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lpcoolgirl's review
5.0
Oh, what a great ending to the series! There were costs, but there was victory, and yeah, what a great book, just loved it!
ayyymonie's review
2.0
This book...gosh where do I begin with this book. I read the first one and loved it and then I got the second one and it was alright. I realized a pattern then nothing happens until the last few chapters. Like nothing. It just drags on and on and then it's the drama and whatnot. Then it's over. The romance was eh at best. So yeah this last one was just as okay as the second one.
elsemma's review
3.0
Overview
My actual rating is a 2.5 stars but because of my love for the first two books I gave it that half star. The best way I can describe this book was meh. It was an okay third book, it rounded off the series nicely, the characters got resolution but that was really it. That is all it did. There was no moment where I felt that spark of real fear for all of the characters involved. That being said there were certainly things that gave me a little shock. I just wanted more. More what I couldn't say because all the aspects for a gripping story were there, they just didn't. Until the last 50 or so pages anyway. The last 50 pages were great. A nice, realistic way to end the series with a few less realistic things thrown in, but therein lies the fun.
My actual rating is a 2.5 stars but because of my love for the first two books I gave it that half star. The best way I can describe this book was meh. It was an okay third book, it rounded off the series nicely, the characters got resolution but that was really it. That is all it did. There was no moment where I felt that spark of real fear for all of the characters involved. That being said there were certainly things that gave me a little shock. I just wanted more. More what I couldn't say because all the aspects for a gripping story were there, they just didn't. Until the last 50 or so pages anyway. The last 50 pages were great. A nice, realistic way to end the series with a few less realistic things thrown in, but therein lies the fun.
bibliosini's review
5.0
OH MY GOD!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FINISHED THIS SERIES!!!
This was soooooo amazing!!! I was near tears when this ended and all I wanted to do was scream and yell and jump around like a maniac!!!
That was absolutely amazing!!! I am so mindblown!!!!
I absolutely loved everything about this!!!! I loved the romance, the suspense, the thrill, the tragedy and the happy moments!!! I loved Charlie and Max and Brook and Xander and Sage and all the awesome awesome characters!!!
I'm absolutely against Layla/Sabara and Niko, but I seriously respect their love! Whatever they did, they loved each other, and that just makes their romance a real tragedy.
Anyway, I LOVED THIS!!! It was so good! And I recommend this to every reader out there! This trilogy was amazing! A hands down awesome trilogy!!! Derting is one hell of a writer!
This was soooooo amazing!!! I was near tears when this ended and all I wanted to do was scream and yell and jump around like a maniac!!!
That was absolutely amazing!!! I am so mindblown!!!!
I absolutely loved everything about this!!!! I loved the romance, the suspense, the thrill, the tragedy and the happy moments!!! I loved Charlie and Max and Brook and Xander and Sage and all the awesome awesome characters!!!
I'm absolutely against Layla/Sabara and Niko, but I seriously respect their love! Whatever they did, they loved each other, and that just makes their romance a real tragedy.
Anyway, I LOVED THIS!!! It was so good! And I recommend this to every reader out there! This trilogy was amazing! A hands down awesome trilogy!!! Derting is one hell of a writer!
erin_reads_boooks's review
3.0
This wasn't a bad series, but for some reason, it just failed to grab me.
bookishzelda's review
Wow. Well the book started out with quite a bang. Wow, I had to put the book down for a minute after reading the prologue. I quickly went back because then I had to know more but still.
This is book 3 in the series so I will avoid spoilers for this book but there will be some if you haven’t read book 1 and 2. Beware.
It’s amazing to me how much Charlie has grown from The Pledge to now The Offering. In The Essence we saw her being a lot more timid and reserved as she was trying to navigate through being a new Queen and dealing with Sabara/Layla’s essence inside of her. I felt like in this book she really comes into her own. Where she was barely riding a horse and falling face first into the mud during Zafir’s combat lessons, she now is...well she still has trouble with horses but she is more able to defend herself. She still can make rash impulsive decisions but she learns from them and by the ending of the book it’s like she blooms. I loved how her character developed.
