of all of these towns, idek? Or the fact that during their time in the processor there was so much technology but yet so many private conversations went unnoticed amongst their group? Or the fact that this whole group (aside from the two lost at the processor) has been been flagged as emergents according to multiple people but the only two who have any ‘powers’ are Kress and Manthy and Brohn who no one realizes until the end actually has any ‘power’ so it’s like anything the rest of them can do is put off as being an emergent ‘power’ even though it’s just normal stuff? Or the fact that you’ve got a 14 year old girl leading the entire rebellion? Or the fact that there’s been so much emphasis across the three books about Kress’s dad and his involvement in the technology built for the government and her tattoos and her tattoos being some sort of key to ruin everything but yet that never went anywhere? Not to mention the fact that after it’s all said and done there really weren’t a lot of answers about the emergent ‘powers’ either? Or the fact that there’s virtually no resistance even though this is a somewhat worldwide phenomenon? It all just lends to being entirely unbelievable or hard to follow.
My big issue with this book in particular is that the vast majority of the book is spent on their week of training. While I understand this is obviously a massive part of the whole story we really didn’t need a day by day play by play with every little minute detail. This was just bad writing. It literally could have been briefly summarized while hitting in the exact same detail as the author went into all of the important parts of the story and it would have been way shorter and ultimately done just as good of a job painting the picture.
If I were going to write this exact same series over for the author I would take the first book and leave it mostly alone structurally and just do it better. The second book could have been summarized into like 10 chapters max and the whole week of preparations could have been summarized into 10-20 chapters and written better. Then I would have had the main group stick around after the battle to do some investigation and recon and most importantly to interrogate Keller so they could finally get some answers about who they really are, what they’re really capable of, and what the government really plans on doing with their abilities. A third book could pick up with the decision they need to leave and then go into their travels. Like it literally could have been such a great series if done better so it’s quite disappointing to see how it all fell in the end.
I don’t think I will be reading the rest of the books since the writing just seems to be getting worse and worse.
May 3, 2023
Books like these haunt me. The premise is so good. The characters, while somewhat predictable, are compelling. The plot is intriguing! And yet..... Something happens from page one of book one onward, and I don't know what it is, but the effect is such that any excitement I felt over the storyline vanishes completely. It's like the author gets bored and can't be bothered to actually put their characters through their paces. This is the last book of the trilogy, and I was really hoping for a powerful conclusion, but I got 40% of the way through and had to admit it to myself- nothing was happening. Boring, bland, uninteresting, and yet I will spend the next several weeks wishing things could have been different. That's why I give this book 1 star.
April 13, 2020
I quit reading it at 30 percent.
I loved the first book of this series. I liked 1/2of the second book. Then it became too hard to understand. Is there a war? Isn't there a war? Some details were irrelevant and just cluttered the story. Other details were so far from imaginable I couldn't get past them. Having a 13 year old become a major in a war in a few months, using adult vocabulary and speech patterns was too much. I loved the series beginning but the rest was like wading through details to find the story.
I loved the first book of this series. I liked 1/2of the second book. Then it became too hard to understand. Is there a war? Isn't there a war? Some details were irrelevant and just cluttered the story. Other details were so far from imaginable I couldn't get past them. Having a 13 year old become a major in a war in a few months, using adult vocabulary and speech patterns was too much. I loved the series beginning but the rest was like wading through details to find the story.
April 21, 2020
So very disappointed with how this turned out. I still cannot get behind the whole Wisp being in charge and also just being kinda a crappy character. Like, she’ll be like “go ahead and explain to them” and in the next breath, all the sudden everyone is wasting time. Zero investment in this character or anything she did. Also, there’s so much drag on the build up that I didn’t mind in the previous two books but now I realize there’s so much more world building or details we could’ve learned about but instead, it’s all just rehashing and hero worshipping from others.
September 9, 2019
4⭐️
Great book! Full of action, drama, and a little more about their powers. I love the ending and how they left it open for more books! I am wondering though, what did they do with the captured patriot army soldiers and why didn’t they interrogate Ekker at the end?
Hopefully we will find out more in the next book! Yayyy more books to read!!😍
Great book! Full of action, drama, and a little more about their powers. I love the ending and how they left it open for more books! I am wondering though, what did they do with the captured patriot army soldiers and why didn’t they interrogate Ekker at the end?
