Reviewed by Quirky Cat on
Memory’s Blade it the third and final novel in the Starfire trilogy. I have to say, while I was thrilled to get my hands on the latest book, I’m sad to see it go. Starfire has been a whirlwind of events and it was a blast to read. It’s been far too long since I’ve gotten this invested in a sci-fi series like it (I’ll confess that I may have gotten a little obsessed with this one, but in a good way, I promise!).
The Starfire trilogy was a fantastic series, and probably one of my favorites in recent years. It was a fun and quick read, with unique characters and wonderful world building. While I’m very sad to see it end, I can’t wait to see what Spencer Ellsworth will come out with next.
Normally by the time the third book in a series comes out, I feel like I have an idea of which direction it’s going to take next. That’s not the case for Starfire, and I’m actually really happy about that. I had no idea what was going to happen next in Memory’s Blade, nor did I have any idea how Ellsworth was going to end the series.
Jaqi is such a well-designed character. She’s strong and independent and oh so quirky. She stands out among the crowd, and I just love how she breaks the mold for “expected” when it comes to a lead female character. I honestly can’t get enough of her and her antics. I also adore how open and unbiased she is. She’s never seemed to care about a person’s race, gender, or species. I really hope that this part is true about humanities’ future. Her lack of hang-ups does lead to some pretty hilarious moments, which I’m going to miss.
In the third novel we finally get to see what the Dark Zone contains (we’ve been told of course, but with all the other lies being spread I had given up on believing a lot of it) and just how everything ended up so twisted to begin with. I’m still a little stunned by the way everything went down; though I think it was wonderfully done.
Most of the main characters introduced get more character development, as well as a chance to shine (a nice farewell, if I may say so). Obviously Jaqi and Araskar got the most ‘screen time’, though there’s some time spared for Z and Kalia too. Some of the directions these characters took I wasn’t expecting, which when you think about it, kind of fits. A lot of the turns the actual plot took were surprising as well, so apparently the goal of this novel was to break any expectations we had.
I won’t say too much about the finale, because you need to read it yourself rather than having me spoil it. I can tell you the exact words I told my husband, once I finished reading it: “I am far too full of feels right now.” Which is a pretty good summation, considering I hate seeing a series like this end.
I can’t express how sad I am to see this series end. I know I’ve already said that half a dozen times in this review, but I’m still feeling quite emotional about it. There’s nothing I love more than finding a series I can really throw myself into, and for me that series had recently been Starfire. I hope Ellsworth continues writing in this world, or if not at least continues in scifi (because clearly he rocks at it). I also hope they release the trilogy in a nice box set – if it does I’m absolutely buying a set (or two, you know, as gifts).
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Reading updates
- Started reading
- 4 February, 2018: Finished reading
- 4 February, 2018: Reviewed