bhav's review against another edition
3.0
3.75 Stars.
This book is the final book of the trilogy, so I guess one of the biggest questions you have to ask yourself after the final book in a series is, did it do the series justice? And I think it did. The action was done well and dispersed through the book in the right places and the story was believeable.
At the start of Calamity, however it seemed that every single chapter ending had a cliffhanger, or an attempt at one. At points it felt like Brandon Sanderson was trying to do what all the other YA books do to keep up with them. A lot of the chapters (in my opinon) didn't need cliffhanger endings which were resolved in the first line of the following chapters and would have worked better with a constant flow from one to another.
However, as the book progressed and the speed and pace increased, the use of cliffhangers and shorter sentences had a much better effect on me and kept me on the edge of my seat. I guess I'm saying, use in moderation.
Something I really enjoyed about this book is the logical nature of the plot, despite being a fantasy book, the storyline still seems very believable. For example, the idea that Epic powers can be genetic is very reasoned, especially with twin study research that mental diseases such as depression & OCD, likening the powers seen in this book to diseases makes sense and helps the reader believe the story.
Culturing cells is a part of this story and I think the scientific reasoning being explained helped the book.
"David... what if the person you fell in love with really did die in Newcago? What if I find some kind of impostor?"
This is interesting, Megan seems to think she cannot be the same person if she has a different body and delves into Sci-Fi aspects that are difficult to consider. If she remembers the same memories does that make her the same person with the same consciousness, just in a different body but with the same genetic makeup?
Megan was a very interesting character in this book, she seemed to come into her own and her powers (and the darkness of them) reminded me slightly of Adelina from Marie Lu's [b:The Young Elites|20821111|The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1)|Marie Lu|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407318399s/20821111.jpg|25217978]
"Various cake decorations paraphernalia followed. I didn't even know the names of most of the stuff, let alone how it was used. All of this taught me one thing: cake decorating was serious business."
Comedy was well implemented and Brandon Sanderson didn't seem to have a problem putting it in during both action sequences and slower parts of the book.
However, as the ending got closer it did seem to drag a little. David was going over th[b:The Final Empire|68428|The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437254833s/68428.jpg|66322]e same things in his mind, "Could Tia have been wrong about Prof's powers?" But, after all the build up, I do think the waiting paid off.
"A man does not study, learn, obsess as you have because of hatred. No, these are signs of lust."
David being forced to listen to Prof while hunting down Loophole was very effective, he had to listen to the man he wished to kill as he went through the steps of getting there. This was much better build up for me than his conversations with himself. Actual action, but only with a minor epic.
Overall, an impressive book. I think I perhaps expected more from the series overall based on the hype Brandon Sanderson has had in the past. I hope his adult books, especially [b:The Final Empire|68428|The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437254833s/68428.jpg|66322], enthrall me as much (but hopefully more) than this series did.
Thanks to Orion Publishing Group for letting me review this for them through Netgalley.
This book is the final book of the trilogy, so I guess one of the biggest questions you have to ask yourself after the final book in a series is, did it do the series justice? And I think it did. The action was done well and dispersed through the book in the right places and the story was believeable.
At the start of Calamity, however it seemed that every single chapter ending had a cliffhanger, or an attempt at one. At points it felt like Brandon Sanderson was trying to do what all the other YA books do to keep up with them. A lot of the chapters (in my opinon) didn't need cliffhanger endings which were resolved in the first line of the following chapters and would have worked better with a constant flow from one to another.
However, as the book progressed and the speed and pace increased, the use of cliffhangers and shorter sentences had a much better effect on me and kept me on the edge of my seat. I guess I'm saying, use in moderation.
Something I really enjoyed about this book is the logical nature of the plot, despite being a fantasy book, the storyline still seems very believable. For example, the idea that Epic powers can be genetic is very reasoned, especially with twin study research that mental diseases such as depression & OCD, likening the powers seen in this book to diseases makes sense and helps the reader believe the story.
Culturing cells is a part of this story and I think the scientific reasoning being explained helped the book.
"David... what if the person you fell in love with really did die in Newcago? What if I find some kind of impostor?"
This is interesting, Megan seems to think she cannot be the same person if she has a different body and delves into Sci-Fi aspects that are difficult to consider. If she remembers the same memories does that make her the same person with the same consciousness, just in a different body but with the same genetic makeup?