I did miss some characters like Zafir who had a smaller role in this book but we get to know other characters better like Eden. I can’t say I became her super fan or anything but it nice to get to see some other sides of her. I also love Brooklyn and getting in her head is always fun. She is such a tough cookie. Max takes on his usual subtle role which just shows Charlie doesn’t need a guy to protect her. I really liked that we got to see more of Sage. It totally changed my view of her. There are many characters in this series but I never felt like they were fighting for your attention or underdeveloped. I felt like I got to know each character enough and of course I wouldn’t mind some novellas on a few, like Sage. Even though Charlie is obviously the main focus I felt like the story was shared among the characters and made it feel well rounded.
I love the world that has been built with the kingdoms. We once again venture out from the palace and get to experience more parts of Ludania. We saw a lot of the Scablands in book 2 and now we are seeing a lot of the coastal region. I thought it was cool how that Charlie gets to venture out into these areas rather than having them just refered to as she holes up in her palace. I want to know more though!! I want to visit the other kingdoms!! More spinoffs, more novellas, more writing….well I guess I shouldn’t walking around making demands. Ha ha.
There were plenty of intense moments. Like I said the prologue had me dropping the book on the ground but there were other parts where I felt like I couldn’t slow down my eyes. I was going to give myself whiplash flying through the pages like I was. Especially the last 100 there is no way I could have taken a break from that.
So yes this was an excellent 3rd installment of the series and I was very happy with it. My inner fantasy girl really enjoyed these books. Magic, Queendoms, Murder and cutie pie guys, you can’t go wrong with that.
This is book 3 in the series so I will avoid spoilers for this book but there will be some if you haven’t read book 1 and 2. Beware.
It’s amazing to me how much Charlie has grown from The Pledge to now The Offering. In The Essence we saw her being a lot more timid and reserved as she was trying to navigate through being a new Queen and dealing with Sabara/Layla’s essence inside of her. I felt like in this book she really comes into her own. Where she was barely riding a horse and falling face first into the mud during Zafir’s combat lessons, she now is...well she still has trouble with horses but she is more able to defend herself. She still can make rash impulsive decisions but she learns from them and by the ending of the book it’s like she blooms. I loved how her character developed.
I did miss some characters like Zafir who had a smaller role in this book but we get to know other characters better like Eden. I can’t say I became her super fan or anything but it nice to get to see some other sides of her. I also love Brooklyn and getting in her head is always fun. She is such a tough cookie. Max takes on his usual subtle role which just shows Charlie doesn’t need a guy to protect her. I really liked that we got to see more of Sage. It totally changed my view of her. There are many characters in this series but I never felt like they were fighting for your attention or underdeveloped. I felt like I got to know each character enough and of course I wouldn’t mind some novellas on a few, like Sage. Even though Charlie is obviously the main focus I felt like the story was shared among the characters and made it feel well rounded.
I love the world that has been built with the kingdoms. We once again venture out from the palace and get to experience more parts of Ludania. We saw a lot of the Scablands in book 2 and now we are seeing a lot of the coastal region. I thought it was cool how that Charlie gets to venture out into these areas rather than having them just refered to as she holes up in her palace. I want to know more though!! I want to visit the other kingdoms!! More spinoffs, more novellas, more writing….well I guess I shouldn’t walking around making demands. Ha ha.
There were plenty of intense moments. Like I said the prologue had me dropping the book on the ground but there were other parts where I felt like I couldn’t slow down my eyes. I was going to give myself whiplash flying through the pages like I was. Especially the last 100 there is no way I could have taken a break from that.
So yes this was an excellent 3rd installment of the series and I was very happy with it. My inner fantasy girl really enjoyed these books. Magic, Queendoms, Murder and cutie pie guys, you can’t go wrong with that.
ashesmann's review
2.0
Way better than the last one. I almost gave it a higher rating because of that, but then I realized it wasn't that I liked the book now, I just disliked it less than the previous one. It ends as you'd expect so I won't really talk about that. Just four points that bugged me:
1) That necklace. Max gives Charlie an engagement necklace. She says she'll accept it, but they're not engaged. Fine. We all know they're headed there so whatever. Then a family tries to rob her. She ends up giving them the very stuff they were trying to steal and then some. Including the necklace. Mind you, to Max this necklace is a priceless family heirloom symbolizing his love. And she hands it off? What exactly is the woman going to do with it? Who's going to buy it? This exchange serves absolutely zero purpose except to set up a tense moment for Max when he finds it on a corpse and for him to propose again (and be accepted).
