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Walking Shadows #4
Ultio
O say can you see by my bomb’s warning light…
Under a symphony of explosions and allegiance sung in minor key, a mysterious assassin called Ares rises from the ashes to challenge both leaders and citizens alike. Fear and false comforts hold society in its prison and after so many years of obedience will they be able to open their eyes and grasp onto the change Ares offers them? Ares has plotted patiently and remains steadfast on her path, moving her pawns across the board biding her time for rebellion to ignite. When the clock chimes at last the people will stand behind her or condemn her to face her fate alone.
The future of the Pacific Confederation hangs in the balance and one persistent inspector could be all it takes to hold the cornerstone in place. Will the iron rule hold? Or will the cries for freedom shatter the walls at last?
…For a change is a must when our cause it is just
Under a symphony of explosions and allegiance sung in minor key, a mysterious assassin called Ares rises from the ashes to challenge both leaders and citizens alike. Fear and false comforts hold society in its prison and after so many years of obedience will they be able to open their eyes and grasp onto the change Ares offers them? Ares has plotted patiently and remains steadfast on her path, moving her pawns across the board biding her time for rebellion to ignite. When the clock chimes at last the people will stand behind her or condemn her to face her fate alone.
The future of the Pacific Confederation hangs in the balance and one persistent inspector could be all it takes to hold the cornerstone in place. Will the iron rule hold? Or will the cries for freedom shatter the walls at last?
…For a change is a must when our cause it is just
270 pages, Paperback
Published February 23, 2021
18 people want to read
About the author
Talis Jones
29 books49 followersTalis Jones is a Mexican-English author of magic and mischief with several series published in print, digital, and audio.
Dog mom, Broadway enthusiast, and life-long bibliophile, Talis currently resides in North Carolina.
Find out more about Talis and her books at www.talisjonesofficial.com.
Dog mom, Broadway enthusiast, and life-long bibliophile, Talis currently resides in North Carolina.
Find out more about Talis and her books at www.talisjonesofficial.com.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 3, 2021
Thank you to the author for sending me an eARC to review!
4.5 stars
Ultio is a fast-paced Orwellian nightmare that had me reading it in a single day. Dystopian, gritty, and I'd say this series is definitely not YA anymore (I think the series overall is New Adult though even if book one was originally marked as Young Adult). It's the shortest book in the series so far (not including novellas) but it worked?? I think maybe it potentially could have slowed down and spent more time on this or that but I also think that would have made it a different book and I personally enjoyed the fast-paced, wild ride this one ended up taking me on. It answered some questions that have been on my growing list as the series evolves but of course it also added a ton of others haha. I look forward to reading the series finale!!
Oh, another note. So Vicinus was the first book to start adding in occasional short snippets of alternative POVs from the main character and this book was more committed to being told in alternate POVs. There are three characters we follow: Ares, Thaniel, and the Inspector. It was interesting to see how their stories wove together within this book's plot as well as discovering connections to the series as a whole. We even get little cameos and/or shoutouts to past characters including Fury, Bones, Maddy, and even Riker's older brother! Each book may tell a different character's story, but it is clear how each story is connected and adds to the puzzle that is the series' plot. It's cool and kinda nice because it makes it easy to jump into any book to re-read it without feeling like you have to start from book one like you might with a traditional style series (or maybe that's just me lol), but going back through the series from the start reveals so many things you've missed before.
I've really been enjoying this series. It's fast-paced, features a varied cast of characters and settings, and is doesn't feel too young while also not inundating its plots with sex and gore. Ya know? Like there's romance, there's violence, there's profanity...but it focuses on plot more than trying to be "adult" or "edgy"? Idk if that makes sense. It doesn't feel gratuitous or uncomfortably descriptive, or at least not me.
