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Lens #5
The Guardian
2099
Riley Taylor has defeated the terrorist group, the Champions, and is now faced with a different sort of enemy: the State. Trouble is, there isn’t one single person to blame for the way life in America is now, and instead of confronting a foe, she must root out the evil in the system piece by piece, law by insidious law.
To do this, Riley will need the help of the Volunteers. But rebuilding her crew from scratch will not be an easy task, and taking on the government will require a team of specialized allies.
Will she be able to help free her followers from oppression? Or will the risk to her life be too great for her to survive the attempt?
Riley Taylor has defeated the terrorist group, the Champions, and is now faced with a different sort of enemy: the State. Trouble is, there isn’t one single person to blame for the way life in America is now, and instead of confronting a foe, she must root out the evil in the system piece by piece, law by insidious law.
To do this, Riley will need the help of the Volunteers. But rebuilding her crew from scratch will not be an easy task, and taking on the government will require a team of specialized allies.
Will she be able to help free her followers from oppression? Or will the risk to her life be too great for her to survive the attempt?
508 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 16, 2020
89 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
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J.B. Cantwell
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 3, 2021
A complete story
The series was enough to keep me reading, the character development...irritating. It is difficult to invest yourself in a story that is motivated by random decisions. Characters not even having a rational for making them, but just, "suddenly I wanted to..." the over simplification of thought processes left even the adults sounding like 12 year olds. The last book wrapped up quickly, but at least it wrapped up.
The series was enough to keep me reading, the character development...irritating. It is difficult to invest yourself in a story that is motivated by random decisions. Characters not even having a rational for making them, but just, "suddenly I wanted to..." the over simplification of thought processes left even the adults sounding like 12 year olds. The last book wrapped up quickly, but at least it wrapped up.
January 16, 2021
An Acceptable end to the Lens series
This book brought the series to an acceptable happy ending with the world changed, the heroine and love interest together, etc. Par for the course for an excellent dystopian series. This series is truly excellent.
As for critiques, I did feel the first books in the series were stronger, plot-wise. The villain in this last book was predictable and took up too much space, conversely I would have loved to have seen a more detailed epilogue and ending. After 5 books and so much pining and emotion I would have loved to have seen more of our lovebirds’ future. Did they get married? Have kids? More details were needed on the romance side.
And societal issues, it was vague. What about the Service? Did they stop mutilating men into Primes? Help them remember? Revise policies on injured soldiers? These were the issues that broke the reader’s heart in the first book. I’d LOVE a sequel to clarify this.
Overall, kudos to the author. This series was a GREAT read, on par with the well-known series like Legend, etc. Well done!! It was also free of most of the graphic violence that I find makes many series unsuitable for younger readers.
This book brought the series to an acceptable happy ending with the world changed, the heroine and love interest together, etc. Par for the course for an excellent dystopian series. This series is truly excellent.
As for critiques, I did feel the first books in the series were stronger, plot-wise. The villain in this last book was predictable and took up too much space, conversely I would have loved to have seen a more detailed epilogue and ending. After 5 books and so much pining and emotion I would have loved to have seen more of our lovebirds’ future. Did they get married? Have kids? More details were needed on the romance side.
And societal issues, it was vague. What about the Service? Did they stop mutilating men into Primes? Help them remember? Revise policies on injured soldiers? These were the issues that broke the reader’s heart in the first book. I’d LOVE a sequel to clarify this.
Overall, kudos to the author. This series was a GREAT read, on par with the well-known series like Legend, etc. Well done!! It was also free of most of the graphic violence that I find makes many series unsuitable for younger readers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2021
I finished this dystopian story. I listened to it through Audible.
I was not surprised by who the traitor was. Only that Riley had trusted the wrong people and was so naive to do so.
It was well narrated and I was into the story enough to see it through to the end. But though she had an almost unhealthy attachment to Alex, the man/boy/Prime she loved, not once was it mentioned that they did anything romantically but kiss. One of the many reasons I have been turning against the Young Adult genre.
This young woman Riley who has been thrust into a leadership role, still fell apart after her mother died, spending almost a year in a psych ward. Before that I had not seen one single hint that she was mentally unstable. Then she recovers and seems to be able to assume a new leadership role, sounding very strong when needed, while not being able to spend any time alon without Alex by her side constantly.
As I said, this seems to me an unhealthy attachment in the least.
The ending was drawn up nice and tight with a bow.
Spoilers here: It was never mentioned that they spent a romantic night together. It was never mentioned that they married or had any children together.
So I am glad it is over. I am sure the fans of young adult literature will love it.
I was not surprised by who the traitor was. Only that Riley had trusted the wrong people and was so naive to do so.
It was well narrated and I was into the story enough to see it through to the end. But though she had an almost unhealthy attachment to Alex, the man/boy/Prime she loved, not once was it mentioned that they did anything romantically but kiss. One of the many reasons I have been turning against the Young Adult genre.
This young woman Riley who has been thrust into a leadership role, still fell apart after her mother died, spending almost a year in a psych ward. Before that I had not seen one single hint that she was mentally unstable. Then she recovers and seems to be able to assume a new leadership role, sounding very strong when needed, while not being able to spend any time alon without Alex by her side constantly.
As I said, this seems to me an unhealthy attachment in the least.
The ending was drawn up nice and tight with a bow.
Spoilers here: It was never mentioned that they spent a romantic night together. It was never mentioned that they married or had any children together.
So I am glad it is over. I am sure the fans of young adult literature will love it.
July 27, 2024
This series was good for the first three books, and then it just got weird. Where to even start? The love interest, Alex, was so vanilla and personality-less that it was disappointing. At first he seemed sweet and supportive, but then he became so boring that I kept hoping for someone more interesting to come along. At the end I was rooting for Albert. 😂
Riley was surrounded by people who thought she was God’s gift to the revolution and I have no idea why. She kind of wandered from one bad decision to the next, doing things that made no sense just because. She and Alex had more than one chance to get away and fade into a nice happy life together, but they kept going back because—well, I have no idea why. Because HOME! and WE CAN FIX IT ALL I JUST KNOW IT.
The Volunteers she met in the early books in the forest seemed to be important, and she promised she would go back to them, but then she never did and we never hear about them again. At other times she knew various people were in danger and needed help, like her mother or Kiyah, but then she never lifted a finger to help them and seemed surprised when they turned up dead. The number of people that were willing to sacrifice their lives for Riley was comical. Just about anyone who allied themselves with her you could put money on the fact that they’d wind up dead pretty soon but she’d be just fine. I kept waiting for her to catch on and maybe start protecting the people around her a little bit more, since everyone around her kept ending up dead. But no.
The body count in this book was HUGE. It didn’t make sense how everyone and their dog died but somehow Riley and Alex escaped death every time. This was explained away by the fact that Riley was Really Important and Alex was so huge that he was unkillable or something. Although it seems to me that with such a huge body he would just be an easier target to hit with a gun.
Important conversations I wanted to happen didn’t, with important plot stuff never being explained. Like at the end of book 4 Alex finds out Audrey is really Riley and is so mentally overcome that he tries to kill himself. Do we get to see him adjust to the idea of Riley’s true identity and come down off his suicide attempt? Do we get to see his transition from brainwashed whacko to sane Alex? Nope. The next time we see him he’s magically no longer suicidal and mad in love with Riley and not confused at all. AND THEY NEVER HAVE ANOTHER CONVERSATION ABOUT IT.
Or how about whatever happened when Alex finally went up to his old apartment I assume to talk to his mother and maybe confront the demons of his past? We never find out what happened there. All we see is Alex go crawl off by himself and maybe try to kill himself by drowning…not really sure what happened there.
And don’t even get me started on book 4, which can be summed up in the following sentence: Riley goes nuts. Does her fragile mental state cause anyone to question whether she should really be leading a revolution? Nope. Let’s put her in charge, because why should anyone be nervous to have a leader whose mental stability hinges entirely on her continued access to pharmaceuticals?
There were contradictions too that didn’t make sense, like how Riley was described as pretty in the early books, with guys flirting with her as a regular thing. But then later when her appearance is changed to Audrey (another weird thing, let’s be honest) she’s drop-dead gorgeous and her earlier appearance is referred to as plain.
