Listen Lady Author you and me are gonna have a talk about how not right it is to make me tear up several times in the course of reading (especially as that means I had to STOP reading to clear out my blurry eyes). I said this before, but I'll say it again the Touchstone books took me by surprise by just how enthralling I found them.

Everything comes full circle in this book, for good and ill. The nature of the book is that they're in diary format so the events are told from a retrospective viewpoint, which in some ways spoils certain things (obviously if we're reading the diary entries that means Cass has survived whatever immediate issue comes up). This works well for the action scenes which could, presumably, become really confusing in real time without Cass describing who did what and giving references.

I admit even though I was rather impatient for this book's release (there may have been author stalking involved) I kept getting distracted from finishing it as quickly as I wanted. This led to a bit of confusion whenever I resumed (usually hours later) because there is a lot that happens to and around Cass--often very quickly and suddenly.

This is a much more personal book, not just for Cass, but for all the members of the Setari, Kolar and even Nura. Which, by the way, thank god there's a character listing in the back because the cast list is just...HUGE by the end of this book. I was having some trouble keeping all the Squads straight once we got beyond First, Second, Third and Fourth (and parts of Eighth and Twelfth).

Back on topic, no one is left unscathed in this book and a lot is revealed and discussed. There is a lot of soul-searching for both Kaoren (Ruuel) and Cass in this book, after the ending of LAB RAT ONE its only natural after all and they're given a whole bunch of reasons to have even more deep conversations. Plus hanky-panky, which is never a bad thing.

Surprisingly Cassandra manages to keep herself from getting too banged up in this installment. She spends a good deal of time trying to help heal emotional (and physical) wounds of those she cares about and comes to care about. Between the Lanterans and the Nurans I'm really not sure who takes the cake as having the worst citizens honestly. One group brings about the end of their civilization and the other has such elitist pigs amongst them that I wanted to strangle them so badly. Oh wait, that's both groups at one point or other.

While the book wraps up nicely, there are some leftover questions, which are neatly answered in the 'extra' "Gratuitous" novella (which I'll be reviewing separately because its long enough), but many of the questions are superfluous to the overall plot (except perhaps the fate of one of Cass' friends) and answered or not doesn't change the experience.

This would be the fourth book of Host's I read in a year, third in as many months (read the Touchstone trilogy between September-November) and she hasn't let me down yet. ( )

So....
Obviously, I have fallen in love with Cassandra Devlin and Kaoren Ruuel.
The plot is interesting, the world building - great. But what really won me is Cassandra. She is smart, she is kind, she is sarcastic, she is uncertain, she is anxious. And a lot more. I had never identified myself with another heroine so much. I could have been there instead of her and do the same things.
The books are not perfect of course, and I will admit to liking the first two better than the third. It's a bit like the author got tired in the third and a lot telling and not showing starts to happen. Would have loved to see more of Kaoren, heard more, not just being told he did this or that or said this and that.
As a whole though, the trilogy goes to the category of personal treasures. ( )

I am so emotionally involved in this series. Sure, stuff happens, battles are fought, worlds are saved, but I care far more about Cassandra and her found family. Host's way of writing drew me in and would not let me go. ( )

I enjoyed it, but I wasn't captivated by it with the intensity that I felt for Stray and Lab Rat One. Because Cass's circumstances aren't as intense. Things happen, but in between those episodes, she's okay. More than okay. She's building a life for herself. And this means she doesn't have the same need for a private space in which to make sense of things.

I love the feeling of being unable to put a book down, so I wished there was more tension. Internal tension, between what Cass wants and what she has.

But I liked the trilogy, as a whole! I mean, happy endings are better than realistic misery (like certain YA trilogies I could name), right? ( )

4.5/5
Lovely ending! A proper HEA. Review coming... ( )