4.5 stars
Ultio is a fast-paced Orwellian nightmare that had me reading it in a single day. Dystopian, gritty, and I'd say this series is definitely not YA anymore (I think the series overall is New Adult though even if book one was originally marked as Young Adult). It's the shortest book in the series so far (not including novellas) but it worked?? I think maybe it potentially could have slowed down and spent more time on this or that but I also think that would have made it a different book and I personally enjoyed the fast-paced, wild ride this one ended up taking me on. It answered some questions that have been on my growing list as the series evolves but of course it also added a ton of others haha. I look forward to reading the series finale!!
Oh, another note. So Vicinus was the first book to start adding in occasional short snippets of alternative POVs from the main character and this book was more committed to being told in alternate POVs. There are three characters we follow: Ares, Thaniel, and the Inspector. It was interesting to see how their stories wove together within this book's plot as well as discovering connections to the series as a whole. We even get little cameos and/or shoutouts to past characters including Fury, Bones, Maddy, and even Riker's older brother! Each book may tell a different character's story, but it is clear how each story is connected and adds to the puzzle that is the series' plot. It's cool and kinda nice because it makes it easy to jump into any book to re-read it without feeling like you have to start from book one like you might with a traditional style series (or maybe that's just me lol), but going back through the series from the start reveals so many things you've missed before.
I've really been enjoying this series. It's fast-paced, features a varied cast of characters and settings, and is doesn't feel too young while also not inundating its plots with sex and gore. Ya know? Like there's romance, there's violence, there's profanity...but it focuses on plot more than trying to be "adult" or "edgy"? Idk if that makes sense. It doesn't feel gratuitous or uncomfortably descriptive, or at least not me.
August 8, 2022
This took me a little while to get into and even thought of giving it up after the first quarter. But I persevered and glad I did. Ares is a vigilante who was re-engineered using synthetic drugs as a kid having been sent on “The Program” by her mother. Now an adult with chaos and revenge on her mind, Ares seeks to undo the strict confines of the utilitarian government, The Pacific Confederation, that rules.
Like many such fictional characters, Ares lives in the shadows, and manages to appear out of nowhere, a bit like Batman. She’s masked, having been marked with the number, ‘42’ on her chin, while in the program. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Ares but found increasingly that I was cheering her on, being sympathetic to her as a result of the terrible regime she was attempting to bring down. I would have liked to have spent more time in her mind as I wondered if in fact she was a very likeable person who had chosen to bring chaos to both satisfy her own vengeful desires but also as she admits to relieve her of the monotony of her life.
Two other characters play intriguing roles: Thaniel Hawthorne and The Inspector. The latter is the head of the police, in effect, and he is tasked with finding and eliminating Ares. Thaniel is kidnapped by Ares to be ‘trained’ to be a pawn in her mission, that is, to rise up against the ruling party and serve as a liberator on the ground. Why Ares needed to do this with the one individual was never really explained and seemed a little odd when she incited a mass rebellion through her own messaging.
The Inspector was perhaps the most revealing character with the best ‘story arc’ as he grapples with being the dutiful cop to having his eyes opened by Ares and Thaniel.
It’s set in a future America with some not so imaginative titles such as New Vegas and the Iron House but not much seems very different to the current world in terms of setting. But I’m not sure that really mattered too much. There is a reasonable amount of vicious killing by Ares, who has super fighting skills, but I felt there could have been more suspense and tension about such kills. It all was a bit predictable and in fact the ones at the end were a bit comedic and took away the limited amount of tension that had built up for the final conflict.
I’m glad I read it but feel the story could have been a lot tighter, with greater suspense and tension which one needs when there’s a vigilante walking in the shadows.
Like many such fictional characters, Ares lives in the shadows, and manages to appear out of nowhere, a bit like Batman. She’s masked, having been marked with the number, ‘42’ on her chin, while in the program. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Ares but found increasingly that I was cheering her on, being sympathetic to her as a result of the terrible regime she was attempting to bring down. I would have liked to have spent more time in her mind as I wondered if in fact she was a very likeable person who had chosen to bring chaos to both satisfy her own vengeful desires but also as she admits to relieve her of the monotony of her life.
