The first 85% or so of this book was very intriguing. Sadly, the ending just didn’t work for me as well as I’d hoped it would.

The overall story has a vibe that’s similar to many others: a group of people wake up somewhere unknown and have to go through a series of trials to find out what’s really happening. Where this one differs, though, is in the way that each character’s storyline is pushed forward, along with the manner in which futuristic tech is utilized.

I can’t really say much more without spoiling it, but I will say that one of the three big twists was easy to see coming. I had guessed a crucial detail about the biggest reveal far in advance, too. Neither of these things reduced my enjoyment of the book, which was sitting pretty firmly at 4 stars in my mind until the last 10-15%.

Yes, the ending wraps it all up, but it just didn’t have the necessary impact. I was left thinking, “Seriously? All of this because of that?” I expected a bigger, more interesting motive. I also expected one last twist from a character’s memory that was never completed (which, if it had been, could have provided a much better ending). Alas, neither of those things came to fruition.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.