This review may contain spoilers for Unearthly and Hallowed, the first two books in this trilogy. “We are all connected, everything that lives and breathes in this world, and glory is what binds."Next thing he'll be talking about the Force, I know it.Oh, boy. This was good. This was well-written, well-paced, and obviously plotted with care right from the very beginning of Unearthly.I wish I could be happier with it.It started out strong, as always, with Christian and Clara's arrival at Stanford and their preparation for the battle to come against the Black Wings. This part I always trust Cynthia Hand to know how to do. Clara's not one to wait around for action to come to her; she's training, she's snooping, she's pestering anyone she can think of for some answers. This series is not one that believes in standstills.I'd been a bit worried at the end of Hallowed about the loss of Meg, Clara's mother—her opinions and influence were a large part of the narrative—but, although no substitute, the introduction of Michael and his subsequent appearances in Clara's life did well in allowing her the parental figure she still needed (He had that "I love you, but I can't tell you anything" thing down just as well as her mom ever did). As an added bonus, Michael and Samjeeza's knowledge of Meg's mind and history kept her a part of the story and provided both Clara and the reader with an insight we'd never of had otherwise.Oh, yes: Samjeeza. Ms. Hand's bringing the whole gang back.And the character development was immense in this conclusion. We finally see Jeffrey and Angela really enter the plot as their roles in the battle not only become clear, but make it known they were there all along. Even if I was a bit disappointed that neither got as active a part as I'd have liked, I couldn't deny that Hand wove them in with such finesse I was awed. It's still unfathomable to me how I didn't pick up on some sort of foreshadowing in the preceding books.That was the first 65% of this novel: suspense and intrigue and a delicacy of detail that had me reveling in every reveal.Then came—are you ready?—the love triangle.I mentioned when I reviewed Hallowed that I had great hopes for where this might go. Cynthia Hand acknowledges the stereotypes surrounding this dynamic, and moreover, she made Clara do the same. I'd hoped with such self-awareness we could avoid the basic pitfalls so many paranormal romances succumb to. Apparently not.One boy gets everything, and the other isn't even permitted a denouement for his poor, broken heart.Further than that, the circumstances which allowed Clara to finally make her choice were somewhat . . . contrived. So much so that it's seemingly pushing that destiny—that God—had always willed it to end so, which rang a bit preachy to me and was infuriating after three novels struggling along with a character for some free will.In addition, the entire way in which Angela's pregnancy was handled was infuriating. Here is a girl who has little desire to be a mother, a strong drive to not end up trapped, and she goes through with a pregnancy because God wants her to.I won't lie. I considered putting the book down.In the end, though, I am satisfied. Boundless had its low points, but what Hand did right she was sure to do very right. Was I blown away? No, but this was a conclusion that threaded its loose ends, and what wasn't stitched up, I'm perfectly capable of making up my own mind about.Originally posted at JUSTINEXORABLE.COM.
