danae

So, we've followed Mare for two books and now this one divides the pov between Mare, Cameron, and Evangeline. I'm not a fan of this. We just met Cameron, I would think Cal would have been a more natural choice. Or even Kilorn, though I don't really like him. And I could have done without Evangeline's perspective completely.

Speaking of Evangeline, suddenly she's lesbian. And Maven is bisexual. Odd how those both came up in the third book, though we've known these characters since the first book. It's as if the editor was pushing Aveyard to include LGBT+ characters. Otherwise, I would say that I think the character development in this series has been good. I enjoyed the dynamic between Mare and Maven as he keeps her captive and attempts to manipulate things so that they can be together, and she struggles against Stockholm syndrome.

I could completely relate to Cameron in this scene:

I want to snap that my priority is to get the heat working in my barracks, not find out how many times Mare used the bathroom today, but her sweet face stops the impulse. Farley must have sent the cutest bleeding kid in the base. Damn her.

Sometimes, the kid's so cute you can't be mad.

And, speaking of Farley, her mysterious question from the last book was pretty easy to guess, considering it was stated that she rested her hand gently on her belly...

I feel like there are a couple of times when Aveyard's description of Mare's electricity is inaccurate. Like when the guards were being electrocuted, Mare was careful to not step in the puddle of water, but then she touched a guard to take his key and she should have been shocked then. Though, she was impervious to the current when her ability was first revealed... But she was shocked by her own electricity because of the machine... I don't know. Is she immune to the electricity or isn't she? And if she is, why was she so careful to stay away from the puddle?

Also, Mare kept mentioning that the ends of her hair were turning grey. I'm pretty sure that isn't a thing. Hair turns grey from the roots. Though, I guess you could say since the grey is a result of magic use, normal rules don't apply...