Written in Fire: The Brilliance Trilogy, Book 3 (Unabridged‪)‬

I would like to thank Thomas Mercer & NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book to review. Though I received this e-book for free, that has no impact upon the honesty of my review.

Goodreads Teaser: The explosive conclusion to the bestselling Brilliance Trilogy

For thirty years humanity struggled to cope with the brilliants, the 1 percent of people born with remarkable gifts. For thirty years we tried to avoid a devastating civil war.

We failed.

The White House is a smoking ruin. Madison Square Garden is an internment camp. In Wyoming, an armed militia of thousands marches toward a final, apocalyptic battle.

Nick Cooper has spent his life fighting for his children and his country. Now, as the world staggers on the edge of ruin, he must risk everything he loves to face his oldest enemy—a brilliant terrorist so driven by his ideals that he will sacrifice humanity’s future to achieve them.

As conclusions go this one is pretty close to epic for me. Given the amazing storyline presented and expanded in the first two books, the fact that Sakey was able to not only take everything one step further but also grab hold of all the separate lines in this story and wrap them up in a pretty tidy package is a feat that demands utmost respect.

Once again it's the characters that really get to me. I was pleasantly surprised by the way almost all of the large and small complications between the characters are resolved, with none feeling forced or rushed. Yet in this final book the story and how close we could actually be to something like it are also powerfully addictive. The scope of these books is staggering, and while cloaked in a fictional reality, the parallels between this story and the world we readers occupy are frightening. I can easily envision something similar happening in the real world, and that's what makes this series so unbelievably powerful and engaging.

The ending did not come as a surprise for me, but then I think it was deliberately designed that way. Or maybe it only seems like that to me because I tend to think like Nick Cooper? But it's more likely because I've read so many books that I notice the small cues, or in this case the less than subtle cue. And yet that had zero impact on my absolute enjoyment of this book and series as a whole. I know that the only thing that will knock my head out of Sakey's world will be to immerse myself in another compelling book, but I plan on lingering in this wonderful world a while longer. Thank you Mr. Sakey!

I downloaded this book as soon as it became available and immediately began reading. I did not put it down until the story had ended. I was not disappointed as my pulse rate soared and I hung on every word. The concept is highly imaginative, but the success of this book is in the depth of characters and the depiction of very human traits. The environment is realistic despite including elements beyond current science. The people are well-rounded and human. Even minor characters receive a detailed introduction. The ending goes beyond satisfying. This is truly one of the most-exciting books I have read in recent years.