Honor Lost by Rachel Caine, Ann Aguirre Narrator: Adenrele Ojo, Adam Lazarre-White
Published by HarperCollins
Published on 11 February 2020
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
Format: Audiobook
Source: my local library
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RRP: $18.99
Quick-thinking Leviathan pilot Zara Cole must stop a planet-eating monster or lose everyone she loves in the finale of this acclaimed trilogy from New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre. Perfect for fans of Illuminae and The Fifth Wave.
Space renegade Zara Cole may have finally met her match. Lifekiller--a creature that can devour entire planets--is spreading terror throughout the universe, and it seems nothing can stand in the monstrous godking's way.
Zara's street smarts may not be enough when their enemy could be anywhere, destroying civilizations and picking his teeth with the bones.
With human enemies, alien creatures, and mechanical stalkers on her tail, it's down to the wire for Zara to save the galaxy--and the people she calls home--before the godking consumes them all.
Although I totally love this series, I found I didn’t love this book quite as much as the previous two.
I love all the relationship stuff. I love Zara growing closer and intimate with Bey and Nadim. It’s so sweet it makes my teeth ache. I love them and I will defend them to the last. This is a real love triangle, where each of the trio loves and adores each other: none of this possessive ‘you must choose’ shit. That’s why there is a triangle on the cover.
However, I feel like this book was a whole lot of filler and wallowing around like a hippo in mud while the crews searched the galaxy for their deadliest enemy ever. I get that there’s only so much Lifekiller stuff you can show without becoming repetitive, but the crews spent so much of the novel literally losing him, and Zara went off and had filler adventures that didn’t really seem to contribute to the overall plot. I even found it hard to make updates as I was listening because so little of the on page action pushed the narrative forward.
I was also upset that Typhon’s crew have such life changing experiences for them, but Zara kind of gets away with everything scot free. She faces no consequences for her actions, and gets everything she ever wanted. I feel like the authors were kind of helicoptering in this book, and I don’t feel it’s an accurate representation of the badass Zara I know and love from the previous novels. I love Zara, and I want the world for her, but she didn’t pay an awful price for any of it – that was left up to Marco and CX. Part of me wonders if this is because Typhon didn’t bond with his crew as strongly as Nadim did with Zara and Bey: is that what the authors are trying to say? That only if you bond to the unprecedented depths Zara/Bey/Nadim did, everything will turn out OK? Zara spent so much of this novel observing the pain and trials of other characters instead of experiencing it herself.
It bothers me because other people are literally always jumping in front of Zara and taking hits meant for her. I’m kind of happy I guess that everything works out for Zara, but where’s her life-altering scars? What’s her sacrifice? She seemed pretty safe, if scared, aboard Nadim, swanning around with Bey and hanging out with battle glory alien lizards. Even when it appeared she was taking a risk, somehow it all magically worked out OK for her, like when she nearly suffocated but of course someone was there to rescue her, or when a droid programmed to kill her not only decided to take out her assassin, but also decided to take out her most dangerous enemy back on Earth. Or when her lizard alien pals kamikazed themselves for her. Or when former enemies suddenly became allies to help defeat the Big Bad.
Like, I love Zara, but I want to see her suffer and overcome it. Or use her smarts to outwit the bad guy, like CX kept saying she had a superpower to find her enemy’s weakness. But in the end, she contributes very little to the villain’s defeat.
Look, this book was still thoroughly enjoyable, just not as enjoyable as the previous two.
Right near the end of the book, I heard something that hit just a little too close to home, particular during this troubling and uncertain times during the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic:
“We took some damage to our ozone layer, and there are toxic pockets, particularly in Australia.”
“They’re used to the world trying to kill them,” I joked…
“But if people stay inside our filtration systems should take care of it in a month or two.”
Ouch.
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About Nemo
A lover of kittens and all things sparkly, Nemo has a degree in English Literature and specialises in reviewing contemporary, paranormal, mystery/thriller, historical, sci-fi and fantasy Young Adult fiction. She is especially drawn to novels about princesses, strong female friendships, magical powers, and assassins.
