3.5 Stars!

The Last Hope is one of those books that is harder for me to review because it was very different from the first book in the duology, The Raging Ones. The characters were the same, but the story took a turn I wasn't expecting (possibly because I hadn't seen the new book blurb).

This book felt like it was more about a quest than it was the connection between the characters. I was most interested about Mykal, Court, Fanny's relationship in the first book. Their histories and the personal stories was what made that book for me. With a greater emphasis on their quest, I wasn't enjoying things as much. It took a long time to build up to the quest and reasoning behind it. I wasn't really into all that stuff. Once the reasoning behind it all -- the baby, the connection between Mykal, Court, and Fanny, what was at stake-- became apparent and the action started, I became way more invested in the story.


That last third of the book when everything started happening was super exciting. I loved finding out how everything was connected and what it meant. This part of the story saved the book for me. I wasn't quite as into this book as I was the first one, but it was still a fast-paced read that gave me an ending I was satisfied with. I enjoyed Krista and Becca Ritchie's writing even when I wasn't into the story. Overall, I thought it was a good way to end the duology.

What an awesome closing to an awesome adventure. I really enjoyed following our three favorite bonded characters as they try and save earth. We ran through a plethora of emotions as our three characters developed into what seemed to be three separate entities by the end of the story. I loved how things progressed and the flow of the story was smooth. I wish there was another book in the series, but I will have to make do.

<b>The Last Hope</b> the sequel to [book:The Raging Ones|30301147] was another fun <i>Young Adult Sci-Fi</i> book. While it took me a little longer to get into the story and to find my footing with these returning characters, the story ramped up nicely overall and ended in a way that was both exciting and satisfying.

A nice compliment to the first, I was glad to see another duology rather than stretching a series into a trilogy and have a middle book suffer because of it. The Ritchie sisters have crafted a well-thought out story arc and installed a trio of main characters who are completely individual and also wonderfully connected to each other along with the greater story.

"The Last Hope" by Krista and Becca Ritchie was simply amazing. I didn't even read the first book in this duology and it didn't even matter. They did a good job at sprinkling the details I needed throughout and I had no problem attaching to the characters even without knowing them from the prior book. There was a lot about this story that stood on its own. The science fiction/space aspect of it was well-developed but didn't overpower the plot or the human aspect of the story. The romances were beautiful, but the platonic relationships involved were equally as powerful. It just reveled in so many gorgeous aspects of humanity and love and survival and life and death. I highly recommend it. Simply amazing.

In a nutshell, Book one and Book two are completely different books. Same characters, same plot building up and out, but somehow entirely different. The Raging Ones was a sold sci-fi with awesome world-building and an honest and believable plot. This one ... took a very weird turn. Like magical babies, water world planets with 80's-esque tropical clothing, and humans on spaceships dressed like roman gladiators. I'm not quite so sure what to think of this one. My complaints from the first book still hold here, but I still enjoyed it as a whole???

2.5/5 stars

I lived the twists in this book guys! I devoured the first book in The Raging Ones and was STOKED to get a copy of The Last Hope. I loved the dynastic of Mykal, Court and Franny and the twists in this? Perfection.

This was the prefect way to wrap up this duet. Literally I couldn’t’ be more happy.

I can’t even write anything but to tell you hat this is everything you want and I refuse to spin anything. GO READ IT.

The Last Hope is the conclusion to The Raging Ones Duet. I was happy to be reunited with the great set of characters. The blurb summarizes this book perfectly so I will not really go into that. Krista and Becca did a great job with this duet. It was original, mysterious, suspenseful, emotional, funny and romantic. It did take me longer to finish this book, I didn't get the urge to binge-read it in one or two sittings. There were a couple of times, especially in the beginning of the book, that I thought the story was moving too fast. I had no idea how everything could be resolved in one book. However, the authors surprised me and did a pretty good job in telling a complete story.

Franny, Court, and Mykal are such amazing main characters and I enjoyed reading their POVs. All the side characters were very important as well, and I loved how all the relationships developed even further. We learn so much new in this book and a couple of those revelations really surprised me, and added another layer to the story. I think the authors did a great job in adding the twist to the story. I loved that everything was so easy to understand, and not confusing (which is sometimes the case with fantasy/scifi books). I really enjoyed this duet and am very sad to say goodbye to all the characters. I really hope Krista and Becca will decide to write more books in this genre, because they are pretty good at it.

Not sure what it is about this novel that makes this novel less exciting than it could be. The plot is interesting, of that there is no doubt. The story is interesting, the plot is interesting enough to keep the reader somewhat engaged, but there is something about the pace of the novel that makes the story dull and uninteresting. It is not even that the characters are uninteresting; they are, especially given the representation going on here. Court and Mykal are in a relationship, and it is beautiful to see their relationship grow and survive through all the struggles they face. To see the kind of love they have for one another is fantastic, and to see it flourish in this novel is one of the better highlights of this novel.

