xephtastic's review
4.0
T.A. Hernandez has done an excellent job elevating the stakes in this thrilling conclusion to her dystopian trilogy. She has taken into account all that has happened in the previous two books and asked the question: What are the consequences?
Perhaps one of my favourite things about this series is the way that the author deals with consequences. Each decision that a character makes is followed through with an outcome - either for better or worse. Actions always have repercussions, though they are not always immediate.
This book centers around the consequences of a decision made in the previous book, and it deals with the fallout, both in the lives of the main cast and the country as a whole. New characters are introduced, and it doesn't take long for them to feel like a necessary part of this story. The relationships between each of the characters are filled with conflict - and each person ultimately has to make their own conclusions about trust and working as a team.
The past always seems to catch up in the end, and this book explores how each individual and their history affects their decisions and their ability to move on. T.A. Hernandez tackles this in a way that makes each character feel like a real, flawed person.
Aside from the excellent characterisation, there is a healthy dose of well-written action, with high-stakes gunfights and explosions, which is something you'd expect from a thriller.
Quiet moments are more frequent in this book, as the characters need to reflect on their actions, and these moments are interlaced with the fast-paced sequences in a way that each pace complements the other.
All in all, this is an exceptional end to a story I have thoroughly enjoyed. I'll miss reading about these characters, but T.A. Hernandez has ended her trilogy in a way that leaves me feeling satisfied with the journey, with a sense of hope for the future.
Perhaps one of my favourite things about this series is the way that the author deals with consequences. Each decision that a character makes is followed through with an outcome - either for better or worse. Actions always have repercussions, though they are not always immediate.
This book centers around the consequences of a decision made in the previous book, and it deals with the fallout, both in the lives of the main cast and the country as a whole. New characters are introduced, and it doesn't take long for them to feel like a necessary part of this story. The relationships between each of the characters are filled with conflict - and each person ultimately has to make their own conclusions about trust and working as a team.
The past always seems to catch up in the end, and this book explores how each individual and their history affects their decisions and their ability to move on. T.A. Hernandez tackles this in a way that makes each character feel like a real, flawed person.
Aside from the excellent characterisation, there is a healthy dose of well-written action, with high-stakes gunfights and explosions, which is something you'd expect from a thriller.
Quiet moments are more frequent in this book, as the characters need to reflect on their actions, and these moments are interlaced with the fast-paced sequences in a way that each pace complements the other.
All in all, this is an exceptional end to a story I have thoroughly enjoyed. I'll miss reading about these characters, but T.A. Hernandez has ended her trilogy in a way that leaves me feeling satisfied with the journey, with a sense of hope for the future.
ejfisch's review
5.0
I mentioned in my reviews of this book’s predecessors—Secrets of PEACE and Renegades of PEACE—that I was in a unique position while reviewing them because I’d had the opportunity to read them way back in their infancy. Taking that into consideration, I feel like I’m also in a unique position while reviewing this final book in the series, but for the opposite reason: I was left guessing what would happen next like every other reader.
Survivors of PEACE picks up virtually right where Renegades left off and we find the characters diving into (or getting sucked into) a whole new set of problems. While some of these problems affect all the characters as a whole, the interesting thing about this book is that most of the issues are very personal. Zira and Jared each find themselves facing personal demons from their pasts, some of which take the form of people and some of which are more abstract. I love tangible conflicts and gunfights and battles as much as the next person, but I also love seeing broken characters and their individual struggles, and there’s no shortage of those in this book. And in the third book of a series where you’ve gotten to know and grown invested in those characters, the impact is that much bigger.
Anyone who’s read the series thus far shouldn’t be surprised to know that America is in a fragile state when Survivors opens. A lot of change happened all at once at the end of Renegades, which naturally leads to a lot of unrest and uncertainty around the country. Where characters like Zira and Tripp were once part of a rebellion working to bring down the tyrannical PEACE Project, they’re now working to create unity among those resistant to change. Their biggest foe is a new terrorist group that has formed with the intention of restoring power to the Project. This of course means there’s plenty of intrigue, espionage, action-packed shootouts, and explosions. Lots of explosions.
