Isaura

Isaura by Ruth Silver (Book 3)- 3 STARS 

Synopsis--SECRETS WILL BE REVEALED.
Olivia has little choice but to head into the dangerous Gravelands, as the new government wrestles with fixing the damage to society. If traveling through outlaw territory isn’t frightening enough, Olivia learns she has exposed her secret and is hunted by those she trusted. In a race against time, her life and those she loves are in jeopardy.

* I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley

Overall --I'm going to be perfectly honest here, I didn't really like this book until about 50% of the way in, and even then I still have quite a few problems. However, I gave this book 3 stars for the plot line and the ending, which I commend the author for, she actually gave the book a good ending, one I could live with and be happy with. There was finality without being depressing or abrupt. Which I REALLY appreciate. And lets be honest here, the third book is always the hardest (in my opinion) because by now your readers have expectations, hopes, feelings and attachments to characters and to the story line, ending it properly, for the fans and for yourself can be difficult.

What I didn't like….where to start. I don't want to bash on the writing or the author, thats certainly NOT my intent. But I do want to say a few things about this book that I didn't like. I think for anyone who's been reading this book, you will read the third regardless. And you should. Its worth it. However it is not without its faults. The biggest frustration I had with this book was the pacing and style. I felt disappointed this time around because I constantly felt confused, (until about 50% when things started to get back to "normal", i.e. the same style as the other two books) It felt as though I was being rushed through a story line that had yet to be flushed out. There were tons of inconsistencies, that when reading felt really weird and confused me further (for instance at one point in time, Olivia makes reference to how she hasn't seen Joshua "since he left for Torv" as if this was so long ago, but from my reading of it, he left for Torv the day before she makes this statement, and yet later on in the story Im told it was quite a bit longer, but never how long…the timeline felt really messed up). Not knowing a timeline throughout most of this book really messed with my thoughts and feelings on the different stories and I would have liked to have this fleshed out more. And frankly I never felt like the "Isaura" thing was ever fully explained or explained well for that matter. It seemed like I was supposed to just know what was going on…Lastly, I felt like the story in and of itself could have been more fleshed out, more descriptive at times.

In the end though, at about 50% it seemed to go back to the typical style and was back on track. Were there things I didn't like? Of course (I would have liked if she hadn't skipped intimacy altogether between a married couple instead making these scenes awkward…). BUT I also liked that the story was innocent and sweet. That true love was such a powerful weapon in this novel and series. I say true love because its the love Olivia and Joshua have for one another that really kept them going at times and fighting for freedom.

Cover- Pretty
Rating: PG 13 
Overall: A good ending to an interesting trilogy. 
Characters:  Joshua, Olivia, Isuara, Cate, Adelaide Rane, Henry
Page Turner: Sometimes
Series Cont.?  Final in Trilogy
Book Boyfriend: Joshua
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian 
Sex Scenes: No
Setting - Republic of Cabal 

Characters-
Joshua--I feel like I didn't get to know Joshua as much in this book as I did in the others, his presence just wasn't as strong to me. I still love him, and think he is quite the gentleman but I also feel let down. His interactions with Olivia seemed short lived and not as genuine. I still loved him though, he was devoted to Olivia and always so strong and considerate.

Olivia--I don't think Olivia went through a whole lot of changes in this book, that was mostly seen in the last one, but I appreciated that some of her decisions and thought processes proved her selflessness. Although it did seem that she always had a plan in this novel, and tried making the best of the bad situations, questioning things more than before. It never hurts to have your husband by your side either. I like that she is strong willed and determined but also sweet and caring.

Other Characters- I enjoyed the other characters throughout this book like Adelaide, Rane, Cate, Elsa, and Henry, but felt that I didn't really get to see them or get to know them like I had in some of the other books. At times I would have appreciated a second narrator so that I could get to know people better, but in the end Im happy with the way things turned out for everyone.