And then, of course, there’s the conclusion where Riley turns politician. Yeah, that was a huge no for me. I couldn’t suspend my disbelief long enough to buy that anyone would think it was a good idea to put a 20 year old whose life experience consisted of abuse, war, and mental breakdown in charge of anything. But okay.
Now that I’ve gone on about stuff I didn’t like, to be fair let me tell you what I did like. On the plus side there was very little swearing, which I count as a positive. Also no sex or anything bordering on spicy. I count that as a positive too. There was murder and death aplenty, but I suppose the depictions could have been more graphic than they were—which I’m grateful they weren’t. So let’s call that a positive too.
And at least until book 4 I was really into these books. J.B. Cantwell pulled me in and hooked me good. I kept reading after that because I was hoping the plot would get better. And while it didn’t, at least I had the memory of those early books to keep me going. All in all I would definitely read more of J.B. Cantwell’s work with the hope that the trainwreck ending of this series was an anomaly.
Riley was surrounded by people who thought she was God’s gift to the revolution and I have no idea why. She kind of wandered from one bad decision to the next, doing things that made no sense just because. She and Alex had more than one chance to get away and fade into a nice happy life together, but they kept going back because—well, I have no idea why. Because HOME! and WE CAN FIX IT ALL I JUST KNOW IT.
The Volunteers she met in the early books in the forest seemed to be important, and she promised she would go back to them, but then she never did and we never hear about them again. At other times she knew various people were in danger and needed help, like her mother or Kiyah, but then she never lifted a finger to help them and seemed surprised when they turned up dead. The number of people that were willing to sacrifice their lives for Riley was comical. Just about anyone who allied themselves with her you could put money on the fact that they’d wind up dead pretty soon but she’d be just fine. I kept waiting for her to catch on and maybe start protecting the people around her a little bit more, since everyone around her kept ending up dead. But no.
The body count in this book was HUGE. It didn’t make sense how everyone and their dog died but somehow Riley and Alex escaped death every time. This was explained away by the fact that Riley was Really Important and Alex was so huge that he was unkillable or something. Although it seems to me that with such a huge body he would just be an easier target to hit with a gun.
Important conversations I wanted to happen didn’t, with important plot stuff never being explained. Like at the end of book 4 Alex finds out Audrey is really Riley and is so mentally overcome that he tries to kill himself. Do we get to see him adjust to the idea of Riley’s true identity and come down off his suicide attempt? Do we get to see his transition from brainwashed whacko to sane Alex? Nope. The next time we see him he’s magically no longer suicidal and mad in love with Riley and not confused at all. AND THEY NEVER HAVE ANOTHER CONVERSATION ABOUT IT.
Or how about whatever happened when Alex finally went up to his old apartment I assume to talk to his mother and maybe confront the demons of his past? We never find out what happened there. All we see is Alex go crawl off by himself and maybe try to kill himself by drowning…not really sure what happened there.
And don’t even get me started on book 4, which can be summed up in the following sentence: Riley goes nuts. Does her fragile mental state cause anyone to question whether she should really be leading a revolution? Nope. Let’s put her in charge, because why should anyone be nervous to have a leader whose mental stability hinges entirely on her continued access to pharmaceuticals?
There were contradictions too that didn’t make sense, like how Riley was described as pretty in the early books, with guys flirting with her as a regular thing. But then later when her appearance is changed to Audrey (another weird thing, let’s be honest) she’s drop-dead gorgeous and her earlier appearance is referred to as plain.
And then, of course, there’s the conclusion where Riley turns politician. Yeah, that was a huge no for me. I couldn’t suspend my disbelief long enough to buy that anyone would think it was a good idea to put a 20 year old whose life experience consisted of abuse, war, and mental breakdown in charge of anything. But okay.
Now that I’ve gone on about stuff I didn’t like, to be fair let me tell you what I did like. On the plus side there was very little swearing, which I count as a positive. Also no sex or anything bordering on spicy. I count that as a positive too. There was murder and death aplenty, but I suppose the depictions could have been more graphic than they were—which I’m grateful they weren’t. So let’s call that a positive too.
And at least until book 4 I was really into these books. J.B. Cantwell pulled me in and hooked me good. I kept reading after that because I was hoping the plot would get better. And while it didn’t, at least I had the memory of those early books to keep me going. All in all I would definitely read more of J.B. Cantwell’s work with the hope that the trainwreck ending of this series was an anomaly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2022
Woah woah woah...5 books and the end is a chapter and an epilogue! I needed 2 or 3 more chapters. We just ended and skipped 20 yrs for an epilogue. I need more of the government. What was changed? How'd the pro lens citizens react? How'd the president react? Who is the president? What about the other state governors? So much more needed.
Still a good series.
Either I missed it or we never found out what Alex and his mom spoke about. Or was she dead? Didn't Alex have siblings? Where are they? If he was willing to take a beating from their father for them, wouldn't he be willing to at least check on their safety during the rebellion? Did I blackout during all that?
Still a good series.
Either I missed it or we never found out what Alex and his mom spoke about. Or was she dead? Didn't Alex have siblings? Where are they? If he was willing to take a beating from their father for them, wouldn't he be willing to at least check on their safety during the rebellion? Did I blackout during all that?
April 3, 2023
Very disappointed by the end here. Won't go into the details because spoilers, but the turn in plot is unconvincing (and highly unlikely it could ever play out successfully, even more so than all the unlikely sorts of things that are routine in YA dystopian worlds including this one). And too many characters just do things because the plot requires it, not coming out of an apparent character arc. It's a real shame, there were very interesting aspects of the world and some interesting characters – and I had wondered for some time how the story could be successfully brought to a close....
July 21, 2020
Amazing
This was an absolutely wonderful series! Cliff hangers from start to finish. I couldn't stop turning the pages. I wanted to know every intricate detail and each adventure of the heroin, Riley, in this book were nothing short of show stopping. I can normally guess what's going to happen... and I was completely WRONG...excellent series friends... get ready for a thriller!
This was an absolutely wonderful series! Cliff hangers from start to finish. I couldn't stop turning the pages. I wanted to know every intricate detail and each adventure of the heroin, Riley, in this book were nothing short of show stopping. I can normally guess what's going to happen... and I was completely WRONG...excellent series friends... get ready for a thriller!
September 20, 2020
This is an amazing series!
I devoured this whole series and I did not want to see it end. I’ll try to avoid any comments that give away the story. Suffice it to say that the author takes her time, doesn’t rush the story and creates vivid word pictures every step of the way. I literally feel that I have lived through the entire story myself! Start at the beginning, don’t skip or skim and join the adventure!
I devoured this whole series and I did not want to see it end. I’ll try to avoid any comments that give away the story. Suffice it to say that the author takes her time, doesn’t rush the story and creates vivid word pictures every step of the way. I literally feel that I have lived through the entire story myself! Start at the beginning, don’t skip or skim and join the adventure!
October 29, 2023
Awesome post apocalypse story
While I loved the book, the story kept me on my toes, and on the whole I was saddened at the possibilities. What we wreck on our planet, what our politics and pure apathy leads to. How the government keeps people complacent with food and small amounts look of help. How people turn a blind eye many times from fear, or the mindset of 'it doesn't effect me'.
While I loved the book, the story kept me on my toes, and on the whole I was saddened at the possibilities. What we wreck on our planet, what our politics and pure apathy leads to. How the government keeps people complacent with food and small amounts look of help. How people turn a blind eye many times from fear, or the mindset of 'it doesn't effect me'.
November 9, 2023
Pretty good
Started off well in book 1 and 2. By the time I got to book 4 I was mostly reading in hopes that it would get better.
It kind of flies all over the place and at times is confusing. There are a lot of contradictions and continuity issues throughout that should have been handled by an editor.
All that being said, the author did a better job keeping track of characters and storyline than I could ever do writing a book, let alone a series of 5.
Started off well in book 1 and 2. By the time I got to book 4 I was mostly reading in hopes that it would get better.
It kind of flies all over the place and at times is confusing. There are a lot of contradictions and continuity issues throughout that should have been handled by an editor.
All that being said, the author did a better job keeping track of characters and storyline than I could ever do writing a book, let alone a series of 5.
November 7, 2020
The Lens series....
Wow, what a riveting ride.... In some ways it is not unlike the times we find ourselves in society today.... Wanting change, which is always a slow tedious process.... This series is anything but slow, if is good with a rollercoaster if emotions, drama and adventure.... Enjoy the ride, I'm sorry it had to end....
Wow, what a riveting ride.... In some ways it is not unlike the times we find ourselves in society today.... Wanting change, which is always a slow tedious process.... This series is anything but slow, if is good with a rollercoaster if emotions, drama and adventure.... Enjoy the ride, I'm sorry it had to end....
February 6, 2023
Excellent series!!
This series was my first experience with J.B. Cantwell and I guarantee it will NOT be my last!!! I immersed myself into her world and into the lives of her characters immediately, and sadly found myself reading the last few words of book 5 all too soon 😭 Don't pass this one up, y'all!!!
This series was my first experience with J.B. Cantwell and I guarantee it will NOT be my last!!! I immersed myself into her world and into the lives of her characters immediately, and sadly found myself reading the last few words of book 5 all too soon 😭 Don't pass this one up, y'all!!!
April 14, 2023
Why did Audrey/Riley act like she's never seen a movie before when in fact she had several times at the Sunrise Mental Institution? Ugh why can't the author be consistent with their story. And why did she not mention Valle again after his death like she did all her other friends she lost? And the epilogue never said whether she married Alex or not, just that he was always by her side.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2023
Satisfying ending
This last book was rather tumultuous. There was so much going on…
I have really enjoyed the cast of characters that live in these books. So much courage, so much camaraderie, such unwavering trust in one’s friends. And, of course, the ultimate betrayal.
Well done!
This last book was rather tumultuous. There was so much going on…
I have really enjoyed the cast of characters that live in these books. So much courage, so much camaraderie, such unwavering trust in one’s friends. And, of course, the ultimate betrayal.
Well done!
September 10, 2020
A 5 ⭐️ Series🖤
This book was just as good as the first, from start to finish and will make you feel truly grateful you were able to be a part (in mind) of Riley and Alex’s world. This series will not disappoint and I highly recommend it.
This book was just as good as the first, from start to finish and will make you feel truly grateful you were able to be a part (in mind) of Riley and Alex’s world. This series will not disappoint and I highly recommend it.
November 27, 2022
I really enjoyed books 1-3, but things really started feeling repetitive and just... drawn-out in book 4 and that feeling only grew stronger as I read this one. Wish one or two less plot devices had been included in the storyline and only a strong, 4th/final book completed instead of the 5.
April 17, 2023
This book…the last book in the Lens series was great. Plot twists and turns and so much more. I really enjoyed this book and it was good for the last of the series. The whole series is great. So glad I found it!
July 23, 2020
Timely Series
Enjoyed this series, now that it is concluded, i think it would have resonated even more with our times, to be read in sequence without pause. Antiheroes rock.
Enjoyed this series, now that it is concluded, i think it would have resonated even more with our times, to be read in sequence without pause. Antiheroes rock.
September 8, 2020
Awesome
Very good series. Full of action. Keeps moving. Great characters. Interesting storyline. Enjoyed as kindle unlimited books. Read it now :)
Very good series. Full of action. Keeps moving. Great characters. Interesting storyline. Enjoyed as kindle unlimited books. Read it now :)
October 8, 2020
Perfect
Absolutely perfect. I have nothing left to say. I was crying at the end of this book. This series is a must read.
Absolutely perfect. I have nothing left to say. I was crying at the end of this book. This series is a must read.
December 9, 2022
All around good story
All in all a good series. Book 5 got a bit preachy, but it did wrap up any loose ends.
All in all a good series. Book 5 got a bit preachy, but it did wrap up any loose ends.
February 3, 2024
PG-13 I am happy with how this book ended! I feel the author was much better at how they wrote character development in this book than in all the others.
September 16, 2024
Best series I have read!
From the first page to the end of book five I couldn't put it down! Great writing, fantastic characters highly recommend.
From the first page to the end of book five I couldn't put it down! Great writing, fantastic characters highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews