laurenjodi's review
3.0
Head Rush
3 Stars
Continuing where Double Cross left off, Justine Jones is preparing for her wedding to Mayor Otto Sanchez and trying to ignore the feelings and clues that something is dreadfully wrong. Her friends and her fiancé appear to be keeping secrets and the city is under martial law due to rampaging sleepwalking cannibals and a rash of crimes that are eerily reminiscent of previous High Cap attacks. Adding to all this is Packard, now a fugitive wanted for murder, who insists that he is innocent despite Justine’s memories. Not knowing who to trust, least of all herself, can Justine unravel the mystery before it is too late?
Although the ending is ultimately satisfying, the journey toward the resolution is rather tedious and predictable.
Unlike the previous installments in which the Disillusionists and their activities are front and center, this book focuses on the mystery of Avery’s death. Unfortunately, as the reader is well aware of the guilty party, Justine’s bumbling about until the stumbles across the truth is both boring and annoying.
The romantic aspects are also problematic as Justine’s intimate moments with Otto are exceedingly icky given what we know about him. Thankfully, Justine comes to her senses sooner rather than later and her romance with Packard kicks into gear, which manages to compensate for the slimy Otto to a certain extent. Speaking of Packard, one cannot help feeling for the poor man -.
The second half of the book and the ending are better and Otto thankfully gets his just desserts. I would have been exceedingly irritated if he
All in all, a fun series although books #1 and #2 are better than #3.
3 Stars
Continuing where Double Cross left off, Justine Jones is preparing for her wedding to Mayor Otto Sanchez and trying to ignore the feelings and clues that something is dreadfully wrong. Her friends and her fiancé appear to be keeping secrets and the city is under martial law due to rampaging sleepwalking cannibals and a rash of crimes that are eerily reminiscent of previous High Cap attacks. Adding to all this is Packard, now a fugitive wanted for murder, who insists that he is innocent despite Justine’s memories. Not knowing who to trust, least of all herself, can Justine unravel the mystery before it is too late?
Although the ending is ultimately satisfying, the journey toward the resolution is rather tedious and predictable.
Unlike the previous installments in which the Disillusionists and their activities are front and center, this book focuses on the mystery of Avery’s death. Unfortunately, as the reader is well aware of the guilty party, Justine’s bumbling about until the stumbles across the truth is both boring and annoying.
The romantic aspects are also problematic as Justine’s intimate moments with Otto are exceedingly icky given what we know about him. Thankfully, Justine comes to her senses sooner rather than later and her romance with Packard kicks into gear, which manages to compensate for the slimy Otto to a certain extent. Speaking of Packard, one cannot help feeling for the poor man -
Spoiler
it is heartbreaking watching him hope that Justine will remember even a little about the day they spent togetherThe second half of the book and the ending are better and Otto thankfully gets his just desserts. I would have been exceedingly irritated if he
Spoiler
had been Disillusioned or redeemedAll in all, a fun series although books #1 and #2 are better than #3.
ssung's review
3.0
this one took me a lot longer to see through to the end, probably because i was dragging on how the outcome would be. but a nice close to the series.
(oddly enough i remember thinking fawna and simon would work out really well together what with their completely off the deep end opposite kind of crazy and what do you know, there is an epilogue concerning that.)
(oddly enough i remember thinking fawna and simon would work out really well together what with their completely off the deep end opposite kind of crazy and what do you know, there is an epilogue concerning that.)
zoealyce's review
5.0
Wow...
What a journey!
It's been a while since I've been so evolved in a series, and I've missed it!
There's something about this trilogy that was just so all encompassing! I found myself thinking about the characters and what was going to happen next while ever I wasn't reading... And had to stop myself from referring to them as real people in general conversation!
Some people may think that's sad... But people like me will understand!
The story itself was original and intriguing in every sense of the word, I fell a little bit in love with Packard and felt like Justin's journey was my own.
There was a few little plot twists and although I predicted a couple of them it was delectable to read.
It was well written and an absolute struggle to put down!
Loved loved loved it!! It deserves more than 5 stars!
What a journey!
