ificouldreadallday's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
aadiaz868's review against another edition
2.0
A disappointment, I loved the first two books, but this was horrible I couldn't wait until it was over.
carrieat's review against another edition
2.0
Not great but tied it all up. Like with Fade a gap filler you can dip in and out of.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
This was exctremely sad, and often bittersweet, and it took me in some surprising directions, and some obvious directions.
Janie really carried the world on her shoulders, and even when she thought she'd found the perfect solution to her little problem, she realized that the fork was a lot worse than what she had thought in the beginning. And really good for her that Cabe was always so patient!
Captain was great, a real mother-figure for Janie, and my goodness, did she need one.
The end was bittersweet as well, and left me with a feeling that there should be a small epilogue, although at the same time, I was quite satisfied that there was no real happily ever after - it made it more real - no hollywood ending for this series.
The writing was eerily beautiful, and the insight to Janie's character, as well as her growth through the three books was amazing and very nice to follow.
Janie really carried the world on her shoulders, and even when she thought she'd found the perfect solution to her little problem, she realized that the fork was a lot worse than what she had thought in the beginning. And really good for her that Cabe was always so patient!
Captain was great, a real mother-figure for Janie, and my goodness, did she need one.
The end was bittersweet as well, and left me with a feeling that there should be a small epilogue, although at the same time, I was quite satisfied that there was no real happily ever after - it made it more real - no hollywood ending for this series.
The writing was eerily beautiful, and the insight to Janie's character, as well as her growth through the three books was amazing and very nice to follow.
origamibird's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
the ending was a bit obvious but at least i wasn't disappointed that way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Child abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Terminal illness, Body horror, and Ableism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Antisemitism, and Rape
witchofottawacounty's review against another edition
5.0
Again, the writing was choppy. I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. Not only was it just as interesting as the first two, it may have even surpassed them, in my opinion. Not only that, but the series ended gracefully, which is not always the case with trilogies.
rlisaacs's review against another edition
2.0
I actually finished this yesterday, but didn't want to type my review until I'd had time to think. After which, however, I am still not happy, and so I can feel I am giving you my honest opinion in the words that follow. (I apologize to the author in advance... but yeah.)
So, I did not enjoy this as much as I would've preferred to. This series as a whole had a, regrettably, Divergent Series effect for me. (Not as severe as that, because I hated the ending of Allegiant, and I was more just underwhelmed with the ending of this series).
I liked the first book, and I liked the second book. They were fairly the same for me. But I was constantly not happy with this book. And it was all Janie's fault. She was awesome in the first book, in my opinion. But by the end of book 2 (Fade), I thought she'd landed in a fairly stable spot. Both mentally and emotionally.
Spoilers To Follow!!!!: Don't read further if that will bother you.
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In the second book, Cabel annoyed me more, what with his inability to handle Janie being in danger and himself being in love with her. Their lack of communication in both these last books irks me to no end. But at the end Fade, they were happy and together, and Captain (that's the officer in charge of them and their cases, FYI) has told Janie that times have changed. Advancements have been made since Martha Stubbin wrote her little notebook, and Captain has connections that they can use to see about giving Janie a better future. And sure, maybe it will turn out that there is no cure, or no way to prevent Janie from a large part of her fate as a dream catcher. But still! At the end of book 2, I thought we were feeling all kinds of hopeful. I would've rather read a third book that saw her making schedules for clinics and trials, seeing special doctors, finding other catchers who had more answers. And all the while, maybe solve another case.
No dice. The third book sees Janie, almost from the start, suddenly deciding that her only solution is going to be isolating herself from everyone. EVERYONE. And I'm an introvert, so I get a little of that. I need my space sometimes. I like having time alone, to unwind and relax. But to completely isolate from, literally, everyone??? Forever???
I liked that we got to see who Janie's father was. I like that we figured out he was a dream catcher. And I like that Janie did figure out that there is no best path or solution for her being a dream catcher. Neither is great, both will end in a not great way, and it's just a matter of which you want to deal with. But again! Maybe there is another way, and the only reason we don't know about it is because Janie doesn't actually try to use the resources Captain talked about to try and discover that. (As you can tell, this part annoys me more than anything.) Janie isolates herself, keeps to herself, doesn't talk to anybody about what she's thinking, planning, or doing. And she never, even once, considers trying to see if Captain can schedule a visit with some doctor who can maybe find a way to help her. It's only mentioned briefly in book 2, but I would've so loved to see some expansion on that possibility. And instead, we got a book full of Janie being incredibly sorry for herself, being incredibly stupid (in my opinion), and a rather underwhelming ending.
I started this review off with three stars, but I don't think I realized just how irked I was until I started typing. We're dropping to a 2.5. I would've rather ended at book 2, Fade, if this was how book 3 was going to go. (Several reviews stated that when I read them too, but I thought I owed it to myself to finish the series. To anyone who hasn't read and is still wondering, end at Fade. That's my opinion. You will be happier with life if you do.)
Sorry for the spoilers (I did warn you). And sorry for the rant.
So, I did not enjoy this as much as I would've preferred to. This series as a whole had a, regrettably, Divergent Series effect for me. (Not as severe as that, because I hated the ending of Allegiant, and I was more just underwhelmed with the ending of this series).