Megan was a very interesting character in this book, she seemed to come into her own and her powers (and the darkness of them) reminded me slightly of Adelina from Marie Lu's [b:The Young Elites|20821111|The Young Elites (The Young Elites, #1)|Marie Lu|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407318399s/20821111.jpg|25217978]
"Various cake decorations paraphernalia followed. I didn't even know the names of most of the stuff, let alone how it was used. All of this taught me one thing: cake decorating was serious business."
Comedy was well implemented and Brandon Sanderson didn't seem to have a problem putting it in during both action sequences and slower parts of the book.
However, as the ending got closer it did seem to drag a little. David was going over th[b:The Final Empire|68428|The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437254833s/68428.jpg|66322]e same things in his mind, "Could Tia have been wrong about Prof's powers?" But, after all the build up, I do think the waiting paid off.
"A man does not study, learn, obsess as you have because of hatred. No, these are signs of lust."
David being forced to listen to Prof while hunting down Loophole was very effective, he had to listen to the man he wished to kill as he went through the steps of getting there. This was much better build up for me than his conversations with himself. Actual action, but only with a minor epic.
Overall, an impressive book. I think I perhaps expected more from the series overall based on the hype Brandon Sanderson has had in the past. I hope his adult books, especially [b:The Final Empire|68428|The Final Empire (Mistborn, #1)|Brandon Sanderson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1437254833s/68428.jpg|66322], enthrall me as much (but hopefully more) than this series did.
Thanks to Orion Publishing Group for letting me review this for them through Netgalley.
abdallahelfar's review against another edition
4.0
Not as amazing as the first two Reckoners books, but a satisfying enough conclusion.
caliesha's review against another edition
4.0
-Fast paced and enjoyable like the rest of the series
-Meet a variety of Epics with different powers and get more backstory on certain characters
-Megan's Firefight plotline was confusing at times with the alternate universes
-The ending was satisfying but I would have liked a bigger reveal as this is the final book
Overall - 4.5 stars
-Meet a variety of Epics with different powers and get more backstory on certain characters
-Megan's Firefight plotline was confusing at times with the alternate universes
-The ending was satisfying but I would have liked a bigger reveal as this is the final book
Overall - 4.5 stars
benjimurdock's review against another edition
4.0
A climactic conclusion to a story that I’ve wanted to read for a couple years! Brandon’s twist on the superhero genre made me curious for each stop on the journey. Sometimes it does take just a bit of faith in ourselves to get past our fears and to become a hero.
alrautio's review against another edition
5.0
You know, five stars isn't enough to display how in love I am with this spectacular YA series, and I cried when I finally reached the end, only because I knew there'd never be another book continuing David Charleston's story. It is such a gripping series and I can honestly say I only put the book down when I got a look from my teacher when I was supposed to be paying attention in class. This riveting story will stay with me for years to come and it is downright "calamitous" that David will never again utter another terrible metaphor/simile my way for my own sadistic amusement.
everthereader's review against another edition
4.0
The Reckoner's trilogy has made its way to my favorite sci-fi series. When it came to the last book, I was especially ecstatic to see how the whole series would wrap up. Sadly, I'm a little disappointed by this last book. There were the obvious wonderful aspects of the trilogy, like the characters, and the Epic's powers, as well as the humor (David's metaphors). However, things didn't quite add up in the end and it left me rather confused.
Read full review at: Marvelous Eden of Books
Read full review at: Marvelous Eden of Books
sarahjolioli's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
decafplease's review against another edition
4.0
When a trilogy is so epic you realise no matter what the ending is you'll have problems with it...
abigcoffeedragon's review against another edition
3.0
This ends the trilogy of the Reckoners. The first novel was the better of the series, with the freshest of ideas, however, this wraps things up nicely. I could see this becoming a film at some point in the future, and though it is mostly a young adult novel from the feel and main hero, it has enough action and fighting to be put in a theater next to any of the Marvel films.
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
3.0
From all the series by Brandon Sanderson I have read, Reckoners series is my least favorite. I don't know why... maybe because it was intended for young adult genre? But the characters and the world are less deep then his other fantasy novels.
Calamity was the weakest link in Reckoners series. The resolution was mild and without much impact. I expected much bigger mind-blow.
Still, this is a great series to give to a teenager as intro into fantasy genre. I will give it to my boy when he grows up. :)
Calamity was the weakest link in Reckoners series. The resolution was mild and without much impact. I expected much bigger mind-blow.
Still, this is a great series to give to a teenager as intro into fantasy genre. I will give it to my boy when he grows up. :)