CONTRITION by Lee Strauss

CONTRITION by Lee Strauss 4 STARS 

Synopsis-  ...the farther you fall...
Zoe, Noah and the other plane crash survivors
are stranded in the Arizona desert.
They all have secrets,
and reasons to hide.
But they’re not alone.
Cyborg soldiers.
War.
Humans and humanoids.
Who can be trusted?
Zoe’s life is in danger.
Noah must make an impossible choice.
Will their love survive their brokenness?
Will the world as they know it end before they can find out?

Overview- 

I really enjoyed the final book in this series! This was a great ending with a lot of difficult choices and quite a bit of twists and turns! I was surprised with some of the turn of events, and disappointed/saddened with many of them, but in the end, I enjoyed the entire book, series, and characters. Great overall futuristic dystopian series! 

Cover: Pretty
Rating- PG 13
Characters:  Mary, Noah, Zoe, Taylor, Hannah, Rebecca, and Jazbel
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Last in Trilogy 
Recommend if You Like...The Eve
Book Boyfriend: Noah
Genre:  Young Adult 
Sex Scenes: No
Setting California, Arizona 

Plot --
The only downside of this book was figuring out the plot and overall purpose for the series. I never once thought about it during my reading the book, but afterwards did realize that the movement in the plot felt stagnant at times. That said, because the purpose was hard to figure out, it made the book that much more mysterious and interesting. Admittedly though, there were still times where I wasnt happy with the plot point, I disagreed with some of the things that occurred. But I can understand why the author made those decisions. 

The pace of this book felt really slow at times. especially when they were in the desert. Okay so for most of the book. I truly couldnt figure out where the book was going, were they going after the president, or hiding? What was their purpose, and I guess I struggled with this issue throughout the book. I also didnt like the back and forth emotions of Noah. The desert issues just felt so slow, and unnecessary at times. 


I think what made this book good were the moments of the book where I was in awe of the plots movement and evolved nature. I was pleasantly surprised with Zoe at times but Noah felt more one note in this book. 





Characters- 

Brittany Snow as Zoe

Zoe- I like Zoe but I disliked her in this particular book the most. She was weak for most of the book and her passion seemed so lost and empty. I wanted her fiesty self back! However, given her point in the book, I was upset she was weak, it was part of the plot, it helped moved the plot point forward. I was happy with the way everything ended and it was a great final moment for her and Noah! I also liked the ending of the book and where it left her, it was perfect. 

Noah- Aw Noah. I loved him. He is so beautiful. He was always worried about Zoe and doing what was best for her, so incredibly selfless. It was a great love story for them, it was easy to see that there was passion yet that he was struggling to keep her safe 

Noah 

Taylor- I cant figure this one out. He was the most confusing of the characters. I know I dont like him regardless of the fact that at times he was helpful and useful. In the end he was selfish though and I hated him for that. I still dont understand the Fred incident, did he plan that? Oh well. 

Hannah- that poor girl! Shes pregnant and went through so much. But what she ened up doing to the family from the desert ( Noah and Zoe) is unforgivable to me. Her behavior was truly disappointing.

Rebecca- I understood her the least. I dont get her at all. Dont see how her character truly mattered. 

Cyborgs in the Desert- I kind of liked the rogue cyborgs! They were awesome. LOL. Okay maybe not awesome, but certainly interesting...I was sad to see them go. 

Mary and Jazbel- I liked Jazbel but not Mary. I think Jazbel had a great heart and a lot of passion, but Mary just seemed angry all the time. I was disappointed with the outcome of their stories, but I think overall the author did a good job of recovering and creating a decent ending for them.