2)Another Journey. Another pointless journey. Okay Charlie, you want to go confront Elena and try to work everything out. So try to sneak away in the middle of the night? What's your plan exactly?
3) Layla needs a host. Layla can coexist in a body. Layla wants to be with Nico. Why doesn't she go into his body as Elena is dying? Why doesn't Nico ever suggest saving her that way?
4) Xander and Sage. Loyal woman travels to his side and dies. He brings a date to her funeral. The woman that he's only been around while unconscious or under fever's grip. Eden dear, you're better off without him. Even if you are dead.
1) That necklace. Max gives Charlie an engagement necklace. She says she'll accept it, but they're not engaged. Fine. We all know they're headed there so whatever. Then a family tries to rob her. She ends up giving them the very stuff they were trying to steal and then some. Including the necklace. Mind you, to Max this necklace is a priceless family heirloom symbolizing his love. And she hands it off? What exactly is the woman going to do with it? Who's going to buy it? This exchange serves absolutely zero purpose except to set up a tense moment for Max when he finds it on a corpse and for him to propose again (and be accepted).
2)Another Journey. Another pointless journey. Okay Charlie, you want to go confront Elena and try to work everything out. So try to sneak away in the middle of the night? What's your plan exactly?
3) Layla needs a host. Layla can coexist in a body. Layla wants to be with Nico. Why doesn't she go into his body as Elena is dying? Why doesn't Nico ever suggest saving her that way?
4) Xander and Sage. Loyal woman travels to his side and dies. He brings a date to her funeral. The woman that he's only been around while unconscious or under fever's grip. Eden dear, you're better off without him. Even if you are dead.
ramreads's review
3.0
This series ended better than it started. It's usually the other way around, but this book was definitely more enjoyable than the first.
The author does a great job giving vivid descriptions with few words. She also did a great job world building, though there were some phrases and customs in the book that I felt like could have been changed to fit the other universe she created. There was also a unique twist with the person v. self conflict the main character was faced with in this book. I enjoyed learning more about characters that we haven't seen much of yet in this series too.
I was happy that this is one of the few YA novels I have read recently that doesn't center on romance. The main character, Charlie, may be in a romantic relationship, but that does not take center stage in this series. I was also pleased that the main character did not forget about all the other people that were important to her, like her family and friends, just because she fell in love. What this book was centered around was the politics of this alternate universe. I think this is the first YA novel I have read where the characters are aware that even though they are in positions of power they are not going to be able to make all the changes they want in a few months. That is definitely a more realistic take than having a country be perfect as soon as someone else takes control of it.
The only problems I had with this book were the ending and Charlie. Charlie's character did not bug me that much, but the choice she made at the beginning of the book did. She made the same mistake that she did in the last book, and I just get frustrated when characters make the same mistake over and over again. Do they not know how to learn from their mistakes? Does the author not know how to create a conflict without having the character make the same mistake twice?
This series centered around female empowerment, but it definitely did not end that way. The one who saved the day was not one you would expect after reading this far in the series. I also want to mention one of the romantic relationships at the end of the book that was so out of place, but I'll hide that under spoilers.
The Xander and Sage romance was unneeded. I never really cared for Eden and Xander throughout the series, but that it was the author has been implying since book one. I would not have been surprised at all if they had ended up with each other at the end of this book because the author had done a good job building up to it. Instead Eden dies, Xander barely reacts, and then runs into Sage's arms. I probably wouldn't have been so irritated with the whole Sage and Xander romance if the author actually showed some chemistry between these two, but she never did. Xander was passed out the majority of the time and barely spoke to Sage. I got that Sage cared for him, but caring for someone and loving someone are a little different. It just did not make any sense how close they were at the end of the book when they barely interacted! Just because someone saves your life does not mean you have to fall in love with them.
Other than the ending this series turned out better than I thought it would. There may have been aspects of it that frustrated me, but those times were few compared to how many times this book was able to catch my interest.
The author does a great job giving vivid descriptions with few words. She also did a great job world building, though there were some phrases and customs in the book that I felt like could have been changed to fit the other universe she created. There was also a unique twist with the person v. self conflict the main character was faced with in this book. I enjoyed learning more about characters that we haven't seen much of yet in this series too.