Despite all of that, I felt like there were more “slow parts” in this book than there were in the others, but that by no means actually takes away from the story. This is a different plot with different stakes where quiet, reflective moments were not only appropriate but necessary given everything else that was happening. After going through hell in the previous books (and this one, for that matter), the characters needed these moments. They’re woven in perfectly among the missions, plot twists, and action sequences. The process Zira and Jared go through as they come to terms with everything they—and the other—have done is masterfully handled, and each of them gets a finale they deserve.
This was a great conclusion to this series that built off the previous stories but also added unique elements of its own, some of which I definitely hadn’t expected. Most importantly, there was an extremely satisfying sense of closure that I think was practically a requirement for a story that could be so bleak at times. I’m sad to see it all end, but am pleased with the way it did.
Survivors of PEACE picks up virtually right where Renegades left off and we find the characters diving into (or getting sucked into) a whole new set of problems. While some of these problems affect all the characters as a whole, the interesting thing about this book is that most of the issues are very personal. Zira and Jared each find themselves facing personal demons from their pasts, some of which take the form of people and some of which are more abstract. I love tangible conflicts and gunfights and battles as much as the next person, but I also love seeing broken characters and their individual struggles, and there’s no shortage of those in this book. And in the third book of a series where you’ve gotten to know and grown invested in those characters, the impact is that much bigger.
Anyone who’s read the series thus far shouldn’t be surprised to know that America is in a fragile state when Survivors opens. A lot of change happened all at once at the end of Renegades, which naturally leads to a lot of unrest and uncertainty around the country. Where characters like Zira and Tripp were once part of a rebellion working to bring down the tyrannical PEACE Project, they’re now working to create unity among those resistant to change. Their biggest foe is a new terrorist group that has formed with the intention of restoring power to the Project. This of course means there’s plenty of intrigue, espionage, action-packed shootouts, and explosions. Lots of explosions.
Despite all of that, I felt like there were more “slow parts” in this book than there were in the others, but that by no means actually takes away from the story. This is a different plot with different stakes where quiet, reflective moments were not only appropriate but necessary given everything else that was happening. After going through hell in the previous books (and this one, for that matter), the characters needed these moments. They’re woven in perfectly among the missions, plot twists, and action sequences. The process Zira and Jared go through as they come to terms with everything they—and the other—have done is masterfully handled, and each of them gets a finale they deserve.
This was a great conclusion to this series that built off the previous stories but also added unique elements of its own, some of which I definitely hadn’t expected. Most importantly, there was an extremely satisfying sense of closure that I think was practically a requirement for a story that could be so bleak at times. I’m sad to see it all end, but am pleased with the way it did.
gs_jennsen's review
5.0
In reading Survivors of PEACE, some lyrics from the big finale song of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode kept running through my mind: “The battle’s done and we kind of won / So we sound our victory cheer / Where do we go from here?”
Survivors of PEACE is about the morning after. The days, weeks and months after the cause the characters have given everything for has been won…and life is still hard. It would have been so much easier to end the series on the vague promise of the sunshine and roses to come, but Hernandez chooses to tell the hard—and more authentic—story.
The wounds inflicted by the rebellion have cut deep, and no one knows who to trust. There’s no question that Zira, Jared and the rebels could use a respite, but first they have to build a new world atop the rubble of the old one. Ryku and the deposed PEACE Project refuse to go quietly, and there’s blood yet to be spilled before this fight is over—if it’s ever over, because Hernandez seems to inherently understand something crucial: freedom must continue to be won every day. By the end, I think Zira comes to understand this as well, and at last finds her own peace.
Survivors of PEACE is about the morning after. The days, weeks and months after the cause the characters have given everything for has been won…and life is still hard. It would have been so much easier to end the series on the vague promise of the sunshine and roses to come, but Hernandez chooses to tell the hard—and more authentic—story.
The wounds inflicted by the rebellion have cut deep, and no one knows who to trust. There’s no question that Zira, Jared and the rebels could use a respite, but first they have to build a new world atop the rubble of the old one. Ryku and the deposed PEACE Project refuse to go quietly, and there’s blood yet to be spilled before this fight is over—if it’s ever over, because Hernandez seems to inherently understand something crucial: freedom must continue to be won every day. By the end, I think Zira comes to understand this as well, and at last finds her own peace.
More...