The characters have come a long way from the previous novel, and not just the main characters but also the minor characters as well. They have all developed and grown, of that there is no doubt.
However, the pace of the story is lacking. Moreover, it is not as if nothing is happening; things are happening; these characters have come to know some undeniable truths about their history that explains so much to them. However, the pacing, the dialogue, and narrative, something is lacking about it that makes the story seem so slow.

The authors do a good job summarizing the passage of time, and they do an excellent job of making sure that the vital information is not just packed in at one moment, they make sure that the story has substance, but when it comes to the pacing, something is lacking. Some of the scenes, they do not flow as strongly as others; they linger too much on internal narrative and exposition without the dialogue fully utilized to capture the importance of the scene.

Ultimately, while the story presented has both a unique premise and strong characters, the pacing leaves a lot to be desired.

When I got an email inviting me to read the second book of The Raging Ones duology I jumped at the chance. The first book left me intrigued and kind of on the edge of my seat with a cliffhanger and I was excited to get back to these three and see how their story ended.

When we meet up with the three: Franny, Mykal, and Court, they are being held captive by an enemy crew. Though they aren't quite sure what the reasoning is and things are really not looking up for them. Because of their bond they are each suffering three-fold and they don't know that they are being watched.

They're saved by Stork and told so much new information about themselves that they don't know what to believe, then all hell breaks loose. The leaders of the people who freed them are murdered on a live feed and now it's up to them to save what's left of humanity. Yep, humanity.

I enjoyed that this book was fast-paced and kept me guessing, though it could be a little corny and far-fetched at times. I guess that's what comes with having three people emotionally linked? I was finding that the things I found endearing in the first book were things that annoyed me in this one. It was obvious that Mykal and Court were moving forward into their relationship and leaving Franny behind. Not going to lie, I was really rooting for all three of them to live happily ever after.

That doesn't happen, though.

The ending, with the baby...It's simple and no-nonsense and will kind of leave you scratching your head a little bit. I enjoyed everything being tied up with a nice little bow, even if it wasn't what I wanted.

Mostly I loved Stork and his growth. The other three kind of got on my nerves through the whole book until the very end and even then I was annoyed with them. Maybe that's just me, though.

"We are together. We are one, and we are two and then three, and finally, we have found real, everlasting peace"

* * *
3 / 5

I really loved The Raging Ones: I thought it was so creative, with a setting on a frozen world with a lilac sky where everyone knows the date that they will die, and a trio of soulbonded characters where the two men are in love. I knew it was going to be a hard act to follow and The Last Hope was a good book, but it was a little "far out".

"You know, you carry yourself like you have a thousand secrets"

The book picks up where it left off: Franny, Court, and Mykal in the brig of a starship, accused on being Human rather than Saltarian as they have always believed. The empire of Saltare spans a number of planets and our trio grew up on the smallest and most provincial of the four, never subjected to a DNA scanner. Saltare and Earth have been at war for years and Earth is losing because Saltarians can only die on their deathday. Kind of hard to fight an enemy that you can't kill.

The trio are rescued by a new character to the show - Stork - who gets his own point of view chapters, they join up with the Earthen fleet and end up on some hair-brained goose chase involving a prophesied magical baby. The plot is, to be honest, kind of whack. The high point of this book is definitely the characters: Court, Mykal, and Franny are still distinct, realistic, gritty, lovable characters. And then Stork gets added to the mix, tough, devoted, loving Stork who knows what it is to grow up somewhere you don't truly belong. 

"It's better to be cautious. To be alert. To be maddeningly strict and survive than to be starry-eyed in love and perish"

This book is fantastically written - all the characters have their unique signature, so I always knew exactly whose chapter I was reading without having to check. Mykal is rough and gruff with slang, Court is precise and in pain, Franny is full of emotion and filled with a sense of urgency, and Stork is reflective and drunk at least 50% of the time. I also thought that this series worked really well as a duology. 

I seriously recommend that people give this series a shot - it's creative, full of life and ideas and fantastic characters.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the authors for an ARC of The Last Hope.

I recently read an Advanced Copy of The Last Hope. This is the conclusion to The Raging Ones. First let me be honest and say I have yet to be disappointed by anything Krista and Becca Ritchie write. Okay, on to the book...three friends, Franny, Mykal and Court have dodge their deathday, forcing them to flee their planet. The Last Hope take you through each harrowing moment they fight to survive. A Blaudrader, the enemy, offers to help. But can they trust him? What will be asked of them and will they be willing to comply? Find out in this fast paced, sci-fi full of plot twist and surprise.

