I inhaled this book in a little over two days. Two days to finish something I’ve waited over two years for. It absolutely lived up to the hype, and then some.

Pierce Brown seemingly has no equal to crafting battle scenes and “OH HELL YES!!!” moments. Only Brandon Sanderson comes close. This entry in the series was chock full previous books-long payoffs, and while it contained multitudes of those stand up and cheer sections, it also completely ripped my heart out.

For what started as a borderline Hunger Games-derived, nearly-YA entry into the sci fi space, this series has grown into something else entirely. It has completely embraced being its “own thing.” It has a voice, a story to tell, and expertly pokes at reality in ways only a science fiction or fantasy book can. It is both a mirror and a warning to where we are at now as a society, and offers no perfect solutions. Instead, it offers a group of broken people, doing the best they can, and trying to be a little better each time.

I cannot recommend this book enough. In 50 years if this series is not looked upon with the same kind of reverence as others in its genres, I will not only be shocked, but I’ll be bloodydamn pissed.

Finally, I always appreciated the Lyria POV chapters in the previous two books more than most, apparently. However in this book she easily became one of my favorite characters.