I wish this trilogy had been around when I was in my early to mid teens. It has so much that I love, from elements of space opera to archaeology to first contact. At its heart though this is a series about family, both biological and found - and the effects of time dilation really complicate these family dynamics in intriguing and heartbreaking ways. 

With this being the final book in the series I can't say a lot about the plot without spoiling events in previous books, but it is a very satisfying ending. There is plenty of emotion - I found myself furious again with the main character's parents, even though it was clear they loved her - and plenty of fast-paced action and drama. Once again I was hooked and read the book in less than 24 hours. 

It isn't perfect. I wanted very hard to give it a full five stars but on reflection there were things which just slightly irritated me. One twist seems to come out of nowhere and isn't explored enough to make it worthwhile. At another point something seems to happen that later turns out not to have done, again with little explanation or an obvious reason for including it in the first place. Later this almost seems to happen again in a different way. 

Despite these issues though, I absolutely adored both this book and the entire trilogy. I think I can safely say it is now a new favourite.