'The Last Hope’ is the conclusion to Franny, Court, and Mykal’s story, started in ‘The Raging Ones.’ A proper, full review would include spoiling plot points, so if you generally trust and agree with my taste in books, please run – don’t walk – towards this duology and enjoy! ‘The Last Hope’ releases on August 13, 2019.

The Quick Cut: The final book in this duology, three teens connected to one another find themselves rescued for the sole purpose of helping with a mission. Not all is as straight forward as it seems when the truth of who they are slowly comes to the surface.

A Real Review:
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So much of who we are is connected to where we came from. How can you connect to that though when your home and it's details are kept secret from you? This is the reality for our three heroes: Franny, Court, & Mykal.

Our three heroes start having learned the truth of who they are a month ago, while sitting with the truth in the bright of a ship. Just when they realize that escaping is a far off reality, someone comes and bails them out with the promise of truth about their origins in exchange for help with a mission. Is this rescue as straight forward as it seems or is there ulterior motives lying under the surface?

It took me quite some time to get back into this story. Based on the way the book starts, it seems clear that this duology is meant to be read close together. By the time I got a third of the way through the story, I JUST started to get back into the rhythm of the characters. On the upside, the general arc is interesting and provides plenty of opportunities to see the characters develop.

On the downside, some of the answers to the story's created questions are very far fetched and feel as much once the book ends. The Sense8 type connection between these three was intriguing enough, but when you expect your readers to buy this many bananas answers... you lose your audience in the process.

With a fascinating story but odd answers, the final result is a mixed bag.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

THE LAST HOPE is a thrilling conclusion to the THE RAGING ONES duology. As we know from the first book, Franny, Court, and Mykal found each other on their death days, when they became inexplicably linked. Able to detect each other’s emotions, touch, and taste, the ability sometimes feels like a blessing and other times like a curse.

They live on Saltare-3, a cold planet where technology has advanced so much that a special reader can tell you the exact date you will die. It is inescapable, and you cannot defeat it through endangering your life earlier- things which should kill you may only maim you. You will only die on your death day. However, Franny, Court, and Mykal somehow escaped their death day, living through it. Each had a different place in their society, filling the roles allowed to them by chance and their death date. For instance, Franny was a fast-tracker, someone who would die before 29, and so does not receive education, takes labor jobs earlier, and generally lives for pleasure until their death date.

The three ended the previous book with stealing a spaceship after forging different death dates, along with some of their classmates, and arriving in space to learn that they are actually human, and the others are Saltarian. This book begins where the last left off, with the three locked up in the brig and wondering what that revelation even means. Soon, they are rescued and then sent on a mission to find a newborn. We get many of the answers to the questions that arose at the end of the first book, as well as more exploration of what the universe looks like in this future.

What I loved: The pacing in this book was better than the first, and I was completely captivated the whole way through. The world-building is also enhanced as we learn more about Earth and the Saltare planets in this book. The sci-fi is a lot stronger. The romance is also stronger. The couples that arise were amazing, and I was cheering for them the whole way through. I loved the main characters still, and the new characters added were equally as endearing. I really admire how different the main characters are and how well they come off the page.

What left me wanting more: As a relatively minor point, the sci-fi explanations were not quite so scientifically accurate, and there seemed to be a supernatural element to these, as well as a little belief needed to accept them. The ending also felt a little rushed with a lot coming together and happening quickly without full explanations. I would have liked a more extended ending to fully capture the end and how everything comes together. Adding to this, I would have liked one more chapter in the epilogue from another point-of-view to also add to the what will happen vibe (I won’t say who to avoid spoilers).

Final verdict: THE LAST HOPE is a fantastic end to a wonderful duology, and I highly recommend for fans of sci-fi, such as DEFY THE STARS and ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. Despite minor concerns, this is a strong continuation of a really engaging and intriguing YA sci-fi/fantasy duology.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Is it possible that I love The Last Hope more than I loved The Raging Ones? Yes, yes it is possible.

I enjoyed this sci-fi genre bending YA romance adjacent duology with all my human heart.

This conclusion was interesting. Actually, it was very different from what I was expecting. Which isn’t bad at all – just notable.

Again, the authors know how to spin a well thought through and captivating story. A brand new plot, a new directive, and a glimmer of hope.

After enduring the cliffhanger from book 1 I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book. I had to know what was happening with my favorite trio. Color me ecstatic when I found out that there was someone else just waiting in the wings – to complete the trio in a way.

The bond between Franny, Court, and Mykal was as strong as ever, and the history of such a bond turned out to be as unique as the trio itself.