Hopefully we will find out more in the next book! Yayyy more books to read!!😍
December 6, 2019
Absolutely thrilling
Absolutely thrilling. Great trilogy. It's full of personality. There is another series after this one that goes a!one with it. Looking forward to reading it too
Absolutely thrilling. Great trilogy. It's full of personality. There is another series after this one that goes a!one with it. Looking forward to reading it too
August 26, 2019
Change Krug to Trump and it’s scary.
April 24, 2023
I am here for the story line and the characters only. The writing definitely needs work. The constant retelling of what happened in the previous books is starting to get on my nerves as I am on the next trilogy in the set and it still happens throughout the chapters . There are also times the author contradicts herself e.g. (keeping it basic so no spoilers) : Kress mentions in previous pages that they will be entering a building from the west while others do so at the north side… then a few pages later Kress enters the north side… i even went back to check.
These books seemed like they were written a bit too fast to get out to publish. The story itself has so much potential and is the only reason I am reading the next trilogy in the set. But at this point I only see the writing getting worse. The first book was amazing and well written but these next ones may have a great and compelling story but the writing is terrible.
Also I personally hate all the combat and gun jargon I get we are supposed to see that they learned a lot of technical combat skills in the processed and Kress has a impeccable memory but i have to skip over so much because instead of saying Brohn kicked someone at the stomach. it will read Brohn throws a flicker back to his component and he deflects with a blah blah **insert jargon here*** blow to the chest it’s very not intuitive to read and I am not stopping to google constantly what these moves are
These books seemed like they were written a bit too fast to get out to publish. The story itself has so much potential and is the only reason I am reading the next trilogy in the set. But at this point I only see the writing getting worse. The first book was amazing and well written but these next ones may have a great and compelling story but the writing is terrible.
Also I personally hate all the combat and gun jargon I get we are supposed to see that they learned a lot of technical combat skills in the processed and Kress has a impeccable memory but i have to skip over so much because instead of saying Brohn kicked someone at the stomach. it will read Brohn throws a flicker back to his component and he deflects with a blah blah **insert jargon here*** blow to the chest it’s very not intuitive to read and I am not stopping to google constantly what these moves are
January 26, 2021
Very disappointed in this book, honestly. It was all just so unbelievable and made me constantly roll my eyes. Like Render’s “prophecy” (not even getting into the fact he had one) on being “reunited with death” being about Kella. Who was never dead and never thought of as dead by any of the characters. (I’m not even going to get into that lame reveal of her being the lady in red, I’m too exhausted.) You can check my updates for more specifics like that but honestly I didn’t make note of them all it would have took too long and I just wanted to get through to the end of the book.
I ranted a bit about this in my book 2 review, but Wisp as “The Major” is still the most ridiculous thing and greatly harmed my view of this book as a whole. Every scene with her pulled me out of the book and she had a LOT of scenes in this one.
Anyway yeah. Everything just got so cheesy too. I’m not saying it wasn’t before, but this one just upped it so much. Render suddenly healing and bringing a huge group of ravens into battle and Kress had no idea — how is she even connected to Render she has no idea what he is doing most of the time. 🤦🏻♀️
Anyway I’m just gonna stop here.
The writing wasn’t bad and I enjoyed some of the characters, which is the only thing saving it from being 1 star for me.
I ranted a bit about this in my book 2 review, but Wisp as “The Major” is still the most ridiculous thing and greatly harmed my view of this book as a whole. Every scene with her pulled me out of the book and she had a LOT of scenes in this one.
Anyway yeah. Everything just got so cheesy too. I’m not saying it wasn’t before, but this one just upped it so much. Render suddenly healing and bringing a huge group of ravens into battle and Kress had no idea — how is she even connected to Render she has no idea what he is doing most of the time. 🤦🏻♀️
Anyway I’m just gonna stop here.
The writing wasn’t bad and I enjoyed some of the characters, which is the only thing saving it from being 1 star for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2024
Kress and the rest of the conspiracy are finally where they need to be to fight back against Krug. The only problem, is their army is a rag-tag group of mostly untrained civilians, spanning quite the age gap.
The third book of the Resistance Trilogy was another difficult read. Not because it wasn't entertaining, and not because the story wasn't engaging. It just seemed to drag. A lot of the same information was hashed out, then re-hashed, then re-hashed again. I can see that being helpful for someone who reads multiple books at once, or spends weeks reading the same series, but as someone who can devour a 400-page novel in a day, it really slowed me down and I almost stopped caring a few times.
That frustration aside, this book was good. I enjoyed the story, the preparing for battle - and the subsequent battle. Seeing the growth characters have made over time, specifically Manthy and Cardyn. Then there was Brohn and Kress finally getting closer...
This series has all the ingredients for an excellent dystopian story. It was just a little slower than I liked. Good book.
The third book of the Resistance Trilogy was another difficult read. Not because it wasn't entertaining, and not because the story wasn't engaging. It just seemed to drag. A lot of the same information was hashed out, then re-hashed, then re-hashed again. I can see that being helpful for someone who reads multiple books at once, or spends weeks reading the same series, but as someone who can devour a 400-page novel in a day, it really slowed me down and I almost stopped caring a few times.
That frustration aside, this book was good. I enjoyed the story, the preparing for battle - and the subsequent battle. Seeing the growth characters have made over time, specifically Manthy and Cardyn. Then there was Brohn and Kress finally getting closer...
This series has all the ingredients for an excellent dystopian story. It was just a little slower than I liked. Good book.
December 8, 2023
4.5 stars! This was a great conclusion to the Resistance Trilogy. While the reveals didn’t shock me, there was a lot of build up to reach them and guessing them was part of the fun. The characterization continues to impress me. I was expecting a bit more action, but most of the action was pushed towards the back of the book. The front end of the book was pretty slow-moving, but the ending happened all to quickly. I really enjoyed the plot in this one and while it didn’t move as quickly in certain parts as I would have hoped, by the conclusion quite a lot had happened. I really enjoyed this series and would recommend it to readers who like dystopian fiction. It reads very YA, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I liked that it was YA because it was less graphic in the romance and violence. However, if you are looking for a dark and gritty dystopian, this one may not be the one for you. It certainly had its dark moments but it was toned down to be appropriate for younger readers.
February 23, 2024
This book had much more action and unexpected twists that had my heart pounding. It was faced paced and had a clear mission. We’re introduced to the rebellion and their fight to keep San Fran free. We continue learning more about Emergents and Krug’s government. How he’s not trying to control, but cause chaos so that people are too distracted to see what’s really happening. I’m glad that Wisp is alive, but at first the fact that this 14 y/o was leading the rebellion and laying out military strategies just seemed ridiculous. Of course they chalk it up to being an Emergent ability. Something that bothered me: the Patriot Army knows Kress has a connection with Render and yet, they’re not suspicious or on the look out for a giant, black bird. It’s not as though there’s mention of any other birds flying around until the end. It isn’t until the major plot twist that Kella has been brainwashed, coerced, and conditioned into Krug’s army and uses her intel to notice and follow Render. The battle scene was well done with a lot of energy and twists. The way my heart lept for joy when Render came swarming in with an army of his own. Krug gets away, but it allows for the series to expand. “We are the Emergents, and we’re coming for you”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2020
This books took me forever because to me it dragged on - I think the second book did it for me - It really just didn't capture my attention. I was BORED. However the last 30% of the book things got a wee bit better and I read it pretty fast.
I think I am having a hard time because of their ages - 14 for Wisp - ummm right...
I know they have "powers" or abilities - whatever you want to call it but 14 and be this crazy Major with super war time capabilities I couldn't connect with that. Let alone the fact she was kind of rude at time too.
I just felt like this book was training training training - okay cool we got it.
The struggle to get through this was real people. Sorry.
The only thing I am wondering is if the companion trilogy is any better or not... I'll probably sneak a peek into book 1
I think I am having a hard time because of their ages - 14 for Wisp - ummm right...
I know they have "powers" or abilities - whatever you want to call it but 14 and be this crazy Major with super war time capabilities I couldn't connect with that. Let alone the fact she was kind of rude at time too.
I just felt like this book was training training training - okay cool we got it.
The struggle to get through this was real people. Sorry.
The only thing I am wondering is if the companion trilogy is any better or not... I'll probably sneak a peek into book 1
August 6, 2022
Slow start, but worth pushing through! It picked up into a nice fast pace about 100 pages in the book. It’s due to the fact that the author had to set up everything for the rest of the book and into the next trilogy! Once that was out of the way, everything was great. The climax had me up until 2am with my heart pounding in anticipation of every action that happened!
