Review: Good but falls a bit flat
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 27, 2013
***Spoilers ahead***This finale was anticlimactic. Most of the book showcases Mina being gullible, oblivious, and lacking common sense, with everyone else trying to rescue her and to stay alive in the process.I liked Ali & Hiro's characters the most. Daniel for the most part was a nice POV to be in. I nod to the author for making the Scottish dialect come out so well on paper. I liked that there was a conclusion to their tale, though it was a bit 'happily ever after.' Yet I sadly can't think of much else to praise. It's not to say that Unleashed or the Blemished series is bad, but I guess it just wasn't the tale for me. I tried really hard to like the series, but something was missing from each one that I can't place my finger onIn this book, Mina's lack of caution and common sense is what really irritated me for the first 3/4 of the book. She blindly trusts a woman she hasn't seen in 10 years over her friends and her father who's cared for her for most of her life. She takes everything at face value. If she stopped to think that maybe he kept the truth from her for a reason, such as to protect her, instead of just focusing on the fact that he lied to her, things would have turned out much better.Matthew wasn't very bright either. He clearly says at one point that he tortured by the GEM for information about Mina and the Compound. Then when Mina's mother who works for the Ministry steps in, he thinks it totally fine to bring her to Mina AND the Compound? Isn't that just giving the GEM what they were after all along? I'd have lost her as soon as I had gotten free - sister-in-law, mother to my niece, or not. Everyone (including the reader) could see how fake she was, except for Matthew and Mina apparently.As I mentioned in my review for Vanished, it seemed everyone's tempers flare so easily. I'm not sure why everyone, and I mean everyone, has such short fuses... Speaking of attitudes, the Resistance was just as bad as the GEM in their mentality. Neither one was in the right. Again the author's theme of the need for equality and justice floated along in this book as well.There were a few grammatical errors and inconsistencies, like Matthew calling Mina's father Jonny when he referred to him as John in Vanished; Hiro calling Mina "Aunty" when in Vanished they said they were like brother & sister. And when did Angela learn to load a gun...? I don't remember her doing any combat in Vanished or in Blemished. Mina's dad monologue with his extended dying breath was lengthy and not surprising. Why couldn't he have just told her from the start? I mean having telekinesis when no one else does would make me assume I wasn't normal. Learning that why I and my friends had those powers was the result of genetic research would make logical sense, considering the Ministry is just around the corner & learning that my mother works for it. Why so hush-hush? And why so shocking to them all when they finally learned the truth?There were also some random bits. Like the snake when Mina and her mother were 'picnicking.' Surely it was planted. Also when Angela later thinks about a future with Cam, the thought of buying a goat and making cheese seems very out of place with the thought of having kids together and a house by the sea...Also, Daniel becoming the face of the Resistance seemed a bit unbelievable. His speech wasn't even inspiring. They definitely took his words out of context, especially considering the Resistance was the ones who bombed the civilians in the first place, regardless of whether they were caught in the crossfires or not.Finally there was mention of the rest of the world. There was only 1-2 sentences in the epilogue simply stating that the world had abandoned them in their time of need. Seriously... It's quite unbelievable that countries would do absolutely nothing, especially when they seem to love to get into each others' business nowadays.I've said enough. I refrained in my critique of the first two books so I guess I decided to not hold back with this one. In the end, I suppose a fitting conclusion to the series, though a bit anticlimactic.Note: I received a free, advanced copy from the author in exchange for a honest review.