Sophie Reads YA: Maggie Hall

#RockMyTBR 2017 Challenge

Review: The Ends of the World (The Conspiracy of Us #3) by Maggie Hall

10:00

The Ends of the World
Series: The Conspiracy of Us #3
Author: Maggie Hall
Published July 18th 2017 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Synopsis
The Circle is hers. But Avery West has lost everything else: her mother, the family she’d just found, and the one boy she trusted. In their place are unfathomable power, a staged relationship that makes her question every real feeling she’s ever had, and a mission to find the cure to the virus that’s made her own blood a weapon.

Then disaster strikes, turning Avery, Stellan, Jack, and Elodie into the most wanted people in the world. To clear their names and the growing rift between the families of the Circle before the world dissolves into World War Three, they’ll have to make a desperate, dangerous final race for Alexander the Great’s tomb. What they will find inside will mean the world’s salvation—or destruction.

Avery will have to decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice—for the world, for family, and for love—in this conclusion to the Conspiracy of Us series.
Goodreads

Review
I have never, and will never, deny how much I adore this series! It embodies the ancient history that I love, with intrigue, politics, love, etc. The final instalment of the series did not disappoint, and I think this might've actually been the best book of all. Now that the Circle know the truth about Avery and Stellan, they basically own the Circle. Creating the 13th family, they use their connections to try and find Alexander the Great's lost tomb, before it becomes too later, and the virus is unleashed. However, Avery's half-siblings have started to weaponise their stock of the virus, and it's a race to prove they aren't making it all up, before their lose everything.

I love Avery and Stellan so much! From book 1 to the end of this book, their character developments have been unbelievable. Both have their own goals in mind, but they're willing to put them on the back burner in order to save humanity. The same goes for their attraction to each other - they've been fighting that for so long, that I almost thought it was just wishful thinking that they would be together, but their relationship in this book was wonderful, and so swoony! Jack, who'd been a love interest in previous books - and in the last book, really got on my nerves - wasn't really a factor in the love triangle that had been coming. He grew too, but not enough to get me to like his character again, not really. Elodie's revelations and help in guiding Avery through difficult times made me love her even more, and I'm glad we got to see as much of her in this book too.

The plot was outstanding, and unlike in other YA books I've read recently, I didn't see all of the twists and turns coming. Some of the action was so well planned and woven into the story that it just flowed perfectly, and I honestly couldn't have asked for a better ending to this series! I look forward to seeing what Maggie releases next.

Dates Read:

July 26, 2017

Rating
5 Stars

Maggie Hall

Waiting on Wednesday: The Ends of the World (The Conspiracy of Us #3) by Maggie Hall

10:00

#RockMyTBR 2016 Challenge

Review: Map of Fates (The Conspiracy of Us #2) by Maggie Hall

10:00

Map of Fates
Series: The Conspiracy of Us #2
Author: Maggie Hall
Published March 8th 2016 by Putnam Juvenile

Goodreads Synopsis
Two weeks.   

That’s how long it took for Avery West’s ordinary life to change forever: In two weeks, she discovered she was heiress to a powerful secret society known as the Circle, learned her mother was taken hostage by the Circle’s enemies, and fell for a boy she’s not allowed to love, just as she found out another was her unwelcome destiny.   

Now, Avery crosses oceans in private jets to hunt for clues that will uncover the truth about the Circle, setting her mom and herself free before it’s too late. By her side are both the boys: Jack—steady, loyal, and determined to help her even at the expense of his own duty—and Stellan, whose connection to Avery grows stronger by the day despite her best intentions, making her question what she believes at every turn. 

 But at the end of a desperate hunt from the islands of Greece to the red carpet at Cannes comes a discovery that not only changes everything, but could bring the whole world to its knees. And now Avery is forced to face the truth: in the world of the Circle, no one is what they seem.
Goodreads

Review
See my review of book 1, The Conspiracy of Us.

As you can see in my review of book 1, I adored the story that Maggie wove. It ended on such a strong point, that I was dying to get my hands on the sequel, and finally bought it when I was in America in March. The events of Map of Fates take place not long after The Conspiracy of Us ended. Avery, Jack, and Stellan are searching for more clues to the lost tomb of Alexander, and know that the Order are bearing down on them at every turn. They've been given a two week reprieve from the Order, but if they haven't got the location in that time, Avery's mam will be killed. Avery feels her only option is to turn to her newly discovered family, the Saxons, and hope that with their help, it'll allow them the chance to visit more places and hurry the whole search along.

I'd expected there to be many twists and turns in the book, but I couldn't believe just how intricate the plot was. Maggie has created a wonderful underground world, in which the Circle rule the world, unbeknownst to the masses. Everything and anything happens with the say so of the Circle members, and the Order have stepped up their game. With the prophecy stating that when the girl with the purple eyes (Avery), unites with the One true heir, all the heirs of the Circle families are at risk. Many of them are assassinated, just to try to stop the prophecy coming true. Only Avery, Jack, and Stellan know Stellan is the one, and they need to keep that a secret as long as possible, else it'll interrupt the search for Alexander's tomb.

