Evolution

Dark Matter #3

by Teri Terry

Into the fire ...

The final part of the trilogy from multi award-winning author Teri Terry.

Shay has followed Xander and joined his mysterious scientific cult at their remote Scottish compound. She's desperately searching for Callie, who went missing before the start of the epidemic that kills 95% of cases, and leaves a tiny number of survivors with astonishing new powers.

Can Shay uncover the truth about the origins of the epidemic, find Callie and perhaps even rekindle her relationship with Kai? Or will Xander's grand plans destroy them all for ever?

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

416 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 2018

About the author

Teri has lived in France, Canada, Australia and England at more addresses than she can count, acquiring three degrees, a selection of passports and a silly name along the way. Past careers have included scientist, lawyer, optometrist, and, in England, various jobs in schools, libraries and an audiobook charity. The footpaths and canal ways of the Buckinghamshire Chilterns where she now lives inspired much of the setting of Slated. She hates broccoli, likes cats, and has finally worked out what she wants to do when she grows up.

Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/TeriTerryAuthor
Notes from the Slushpile: group blog on writing for children http://notesfromtheslushpile.blogspot...

**IMPORTANT: Please do not message me on Goodreads with requests for review copies, swag, interviews, or anything else. See the contact section of my website for that. Messages on Goodreads may (and probably will) go unanswered!**

Reviews

[˙⋆✮ Anny ✮⋆˙ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
When I started that trilogy a while back I had no idea where it would go. Now I finished it and I'm really happy I did! Teri Terry has come up with an exciting scenario with an interesting background and lots of twists and turns!

Evolution was, as its predecessors, an easy and quick read. The chapters are very short and they're told from various POVs, so we get an insight to many different characters and their view of the situaion. The plot felt well thought through and I get the feeling the author knew where she was going all along. It's not exactly action packed, but the scenario is so gripping that it was very exciting nevetheless.

The characters were well developed. Once again we have Shay, who is actively looking for Kai's sister Callie and is one step closer to finding her. And not only her - once Shay and her survivor friends join her father's "Multiverse" community, there are a lot of secrets to uncover and not everyone is who they seem to be.

Another character (and POV) ist Callie. I liked Callie and her storyline, but I won't say anything else because spoilers^^

The Multiverse offers some new characters as well, the most important ones being Xander and Cepta. I had a weird feeling about them almost from the beginning, and turns out I was right... only it was even crazier than I'd imagined it to be! There was a twist in the end that was quite shocking!

Two other characters (and POVs) are Kai and Freja. They're in a different place, trying to figure their own things out. Needless to say, they run into trouble too. I liked Freja, alread liked her in the previous book, but once again, this girl isn't who she seems. Kai again is just such a nice guy trying to get by in a world he doesn't understand anymore. He's weirded out by the survivors' abilities, heartbroken because Shay left him and still looking for his sister.

The different plotlines come together very well in the end. The author also offers an explanation for everything. Sadly, I was a bit weirded out by that explanation. Not because I didn't understand it, but because it was introduced in the last 5 pages of the book and now I'm supposed to just take this as the truth behind everything? Not so sure about this tbh.

It was still a very good book and a good conclusion. There are many things about this trilogy I'd never expected but ended up liking, for example the powers the survivors develop. While that was weird in the first book, it really grew on me. The book also offers a scientific background to the epidemic that's explained in a very understandable way and I loved that. Never thought I'd ever say that, but I'm here for understandable sci-fi! I liked the twists and turns and the somewhat shady characters. I'd recommend this trilogy for sure!!

[booklovebylilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Band 3 hat nun alle antworten auf die aufkommenden Fragen von Band 1 und 2 geklärt.

Es war wieder super spannend und man versinkt einfach in der ganzen Geschichte.
Ich kann mich bei Band 3 nur wiederholen, dass es manchmal etwas schwierig war zu folgen, weil es sehr wissenschaftlich/physikalisch wurde aber es war trotzdem super interessant.

Bei der Aufklärung über die Seuche am Ende des Buches, bin ich gedanklich noch sehr Zwiegestalten wie ich das nun finde. An sich ist es ein guter Abschluss der Reihe aber irgendwie war es dann doch zu „einfach“. Bin da wie gesagt noch etwas unentschlossen.

Zusammengefasst war es eine unglaublich tolle Reihe die ich allen Dystopie/Thriller Liebhabern empfehlen kann. Es ist einfach mal etwas ganz anderes.

[Lily]

I've not been as excited for these books as much as I have for other Teri Terry books, but I honestly don't know why. The books are just as good as the other Teri Terry books I've loved and they pull you in just as much as the others. It's just that when I'm not in the middle of reading them that I've not got that same buzz I normally feel from the books.

I love these books though! That's the craziest part. I love the characters and all the mysteries surrounding Callie and the origin of the epidemic. I love the conspiracies and Xander's involvement. I love Shay and Kai and the concept. The writing is good, the plot is unpredictable and engrossing. There is absolutely no reason for it to fall flat. It makes me sad that I'm not looking back at these books with the same feeling as the other books.

But it was a really satisfying conclusion. Everything came together nicely and it was a good conclusion.

This series was really good and I did really enjoy reading it. It may be that I don't remember it as fondly as the other Teri Terry books, but it was a really great series all the same. I hope you don't let my lack of excitement about it put you off.

[J.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

With Shay and Callie stuck at Alex's community compound, Kai and Freja grow closer on the road.

But Alex turns out to be worse than Shay originally expected, Freja comes to realize the difficulties of being a survivor and the secret behind the virus is about to be revealed.

The final book in the Contagion trilogy. As excited as I was for this one, I didn't love it quite as much as the first two.

Dont get wrong, I did enjoy it but the ending and explanation just seemed a bit too over the top for me.

I absolutely did not like Freja at all but it was nice to finally meet and get to know the real Callie.

As with the first two, Evolution had a pot of action and was a fun read to finish off the trilogy.

[David Raz · Rating 2 out of 5]

This third book in this trilogy is the worse of them. Not only are the YA elements of juvenile romance and immature decisions at their peak, but also the plot stops making sense. The decisions of both the adults and the juveniles become illogical and plot holes are aplenty. The introduction of a completely new concept two chapters from the end just makes it worse. Two stars out of five.

[Serem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wirklich abgedrehte Ideen. Besonders zum Ende hin anspruchsvoll sowohl in biologischer als auch phsyikalischer Hinsicht. Die Endidee des Ganzen ist ziemlich abgedreht, mir fast etwas zu abgedreht, dort kommt dann doch die Fantasie hinter dem Ganzen durch, wo ich mir gerne eine mehr oder minder plausible Erklärung gewünscht hätte, aber ... wie soll man Geister auch erklären?

[Abendstern · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Finale hat mir sehr gut gefallen auch wenn das Buch am anfang etwas langsam war weil nicht so viel passiert ist. Aber zum Ende hin gab es wieder mehr Action und es wurden fast alle Fragen beantwortet, die Auflösung fand ich auch nicht schlecht auch wenn die etwas weit hergeholt war, war sie zumindest nicht völlig unlogisch.

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genauso gut wie die ,,gelöscht" Reihe

[sy · Rating 1 out of 5]

oof this was terrible.

pretty much lost interest midway through the book. it was so boring and pointless.

Freja and Kai's chapters were the absolute worst, i dislike their characters passionately.

Kai is a spineless little shit who thinks with his dick, Freja has 0 personality. I really LOL when Freja was like 'i can't kill anybody because I'm so nice!!!' and Kai was like 'Freja is such a kitten!' HELLO IDIOTS THIS IS A FREAKING EPIDEMIC GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER. The 'romance' between Kai and Freja was vomit-inducing and disgusting.

Xander is such a textbook villain i can't even lmao. The whole book is basically Shay thinking Xander can't be this evil and Xander being exactly this evil gosh. zero mystery!!

zero character development as well. Shay was really stupid in this book like WAKE UP there were so many signs of Xander being evil and Shay just ignoring all of them.

I cannot believe the author would make Kai and Shay end up together. And Kai saying he love Shay? erm bruh, he spent 3/4 of the book saying how he can never trust Shay again and now suddenly he loves her? please

hate this book!!!!

that 'twist' at the end is really stupid and made me feel like I wasted my life reading this trilogy

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich habe mich extrem auf dieses Buch gefreut und ich wurde nicht enttäuscht!❤️
Das Buch lässt sich wieder einmal unglaublich gut lesen, der Schreibstil ist fesselnd. Wieder gibt es Kapitel aus der Perspektive von verschiedenen Personen. Dies macht es viel leichter, die Gefühle der Charaktere zu spüren. Die Charaktere finde ich alle sehr echt und tiefgründig.
Die Handlung ist wieder sehr spannend und das Ende habe ich so nicht vorhergesehen. Die ganze Thematik finde ich sehr aktuell, auch wenn das Ende wieder sehr Science Fiction/Fantasy war!
Ein gelungener Abschluss einer sehr tollen Reihe!

[zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

it took me months to finish this and i blame it all on freja

[julia dalton · Rating 1 out of 5]

THEY DISSOLVED HIS ATOMS i literally read this over 2 years ago and i still haven’t processed the random atom dissolving

[aqeelah ❀༉˖ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teri Terry does it again with yet another outstanding work of fiction! A thrilling ending to a spectacular series. Teri has the ability to weave thrill, suspense, drama, love and science into a mind-blowing story. Excellent world building. Excellent character development. And overall excellent storyline!

I was overjoyed that this final installment in the "Dark Matter" series gave me the closure I needed. No stone was left unturned. All the questions that piled up from book one is answered in "Evolution". The workings of the multiverse fascinates me! I think the science alone is what pushed this series from a four star to five star rating. Interested in reading this series and want to know what's it about? Well, imagine a country plagued by a fast-spreading epidemic which leaves sickness and death in it's wake. Not very difficult to imagine right? (thanks Coronavirus). Now add in a supernatural twist - survivors with powers and ethereal entities existing as more of a clump of dark matter than ghosts. An added bonus is extensive science and the idea of a multi-dimensional universe. The line between good and bad has blurred. This book exists in a whole new area of grey. How far are you willing to go for science? How far are you willing to go to save humanity? And who dictates who is worth saving?

I would be lying if I said the deaths in this book did not hurt. It's always the good one's that go. (Spike and Azra hit the worst!). Also, I could never hate Alex/Xander. Yes his ideas were twisted, but the conviction in his beliefs and the insatiable desire to obtain knowledge cannot be despised. Maybe I just fell for Xander's charm like every other person did. He was so charismatic that even reading about him drew me towards him!

Light spoiler alert because I'm going to be talking about the characters I loved and hated.
Loved: Kai (my baby boy <3), Callie, Shay, Alexander, Spike (cries), Azra (cries again), Wilf, Beatriz, Elena, JJ and majority of the other survivors.
HATED: Duncan, Kirkland-Smith (why has no one killed him yet???), Freya (to think I actually shipped her with Kai for a while) and Cepta (though eventually I just felt sorry for her).

Let's not forget the best characters of the series: Chamberlin and Merlin the cats!!!

[16DunkleyL · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling end to the story that unified all of the characters while developing them on the way showing corruption as well as how science isn’t always the best way. The development of Callie in particular was very interesting and some of the best parts as well as Kai And his mother had an interesting story with a thrilling end and a statisfying conclusion

[Lulai · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the ending, the plot was fun and fast past. I was suprised by some decision and not so much by others. Overall, it was a fun reading, and I am still a fan of Teri Terry

[Charisse · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really like the super short chapters but...
The plot is super annoying

[naim · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book series just got worse and worse. idk if i ever finished reading this

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult / Science Fiction
*Rating* 3.5

*Thoughts*

Evolution is the third and final installment in author Teri Terry's Dark Matter Trilogy. Series Overview: A secret scientific experiment has gone fatally wrong, and it’s up to three teens to put the pieces of this medical mystery together in hopes of stopping an epic human extinction. The story is told in short chapters by a host of narrators from Shay, Callie, Kai, Freya, and this time around, Lara. Evolution also adds two additional important characters in Xander and Cepta, Speaker for the Community.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[Lindsay Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am sad this series is over. Teri Terry is a great writer

[Necol or Eli Dickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

the science in this book doesn't science well it's clearly from someone who understands science buzz words but doesn't understand how science actually works and so it really frustrated me that the descriptions and explanations never really made sense to how they would work in real life, kind of ruined the story a bit

[Scolardy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wut und Enttäuschung. Das sind die Emotionen, die mich durch den finalen Band der Dark Matter Trilogie begleitet haben. „Eliminiert“ von Teri Terry hat seinem Titel alle Ehre gemacht und all meine Hoffnungen, die ich in diesen Abschluss gesetzt hatte, schon nach etwa einem Viertel in Luft aufgelöst.

Der Abwärtstrend, der im zweiten Band, „Manipuliert“, so langsam an Fahrt aufnimmt, steigert sich hier in nur wenigen Seiten rapide. Allerdings erst wenn das Augenmerk auf ein anderes Erzähler-Pärchen gelegt wird, denn „Eliminiert“ teilt sich in verschiedene Abschnitte, die aus 4 Perspektiven primär erzählt werden. Die Stimmen der Wahl sind Shay und Callie, sowie Kai und Freja.

Die Abschnitte von Shay und Callie sind nicht sonderlich actionlastig, dafür reich an Informationen. Das Tempo ist hier ein wenig zu langsam, aber noch auszuhalten. „Xanders“ Sekte „Das Multiversum“ kennenzulernen, ist interessant genug, aber das Beste ist, dass wir endlich die echte Callie treffen dürfen. Alles, was sie betrifft, löste sogar echte Emotionen bei mir aus. Wie sich die Schwestern kennenlernen, näherkommen und einander helfen, ist wirklich herzerwärmend. Niedlichen Cat-Content gibt es auch wieder – das muss man einfach mögen.

Dann erfolgt der erste Perspektivenwechsel zu Kai und Freja – und das Buch war im Grunde für mich gelaufen. Wieso muss ich Kapitel über Kapitel deren einfältigen, egoistischen, manipulativen und lahmen Gedanken lauschen? Kai alleine hätte auch gereicht, um die Dominosteine seines Erzählstrangs in Position zu bringen. Frejas unnötige Kommentare dazu waren schon im zweiten Band nicht notwendig und im Dritten noch weniger. Hätte man ihre Handlungen aus Kais Sicht erlebt, hätte man sie genauso verurteilen können. Hier ein paar Beispiele – Achtung: Spoiler! -:

Freja ergeht sich in Gedanken genüsslich darüber, wie moralisch überlegen sie doch Shay gegenüber sei, da diese ihre telekinetischen Kräfte in Notwehr bereits zum Töten einsetzen musste. So etwas könnte die unschuldige Freja natürlich nie tun…2 Kapitel später werden die beiden vom ASR inhaftiert. Um sich zu befreien, regt sie bei einem der Wärter seine bereits vorhandenen lüsternen Gedanken ihr gegenüber noch an, senkt mental seine Hemmungen und verleitet ihn so dazu, sie zu befreien. Noch mal klar ausgedrückt: sie verleitet ihn dazu, sie zu vergewaltigen. Als er dies dann tatsächlich versucht, gerät sie in Panik, die Situation läuft aus dem Ruder, Kai muss sie retten und dann erschießt sie den Wärter. Nachdem sie bereits außer Gefahr war. Den Wärter, den sie mit ihren Fähigkeiten zu dieser Tat animiert hat. Dann fliehen die beiden, sie spielt das traumatisierte Opfer eines Sexualverbrechens und will sich nicht anfassen lassen, nur um dann 2 Seiten später Sex mit Kai zu haben. Der denkt, Shay hätte ihn verlassen, weil Freja ihm nicht gesagt hat, dass Shay seine Schwester sucht… UND SIE FÜHLT SICH IMMER NOCH MORALISCH ÜBERLEGEN.

An dem Punkt musste ich das Buch erst mal für einen Tag zur Seite legen. Ich war körperlich nicht in der Lage, weiterzulesen. Dieser Abschnitt ist aus so vielen Gründen so dermaßen falsch.

Danach erfolgt wieder ein Schnitt zu Shay und Callie. Schön. Ich wurde einigermaßen besänftigt, allerdings ist auch hier nicht alles im Lot. Naivität gehört zu Jugendbuch-Charakteren ja irgendwie dazu, aber über 1200 Seiten immer und immer wieder auf denselben Typen reinzufallen, ist doch nicht mehr naiv, oder? Dem aufmerksamen Leser war schon im ersten Band klar, dass Alex Cross nicht nur Kais Stief-, sowie Callies und Shays Vater, sondern auch der ominöse Dr. 1 ist. Dass er gleichzeitig Xander, der Sektenführer ist, ist ebenso wenig verwunderlich. Nun wissen ab Ende von Band 2 auch Kai und Shay, dass Alexander hinter allem steckt und trotzdem lässt sich Shay immer wieder aufs Neue von ihm beschwichtigen. So schlimm kann er doch nicht sein. Er liebt sie und Callie doch ganz bestimmt und würde ihnen nie was antun. Callie teilt zwar Jennas Erinnerungen aus der Zeit in den unterirdischen Laboren auf den Shetland Inseln und kam erst 6 Monate später als Alex sagte zum „Multiversum“, aber er wird sie doch bestimmt nicht entführt und infiziert haben. Und so geht das in einer Tour…echt jetzt?

Wieder Wechsel zu Kai und Freja und die nächsten Kapitel laufen wie folgt ab: Freja hat ein schlechtes Gewissen wegen der gemeinsamen Nacht. Sie weiß, dass Kai nicht mehr als Freundschaft für sie empfindet, sie kann schließlich seine Aura sehen. Auch steht da diese Lüge zwischen ihnen, aber sie muss ihn doch vor der böse bösen Shay schützen, die ihm nur Leid zufügt. Parallel denkt auch Kai darüber nach, dass die gemeinsame Nacht ein Fehler war. Er empfindet ja nichts für Freja, er liebt Shay von ganzem Herzen, aber sie hat ihn ja verraten und Freja ist hübsch. Mit diesem hübschen Ding kann er sich das Leben doch irgendwie schönreden, oder? Kurz darauf passiert etwas, was Freja erkennen lässt, dass die Überlebenden nie dazu gehören werden, dass sie nie akzeptiert werden, auch nicht von Kai und sie verlässt ihn. Am Ende kommt er dann mit Shay zusammen, obwohl sie nie eine Basis hatten, sich nie vertraut haben und ja, er nicht damit zurechtkommt, dass die Überlebenden anders sind. Wird schon schiefgehen!

Tut mir leid, dass ich hier so skrupellos spoilern muss, aber anders kann ich nicht begreiflich machen, wie schlecht diese „Liebesgeschichte“ ist. Diesen Titel verdient sie nicht einmal.

Kommen wir nun zu Iona. Ihr fragt Euch, wer das ist? Absolut nachvollziehbar. Iona ist Shays beste Freundin. Im ersten Band sind die beiden einen Tag lang zusammen in der Schule und sie leiht Shay ihr Handy. Fortan ist sie nur noch die rettende Stimme aus dem Off, die ihnen online mit Rat und Tat zur Seite steht. Im Finale wird ihr dann endlich noch ein wenig „Screentime“ gewährt, denn der großartige Alex, der doch gar nicht so schlimm sein kann, wie er scheint, entführt und infiziert sie, damit Shay einen Anreiz kriegt, die Krankheit zu heilen. Und Shays Reaktion ist Gold wert:

„Bring sie nach Hause, Xander. Auf der Stelle.“

„Nein.“

„Du Arsch.“

„Ich bin schon schlimmer beschimpft worden.“ S. 344

Das war’s. Ihr biologischer Vater bringt ihre beste Freundin in ein Seuchengebiet, in der Hoffnung, dass sie sich mit dem tödlichen „Virus“ ansteckt und sie gibt ihm verbal gerade mal einen Klaps auf die Finger und verbringt dann einen feucht-fröhlichen Mädelsabend mit ihrer besten Freundin. Bravo!

Seid Ihr bereit für noch eine absolut realistische Darstellung zwischenmenschlicher Interaktion? Seid Ihr bereit für noch weniger Emotion?

Dann betrachten wir doch einmal Kai und seine Mutter. Beide immun. Seine Mutter wird von der Armee beauftragt, nach einem Heilmittel zu suchen und lässt mit wenig Widerwehr ihren Sohn in die Todeszone, um ein Mädchen zu finden, das er seit 2 Tagen kennt. Das war das letzte Mal, dass die beiden sich gesehen habe. Zwischen den ersten und den letzten 200 Seiten der Trilogie gibt es 800 Seiten lang keine Handvoll Kontaktversuche zwischen Mutter und Sohn. Jeder Kontaktversuch erfolgt von Kai aus. Und jeder Einzelne endet damit, dass er danach wieder auf dem Radar des ASR und der Regierung auftaucht…und verfolgt wird. Seine Mutter zeigt also nicht nur wenig Interesse daran, ihn zu finden, Callie hat sie ja schon vor einem Jahr aufgegeben, sie sorgt direkt und indirekt dafür, dass ihr Kind von den Behörden verfolgt wird.

„Hi, Mum.“

„Kai, Gott sei Dank. Wie geht’s dir?“

„Gut.“

„Bist du bei Rohan?“

„Ja. Warum hast du mir nicht gesagt, dass er Generalmajor ist?“

„Irgendwann hätte ich das schon, doch du bist ja so schnell davongelaufen. Und wegen der Soldaten tut es mir wirklich leid. Ich hatte keine Ahnung.“

Das weiß ich inzwischen auch, aber was hat sie sich nur dabei gedacht, einem Generalmajor zu trauen? Doch dazu sage ich nichts. Für einen so hohen Fuzzi ist er eigentlich ganz cool. Mum und ich müssen uns wieder vertragen. S. 408

Ich weiß nicht, wie es Euch geht, aber ich habe schon deutlich leidenschaftlichere Unterhaltungen übers Mittagessen mit meinen Eltern geführt als die beiden über Verrat und Lebensgefahr.

Was ich Euch definitiv nicht vorwegnehmen werde, sind die Geschehnisse des eigentlichen Handlungsstrangs. Ob die Pandemie gestoppt wird, was die Hintergründe nun wirklich sind, wie es mit den Immunen, Überlebenden und Verschonten nun weitergeht…das dürft Ihr dann doch selbst herausfinden. Dies alles kommt in jedem Fall zu einem runden Abschluss. Es bleiben keine Fragen offen, alle Handlungsstränge werden zufriedenstellend miteinander verbunden. Der Infodump zum Ende, der die großen Fragen erklärt, hätte bestimmt schöner gelöst werden können, aber zumindest muss ich mich nun nicht weiter damit befassen.

So sehr es mir also das Herz brechen mag, mehr als einen Stern ist dieses Buch für mich nicht wert. Teri Terry bleibt trotzdem eine meiner Lieblingsautorinnen, aber mit dieser Reihe hat sie sich und mir keinen Gefallen getan. Der erste Band war noch unterhaltsam und innovativ, den Rest hätte es nicht mehr gebraucht. Lest lieber ihre Slated-Trilogie, das fantastische „Book of Lies“ oder ihr absolut geniales „Mindgames“.

[Eloise Mason · Rating 2 out of 5]

An underwhelming ending to a series that got worse as it went along. The first book left me with so many questions and suspense but the last two just didn’t pay off. The end where Xander let himself be burned instead of Shay felt rushed and not as climactic as I think it was meant to come off. Kai and Freja were still very annoying, the love triangle was kind of abandoned by the end of the book and by the last few chapters I was left with so many questions that all were answered in a boring info dump. The idea of the multiverse being more than just the community should’ve been introduced in the earlier books and Xander also didn’t really seem to have any motivation. Like yes he wanted to only have survivors in the world m, but I don’t know how he got the disease in the first place unless it was mentioned and I just didn’t notice.

The POV switches were also highly annoying. It’s all in first person, the chapters are very short and there are 4 pov characters in the end this made the book feel very jumpy.

Overall this book is a let down compared to the endings of the other two and I would not recommend reading this series

[Maurice · Rating 2 out of 5]

From where the second book ended I had expected this last one to not be my favorite in the series, but I still thought I would enjoy it way more than I did. While I don't think the first two books are anything too amazing, I still had a really good time reading them. Unfortunately this wasn't the case for this book anymore. Maybe it's just one of those stories that I am interested in for a certain amount of time, but not for three entire books.
The writing in this series was never good, but in the first books I could overlook that because of how entertaining they were. But in this one the writing started bothering me more and more. The characters, except Callie, all got quite annoying, and I especially thought Freja's perspective wasn't necessary at all. And what happened with the romance plotlines in here was just the absolute worst.
The only thing I enjoyed were the scientific explanations of the disease (and the cat I guess).
But overall I felt like I already read similar stories so many times before, so I just didn't care.

[Daniel Tothill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclaimer : I didn't finish this. I read the first 100 pages and the last 20. Neither enthralled me. Both were bland and boring and cringe worthy and predictable. The writing isn't terrible and I did enjoy the previous two books but this just felt awful. Perhaps due to a love of previous books I've read or my mood I just couldn't enjoy this. Perhaps I'm just moving on from YA. But I couldn't read this. I couldn't bring myself to open the pages. I'm sorry. But this is the ending of a trilogy I only thought was OK that is easily the worst book of the bunch and the ending I read seemed bizzare and disatisfactory. This was terrible in my opinion but just due to its sheer competence. That's why it gets 2 stars. It's fine. But it's not worth your time. And neither is this trilogy. I'm extremely dissapointed by it.

[Aaliyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeps the Vibes of the first two while having its own suspense too - Loved this series

[Feranmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I recieved an advance copy of this novel and the first two for free. Thanks to Scholastic Teen Reviews)

It’s important to note that throughout the Dark Matter trilogy, there is some swearing (however, in each book, there are never more than two explicitly said swear words), as well as descriptions of blood, death and violence. In this book there's some implicit references to sex that take up like two lines. This shouldn't be a problem but I think it's still good to know.

In the finale, we continue to follow our protagonist Shay and (her boyfriend?) Kai as the duo become seperated while trying to figure out the origins of epidemic, the disapperance of Callie and the mysterious Xander, leader of the Multiverse. With more characters, betrayals, twists and turns, will Shay and Kai ever find each other or what Xander has to do with the epidemic and the disapperance of Callie?

Who knows?

I do!

The strongest part of this novel and the whole trilogy is definitely the mystery surrounding the epidemic, what causes it and Callie’s disappearance. Terry skilfully creates a mystery that is very intriguing. This is what kept me reading the trilogy, the premise was so interesting and I just had to know how everything tied together. And Terry truly does tie all loose ends from the previous two novels by the end of ‘Evolution’ which makes it feel like I was rewarded for reading the trilogy. Where the characters and character development fall a bit flat, the plot and mystery is seriously what drives all three novels.

The survivors' ‘powers’ was interesting to read, so was the way Terry describes the survivors’ using their minds to manipulate their surroundings and the physics concepts used throughout the series. As someone who isn't the biggest fan of physics, I found all the science explained well enough and convincingly enough too.

Unfortunately, I didn’t personally connect strongly to any of the characters, not even the protagonist, Shay. I had a neutral feeling towards Shay, I didn't hate or dislike her, but I didn't like her much. I felt a bit meh towards her and felt that she was a bit generic. And I felt this way througout the whole trilogy. In fact, I even found some other characters such as Kai, JJ and Freja fairly annoying at times, but when any of the POV characters experienced pain or regret, Terry’s writing evoked these emotions strongly enough that I felt pity or sadness for them when needed. The villain was a character I liked a bit more that the other charcters simply because he had quite a bit of depth to his character, was unpredictable right until the very end and seemed like he was the least reactionary compared to other characters. He was the one causing the problems and those around him were reacting.

I quite liked how throughout the trilogy, Terry shows her characters going through both emotional and physical anguish as a result of the epidemic. She also doesn’t shy away from swiftly killing characters as well as random men, women and children to remind the readers of the danger that is constantly surrounding the characters and how the epidemic doesn’t discriminate when it comes to killing people. (Not quite GoT-style though, no main charcaters die, only side characters, but it can be very unexpected sometimes). Terry also shows how people can be more destructive and brutal to their fellow humans than any epidemic when there’s fear and mass hysteria involved – a concept that I felt was realistically written.

Generally, I had very little problems with this novel. I only had a minor issue with the ending of ‘Evolution: Into the Fire’. The romance was focused on a lot less in this novel which I was grateful for since I felt the romance was definitely the weakest part of the whole trilogy. Although I was pretty much satisfied with the explanations given at the end of the novel, I felt like the ending was a little rushed. I mean I've read all three books, I've been here for over 1,200 pages (each book is a little over 400 pages), I wouldn't have minded an extra 5 pages to stop things from feeling rushed towards the end.

The Dark Matter trilogy as a whole, is a very good read that is extremely intriguing, the writing is highly emotive when it needs to be and accessible, with a few challenging words sprinkled through the novel, so anyone can enjoy this series. Overall, I’d give ‘Evolution: Into the Fire’ and the Dark Matters trilogy 3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Camila Crocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

(This is not actually a review I Guess)
(Edit: it ended up being One)

Really liked this book 4.5 aka 5 stars but can we just for a second talk about Iona?
First of all?
What happened to Iona?? She was a created survivor and she didn't want to be one and was really week soooooo did she idk survive survive?! Im guessing She dos but since her dark matter was fake or wtv how? Idk i got confused there tbh

Second of all

Ugh honestly I sort of hated/loved her character cause if you REALLY think about it she's was one of those characters who is actually very fucking important for the plot (and was there since the beginning) yet she was only brought out when needed and then completly forgotten and that is kinda pissing me off a little

Also now that I am writing this I am second guessing my rating because there were a lot of things that were kinda meh about this series such as:
Insta romance
Kinda forced love triangle
The explosions of science talk (but thats just me. I still enjoyed just thought that for me- someone who knows nothing about the toppic was sometimes to unclear)
and the worst one of all:

The character development was actually shit. Even big characters like Shay, freja or Kay had barely any development or consistency for that matter- it sort of changed to fit the plot. (best example is obviously freja- She is shown as strong and caring (the two kids, not wanting to kill anyone with her mind) and then BUM all of sudden she Has to leave Kai and she Trusts xander completly and wants to kill everyone and take Over the world. All within a few Pages. And then oh now we blow it off by She being mentally unstaible. Typical. This could have worked i guess but only if her character had gotten a better development on idk stuff She went thru, her always changing her mind idk man anything!)
Even shay. Sure you care a little for the characters but most of the time i felt like I didn't have enough to care about.. idk

Lastely not so much in the last book but the other two I thought there were some things a bit predictable (ex.: The all Dr.1 is Alex i mean duh. By the time they figure it out it was just ridiculous it felt like watching Dora the explorer ask 10 yo me where's the ocean)

With all of this being Said it is still an aditife series, easy read and overall interesting and entertaing.


Thanks for reading this far. If you did- sry about possible typos. I am not native English my phone is all in Portuguese. Autocorrect is a pain :))


(Also changed it to 4/5)

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Teri Terry, and Charlesbridge Teen for the opportunity to read Evolution in exchange for an honest review.

Evolution is the third and final book in Teri Terry’s Dark Matter Trilogy.

Possible spoilers if you have not read the previous two books!

This book picks up directly where Deception leaves off. Shay, one of the first-person perspective characters, has left Kai behind, along with the ghost that was confirmed to not be his sister, Callie. So why do the memories of both Jenna and Callie hold so many similarities?

Shay has gone with her father, Xander, once referred to as Dr. 1. In this new community, literally called Community, Shay hopes to find her half-sister, Callie, Kai’s sister. Xander and one of the psychologists of the community, Cepta, seem to be hiding something about Callie, and Shay is determined to figure out just what it is. When she learn’s Callie’s mind has had blocks placed on it to keep her from remembering anything about her life before Community, Shay will do everything she can to remove those blocks.

