LIFEL1K3 #3

Take note that this is the third book in a series. I will not spoil this one, but there may be spoilers ahead for the first two books. You have been warned.

TRUEL1F3 by Jay Kristoff

Publication Date: June 30, 2020

Summary from NetGalley:

Best friends have become enemies. Lovers have become strangers. And deciding whose side you’re on could be the difference between life and death. For Eve and Lemon, discovering the truth about themselves–and each other–was too much for their friendship to take. But with the country on the brink of a new world war–this time between the BioMaas swarm at CityHive and Daedalus’s army at Megopolis, loyalties will be pushed to the brink, unlikely alliances will form and with them, betrayals. But the threat doesn’t stop there, because the lifelikes are determined to access the program that will set every robot free, a task requiring both Eve and Ana, the girl she was created to replace. In the end, violent clashes and heartbreaking choices reveal the true heroes . . . and they may not be who you think they are.

ARC provided by Knopf Books for Young Readers via NetGalley for an honest review.

This was an epic conclusion to this series, true cert! It was a non-stop ride from beginning to end with all sorts of twists and turns and edge of your seat action. There were times when I truly did not want to put this book down.

All of the characters that we have come to love over the course of this series are back. Lemon Fresh pretty much dominates the storyline again in this one, and perhaps shows the most growth. I loved how her relationship with Grimm grew through out this book. Grimm was also awesome, and what he does with his power is amazing. Eve, unfortunately, was lost in Lemon’s shadow once again, but we do see more of her and her struggles in this book. All of the characters continue to change and grow, and switch their loyalties throughout the book so you are never sure what is going to happen next.

The thing I really enjoyed about this book is that we finally get to the heart of BioMaas and Daedalus’s views of the world. I was initially intrigued by BioMaas in the first two books, but when we finally got to City Hive and saw exactly what was going on, I found that quite terrifying. Daedalus was just as scary, in the way that they view world as well. I don’t think I would like to live in either place.

The world building and the plot are really the stars of this series. I really appreciate it when authors take the time to develop a world fully with original slang and swears. Some of the slang was inspiring, true cert. The desolation of the YouSay was so depressing, but totally foreseeable. But the will of humans to survive and adapt to that world was inspiring.

The themes and the overall plot of this book was also outstanding. There are some great themes here, of family, friendship, trust and loyalty, identity and what it means to be human. I was glad that we got to see parts of the story from Cricket’s and Solomon point of view, as their take on the state of the world was always different from the LifeL1k3s and the humans. The plot was fast paced, and you were not given many chances to catch your breath, just like the characters. The ending seemed a little rushed, and the final conflict between the LifeL1k3s was perhaps the weakest part of the story, but it still worked.

If you have read and enjoyed the first two books, you are in for quite a treat with this final book.