Two other characters play intriguing roles: Thaniel Hawthorne and The Inspector. The latter is the head of the police, in effect, and he is tasked with finding and eliminating Ares. Thaniel is kidnapped by Ares to be ‘trained’ to be a pawn in her mission, that is, to rise up against the ruling party and serve as a liberator on the ground. Why Ares needed to do this with the one individual was never really explained and seemed a little odd when she incited a mass rebellion through her own messaging.
The Inspector was perhaps the most revealing character with the best ‘story arc’ as he grapples with being the dutiful cop to having his eyes opened by Ares and Thaniel.
It’s set in a future America with some not so imaginative titles such as New Vegas and the Iron House but not much seems very different to the current world in terms of setting. But I’m not sure that really mattered too much. There is a reasonable amount of vicious killing by Ares, who has super fighting skills, but I felt there could have been more suspense and tension about such kills. It all was a bit predictable and in fact the ones at the end were a bit comedic and took away the limited amount of tension that had built up for the final conflict.
I’m glad I read it but feel the story could have been a lot tighter, with greater suspense and tension which one needs when there’s a vigilante walking in the shadows.
June 6, 2023
This is a dark story. A very dark story. It is set in a fictional future nation (once part of the U.S.) that puts “security” and “equality” ahead of all else for its citizens. These goals sound good on the surface, but from the beginning of the story I was suspicious about how these goals had been implemented. Let me just say it was a bit like the USSR under Stalin, but without the colorful red banners.
There are two protagonists. One is a mysterious assassin. The other is one of “the people.” He had a very predictable and stifling sort of life, until a chance meeting with the assassin. She draws him into her plans (without letting him know), and he eventually joins a group of violent dissidents.
The characters in general were portrayed in a very vided manner. They scared me. It was very difficult to anticipate what was to happen, which kept me on the edge of my seat. I was very eager to see the story unfold. I set a new personal record in finishing Ultio in 2 days. Very fast for me. But then the suspense was really getting to me.
My only reservation was that sometimes it was hard to keep track of who was talking in some of the dialogs. Talis Jones does not like to use the phrases “he said” or “The Martial said.” This makes the dialogs flow better, but sometimes required a re-read on my part to get it straight. But this is a minor flaw.
I recommend Ultio to anyone who likes a fast-paced story with a lot of action. It is not a “happy” story, but it does not take place in happy times. It is very gripping and suspenseful.
There are two protagonists. One is a mysterious assassin. The other is one of “the people.” He had a very predictable and stifling sort of life, until a chance meeting with the assassin. She draws him into her plans (without letting him know), and he eventually joins a group of violent dissidents.
The characters in general were portrayed in a very vided manner. They scared me. It was very difficult to anticipate what was to happen, which kept me on the edge of my seat. I was very eager to see the story unfold. I set a new personal record in finishing Ultio in 2 days. Very fast for me. But then the suspense was really getting to me.
My only reservation was that sometimes it was hard to keep track of who was talking in some of the dialogs. Talis Jones does not like to use the phrases “he said” or “The Martial said.” This makes the dialogs flow better, but sometimes required a re-read on my part to get it straight. But this is a minor flaw.
I recommend Ultio to anyone who likes a fast-paced story with a lot of action. It is not a “happy” story, but it does not take place in happy times. It is very gripping and suspenseful.
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January 5, 2022ULTIO, the fourth book in the Walking Shadows saga, centers on the tyranny in the Pacific Confederation and a mysterious assassin by the name of Ares who has risen from the ashes to challenge both leaders and citizens alike in the name of revolution. Fear and false comforts hold society in its prison but after so many years of obedience will they be able to open their eyes and grasp onto the change Ares offers them?
May 13, 2021
This was a start and finish in one day type of book! I opened it and with in the first few chapter I had to change around my plans for the day because suddenly finishing this book was on the top of my priorities!
February 3, 2021
Packed with action, very fast read!!!!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews