The Offering… Book 3 in The Pledge Trilogy by Kimberly Derting…

The third and final book in this series really was the best… I’m struggling on a star rating and I’m going with 4, possibly 4.5 stars…

This one was action packed starting with a dramatic scene where Sabara’s lover Niko betrays Xander when they visit Queen Elena to talk peace between Ludania and Astonia… a gruesome message is then sent back to Charlie and we’re not sure if Xander is dead or alive… Charlie then sneaks away from the palace and embarks upon a mission with Eden and Brook to rescue Xander (if he is still alive) and sort things out with Elena...

There weren’t really any plot twists as such. We as readers, get parts of the story from the different character's POV so we mostly know what's happening, but it was gripping, fun and entertaining. It was also emotional and upsetting in parts too which rings true to the Dystopian genre it's labelled under…

Despite what the synopsis says, Charlie’s still struggling with Sabara’s essence within her and I like how it’s depicted, we definitely see her personality, bravado and confidence grow… We meet some new characters and I enjoyed the POV shifts throughout… The only thing I wasn’t fussed on was the romance side of the story… it just wasn’t happening for me I’m afraid… being a big romance junkie, for me it’s a fundamental part of the story hence marking it down slightly… there were so many great opportunities there – Max and Charlie, Brook and Aron, Xander and Sage, even Sabara and Niko… but it didn't seem ‘heartfelt’ for lack of a better word… the writing was good but it didn’t make my eyes fill up or my heart flutter… that being said, I really wanted more from Xander and Sage and would love to hear their story.

Everything seemed to get wrapped up in the end with no loose ends, although I would have liked to know what became of Sebastian, the little *expletive* but the ending was good and satisfactory with a nice epilogue to round things off...

 

 The Blurb

 

True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy.
Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks.

When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom.

But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost.

 

Here are your links for the series:

 

The Pledge (Book One)... Amazon... Goodreads... My Review...

The Essence (Book Two)... Amazon... Goodreads... My Review...

The Offering (Book Three)... Amazon... Goodreads...

 

4 Star Review of The Essence... Book Two in The Pledge Trilogy by Kimberly Derting

This second instalment in The Pledge trilogy is a complicated book to review… this will most probably contain spoilers, which is something I don’t usually like doing but I’m afraid I can’t explain my thoughts and feelings about the book in any other way…

First of all - I didn’t love The Pledge… I gave it 3.5 stars as I found it lacking in a lot of places, but the storyline was good so I thought I’d give this one a shot and see if it improved any, and yes it did in some ways, but in others it was still sorta mediocre…

Most of this book is spent travelling… on horseback, train and boat, through the Scablands where we meet new, likeable and not so likeable characters. Charlie and her crew end up at The Summit, where she meets a host of Queens from other countries who are all rather odd and have their own powers, she discovers that one of her men is a traitor, internally battles the Essence of Sabara for control over her body, tries to resist Sabara’s lover Niko and ends up in a bad situation with Brook’s father which doesn’t end well!

Charlie and Max’s relationship doesn’t really develop much from the first book as they spend an awful lot of it apart and, unfortunately we didn’t get much character growth from Max either… there’s also something stiff in their interactions, maybe it’s the way the scenes are written but I don’t feel much connection with them from a readers POV.
Charlie vs Sabara – I liked this element of the story a lot… I found Charlie’s struggle for power over her mind and body to be well written… the dreams/memories that Charlie experienced gave us good insight into what Sabara’s life was like and I found myself empathising with her… I also felt the passion in her and Niko’s relationship and I’m actually hoping that they get a HEA of their own, without Charlie’s body present obviously!
I knew I was going to like Aron… we get to know him a little better in this and I’m looking forward to more from him in the next book, along with Brook of course who is probably my favourite female character, I’m also hoping her and Charlie mend their relationship as it seemed a bit bleak when I finished this…
Unfortunately there was a distinct lack of Xander in this book but I’m hoping to get more in the next one.  Also, the Assassin… I guessed who it was from their chapter and was a bit disappointed with how that situation ended… hopefully it will be resolved on the final one (fingers crossed)

Anyhoo… like I said, the storyline and writing were good but, there were a lot of inconsistencies and it was only the last 70% of the book where I couldn’t put my kindle down… it’s a nice Young Adult, Fantasy Romance and I will be reading the next one shortly to see how it ends…

 

 

The Blurb

 

At the luminous conclusion of The Pledge, Charlaina defeated the tyrant Sabara and took her place as Queen of Ludania. But Charlie knows that Sabara has not disappeared: The evil queen’s Essence is fused to Charlie’s psyche, ready to arise at the first sign of weakness.

Charlie is not weak, but she’s being pushed to the brink. In addition to suppressing the ever-present influence of Sabara, she’s busy being queen—and battling a growing resistance determined to return Ludania to its discriminatory caste system. Charlie wants to be the same girl Max loves, who Brook trusts, but she’s Your Majesty now, and she feels torn in two.

As Charlie journeys to an annual summit to meet with leaders of nearby Queendoms—an event where her ability to understand all languages will be the utmost asset—she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. And the only person she can turn to for help is the evil soul residing within. 

 

Click HERE to view this book on Amazon.co.uk

and HERE to take a look at it on Goodreads

4.5 Star Review for Middle Ground by Katie Kacvinsky...

The Sequel to Awaken is another delightful instalment to the trilogy... Katie Kacvinsky's writing just gets better throughout the series, it's action packed and angst filled and a thrill to read... I couldn't get through it fast enough...

Maddie goes through one hell of a magic carpet ride when she gets sent to the Detention Centre (or D.C. as they refer to it) no thanks to her brother Joe... the storyline here is an original one for me and, although it's pretty out there on the believable stakes, it's highly entertaining...

We got to know a few of the character's a bit better... I warmed up to Molly, Scott and Pat (although Pat did get a bit intense), I liked the new character Gabe we meet in the DC, and I really did feel for Justin... you can tell how much Maddie means to him... he's really grown on me in this book but I still wouldn't say he was in my top ten book boyfriends...
And Maddie... well, she infuriated me no end... I suppose this is what makes it so entertaining but there were a few times where I just thought 'really?... why would you do that you idiot!?'

I would say I can't wait to read the final book but, I have heard from various sources that it's not the predictable ending we expect... I don't want to say too much as I don't have all of the facts, but I've heard it described as Allegiance without the death... so, here I go... about to start reading Still Point... look out for my review hopefully by the end of the week...

The Blurb

In this provocative cautionary tale for teens, the sequel to Awaken, seventeen-year-old Maddie's rebellion against the digital - only life grows dangerous. Maddie is in Los Angeles, trying to stay out of trouble. But one night, a seemingly small act of defiance lands her in the place she fears the most: a detention centre. Here, patients are reprogrammed to accept a digital existence. Maddie is now fighting for her mind, her soul, and her very life. Once again, Katie Kacvinsky paints a disturbing picture of our increasingly technology-based society.

The Awaken Trilogy by Katie Kacvinsky 

#1 Awaken via Amazon and Goodreads
#2 Middle Ground via Amazon and Goodreads
#3 Still Point via Amazon and Goodreads

4.5 Star Review for Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

This is the second book I've read by Katie Kacvinsky and I love her writing... she thinks outside the box and it's really refreshing not to read the same words being regurgitated on the page over and over again in these Young Adult (YA) books...

This has a very dystopian feel to it... and it's hard not to compare it to the world we live in now... although extreme, it seems like this is the route we're heading towards... how many of us are okay with being completely unplugged?
It's set 50 years in the future where, because of all of the crime, violence and terrorism in the world, the government have developed a computer system where society barely has to leave their homes, everything is done online and people are discouraged to communicate with each other face-to-face. Children are made to attend Digital School from their homes until the age of 18. There are programmes for everything... take virtual walks along the beach, if you want to chat with a contact you can see a hologram instead of meeting in person, take virtual classes like self defence etc. There are zip-shuttles and trains instead of cars. And because of the shortage of trees on the planet it's all fake plastic ones and plastic paper...

Maddie is the daughter of the founder and developer of Digital School... the story comes from her POV and as a character I liked her but she does get a little frustrating at times...
Justin is the son of extreme radicals who are fighting against a digital life... he was pretty hard to read, I liked him a lot but I didn't fall in love with him straight away...
A star crossed lovers story, but it's not all cliché and predictable... they meet in an online study group and Justin persuades Maddie to come to a face-to-face one, and that's when the adventure begins....
Maddie never really knows how Justin feels about her until later in the book because he tries to keep himself at a distance, she's always had a rebellious side, but she's been on probation and grounded for the last two years and it's Justin's words and actions that 'Awaken' her out of her digital slumber... he's very focused and intent on bringing the DS system down and I thought it was pretty obvious why his group pursued her, so I was kind of taken aback that she hadn't figured it out and got so upset when it was revealed...

Maddie's parents are an odd coupling, it's hard to imagine why they would be together at all since they're so different... Her dad is the villain of the story and so far he's not even likeable... her mother is a different kettle of fish... she encourages and embraces non-digital things...
Justin's parents are cool and you can see why he's so passionate about their cause.

It's well written, a few typos, but overall it's the content that gets you hooked... it's more fantasy themed and both the romance and storyline was slow off the mark, but it was interesting and intriguing.
This could be enjoyed by a young teen audience as there are no sexual scenes or use of inappropriate language, they (finally after bated breath) make out a lot in the last quarter of the book but it goes no further than touching waists and necks and skin ogling!
It doesn't exactly leave you on a cliff-hanger but it does leave you wanting more, the ending confused me a bit... I'm looking forward to the next book in the series Middle Ground... I have it waiting on my kindle and I can't wait to see what happens...

 

 

The Blurb

Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin.

Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her.

   Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking.

   In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space...

 

 

 

Click HERE to view and 1-click at Amazon

 

Click HERE to take a peek at Goodreads