It's been a while since I've been so evolved in a series, and I've missed it!
There's something about this trilogy that was just so all encompassing! I found myself thinking about the characters and what was going to happen next while ever I wasn't reading... And had to stop myself from referring to them as real people in general conversation!
Some people may think that's sad... But people like me will understand!
The story itself was original and intriguing in every sense of the word, I fell a little bit in love with Packard and felt like Justin's journey was my own.
There was a few little plot twists and although I predicted a couple of them it was delectable to read.
It was well written and an absolute struggle to put down!
Loved loved loved it!! It deserves more than 5 stars!
nakedsushi's review
3.0
It was alright. The previous book was such a cliffhanger, I'm glad this one tied up the series so nicely. I still don't understand how Henji can imprison so many people into one place without anyone getting suspicious though. Like if you were the coat check girl and you were stuck in a little coat check window day in and day out, wouldn't someone, say, your boss, notice that you never step out of it? How would you explain that?
lizzy_22's review
3.0
3.5 stars; I liked this book and it's supporting characters AND I understand why Justine acted the way she did, but she ANNOYED THE H*LL out of me all the way through the series, omg! Still it was an entertaining trilogy and I really liked the wrap up, if only Justine had had her epiphany sooner I might not have wanted to smack her all the time.
gothicglasses's review
5.0
The end of the series. I have loved the series from beginning to end. I took me about two and a half days to read this series. :P Now on to the fun part.
Justine is let us just say is confused through some of the book. With made me want to strangle her though it was not her fault. I like her the most in this book out of all of the three.
Otto is a funny character for me. In the first book I didn't love or hate him. In the second I hated him soo much. In this one I felt pity and sadness for him. I also felt that he deserved the ending he got.
Packard I... actually... like. there I said it and it nearly killed me. :P He proved himself to me in this one. I might not trust him with my life in real life but I would trust him more now than I did in the other two.
The ending Oh my the ending. My mom hated it. I didn't hate it but I thought it could have been... less I didn't love the ending but I could live with it. :)
Last but not least not at all
Simon let me get this out of the way.... SIMON I LOVE YOOOOUUUUU!!!!!!! *deep breath* I'm better now. :D but anyway Simon I thought was a slightly better person than before. I loved his interaction with Justine. I have not clue as to find and I saw at the very end of the kindle book that there was a book called Simon coming out soon I was sooooo happy I can't wait!
Justine is let us just say is confused through some of the book. With made me want to strangle her though it was not her fault. I like her the most in this book out of all of the three.
Otto is a funny character for me. In the first book I didn't love or hate him. In the second I hated him soo much. In this one I felt pity and sadness for him. I also felt that he deserved the ending he got.
Packard I... actually... like. there I said it and it nearly killed me. :P He proved himself to me in this one. I might not trust him with my life in real life but I would trust him more now than I did in the other two.
The ending Oh my the ending. My mom hated it. I didn't hate it but I thought it could have been... less
Spoiler
Happy bunnies and more darkness and death or something!Last but not least not at all
Simon let me get this out of the way.... SIMON I LOVE YOOOOUUUUU!!!!!!! *deep breath* I'm better now. :D but anyway Simon I thought was a slightly better person than before. I loved his interaction with Justine. I have not clue as to find and I saw at the very end of the kindle book that there was a book called Simon coming out soon I was sooooo happy I can't wait!
andimontgomery's review
4.0
4.5 stars. It's hard to say anything without spoiling the story, so I'll just say this was a great way to end the series!
anzuk's review
4.0
“You always find your way to truth, Justine.”
Slowly and painfully for your poor readers, but you do.
First impressions
I will pick on the cover again. What is it supposed to represent? Is that Justine? What’s that magic circle thing around her hand? Is she doing magic now? Will she discover a new power that will help her in her final battle against - I quote the book description - herself?
The plot
Head Rush is the final installment in The Dissilusionists series. The sleepwalking cannibals are still running through the city, terrorizing everyone. Otto sets a curfew that’s supposed to keep citizens safe, but we all know that he just wants to make his job easier in catching Packard. Justine is still under Otto’s spell, meaning that she still thinks that Packard shot Avery in cold blood. Lots of frustration going on there.
