Can it be that the writing has actually gone downhill over the four books? It feels like it. The swearing was a bit over the top and started to get a bit stupid and annoying after a while. I don't mind it now and then, for emphasis, drama...I get it's importance in language itself. But, the repetitive "f***" this & "f******" that constantly was so juvenile.

If you're reading this series, I've no idea how long it's going to go on, but ready assured you know nothing...still...at the end of this one. :/ ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Never a fan of the idea of rehabilitating the Banes, Renee, aka Flex, must now work with one of them in order to uncover the latest secret project of the Overseer’s. Will she be able to remain civil long enough to get the job done?

Opening Sentence: Tap. Tap. Tap.

The Review:

I found myself a little confused at the end of this book because I could have sworn I had heard that it was going to be the last book in the series, and the book ends in much the same way as previous books in the series have done: open-endedly, with teasers as to what’s coming next. I certainly hope that more books are written for this series, as I truly enjoy it, and this book was no different. My rating reflects my feelings on the book as if the series were continuing.

Renee/Flex has definitely had it rough since book 1. She is still recovering from burn injuries she sustained back in book 2. While her body has healed, mentally and emotionally, she’s having a very rough time. Because of the severity and extent of her burns, her Flex powers are no longer as strong as they once were, leaving her only able to stretch her arms, legs, and neck, rather than her entire body. This means in field situations, she’s reduced to arming herself with a gun, making her feel like she is a useless member of the team.

There’s no time to throw a pity party though because as usual, times are not peaceful. Sent to investigate a series a robberies, Renee and the rest of the team discover the robberies are being done by a pair of teenagers with Meta powers. Further investigation reveals that the male teenager is actually the son of former Bane Derek “Chimera” Thatcher. There’s only one problem: Derek was told 15 years ago that his son died in a fire. Now, he’s been granted temporary parole so that he can help the Metas locate his son and find out what happened all those years ago. This puts him in direct contact with Renee, a woman who has made no effort to hide her feelings on Banes. Will they be able to work together for the greater good?

Renee has not been my favorite character throughout this series, so I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about her being the heroine of this book. Once I began to learn about her backstory and what brought her to the Rangers as a little girl, I began to warm up to her considerably and see her in a much more sympathetic light. Derek ends up being a perfect match for her, and I had a great time watching their relationship unfold. As much as I love first person narration, I think it would have been great to see some of this book from Derek’s point of view rather than Renee’s. I found myself very interested in what he was thinking when certain scenes were occurring. If there are going to be future books in this series, I would love to have a Bane narrator at some point. I think they would offer an interesting perspective.

As with all of the previous books in this series, this one starts with a bang and just keeps going, never losing momentum. I’m always so anxious to find out what’s going to happen next, and then so disappointed when I realize I’ve made it to the end. I truly hope there are going to be more books in this series, as I’ve enjoyed it from the very first page of book one. This book was no different, and fans of the series should be pleased with the answers we get and intrigued to find out where the series goes from here.

Notable Scene:

“It’s where the council performs punishments.”

“What?”

“In public?” Thatcher asked.

“Of course in public,” Landon said. “How is it a deterrent if it’s done in private?”

Ice water surged in my veins, and my vision tunneled in on the platform. I saw it as clearly as if it were happening all over again: a jeering crowd spewing profanities and urging the leaders on; a girl helpless to defend herself, crying for her parents to save her; the stone-cold faces of her torturers, uncaring of the agony they were inflicting on a child.

I felt the sun on my face. I felt the wood at my back and ropes against my naked skin. Smoke rose up and choked me, leached into my nose and mouth and skin. Flames licked higher, closer, searing heat eager to taste my newly blue flesh. Flesh that ached to bend and twist, to help me escape, only they’d tied me too tight, bound me too well. Fear and despair and hatred held me captive as securely as the priest’s ropes. As securely as the revulsion in my parents’ eyes as they watched from the crowd.

FTC Advisory: Pocket Star/Simon and Schuster provided me with a copy of Chimera. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.

Fans of X-men and Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series will fall in love with the MetaWars. With scientific enhancements and mutations that are all but magic, this politically messy series contains a world that has remade itself over and over again. And despite that complexity, I jumped in with CHIMERA and found myself up to speed and invested from page one.

The only downside to starting this series at book four was my perception of the character’s ages. Renee was volatile but self-aware, snarky but empathetic, and the perfect point of view to introduce me to this world, but something about her had me thinking she was in her late teens for much of the book. Correcting that misinterpretation didn’t set me back, but it does say something about the tone and style of narrative. Though Renee certainly has baggage and prejudices, CHIMERA is more about her own healing than resolving a contrived misunderstanding. A wounded warrior surrounded by heroes, as Renee comes to accept herself she opens herself up to accepting others. The relationships, both romantic and otherwise, were a beautifully organic part of the story.

Marvel has nothing on the twists and turns and past plots that make up the MetaWars, but the amount of backstory Meding provided was enough to keep me moving forward. I was surprised to find myself as invested in the global, cultural fate of Metas as their individual love stories. Happiness is achieved in the moment, but this messy, violent world makes it clear that “happily-ever-after” isn’t guaranteed to be just around the corner. This team hasn’t given up on the fight, though, and my fingers are crossed that this series culminates in a safer world for them all.

Sexual Content: An explicit sex scene, references to sex. ( )