It only took me so long to finish purely because I do not have the next trilogy’s books, and will need to say goodbye to these characters for the next couple months until I can afford more books. I didn’t want it to end!!
My only minor complaint is the long sentences lacking commas. It made it more difficult for me to retain and understand the information that was said, but it wasn’t hard for me to mentally add the commas and take a bit more time to absorb. If anything, it made me stop and think about the book more!
It only took me so long to finish purely because I do not have the next trilogy’s books, and will need to say goodbye to these characters for the next couple months until I can afford more books. I didn’t want it to end!!
My only minor complaint is the long sentences lacking commas. It made it more difficult for me to retain and understand the information that was said, but it wasn’t hard for me to mentally add the commas and take a bit more time to absorb. If anything, it made me stop and think about the book more!
January 23, 2023
I've really enjoyed this trilogy and will definitely go on to read at least the first book in the standalone Emergents trilogy.
I will say though I found this a bit harder to get through than books 1 and 2 and although I finished it over a few days I had to force myself to get through it at times.
As much as I adore a dystopian book I found this really far fetched at times, which I know sounds strange given the context, but a 14 year old leading the rebellion, the relationship between Kress and Brohn, the defeat of literal soldiers at the end (despite the fact mostly everyone was aged 17 or younger and had a weeks training) and the fact that we never did find out why Manthy doesn't sleep really annoyed me!
Anyway, I'll start the next series and see how it goes, I did really enjoy it but had to knock off a star for the niggles.
I will say though I found this a bit harder to get through than books 1 and 2 and although I finished it over a few days I had to force myself to get through it at times.
As much as I adore a dystopian book I found this really far fetched at times, which I know sounds strange given the context, but a 14 year old leading the rebellion, the relationship between Kress and Brohn, the defeat of literal soldiers at the end (despite the fact mostly everyone was aged 17 or younger and had a weeks training) and the fact that we never did find out why Manthy doesn't sleep really annoyed me!
Anyway, I'll start the next series and see how it goes, I did really enjoy it but had to knock off a star for the niggles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2020
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
I ripped through this series this week. It started out as pretty typical dystopia but very quickly distinguished itself in a lot of little ways.
The main character was, as usual, a young girl who never considered herself a hero, but clearly was different from those around her. But, a whole group of young people end up stepping into the light with a special skill needed for their mission. Through the second book this group continues to solidify and reach into their new abilities. The evil of the world they’re living in becomes clarified.
But the third book was an exercise in desperation in many ways. Threads seem to either unravel or be snipped. Leap after leap is made and the world that they have cultivated starts to fall apart. And not just in the way it’s meant to.
All in all, the third book brings down the first two. And there are three more I will probably not invest in.
I ripped through this series this week. It started out as pretty typical dystopia but very quickly distinguished itself in a lot of little ways.
The main character was, as usual, a young girl who never considered herself a hero, but clearly was different from those around her. But, a whole group of young people end up stepping into the light with a special skill needed for their mission. Through the second book this group continues to solidify and reach into their new abilities. The evil of the world they’re living in becomes clarified.
But the third book was an exercise in desperation in many ways. Threads seem to either unravel or be snipped. Leap after leap is made and the world that they have cultivated starts to fall apart. And not just in the way it’s meant to.
All in all, the third book brings down the first two. And there are three more I will probably not invest in.
September 29, 2020
The third book in the Resistance trilogy.
The Conspiracy are training a group of Insubordinates in order to prepare them for the battle against General Ekker. The only problem is that they only have 5 days to turn the inexperienced teenagers into combat-ready soldiers. Will they defeat their enemy and liberate the people of San Francisco?
I've fairly enjoyed the two previous books, but unfortunately, this one turned out to be uneventful, and it dragged mercilessly to the point that I skim-read most of it. The story only gripped me towards the end, and even then, I found the battle really implausible. Nonetheless, I'm curious to see what fate has in store for Kress and her friends, so I will be reaching for the follow-up series.
The Conspiracy are training a group of Insubordinates in order to prepare them for the battle against General Ekker. The only problem is that they only have 5 days to turn the inexperienced teenagers into combat-ready soldiers. Will they defeat their enemy and liberate the people of San Francisco?
I've fairly enjoyed the two previous books, but unfortunately, this one turned out to be uneventful, and it dragged mercilessly to the point that I skim-read most of it. The story only gripped me towards the end, and even then, I found the battle really implausible. Nonetheless, I'm curious to see what fate has in store for Kress and her friends, so I will be reaching for the follow-up series.
