Please be aware that this review contains some spoilers. Do not continue reading unless you are fine with being spoiled.
I’m not even sure how to process this. I think I ended up liking this book. But there was a whole lot of confusion along the way.
Ruins was definitely a smoother read than Fragments, and I was a little surprised that some of the more obscure characters became my favourites. I kind of lost interest in Kira’s character development along the way, but Marcus and Ariel really came into their own. And the few times that Heron got to be in the spotlight made me fall completely in love with her.
While I guess it was nice to have some kind of closure surrounding all members of the Trust, I’m not sure that Jerry Ryssdal’s appearance as a cryptic zombie weather man was entirely necessary, especially since it ended so strangely. There’s a lot that you can forgive when reading about weaponised plagues and genetically-engineered soldiers, but this just went a little too far. I mean, Armin was a whole different kind of crazy, but he at least fit into the book.
The ending of Ruins was undeniably rushed and there were a few last-minute miracles needed to make everything fall into place but I did feel mostly satisfied with the resolution. This was an interesting series overall but nothing ever really lived up to the promises that the first book. I’d still recommend it to anyone looking for a plot-driven sci-fi read with a bit of romance thrown in.
Rating: ★★★½