And, most importantly, Head Rush is about THE wedding. Yep, Justine is still going to marry Otto, and nothing can stand in their way. Or so Otto thinks. Little does he know that Justine is one step closer to learning the truth and will stop at nothing to expose him, free her friends and prove Packard’s innocence. The fight is on.
My thoughts
I don’t usually like to read one book after another. I like to take small breaks between books in order to clear my head a bit. However, Double Cross left me floating face-down in a pool of anger, frustration and sadness. I couldn’t help myself from finding out what happens next.
I finished Head Rush in one day. It’s been months since I managed to do something this crazy. The fact that the book is that good helped a lot. Even so, I still had several problems that I will mention later on.
The fact that Head Rush revolves around Justine and Otto’s soon-to-be wedding bothered me a bit. It felt similar to watching a soap opera.
Will Armando be able to save Sofia from marrying the wrong man? Find out more in the next episode of Flaming Hearts: A Love Story.
I would have liked the story to focus on the sleepwalking cannibals, Packard’s dark past and his constant competition against Otto.
Packard’s fight to try to make Justine see the truth was a pain in the ass. Justine’s constant denial gave me a headache more than once. As much as Packard compliments Justine about her intelligence, I fail to see it in her actions and thoughts. Justine’s mind is a wild jungle. Stay too long inside it and you’ll get a rash the size of China.
Oh, and remember my comments on the cover? No new magic skills. We have a misleading cover once again.
On the plus side we get a HEA and a long awaited properly executed sex scene. My compliments to Mrs. Crane.
A short conclusion
Head Rush is the conclusion to The Dissilusionists trilogy. The book is frustrating to say the least, but thanks to its fast-paced style it reads like a movie so it won’t take much effort to finish. It does provide the conclusion that the average reader is looking for, including a very sweet HEA. Will I read other books written by Carolyn Crane? Hell yeah! Would I recommend the series to my friends? Yes, I surely would.
Favorite quote
With that, I skate off from the man who once was my hero, leaving him there in the dark parking garage with all his plans and hopes and dreams. This man I will betray and attack tonight. The man I just might die with.
p_anova's review
5.0
Не ми се вярваше, че ще успея да се класирам с тази книга преди края на годината, но по Коледа очевидно стават чудеса. Така че тук още веднъж ще благодаря на всички замесени в цялото приключение!
Прекрасен финал на една чудесна трилогия с необичаен сюжет, изпъкващ на фона на еднообразните такива в същия жанр. Чаровни и крайно противни герои. Интересни свръхестествени способности. Шокиращи обрати. Горещи сцени. Екшън. Badass мадама, която превъзмогва какво ли не и действа без да чака някой да дойде да я спаси.
Не бих могла да си структурирам мислите за поредицата в ревю, тъй че ако сте любопитни, четете и преценете сами. Горещо препоръчвам.
Прекрасен финал на една чудесна трилогия с необичаен сюжет, изпъкващ на фона на еднообразните такива в същия жанр. Чаровни и крайно противни герои. Интересни свръхестествени способности. Шокиращи обрати. Горещи сцени. Екшън. Badass мадама, която превъзмогва какво ли не и действа без да чака някой да дойде да я спаси.
Не бих могла да си структурирам мислите за поредицата в ревю, тъй че ако сте любопитни, четете и преценете сами. Горещо препоръчвам.
shashashasha's review
4.0
I never read the first two(?) books of the series because I confess, I was looking for a nice in medias res story, and something that would wrap up, been reading too many ongoing series, needed a break. And how glad I am to have picked up this! Though, I really don't like Justine's name for some reason, sorry, just not bad ass enough for me :P Anyway, really enjoyed this book. As I didn't know what happened at the end of the previous book I was able to find out the truth along with Justine and it was a thrill. Love Packard and Simon and Shelby. Great plot, emotions, great twist at the end and pretty good writing. I will not go back to read the first two (don't really see the point) but really nice finale to this series. 4 star.