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jessread_s 's review for:
Allied
by Amy Tintera
Review: Allied is the final book in the New York Times bestselling Ruined series, which I started in early June. It was sad knowing that the series would be coming to a close, but I couldn’t resist zipping through Allied.
What Worked:
01. The character development. As Tintera’s series came to an end, I took the time to reflect upon the development of all of the characters I know and love. From the very beginning, the main character Em demonstrated her ability to be a great leader. It was fantastic watching her grow from someone full of revenge and hatred to a woman valuing logic and reason. Though she is “Useless” in Ruined standards for not having gifted abilities, it was heartwarming to watch the community look past that and embrace her differences.
Casimir grew up in a life of luxury as the Prince of Lera and as readers we got to see him grow as a person after experiencing the loss of his parents. Rather than repeat history, Cas made the decision to go against everything his parents stood for in order to be the King his people needed. Dealing with the trauma of attempts on his life, the pain of nearly losing his country, the fear of going to war, and the heartbreak that came with losing his parents, it has been a pleasure watching Cas grow and develop into a strong and just King who only wants the best for his kingdom.
At the beginning of the series, Aren was a very closed off, tough individual. Dealing with the loss of his parents and the pain of his battle scars, it made sense for Aren to build up walls. As the series progressed, I enjoyed getting to know the real Aren, who is strong, goofy, and very conscious of his own abilities. Rather than abuse his powers, Aren uses them for good and I wouldn’t have known this without other characters like Iria and Galo who were able to break down those walls. I really love who Aren turned out to be and I am so happy he was able to find love and create such a beautiful friendship with Galo.
02. Like the last novel, Allied includes new perspectives. I loved getting a glimpse of Galo’s life as a soldier. The additional perspective helps to lay out Galo’s family situation and also explains his loyalty to Cas and what his relationship with Mateo is like. In this novel, we also receive Iria’s point of view. While I don’t think Tintera necessarily needed to include it, I will say that it was fun to see things from the perspective of another strong, independent woman.
03. The villains. I won’t give away too much, but Tintera spent a lot of time creating the antagonists in the story and it was entertaining to see them in action. I appreciated that they did not back down from their twisted points of view and did not change no matter how much the protagonists wanted them to.
04. As a whole, Allied deals with many complex topics such as genocide, war, toxic living situations, painful relationships, coming to terms with trauma, forgiveness, responsibility for one’s actions, and loss. I really appreciate how these topics were woven into the storyline along with bits of humor and romance. I think that there is a lot to be learned from this series and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who love young adult books.
What Didn’t Work:
01. The buildup to the end. I was expecting that KABOOM moment where everything is complete and utter chaos. I didn’t really get that from this book. I felt like it was smooth sailing all the way to the end. I did really enjoy how things ended, but seeing that the entire book built up anticipation of a war, I was expecting to feel more on edge.
02. The final battle was a bit lacking. I don’t want to say much about it, but I will say that it occurred within the blink of an eye and did not give me the goosebumps that I expected. I wanted more from Em.
03. There were many dry patches in this book that dealt with side adventures such as saving a minor character that was kidnapped or plotting to win the war against Olivia. I felt like I was watching the characters constantly travel back and forth as they discussed different strategies that didn’t even work by the way. I just felt that there was maybe too much filler.
Jess Approved?: ✓
What Worked:
01. The character development. As Tintera’s series came to an end, I took the time to reflect upon the development of all of the characters I know and love. From the very beginning, the main character Em demonstrated her ability to be a great leader. It was fantastic watching her grow from someone full of revenge and hatred to a woman valuing logic and reason. Though she is “Useless” in Ruined standards for not having gifted abilities, it was heartwarming to watch the community look past that and embrace her differences.
Casimir grew up in a life of luxury as the Prince of Lera and as readers we got to see him grow as a person after experiencing the loss of his parents. Rather than repeat history, Cas made the decision to go against everything his parents stood for in order to be the King his people needed. Dealing with the trauma of attempts on his life, the pain of nearly losing his country, the fear of going to war, and the heartbreak that came with losing his parents, it has been a pleasure watching Cas grow and develop into a strong and just King who only wants the best for his kingdom.
At the beginning of the series, Aren was a very closed off, tough individual. Dealing with the loss of his parents and the pain of his battle scars, it made sense for Aren to build up walls. As the series progressed, I enjoyed getting to know the real Aren, who is strong, goofy, and very conscious of his own abilities. Rather than abuse his powers, Aren uses them for good and I wouldn’t have known this without other characters like Iria and Galo who were able to break down those walls. I really love who Aren turned out to be and I am so happy he was able to find love and create such a beautiful friendship with Galo.
02. Like the last novel, Allied includes new perspectives. I loved getting a glimpse of Galo’s life as a soldier. The additional perspective helps to lay out Galo’s family situation and also explains his loyalty to Cas and what his relationship with Mateo is like. In this novel, we also receive Iria’s point of view. While I don’t think Tintera necessarily needed to include it, I will say that it was fun to see things from the perspective of another strong, independent woman.
03. The villains. I won’t give away too much, but Tintera spent a lot of time creating the antagonists in the story and it was entertaining to see them in action. I appreciated that they did not back down from their twisted points of view and did not change no matter how much the protagonists wanted them to.
04. As a whole, Allied deals with many complex topics such as genocide, war, toxic living situations, painful relationships, coming to terms with trauma, forgiveness, responsibility for one’s actions, and loss. I really appreciate how these topics were woven into the storyline along with bits of humor and romance. I think that there is a lot to be learned from this series and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who love young adult books.
What Didn’t Work:
01. The buildup to the end. I was expecting that KABOOM moment where everything is complete and utter chaos. I didn’t really get that from this book. I felt like it was smooth sailing all the way to the end. I did really enjoy how things ended, but seeing that the entire book built up anticipation of a war, I was expecting to feel more on edge.
02. The final battle was a bit lacking. I don’t want to say much about it, but I will say that it occurred within the blink of an eye and did not give me the goosebumps that I expected. I wanted more from Em.
03. There were many dry patches in this book that dealt with side adventures such as saving a minor character that was kidnapped or plotting to win the war against Olivia. I felt like I was watching the characters constantly travel back and forth as they discussed different strategies that didn’t even work by the way. I just felt that there was maybe too much filler.
Jess Approved?: ✓