Meanwhile, Kai (immune) and Freja (a survivor) seek Xander’s community, but have to face the realities that a group claiming to be a military faction is executing any survivors they find. Survivors of the epidemic have great psychic abilities and are said to be very dangerous. The news has warped the perception of survivors in such a way that people are even afraid of a kind young child.

The book wraps up the cause and reason for the epidemic: to evolve the human race into something greater (hence the title). Callie and Shay have alternate perspective chapters as they grow closer together as sisters and seek the truth behind the epidemic. Kai and Freja likewise have alternating perspective chapters in their sections of the books. Freja never tells Kai about Shay’s reason for leaving, and finds her own attractions to him. Of course one of the resolutions readers await throughout the whole book is the reunion of Kai and Shay, which is a bit lackluster.

The end of the book itself seemed to go into a large science dump for a few pages explaining the dark matter, the epidemic, immunity, and survivor traits. It was a bit much and a bit wild there at the end, but still interesting. While it took me out of the book’s reality for a few pages, it was still quite the enjoyable, easy read.

[Izatul Hidayati · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Just because a problem is hard doesn’t mean it isn’t worth tackling. Solutions often hide, but they will be there, presenting themselves when you least expect it—usually when you’re thinking or doing something else.”

Evolution is a third book of a trilogy written by Teri Terry. The first book being Contagion and the second, Deception. A sci-fiction with a perfect touch of thriller, this has become one of my favourite trilogy. The epidemic that was caused by a bunch of scientists have wrecked the world upside down, a lot people died and very few survived. How do they manage to heal the world? Evolution is a trail of Shay & Callie's adventures which ended in a perfect closure. Their relationship grew from strangers to family, holding each other together while the world are collapsing, while others betrayed them, leave them. This book portrays about love, friendship, family and the importance of knowledge through each one of the characters— most obvious on Shay, Callie and Xander. How do they save the world? and who exactly are 'they'?

Thoughts :
⁃ FINALLY. I've finished this trilogy after so long. Perfect ending, i'm very much satisfied. No plot holes, everything fits and makes perfect sense. Amazing piece by Teri Terry! ⭐️
⁃ The character buildings are so so strong and detailed, especially with Shay & Callie. I am very pleased to see every characters evolving as the story goes on- whether into evil or a decent being 🤝
⁃ The language is very light & easy to understand. Not much of unnecessary big words. Perfect for relax reading while you want to escape reality 👍🏻
⁃ The plot? not clichè at all. Didn't expect how things take turn so i must say it's a huge success for the writer bringing more and more surprises, chill and thrill into the story. LOVE IT SO MUCH! 😭
⁃ Thank you Teri Terry for giving such a pleasant ending, now i can sleep in peace 🤌🏻

Do i recommend this book?
YES. Go read this if you like sci-fictions and thrillers. This is almost the perfect book for you to enjoy as your everyday read, after school or work- just to relax & escape. Though, you can't just pick up the 3rd book and expect you'd understand the story. You won't hehe 😂 Start from the 1st book and join the adventure! (I don't really like the 2nd book but this 3rd one has made up for it) ENJOY! ❤️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

[Dai Guerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read these books as they came out and it is the first time I’ve read a series this way. I usually wait for a series to come out before reading them so that I don’t wind up forgetting what happens in between the books. I couldn’t wait for these though so as soon as the next book was available on Netgalley I would request it and luckily I was granted permission to read it.

I really enjoy the scientific aspects of this book. The physics explained in the book are interesting but I will have to do a re read to follow more. I was following along quite well when things were revealed in the second book but as time passed between that one and the third book it was hard for me to remember what had been said.

I like how the beginning scenes that people don’t know that this man starts this epidemic. I think its interesting to read in this time as a pandemic is happening and people are beginning to wonder if this is all a conspiracy. I thought as you read this book more it was interesting to see how things play out between the people who started the epidemic and the government.

Characters: I love each and every character that are introduced throughout this series. I really enjoy the side characters that Shay and Callie come across as well as all the people that Kai and Freja meet on their journey.

I really enjoyed watching Callie develop as a character throughout the first book and into this one. She has changed a lot through the course of this series and has become a completely different person.

I also really enjoyed watching the changing relationships between the four main characters and watching as those relationships change these people. I thought it was interesting to see how things developed for them and how things drastically changed from the first book.

Writing style: I like that this book includes multiple perspectives just as the other two before it did. It gives you Shay, Lara (Callie) , Kai, and Freja’s perspectives which allows you to be in more than one place at a time. It goes back and forth in parts at the start of the book to separate Shay and Lara who are in one location from Kai and Freja who are in a separate location.