One thing I wasn't too keen on in this book is the love triangle. It had been brewing from the very first meeting, but I'd always preferred Jack, as, it seems, did Avery. Now, we find Jack to be annoying, and very pushy with Avery - he tries to stop her from doing anything. And yes, it's because he cares about her, and wants her to be safe, but wrapping her up in cotton wool is not the way to go. At least Stellan understood that any situation Avery was in would be dangerous, and she needed to at least learn how to defend herself, and stand up for herself, or she'd be a liability to them all. By the end of the book, I was a lot more keen on Stellan, especially when more and more revelations came out.

On the subject of revelations, so many things were revealed towards the end of the book, I could hardly get my head around it all. At every turn, there was a new twist, and each was more significant than the last. I was on the edge of my seat until the final page, and even when I was finished, I was dying for more. Like with book 1, the ending is going to have so many consequences for all of the characters, and the final book is going to be a killer, I just know it.

I originally picked up this series because I'd heard so many glowing reviews, and if anything has a mention of Alexander the Great in it, I'm bound to want it. I'm in the middle of a module on Alexander, and should be writing my assignment right now, but instead I'm doing this (priorities ;p). Even though the whole situation with the Circle, and the true heir isn't factually correct, the way Maggie has constructed the whole plot makes you forget about it all. Honestly, I'd recommend this series to anyone, even if they have no interest in ancient history, because, by being set in the modern world, it only needs a hint of history to make it interesting. I think this may be one of my favourite series, and I'm dying to read book 3 when it comes out.

Dates Read:

April 14-18, 2016

Rating
5 Stars

Maggie Hall

Waiting on Wednesday: Map of Fates (The Conspiracy of Us #2) by Maggie Hall

10:00

5 Stars

Review: The Conspiracy of Us (The Conspiracy of Us #1) by Maggie Hall

10:00

The Conspiracy of Us
Series: The Conspiracy of Us #1
Author: Maggie Hall
Published January 13th 2015 by Putnam Juvenile

Goodreads Synopsis
A fast-paced international escapade, laced with adrenaline, glamour, and romance--perfect for fans of Ally Carter

Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war. Part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle, they believe Avery is the key to an ancient prophecy. Some want to use her as a pawn. Some want her dead.

To unravel the mystery putting her life in danger, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the monuments of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul with two boys who work for the Circle—beautiful, volatile Stellan and mysterious, magnetic Jack. But as the clues expose a stunning conspiracy that might plunge the world into World War 3, she discovers that both boys are hiding secrets of their own. Now she will have to choose not only between freedom and family--but between the boy who might help her save the world, and the one she's falling in love with.
Goodreads

Review
I've been after this book for awhile now, and really wish I'd picked it up months earlier. Honestly, I think this may be one of my favourite books ever.

In The Conspiracy of Us, Avery West is flung into a world she never imagined could exist. She finds out that her paternal family, that she knew absolutely nothing about, was part of a sort of secret society that spanned back to the days of Alexander the Great. Now she's part of a quest to uncover the lost tomb of Alexander, and discovers stuff about herself she could never imagine.

Now, you may know that I'm currently studying ancient history, and honestly, Alexander the Great is just perf. Last semester I did a module called 'In Alexander's Footsteps', and will be doing one titled 'The Life and Afterlife of Alexander the Great' next semester. So basically, give me something on Alexander, and I'm bound to love it. I never even knew that he would be such an integral part of this plot, but it made it all the more better!

The main character, Avery, was someone who I truly liked. Quite often these days, I find I'm annoyed with the protagonist at times, and I can't remember ever feeling this with Avery. The events in the book happen over a space of 3-4 day, so of course she isn't perfect every single minute. However, I felt like she coped with everything that was chucked at her really well, and I wish I would react like her if I was ever faced with something similar.

The love interests in this book - yes, there are two, but it never felt like a proper love triangle - were very swoony. I was warned by Liran that I would have a difficult time choosing my fave, but I didn't. Jack is the only one I'll accept for Avery, and I really want Stellan to be more of a brOTP, than an OTP. Both Jack and Stellan did have their qualities about them, but I feel like Jack and Avery were the more similar.

The book ended on what I would say was a cliffhanger, but I know it didn't bother everyone. It's made me desperate for Maps of Fate, and I'm really glad I'm going to the US days after it's release, so I won't have to worry about it being sent across the Atlantic. Like I said, I wish I had read this as soon as it was released, and if you haven't read it yet, I'd definitely recommend it. I sped through the book in less than a day, when I really should have been doing my university assignments, because it was just so fast paced. I'm sort of hoping to do the same with Map of Fates when I get it, but at the same time want to savour it so the wait until book 3 won't kill me.

Dates Read:
November 7, 2015

Rating
5 Stars