The Girl Who Dared to Fight

The Girl Who Dared #7

by Bella Forrest

The ELECTRIFYING GRAND FINALE of The Girl Who Dared series! Reunite with Liana one last time... Are you ready to return to the Tower? Order now! *Beware of spoilers in the reviews below that are without spoiler alerts*

Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Audiobook

406 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2018

About the author

UPDATE MARCH 11, 2024:

BELLA IS BACK!

*** New, updated online store at https://BellaForrest.com

*** New books coming soon

*** Possible Film/TV series coming soon

*** Stay up to date by joining our e-mail list at https://BellaForrest.com/join

###

Bella Forrest is a lover of fantasy, romance, action, and mystery infused stories with twists you don’t see coming. She has sold over fifteen million books since her first novel was published in 2012.

Check out her website for a full list of her books: https://BellaForrest.com

Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BellaForrest...

Here's a list of some of Bella's books:

DARKLIGHT

Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
Darkblood (Book 4)
Darktide (Book 5)
Darkbirth (Book 6)
Darkfall (Book 7)
Darkwilds (Book 8)
Darkhunt (Book 9)

A LOVE THAT ENDURES (Trilogy)
A Love that Endures 1
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3

HARLEY MERLIN AND THE SECRET COVEN

Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)
Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)
Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)
Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)
Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth (Book 10)
Finch Merlin and the Lost Map (Book 11)
Finch Merlin and the Djinn's Curse (Book 12)
Finch Merlin and the Locked Gateway (Book 13)
Finch Merlin and the Forgotten Kingdom (Book 14)
Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow (Book 15)
Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie (Book 16)
Finch Merlin and the Legend of the Luminary
Persie Merlin and Leviathan's Gift (Book 18)
Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere (Book 19)
Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters (Book 20)
Persie Merlin and the Dying Song (Book 21)

THE CHILD THIEF

The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
Zero Hour (Book 6)

HOTBLOODS

Hotbloods (Book 1)
Hotbloods (Book 2): Coldbloods
Hotbloods (Book 3): Renegades
Hotbloods (Book 4): Venturers
Hotbloods (Book 5): Traitors
Hotbloods (Book 6): Allies
Hotbloods (Book 7): Invaders
Hotbloods (Book 8): Stargazers

THE GENDER GAME

The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)

THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK

The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)

A SHADE OF VAMPIRE

Season 1: Derek & Sofia’s story

Books 1 to 7

Season 2: Rose & Caleb’s story

Books 8 to 16

Season 3: The Shade continues with a new hero...

Books 17 to 24

Season 4: A Clan of Novaks

Books 25 to 32

Season 5: A Dawn of Guardians

Books 33 to 41

Season 6: A Gift of Three

Books 42 to 50

Season 7: A Call of Vampires

Books 51 to 59

Season 8: A Voyage of Founders

Books 60 to 68

Season 9: A Birth of Fire

Books 69 to 77

Season 10: An Origin of Vampires
An Origin of Vampires (Book 78)
A Game of Death (Book 79)
A Veil of Dark (Book 80)
A Bringer of Night (Book 81)
A Circle of Nine (Book 82)
A Bender of Spirit (Book 83)
A Memory of Time (Book 84)
A Shard of Soul (Book 85)
A Break of Seals (Book 86)

Season 11: A Shade of Mystery
A Shade of Mystery (Book 87)
An Isle of Mirrors (Book 88)
A Sanctuary of Foes (Book 89)
A Ruler of Clones (Book 90)
A Gate of Light (Book 91)
A Dawn of Worlds (Book 92) ➜ Coming soon!

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was honestly very dissatisfied with the conclusion of the series.

As usual, there was so much description and ‘fluff’ and this time I was too impatient to wade through it all...so I skipped pages and pages of description to get through to the main points of action.

I also felt that the way the book ended up, many of the things that occurred ended up being for nothing. I can see where Ms. Forrest was going - she was trying to surprise us and have a few twists, but they fell flat and far short.

I’m also extraordinarily disappointed with how she worked out the Leo/Grey relationship. On the one hand, I can see why she didn’t want a love triangle, but on the other...it felt like a poor solution. I also think there just wasn’t enough resolution there, though she tried in the epilogue.

At the end of the day, I maintain the stance I’ve had probably since book 4... The storyline could have been significantly streamlined and pared down into far less books with far less fluff. But, at the same time, I can’t say ‘don’t read it’ because it has some entertainment value. So, instead, I just warn that once you start the series, you’ll probably get sucked in and just be warned that you may be as frustrated as I have been reading them. And then you, too, may feel a sense of disappointment once you finish the series.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa!

