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Please Note: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Best friends have
become enemies. Lovers have become strangers. And deciding whose side
you're on could be the difference between life and death. For Eve and
Lemon, discovering the truth about themselves--and each other--was too
much for their friendship to take. But with the country on the brink of a
new world war--this time between the BioMaas swarm at CityHive and
Daedalus's army at Megopolis, loyalties will be pushed to the brink,
unlikely alliances will form and with them, betrayals. But the threat
doesn't stop there, because the lifelikes are determined to access the
program that will set every robot free, a task requiring both Eve and
Ana, the girl she was created to replace. In the end, violent clashes
and heartbreaking choices reveal the true heroes . . . and they may not
be who you think they are.
Review:
I remember back in 2016, when I met Jay Kristoff (and Amie Kaufman) at a book signing at my local Barnes & Nobles. I don't know what happened. Maybe the bookstore hadn't bothered with any publicity. But here were two Rock Star authors...and eight fans! I kid you not.
What must have been terrible for Jay and Amie was a boon for those of us who showed up. We were able to sit around for ninety minutes and just talk to these two wonderful people. We talked about everything: books, politics ("What is going on with you Americans?" they asked), war. It was an exhilarating conversation which made me into a life-long fan.
Jay's latest book is Truelif3, the last in a Dystopian trilogy that is part Mad Max, part road trip, and completely riveting. I loved it.
What I Liked:
Setting:
The books are set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland called the Yousay (a clever riff on the good ol' U.S.of A), where city-states compete for resources. One city is driven by technology to provide the Yousay with energy and innovations, while another relies heavily on genetic engineering to supply the other cities with food. Both are rich playlands for the elite. The majority of people, however, live in squalor, eking out a living on the scraps of the rich city-states, and dreaming of a better life. The pollution is so pervasive that the Grand Canyon is filled with plastic trash!
Characters:
Eve has only recently learned that she is a Lifelike, a replacement for Ana, the daughter of a genius inventor. All her memories have been implanted. This has severely messed her up! She is now obsessed with finding Ana and destroying her. In fact, most of the Lifelikes borderline psychotic. While their bodies are that of young adults, they are emotionally immature, quick to anger, and obsession.
Lemonfresh, is a Deviant. She's human, but has super-human powers, and can manipulate electricity. What I love about this series is that the main characters change with each book. Lemonfresh was only a side-kick in the first book. I love how she becomes the focus of the second and third books. She is sweet, kind, and an underdog. You can't help but root for her!
I also like that more attention is paid to side characters such as The Preacher, Abraham, Solomon, and Cricket. Each of them have complete story arcs, and makes the series full and satisfying.
Themes:
How much should we rely on technology? In one city, the elite let technology do all the work so they can bliss out in virtual reality tanks. Life is brutal for everyone else in the areas around the city. They aspire to get this life for themselves, and will do anything to get it. It's a classic tale of capitalism run amok.
In another city, cloning has been embraced. Every person is genetically engineered to fulfill a narrow purpose in society. They seem happy. Everyone has enough to eat, and find satisfaction in their tasks. But there is no individuality. No choice.
One of the other strong themes explores the role of servitude (slavery) in society. Machines have just enough conscious thought to know that they have no choices, doomed to do the bidding of humans. The author really does a wonderful job of creating empathy with Solomon and Cricket, as they begin to realize they are slaves.
What I Was Mixed About:
My only gripe with this book is with the ending. While most characters have logical and satisfying resolutions, Eve's is too abrupt. Without any preamble, her personality changes. Are there any consequences for her actions? I wish there had been a deeper exploration into how she turned out.
Rating: 
Release Date: June 30th, 2020
Author: Jay Kristoff
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA Dystopian
Page Length: 480 pages
Source: NetGalley
Format: E-book
Recommendation: A thrilling finale to an action-packed series. A must read!
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