I still felt that the balance between the three was off at times, especially since Franny felt more like a third wheel than an equal partner. I wanted her to have someone to connect with on a deeper level as well. Someone that would balance it all out. I did get my wish in a sense – but it wasn’t entirely satisfying.

The entire book wasn’t as satisfying as The Ratings Ones. Even though I love the authors’ writing style, I still feel like this duet was a pale comparison to their other books. On the other hand for someone that has never read anything by this author duo, and is a lover of all things YA and fantasy this duet would be a fantastic place to start with. It delivers everything a lover of all things sci-fi and YA might wish for. And it confirmed that I love sci-fi way more than YA fantasy.

Did not finish. I could not get into this one. I thought the characters fell kind of flat. I tried giving it 100 pages but it just was not working for me.

I don't know where these authors have been hiding but I need more books like this from them! Just....wow.

Full review to come closer to release date. I might just read this again before then!!

3.5 out of 5 stars

***ARC received from Wednesday Books and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***

The Good

- Characters again are really good. The majority of this book is told from Franny's POV, it still has chapters from Court and Mykal's POV but Franny is definitely the main lead in my opinion. She's really the strong driver of the story, so much that you could almost cut out a majority of Court and Mykals chapters and not lose much. Franny is still struggling to find answers to who she is, how as a human she ended up on the Saltare planets. She feels like the most fleshed out of the characters, her fears, love, anger and want to trust people. There is a new character introduced, named Stork and I really liked him. He felt like Franny to me, complex wanting to be honest but still wanting to honor the trust put into him.

- Relationships/Romance. So, my dreams of an threesome didn't come true (dreams crushed...) but what we were given is just as good. The relationship between Stork and Franny is the slowest of the slow burns and the payoff isn't much but its beautiful.

- Finding a place you belong with people that aren't like you was a big theme in the first book. Court, Franny and Mykal all struggled finding their place in Stardust, knowing that not only are they linked but that they can be injured and die. Its expended in this book and handled in a really nice way. The authors do a great job of creating characters that feel real with expected emotions and struggles, a nice culture clash.

The Not So Good

- It kills me to say this because I loved him so much in the previous book but Mykal just didn't work for me in this book. In the last book, when he struggled to fit into Stardust, admitting his own mistakes but learning from and not letting other change him was nice. Now he turned into a one note character, almost all his chapters are dedicated to him pining over Court. Mykal was careful in the last book, trying to protect his friends but here he announces about his relationship with Court even though he knows, or at least should know, that being guarded around strangers is the best way to protect people.

- Pacing is off in this book. There is a big mission that should have taken up the majority of the book, it feels important its treated like its important but in the end its just crammed into the back of the book. There is no urgency. The Raging Ones has a subtle tension running through the second half of the book, the worry of being discovered that was lacking in this book. I think if they had spend more time doing the mission instead of random stuff around the ship that tension would have been there.

Its not a bad book, it still has some really strong aspects to it the payoff just isn't there for what started as a strong sci-fi series for me.

This is the one series that has managed to cure my broken Sense8 heart and it’s sad to see it end.

“The Last Hope” finds our group waiting for the end following the revelation that they’re actually from Earth and it doesn’t take long before they find themselves thrown into a world where death is unpredictable and the only way to save humanity is to find a child who can be the key to it all, but nothing comes easy and with new enemies and allies coming into the fold, Court, Franny and Mykal find themselves relying on each other more than ever before.

I really do love the dynamic between these three and I think this book strengthened that love by showing us more of how the link works in both the happy and pain filled moments that carry this book through a bit of a muddied plot.

The characters themselves benefit from adding on more side players to really show this greater dynamic between what has always been and what will be and I really enjoyed seeing it all come together. I was especially happy to meet Stork who fit in and stood out perfectly as we slowly learned his past and his motivations for the future and I can’t decide which of the three I enjoyed him interacting with more.

The entire backstory as to why they were raised away from earth and how they ended up linked was so well done and that was one of the moments I was most worried about as it could have easily became corny but it really set the stage for what was to come which I rather enjoyed.

The plot though, gets a little iffy around the last quarter but as I said above I was already too connected to the characters to really stop and ask questions that there probably aren’t real answers to which is fine for me but it might not work for everyone. I think it offers a happier kind of message in terms of what exactly hope is and how that can transfer to real life so that much I was fine with it was just the one thread I’m unsure actually gets resolved but I’m going to pretend it does just so I can sleep peacefully at night.

I really like this series and as I mentioned earlier it already has a few “what’s going on? 🎶” moments to connect it to sense8 even further and for that I can’t dock it too many stars.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review!!**