I liked the first book, and I liked the second book. They were fairly the same for me. But I was constantly not happy with this book. And it was all Janie's fault. She was awesome in the first book, in my opinion. But by the end of book 2 (Fade), I thought she'd landed in a fairly stable spot. Both mentally and emotionally.
Spoilers To Follow!!!!: Don't read further if that will bother you.
-
-
-
-
-
In the second book, Cabel annoyed me more, what with his inability to handle Janie being in danger and himself being in love with her. Their lack of communication in both these last books irks me to no end. But at the end Fade, they were happy and together, and Captain (that's the officer in charge of them and their cases, FYI) has told Janie that times have changed. Advancements have been made since Martha Stubbin wrote her little notebook, and Captain has connections that they can use to see about giving Janie a better future. And sure, maybe it will turn out that there is no cure, or no way to prevent Janie from a large part of her fate as a dream catcher. But still! At the end of book 2, I thought we were feeling all kinds of hopeful. I would've rather read a third book that saw her making schedules for clinics and trials, seeing special doctors, finding other catchers who had more answers. And all the while, maybe solve another case.
No dice. The third book sees Janie, almost from the start, suddenly deciding that her only solution is going to be isolating herself from everyone. EVERYONE. And I'm an introvert, so I get a little of that. I need my space sometimes. I like having time alone, to unwind and relax. But to completely isolate from, literally, everyone??? Forever???
I liked that we got to see who Janie's father was. I like that we figured out he was a dream catcher. And I like that Janie did figure out that there is no best path or solution for her being a dream catcher. Neither is great, both will end in a not great way, and it's just a matter of which you want to deal with. But again! Maybe there is another way, and the only reason we don't know about it is because Janie doesn't actually try to use the resources Captain talked about to try and discover that. (As you can tell, this part annoys me more than anything.) Janie isolates herself, keeps to herself, doesn't talk to anybody about what she's thinking, planning, or doing. And she never, even once, considers trying to see if Captain can schedule a visit with some doctor who can maybe find a way to help her. It's only mentioned briefly in book 2, but I would've so loved to see some expansion on that possibility. And instead, we got a book full of Janie being incredibly sorry for herself, being incredibly stupid (in my opinion), and a rather underwhelming ending.
I started this review off with three stars, but I don't think I realized just how irked I was until I started typing. We're dropping to a 2.5. I would've rather ended at book 2, Fade, if this was how book 3 was going to go. (Several reviews stated that when I read them too, but I thought I owed it to myself to finish the series. To anyone who hasn't read and is still wondering, end at Fade. That's my opinion. You will be happier with life if you do.)
Sorry for the spoilers (I did warn you). And sorry for the rant.
novel_sarahndipity's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
scarletcorset's review against another edition
3.0
**3.5 STARS**
I think I'd have to say this was my least favorite of the series. This book focused more on Janie's internal struggles, which was a nice departure from the non-stop action in the previous books. But at the same time, it lacked any action almost completely. Also, I'm really unsure about the ending... I wasn't exactly disappointed, but I wasn't content with the outcome either; I think I was just hoping there would be something more... Despite the ending being a little slower than I would have hoped, as a series overall I really did enjoy it!
I think I'd have to say this was my least favorite of the series. This book focused more on Janie's internal struggles, which was a nice departure from the non-stop action in the previous books. But at the same time, it lacked any action almost completely. Also, I'm really unsure about the ending... I wasn't exactly disappointed, but I wasn't content with the outcome either; I think I was just hoping there would be something more... Despite the ending being a little slower than I would have hoped, as a series overall I really did enjoy it!
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I love this series, and Gone makes for an immensely satisfying end to Janie's story -- so much so that I hope McMann makes her way back to Janie and Cabel at some point. I would love to run into this couple again in their 30s or 40s.
Gone explores a lot of emotional terrain in relatively few pages, and this in itself is a testament to McMann's talents. There's no filler here, every word counts. This time we get much more insight into Janie's complicated, dysfunctional relationship with her alcoholic mother.
I fell in love with Cabel in Wake, and it's continued to be a sheer joy reading about his and Janie's blossoming relationship, the deepening of their bond and Janie's struggle with possibly having to abandon him. Their new love is sweet and genuine, and as I said after reading Wake, Cabel is the boyfriend we all wish we had in high school.
The big pay-off in Gone is when Janie is dragged into the mystery of who her father might be. The ramifications of this discovery, and what it means for her "condition", are far-reaching and could lead to utter heartbreak. I just love how McMann handles this twist in the story. It doesn't feel forced or gimmicky.
I highly recommend this series, both for its originality and quiet intensity.
Gone explores a lot of emotional terrain in relatively few pages, and this in itself is a testament to McMann's talents. There's no filler here, every word counts. This time we get much more insight into Janie's complicated, dysfunctional relationship with her alcoholic mother.
I fell in love with Cabel in Wake, and it's continued to be a sheer joy reading about his and Janie's blossoming relationship, the deepening of their bond and Janie's struggle with possibly having to abandon him. Their new love is sweet and genuine, and as I said after reading Wake, Cabel is the boyfriend we all wish we had in high school.
The big pay-off in Gone is when Janie is dragged into the mystery of who her father might be. The ramifications of this discovery, and what it means for her "condition", are far-reaching and could lead to utter heartbreak. I just love how McMann handles this twist in the story. It doesn't feel forced or gimmicky.
I highly recommend this series, both for its originality and quiet intensity.