CSFF Tour: Rebels

Title: Rebels

Series: The Safe Lands #3

Author:

Jill Williamson

Genre: YA Dystopia

Rating: Craft—5, Content—4, 

Overall—4.2 out of 5 stars

Excerpt from Chapter 1 of Rebels:

*Spoiler Alert*

Levi woke to the sounds of chaos. Footsteps thumping through the house. Giggling toddlers. Screeching children. Women unsuccessfully hushing.

He rolled over. No sign of his wife. She must be up already and keeping the children out of the room.

It all came back the: Mason and Omar had been captured. Mason had been shot in the leg. Omar had been beat up by General Otley.

At least Otley was dead now. But what would become of his brothers?

Outside the room, someone banged against the door, followed by an ear-piercing squeal.

Levi wondered what time it was, but this room had no clock. This was no way to remain inconspicuous to neighbors. Not in a place where children live only at the boarding school.

Three brothers fight to reveal the truth behind liberation.

Craft: Rebels concludes The Safe Land trilogy with a thrilling ride to a satisfying end.

Finishing a series in a satisfying way is a challenge for most authors. Characters have become friends. Strange realms have become familiar. Stakes have become personal. As a result, it can be difficult to say good-bye while leaving the sense that characters will continue to live, all the while tying up loose ends in a way neither too short or long, a way which relieves tension with a satisfied sigh.

Yet Rebels does all that. Even connects with event as unexpected twists occur and unusual allies arise, pulling the story together to a dramatic climax. As for the ending, it is just the right length, providing closure while leaving the sense the characters live on beyond the final page of the book.

In short, Rebels will not disappoint.

Content: Rebels, while providing a thrilling ride in story, also offers plenty of material to chew on long after closing the cover. The Christian influence may not be overt, but themes of responsibility, forgiveness, and purpose are woven throughout. And as is often the case with a dystopia, the world also gives some interesting social commentary, such as on work and leisure, which is worth mulling.

Concerning common topics of concern, there is no supernatural elements and only moderate amounts of violence with no explicit gore. As has been the case for the entire series, the sexual elements are bit stronger than many Christian novels, including sex outside of marriage, but all are handled in a non-graphic way, allowing the story to broach tough topics in an accessible way.

Summary: Rebels is a deeply satisfying and thought-provoking conclusion to The Safe Lands. Highly recommended for older teens and adults.

Rating: Craft—5, Content—4, Overall—4.2 out of 5 stars

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.