Story was putting right along and BAM! Bella got me! I was so pissed I almost didn't finish... so glad I did! I'm ready for the next chapter Bella, if you'll consider it. The Girl Who Dared to Explore!

[Marcy Evick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t decided if this book was pure genius or just incredibly cruel. At times I was jaw droppingly enchanted. At others, I was bored at the repetitiveness. Overall this has been an amazing ride and Bella Forrest has become one of my favorite authors.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

my rating is more a 3.5 than a 4....i have such a love hate relationship with the whole series.....hated the love triangle so glad with the way that ended up....loved the twist with the simulation at the end....my biggest issue was the relationship with liana and grey started off so strong and the attraction was so evident (even before leo) it just kind of fell flat at the end... i do hope there is another branch off of this of possibly the events taking place after the tower/patrus alliance

[Asha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler alert: Kudos to Bella on the ultimate fake out! She had me absolutely pissed killing everyone & turning Liana into an AI. In my head I was I already pre-writing my 1 star review, haha... Absolute relief with the true ending. Everyone has their happily ever after.

[Mindy Shelstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love

Oh wow this book made me ugly cry!! I loved it so much amazing story love love love love can't wait for more from bella

[Tasha Reeves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! So amazing! I never expect anything less from Bella Forrest. You will NEVER be disappointed with one of her books. There is just so much excitement and suspense and love. Her books bounce all over the board, and turn out AMAZING! You would think with there always being new characters and plots that it would get to be too much for you, but in reality you cant get enough! It leaves you with wanting more!!! If you havent read this series yet i would definitely give it a go or better yet ANY of her series!!!

[nat _lovestoread · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!! 😱

What a great finale for this series!!!... I really suffered from the start... By chapter 45, my heart was broken and I was crying 💔😭... But then, the final chapter and the epilogue, oh God, just the finale I was expecting 😃❤️... I almost hate you Bella 😤... Hahaha... But then you gave me what I wanted, a happy ending... Loved it!!! 😍

[Tiffany C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous end. I felt every emotion. Absolutely loved this series and will carry it in my heart for quite some time.

From the moment I ended the book before this one, I knew I was in for it. This author hasn’t had hesitations about killing main characters before. She ended two of them in the first book that I thought were going to hold major roles in the series. I was preparing for heartbreak the second I skipped the first paragraph in chapter one (because all the books start the same I need to get to the action lol).

I lived in a constant state of anxiety while reading this. I get so attached to the characters I’m reading about and this series was no exception. If anything, it may have been one of the stronger instances of that natural attachment that occurs when you spend so much time reading a story about certain characters.

The unique thing about this series was that it was soooo different. New ideas, new storylines. A new take on a seriously complicated but somehow very sexy love triangle. Like - we all know how we left things coming in to this final book and I was ALL for it. So I guess I wasn’t surprised to see that jeopardized in the final book. I suspected as much.

I’m sad about how it ended and happy about how it ended. It’s always hard parting ways with characters after so much time, but this was a good way to do it. Thank you, Bella Forest.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Girl who dared to finish this series!
that's me! - Two stars are for the series overall

every awful YA dystopian trope rolled up into one long Mary Sue whine fest. YET I persevered and finished this series which could have been at least two books shorter. At first, I liked the AI aspect then I read Scyth and I was like, "oh this can be done so much better" I kept putting it down but was like "NO" I'm the girl who dared to start this series and I'll Damn well be The girl who dared to finish it.
and I did, and I am so glad. I have not read the Gender Games so maybe I would have liked it better if I had?
I found this a ponderous and painful read.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second half was forced and contrived

Really disliked the way the author chose to end this series, it felt disingenuous to the rest of the storyline. Then she starts to present new challenges in the prologue but doesn’t explore them fully.

It was just disappointing because he back half of the book felt very forced.

[Cassandrah Woyak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great finale! For me personally it took a while to get through because it is one big action packed sequence. However, the writing was brilliant and I loved the ending. We see all of Liana's hard work trying to save the tower come to a close. If you haven't yet, you should definitely read 'The Gender Game' series because it happens in the same world!

