Three friends. One broken world. One chance to make it right.
Book: The Reactionary
Series: Rogues Series, Book Three
Author: Kristen Hogrefe
Publisher: Write Integrity Press
Genre: Dystopian
Recommended Reader’s Age: 17+
Length: 393 pages
About:
Three friends. One broken world. One chance to make it right.
Portia: Darius lied about their father, and defying her brother now might secure a much-needed overseas ally. But liberty for all could cost her the man she loves and any hope of reuniting her fractured family.
Luther: He devises a diplomatic distraction to buy Portia time for her international mission and him a chance to rescue his scientist-father, tricked into operating Felix’s labs. But will he lose them both anyway?
Gath: He survived the satellite explosions, only to encounter one of Felix’s plague initiatives. Somehow, he must recover and re-unify what’s left of their leadership team—and point them toward the light.
Faith/Religious/Spiritual Elements:
God, faith, trusting in God, and salvation are discussed; Scripture is quoted; Pharaoh is mentioned; the the plagues are listed; Amazing Grace is sung; characters pray.
Violence:
Riots, starvation, slave camps, and murders are hinted at; a character is shot; people are threatened; it is implied people are tested on; past injuries are recounted; bombs are dropped; a character is physically abused; characters are drugged and tortured; a submarine is blown up; bombs are deployed; assassinations are revisited; explosions take lives.
Profanity:
Hellhole – 1; hell – 2.
Other:
Characters kiss; abstinence before marriage is alluded to.
Rating:
4 Stars
Conclusion:
Wow. Just…wow. This book is incredible. The last in an epic series, The Reactionary sweeps you into a world of danger, faith, and an unbelievable tale of good versus evil. I don’t even really know where to start. I’m still recovering from reading The Reactionary, and I finished it five days ago.
The plot is superb. Based on a dystopian world where America is now socialist, some of the events that occur sent a chill down my spine because that’s what really could happen in the real world in the span of barely over a year. There are no plot holes and no sagging or dry areas. It’s an intense battle between good verses evil, but there’s also a different battling going on: the battle for souls. I loved the salvation message. While Portia and Gath are believers, two other integral characters are not, and I almost enjoyed their wrestling with the truth more than anything else. It’s gently woven in and formed to the characters’ different personalities. And the abject evil is just chilling. Realistically written but not dark, we get a glimpse into the darkness invading the multiple antagonists’ hearts and souls.
The settings sound so real, and some of them are, but whether fiction or real, you’re swept into evil strongholds and refuges for those fighting for the truth. I’ve never been on a submarine, but now I feel I have a decent idea of what it’s like. And a certain place where evil resides makes one’s stomach turn whenever it’s mentioned, and especially when a certain character is there. The jumps back into history are also well done, and it’s evident the author did a lot of research to be historically accurate while working history into her plot.
The characters. So well-written. I admire Portia’s and Gath’s faith. As I read their trials and all they go through, I couldn’t help but wonder how I would react if I were in their spot. Would I cling to my faith like they did? It’s unnerving, but shows just how excellent an author Kristen is. The baddies are just delightfully bad. You know, the kind you just hate because the author does such a good job crafting them. And I guessed this was coming, but I couldn’t handle it when the character who was shaping up to be one of my favorites, besides Gath, died. NO. How can my heart handle that? He possessed an incredible character arc, though, so I suppose I can’t complain.
I want to give this book a five stars. I really do. It possesses every ingredient to be a book you want to read time and again, but I can’t due to the three instances of profanity. Aside from those, however, this is a perfect book, and one that needs to be on your TBR list. Even if you aren’t a fan of dystopian, try it out. This is the series that convinced me to give the genre a try. The Reactionary wraps up the series perfectly. I can’t wait to read more of Kristen Hogrefe’s books if they’re anything like this series.
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Madi's Musings 