November 2, 2022
Omg Kress is so infuriating! She's either self deprecated or the new savior of the world. And her romance with Brohn makes no sense they had no chemistry and just randomly got together in the second book for no reason. I hate her internal monologues.
The plot is great tho, it has so much potential and I want to continue reading the series but I just don't like kress as a narrator or the writing style. Nothing is especially wrong with it (I would have loved it in middle school or high school) but I just can't stay into it rn. I had to download the audiobook to get through the last 50% bc I've been stuck on this book for the last 2 months. Maybe I'm getting too old for dystopia and fantasy novels ?
The plot is great tho, it has so much potential and I want to continue reading the series but I just don't like kress as a narrator or the writing style. Nothing is especially wrong with it (I would have loved it in middle school or high school) but I just can't stay into it rn. I had to download the audiobook to get through the last 50% bc I've been stuck on this book for the last 2 months. Maybe I'm getting too old for dystopia and fantasy novels ?
March 21, 2023
genre: dystopian, action
This book is the last one in the resistance trilogy and this book specifically was about the team actually getting to town and recruiting help and then going to war against the patriot army to protect the city. This book also helps give us insight into what has been happening and why everything is the way it is like what's happening to Brohn, Kress, and Manthy. This book also wraps up the first 3 books nicely by telling us what's helping next and how the president's power is falling.
I personally liked this book. I enjoyed learning more about what exactly was happening and learning about Brohn's power. I also really liked the fact that they brought someone back and tied everything together like the kid's powers and the government.
This book is the last one in the resistance trilogy and this book specifically was about the team actually getting to town and recruiting help and then going to war against the patriot army to protect the city. This book also helps give us insight into what has been happening and why everything is the way it is like what's happening to Brohn, Kress, and Manthy. This book also wraps up the first 3 books nicely by telling us what's helping next and how the president's power is falling.
I personally liked this book. I enjoyed learning more about what exactly was happening and learning about Brohn's power. I also really liked the fact that they brought someone back and tied everything together like the kid's powers and the government.
February 8, 2025
1.5 stars rounded up
My instinct was to DNF from the beginning, but I wanted to know what happened to the characters. However, this story develops very little of the characters and is mostly dedicated to Wisp/the Major - and that’s super unfortunate, because I can’t stand her. Unbelievable and pretty unlikeable, she dominates this story. And this story is slow - tons of excruciating detail, page after page without any dialogue, and very little character interaction or development. Lots of details on guns and weapons, injuries, and fighting techniques. Very little on what makes this story worth it - the people. So I am officially done. I don’t regret book one on this series, but in hindsight I would stop there.
My instinct was to DNF from the beginning, but I wanted to know what happened to the characters. However, this story develops very little of the characters and is mostly dedicated to Wisp/the Major - and that’s super unfortunate, because I can’t stand her. Unbelievable and pretty unlikeable, she dominates this story. And this story is slow - tons of excruciating detail, page after page without any dialogue, and very little character interaction or development. Lots of details on guns and weapons, injuries, and fighting techniques. Very little on what makes this story worth it - the people. So I am officially done. I don’t regret book one on this series, but in hindsight I would stop there.
June 16, 2025
First time reader, Forever a fan!
I love dystopian reads! K.A. Riley does not disappoint! Her words paint vivid images of a familiar world going thru just real enough challenges that makes one wonder (and fear) the "what if-" questions, and adds in characters we can't help but to fall for and must cheer on! No matter what YOUR age is, give this group of tough teens a chance to claim your heart and become a forever fan like me! The first book in the series caught my attention and I had to read the next. After the second book I was invested to find out more. After this third book, I'm totally hooked! Can't wait to see what comes next for this courageous group! Thanks, K.A.Riley!
I love dystopian reads! K.A. Riley does not disappoint! Her words paint vivid images of a familiar world going thru just real enough challenges that makes one wonder (and fear) the "what if-" questions, and adds in characters we can't help but to fall for and must cheer on! No matter what YOUR age is, give this group of tough teens a chance to claim your heart and become a forever fan like me! The first book in the series caught my attention and I had to read the next. After the second book I was invested to find out more. After this third book, I'm totally hooked! Can't wait to see what comes next for this courageous group! Thanks, K.A.Riley!
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