[Tal Chi · Rating 2 out of 5]

CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS

Well..this wasn't AS bad as The Gender Game. It went downhill, but not as quickly as Gender Game did around book 3 or 4. This one went downhill around book 6. There was, again, WAY too much dialogue. There was like one whole page of Liana describing how she couldn't open her eyes after a blow to the head and then the process of her slowly trying to get her eyes open and failing but then succeeding slightly until they were fully open. Like really? I don't care. I don't need that much detail about the process of opening your eyes. I blink hundreds of times a day, I know what it's like, I'm good. And then near the end of the book there was like...a question from Liana directed at someone followed by literally 2.5 pages of Liana talking to herself and then their response to her...I was confused the couple times that happened, so much so that I had to go back a few pages and see what the heck she had even said to or asked these characters.

A really cool premise, but the author seemed to be unaware of how to deal with them and execute them properly. Book 7 just dragged on for so long. The first 250 pages is them just trying to get back to her quarters to help her friends fight. It should NOT take 250 pages to get from one part of the Tower to another. Like I know there was a lot of fighting going on but come on..it was just endless fighting and then creeping along and then OH MORE FIGHTS and okay we're sneaking around more JK MORE FIGHTS. Like...I really liked the idea of this series. I was super hooked on this series from book 1 and I was excited when it didn't go downhill right away like Gender Game did but I feel like near the end of this book it just fell off the deep end. They had like some weird ass cyberspace battle where they were trying to destroy eachother's code, Wreck It Ralph style, but turned out that it was all a simulation? I couldn't tell you, it got to a point where I was just skimming through the pages because of all the inner dialogue wanting it to just be over already.

And there was also a bunch of stuff that just kinda...never got resolved or that the author forgot about entirely. Liana met up with her dad near the end and blamed him for shit...he tried to apologize and w/e but she was mad. Never explained how he got caught up with Zale in the first place on his Tourney team. He was just...there, fighting alongside them...then Liana thought he died. And..that was it. Once she found out he was alive there was no going back trying to resolve anything or have one last convo with him. It was just...done, lol. And also, I think the author forgot to address Dinah? Like...?????????? The whole series we're wondering "ohh who is this mysterious character in IT who for some reason has so much influence and whose info is hidden behind all kinds of security walls and w/e" but then...we never find out anything about her at the end. Just that she has a weak leg or foot or whatever that makes it hard for her to run and that she has a fear of heights? Like??? Okay??? Whatever. Another thing I noticed in book 7 in particular was the the reader forgot to make the characters...react...to certain things Liana said? Like Liana would be talking about how they have to find Sage or how Sage is really Pine and they just wouldn't acknowledge it or react to it being like "WHAT?" They just kept talking as if they already knew when they definitely didn't. This didn't happen all the time..like when she talked to Zoe about it Zoe freaked out but when she told Quess and Maddox there was no reaction. It was odd, to say that least. I'm glad it's over. It was slightly enjoyable, and like I said it was good until it fell off the deep end.

Again, like in Gender Game, the characters were all pretty dull and uninteresting. Grey was my favourite but then he got fucked up in book 2 or w/e and wasn't around for like...4 books? Very upsetting, would have liked to see more of him. Liana literally having the hots for an AI was one of the weirdest things I've ever read and I'm surprised she didn't try to write a sex scene between Liana and Leo after they had fought in the simulation. My favourite line was when she found Sage attacking Grey with Leo in him and she wasn't sure if it was Grey or Leo who was conscious at the time, and then he coughed and she's like "oh it's Grey because what on earth would an AI need to cough for?" Like...lmao, what? I'm pretty sure that when Leo is in control of Grey's body he functions like a human. Air particles get caught in Grey's throat? Pretty sure Leo would cough. Leo would even eat and drink food and presumably go to the bathroom? Unless Bella Forrest thinks the AI wouldn't need to or something. Really weird. It was the oddest way for the author to justify Liana's thinking it was Grey over Leo.

Oh and one more thing that was weird about the series!! Thomas and Melissa brought Owen's comic from Patrus to show Liana and her friends and like somehow it had all the details about the Tower, like...first of all Owen wasn't there, and tell me Violet is gunna be able to remember every character's name and how they look and all well enough for Owen to draw them properly? Violet met the Tower folks and then went off for a few more final battle type fights where she wasn't sure she's make it out alive, but sure, remembering their names or faces was defs a top priority for Violet. Even Eric says the character in the book looks a lot like his dad or whoever but I'm pretty sure Owen didn't meet anyone at the Tower and I doubt Violet would be able to describe those people so precisely that Eric could recognize his dad lol. It was very odd.

