ARC Review: Destiny Rising (True Calling #3) by Siobhan Davis

Destiny Rising by Siobhan Davis
Release Date August 30, 2015
Available for pre-order on Amazon now

Description:
EVERY CHOICE HAS A CONSEQUENCE

Once again, the world is on the brink of momentous change. As revolutionary organization Saoirse prepares to battle the government for control of Earth and Novo, Ariana and those she loves must join humanity's fight for justice and freedom.

As haunted memories resurface, old discoveries and new realities conspire to shatter her world forever.

Torn in one direction by her unique connection to childhood sweetheart Zane, and pulled in the other by a relentless passion for her fiery fiancé Cal, she must make the hardest decision of all. While embarking on a road to self-discovery, her psychic gift evolves and the full extent of her powerful ability is revealed.

Then fate lands another savage blow and she faces the most horrific choice of all. Forced into striking a deal with the enemy, she must make the ultimate personal sacrifice or risk everything she holds dear.

When destiny finally rears its head, what will the future hold?

My Review:
Destiny Rising is the final book in the True Calling trilogy. Before reading this, I strongly recommend reading the first two in the trilogy as well as the two in-between short stories that fill in some of the backstory. That being said, this book catapults the reader back into the midst of the Zane-Ari-Cal love triangle, and then some. Add in the nasty turn the revolution is taking, pregnancy hormones run rampant, and misunderstandings and jealousy, and it’s one wild rollercoaster of action and emotion.

So, returning to the love triangle. Every time it seems the triangle will resolve, something happens. I truly had no idea how things would turn out until midway through the epilogue. It kept me on the edge the whole time. Plus, other romantic interests and possibilities popped up unexpectedly, fueling confusion, jealousy, and guilt in the three main characters. The level of suspense maintained from beginning to end is impressive, and that’s just on the romantic side of things.

On to the revolution. Whoa, stuff really hits the fan in this book. Battles, attacks, and staggering losses abound. No one is safe. There were so many times I wanted to cry out in shock, wishing fervently that what just happened would magically (or scientifically) right itself. Despite the powerful advancements in medical technology the book hints at, some things just cannot be fixed. Again, suspense and the urge to turn the page were almost overwhelming, resulting in quite a few long nights.

As for the quality of the book, even as an ARC that hadn’t gone through the final editing round, I found this book very well-written and well-edited. The story is complex, but solidly built. And everything wraps up cleanly and completely, but not too soon. Good to the last page, in my opinion.

Still, I noticed a few confusing spots where I had to check who said what (the actions of other characters are placed in the same paragraph where another’s dialog is, sometimes without attribution) and others where I thought I detected some sort of timeline issue (specifically one where the age of one character when her mom died (9) vs. the current age of the character (17) vs. number of years elapsed since the death (5) didn’t match up). I also thought the mediscan was more deus ex machina than sci fi.

One last thought is that the catastrophe that sent people to Novo and resulted in the dystopian society doesn’t seemed to have affected Earth all that much. It just doesn’t seem to reflect in damage to anything or in loss of life or in changes to anything other than implementation of martial law and social controls. Even after reading the whole trilogy, I still feel like the whole thing was manufactured via government propaganda so they could take over the world and that it possibly never actually happened.

Overall, I really liked this book and the trilogy as a whole. Great character building, an epic level of suspense both in action and romance, and an interesting sci fi twist will please those who love YA Dystopia and who want something to keep them engrossed to the end. However, some gaps in world building, the science behind the sci fi, and the catastrophe that spawned the whole thing may bug readers who prefer a more probable sci fi experience.

I received an ebook ARC of this book from the author in return for an honest review.


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Intrigued? Check out the entire series on Amazon. I've listed them below in order.