I was happy that this is one of the few YA novels I have read recently that doesn't center on romance. The main character, Charlie, may be in a romantic relationship, but that does not take center stage in this series. I was also pleased that the main character did not forget about all the other people that were important to her, like her family and friends, just because she fell in love. What this book was centered around was the politics of this alternate universe. I think this is the first YA novel I have read where the characters are aware that even though they are in positions of power they are not going to be able to make all the changes they want in a few months. That is definitely a more realistic take than having a country be perfect as soon as someone else takes control of it.
The only problems I had with this book were the ending and Charlie. Charlie's character did not bug me that much, but the choice she made at the beginning of the book did. She made the same mistake that she did in the last book, and I just get frustrated when characters make the same mistake over and over again. Do they not know how to learn from their mistakes? Does the author not know how to create a conflict without having the character make the same mistake twice?
This series centered around female empowerment, but it definitely did not end that way. The one who saved the day was not one you would expect after reading this far in the series. I also want to mention one of the romantic relationships at the end of the book that was so out of place, but I'll hide that under spoilers.
Other than the ending this series turned out better than I thought it would. There may have been aspects of it that frustrated me, but those times were few compared to how many times this book was able to catch my interest.
juhina's review
4.0
This trilogy was a solid one. The first book, The Pledge left such a big impression on me that till now, two years after reading it, I was still able to recall some details. When I received The Offering for review, I went ahead and picked up The Essence (which I enjoyed) and then The Offering. I have to point out that The Pledge is my favorite by far. It is mainly because the world build up was so fascinating. This of course doesn't mean the other two books weren't great, because they both were. The Offering was a great way to end this trilogy. I initially had some concerns on how the book will end and how everything will be resolved and wrapped up (can you blame me? from all the last books in a dystopian trilogy I read). However all my questions and concerns were answered and all the situations and plot lines were wrapped up without ripping my heart out, always a bonus for final books in a dystopian series.
Charlie is now the queen, not only that, Sabara is buried deep within her with no idea of how to get rid of her. I felt so bad for Charlie because all she has wanted is to make her country better, and even after all the sacrifices she still gets handed the crappiest end of any deal. I loved how Max didn't begrudge her or treat her differently, even knowing Sabara was within her. Max is such a great love interest and character, my only complaint is that he didn't show up enough times in this book! Other than him, we have some other amazing secondary characters including Eden (Charlie's younger sister's overprotective bodyguard), Zafer (Charlie's AWESOME bodyguard), Xander (Max's brother), Brook (Charlie's best friend and commander of the armed forces), along with another handful. All of them added so much to the story and I loved how effortless all their bond and ties were. Derting really is a fantastic character creator (does that even make sense?)
As for the plot, I have to say that Charlie's need to always self sacrifice got to me. I really don't like it when a character thinks he/she is doing everyone a favor by sacrificing themselves when in reality their actions are what creates chaos. Still, Charlie was still endearing and I loved how much she loved her younger sister and her country. This book and trilogy is definitely one I would recommend to any YA fans, especially ones that want to read a unique dystopian world.
Charlie is now the queen, not only that, Sabara is buried deep within her with no idea of how to get rid of her. I felt so bad for Charlie because all she has wanted is to make her country better, and even after all the sacrifices she still gets handed the crappiest end of any deal. I loved how Max didn't begrudge her or treat her differently, even knowing Sabara was within her. Max is such a great love interest and character, my only complaint is that he didn't show up enough times in this book! Other than him, we have some other amazing secondary characters including Eden (Charlie's younger sister's overprotective bodyguard), Zafer (Charlie's AWESOME bodyguard), Xander (Max's brother), Brook (Charlie's best friend and commander of the armed forces), along with another handful. All of them added so much to the story and I loved how effortless all their bond and ties were. Derting really is a fantastic character creator (does that even make sense?)
As for the plot, I have to say that Charlie's need to always self sacrifice got to me. I really don't like it when a character thinks he/she is doing everyone a favor by sacrificing themselves when in reality their actions are what creates chaos. Still, Charlie was still endearing and I loved how much she loved her younger sister and her country. This book and trilogy is definitely one I would recommend to any YA fans, especially ones that want to read a unique dystopian world.