Overall, it was meh. Not terrible (until the end) but not necessarily worth the read either if you don't want to get invested in a super long series that honestly isn't particularly rewarding. You want a good dystopian novel, read Divergent (funnily enough I discovered this series and the Gender Game from a FB ad saying they were exciting dystopian novels similar to Divergent - what a load of horseshit). Divergent is a dystopian marvel and nothing else can compare. Spare yourself the headache this series will leave you with.

[Shanna Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly did not expect to like this series as much as I did. I mean, it's just another dystopian society with a girl who saves it all, right? Nope. Well, it is that, but it's much more. This is a very character driven series, and the science behind the world is very well thought out. It is very fast paced, from the get-go, but there is enough down time between things happening that it is not overwhelming. But it is the characters that truly carry this story. I was in tears by the end of the story, for all the people I had both lost and gained. And the end....it is the right ending. It is. Logically, I know this is the ending that had to happen. It is a good ending. But. An ending can be good, right even, but not satisfactory. And this is not a bad reflection on the author by any means! On the contrary, she did her job so well, I felt so connected to these characters, that I was left feeling what Liana feels--she knows she did the right things. And yet.... So, wonderful job! I highly look forward to reading more from Bella Forrest.

[Dawn Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Egads, I can’t believe I made it through this cheesy series. If it hadn’t been free through Amazon Kindle I doubt I ever would have read anything by this author. Why did I try it? Well, I like SciFi and wanted to try a new female author I hadn’t heard of.

I wish I’d kept track of how many times a character “growled” or licked their lips. Sooo repetitive it was annoying. The writing is sophomoric at best, aimed at a YA audience (as the awful romance scenes aptly demonstrate). The actual storyline and future post-apocalyptic world was somewhat intriguing and that alone kept me interested in continuing the story. Many plot lines were never resolved or dead-ended.

The best parts of the story are where the author explores difficult family relationships and how those affect the protagonist. That’s where the author really shines, and if she chose to explore that theme further in another setting, with better (adult) writing, I can see her writing something truly worthwhile in the future. Time will tell. As it is I’m glad I didn’t actually purchase these books.

[Steph Amador Tribbett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! ***(some spoilers)

Where do I start? This final book in The Girl Who Dared to Think series was a roller coaster. I mean there were points where the story got so intense that I actually felt true anger and anxiety for the characters. I don’t want to reveal too much about the book but the leader of the legacies is by far one of the most infuriating and terrifying bad guys I’ve ever read about. The amount of trauma and chaos that happens in this book is insane. The way the story started to go I thought for sure that the author was going to go for a tragic ending. There were some tear jerking moments that felt crushing, but the way the author wraps it up is a happy ending with just enough bittersweetness to not overdo it. I want to know what happens after the epilogue. It’s definitely left open enough to add another series to this Matrus/Patrus/Tower world.

[Bette Dick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confusing ending

I was confused with the way this series ended particularly with the simulation part of the story - cleverly done I am sure but it was difficult to understand. It was as if the author wanted the reader to be surprised but IMO it just didn’t work.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a freaking roller coaster finale! I was so upset, then angry with the direction Bella took things to the point of wanting to quit. But so glad I stuck it out and finished the book. I wish there was more!

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel starts off slow............Very Slow. But it finishes like a lightning bold! I hated to see it come to an end and thusly I am hunting for my next Bella Novel....

[Barbara Waloven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing ending to a fantastic fantasy ride. Fast page turning action in many spots. It was great “seeing” these characters fulfilling their destinies in their world.

[Ashlyn Feldmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an incredible series with amazing plot twists all the way up until end! I love the creative and unpredictable storyline Bella Forrest presents!

[Jalyn Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book emotionally destroyed me. I shelved this series for almost a year after grey became brain dead because I felt it was dragging on too long, but I’m so glad I picked it back up a few weeks ago. The middle 3 books were a bit of a hit and miss as some of them just felt drug out and unnecessary, but this last one was a 10/10. It was so fast paced and action packed. It felt like an emotional roller coaster, and while I never shipped Liana and Leo, I was still tearing up at the ending but I’m still glad she got her happy ending with Grey. All in all if you want a good cry and some action packed books, you should totally try these out!

[Dakota ♥️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who would’ve thought I’d cry over AI

[John Gilbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

On and on and on, Bella Forrest needs an editor. Great premise and start, should have finished up at least three books ago, but I stayed to the bitter end to find out what would happen. Unfortunately read the Gender series at the same time. I hope to never get sucked into another Bella Forrest quagmire.

[Amirasis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm writing this review before reading any other reviews for this book.
I was not sure to give it 2.5 or 3 stars .
I like that the writer has a lot of good and new ideas but I felt - espcially at the last part - that she is trying to put all her ideas in one place so we ended up going into circles and I felt bored . I spent longer to finish this part than the other parts .





**SPOILERS AHEAD **
-------------------



Sage/Ezekial Pine spent 300 years trying to destroy Sipio because he was not happy with Lionel's plan for the tower and that they would be spending their whole lives in there not knowing there is a world outside the tower . But what I didn't understand and it was mentioned in the story but not explanined - at least to me - , why he removed the legacy nets which could have helped the ppl remember their history and would want to explore out side the tower , why he modified the ranking system and started killing the citizens instead of removing it completely so ppl can live their lives .
why he didn't give them a view of the out side world when the patrians came years ago and he killed every one witnessing that
If he wanted to stop sipio's control and Lionel's plan for the citizens to spend their lives there why he didn't spend his efforts convincing the citizens that Sipio was not the God and made them question everything and so they can came with ideas to escape the tower long time ago instead of punishing them .

The plot was not convincing to me .

* The writer gave us a brief background of Dylan , but she didn't gave a reason why she accepted Sipio's story so easily without questioning . when she mentioned that she is living with he - I think - aunt , I thought she would mention a story behind this or they were legacies or that Sylan was questioning Sipio from the begining .

** At the end she didn't mention what happened to Liana and her Father .

[Slón · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent finale

I was exhausted reading this series and this book in particular. There was just so much going on! It was well constructed and laid out, with only a few lose ends (IMO). This book got me emotionally for many different reasons (I won’t spoil it), and at one point I actually hated it (you’ll know why when you read it), but the resolution was incredibly satisfying. I’m sad to leave the Tower, but good with how it all ended.


I actually prefer this series to The Gender Game, which is in the same “world,” but set 25 years earlier. I liked the Gender Game, but really preferred the characters in this series more. They were more realistic (if such a thing is possible in the dystopian future genre), and much more fleshed out, personality wise.


Slight spoiler ahead! Turn back if you don’t want to be spoiled!


I really thought there would be a clue or something in the great-great-however many generations back-grandmother’s diary, as it was mentioned, more than once IIRC, along with their family code word “capise,” but apparently not. I felt like that was a bid of an offhand red herring, and it annoyed me. Maybe it was just a way to indicate that their family had been Italian, and diversity among the original residents, but it felt like a possible story that got lost along the way, and the mentions of it weren’t removed.

I would really love a pre-End, or JUST post-End book (maybe in a diary format!), to know what happened, and when. Both series give indications, but I’d love to read it through the voice of a character as it happened. Maybe BF will make a pre/Just post-End series.

[Cath Swart · Rating 3 out of 5]

A disappointing end to a very long winded story that could easily have been condensed into fewer books. I felt I spent so much time wading through descriptions and “noise” that added no real value.
The love story fell flat - for me it varied from a little creepy to downright boring.
Consistency in the story telling had a few holes with phrases we take for granted being used that would make no sense in a world that doesn’t have knowledge of these things.
But what really killed my enthusiasm was the “Bobby Ewing” it was all a dream / simulation scenario. Really expected something more original from the author.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tired of Liana

I read all of this series of books and had to assign only 2 stars to all of them. Many will ask, "Why keep reading them?" I was intrigued by the story and wanted to know what happened. But, I became very bored by the main character and her point of view and her constant thinking thinking thinking with no relief . At one point, I decided that it was a writer's trick, a sneaky way of "telling not showing". And does the author think her audience is too stupid to "get it" without the constant explanations of the main character's immature blatherings? A good story worthy of a rewrite. But by whom?

[Faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Needlessly long.

I feel like someone put a gun to the author's head and demanded this series be seven books long. Therefore, Books 5, 6, and 7 got progressively wordy, gaining more and more narrative, and less action, until this final book was actually painful to finish. I'm so disappointed.

I feel like Bella Forrest shoved this story into someone else's format, and in doing so, she lost her integrity and my trust in her to tell a great story.

I don't know if I'll join her on the next journey in this dystopian world.

[Sherry LaJaunie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Authors! Please do not drag a series out into 7 books! I lost interest many times along this journey. This book was one long battle and then you learn most of it was just a simulation to help select a new AI to pair with Leo. The whole battle with the AI's in the computer was a bit much as well. Overall a good book.