A thrilling supernatural sci-fi joyride of bloody action and steamy romance

This was my twelfth book I chose via the Reedsy Discovery program, for which I am the single approved reviewer for this new book. In this case, the author sought me out and asked me to review her trilogy, and after reading the synopsis I was intrigued. This review also appears on Reedsy.

 

If you’re interested in becoming a Reedsy reviewer (and have the chance to get paid “tips” to review books!) check it out here.

The Premise

This third part of the Black Wings series features Quinn and Logan, genetically engineered children from the Facility who were kidnapped by the antagonist Drakeson, introduced earlier in Part 2. Having lived on the outside, they struggle to acclimatise to lives once they return to the Facility, but they find solace in each other to survive and thrive. Their paths diverge as teenagers, and Quinn becomes a deathly Facility Operative.

At 20, she meets Logan again when she is tasked to annihilate the rebel leader of an uprising in the Northern Undercity. She soon realises that he is the leader she was sent to kill. Her mind meshed into the body of another Rooftop woman, Lila, she hides from him in plain sight, but her heart’s desires can’t stay hidden for long. As she finds a new home among the Rooftop community, can she execute her mission — betraying her new friends, not to mention her own heart?

The Pros & Cons

This third instalment in the series was a sci-fi joyride of bloody action and steamy romance, this time with the added elements of supernatural killer beasts.

Quinn’s innocence as the child we met earlier in Part 2 is now long gone:

She is beautiful, in a dangerous and savage way like a wolf or a wild cat. She has no soft edges; behind the smiling face and happy, shining eyes is a hardness and a deep emptiness.

As a deadly assassin working for the Facility, she is employed to infiltrate the Rooftop community and decimate its leader. But as she learns the identity of the leader is none other than the boy who broke her heart as a teenager when he left, Quinn’s resolve withers.

As her identity bleeds through the shell of the woman she is hiding within, their passion soon consumes them both:

He does not expect the scent of her skin to flood his senses; he does not expect the heat of her body, the blaze of Quinn’s fire[…] Lila has disappeared in flames and it is Quinn, only Quinn, always Quinn.

Despite the heavy sexual overtures as the narrative unfolds, the romance plays second fiddle to the triumph of bloody battles and survival against killer beasts.

This third instalment has the richest story of them all: a community thriving beneath the surface; a beautiful family borne and built in defiance of the authority of the Facility and the World Committee. The vivid descriptions as the supernatural beasts overwhelm the group of protagonists had me gripping onto the edge of my seat.

Again, I enjoyed the interweaving of characters we had met previously in the earlier books — both the main characters, and many of the supporting friends along the way.

Though by now, this being my third time along for this thrilling joyride, I anticipated the overall sentiment to wane a bit, there is still enough newness to fascinate and delight you, and just enough familiarity with recurring characters and the machine-like style of writing to place you right there at every scene.

Conclusion

I have thoroughly enjoyed this entire series, and this third one leaves you breathless and still wanting more. There is enough meat here for dozens more in this series, and I would never tire of reading. I can easily see this series being translated into a film or an episodic series, and I would love to see it come to life on the screen. I would highly recommend to both male and female adult readers, and I look forward to see what’s next by this author.

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