Review Detail

"The Darkest Legacy" continues The Darkest Minds series after the resolutions of the trilogy. This time, we follow Suzume (Zu). Zu has been working for the government, trying to help get the country back on track and work within the system to protect the Psi. However, what she is beginning to realize is that she is becoming a mouthpiece for a government that is no longer working with her. At a talk where they are getting her to announce a new law (without warning her in advance), a warning scrolls on the screen that someone is out to kill her. Soon, she realizes that the protectors with her are actually against her and a bomb explodes.

Zu is now on the run with two highly trained Psi, Roman and Priyanka. They are not being honest with her, but she is not sure why. Without anyone else she can trust and on the run from the government she used to work for but now is accusing her of terrorism, Zu must trust these two- to an extent. As they work together, they learn more about what the government is really doing, and the path to freedom and reconciliation is not as straight-forward as it seemed at the end of the trilogy.

This book felt very much like the earlier books, except now, at the end of the trilogy, it had seemed optimistic and closed- now, corruption abounds and the path to where they want to be is again occluded. The new characters brought some interesting elements into the series. Although we don't delve into it so much, we see some of the work Zu has done with her therapist to try to recover from the terrible events of the past. However, now we are back on the run and dodging danger at every turn, while also trying to work towards a better future.

I believe it is necessary to have read the first books in order to understand this one; it is not a stand-alone. It is action-packed and has the suspense-like feel you would expect in this series. I was expecting something a little different with more recovery and smaller problems, after the ending of the third book. However, this easily drew me back in to the world, and I am curious to see where this will go in the next (there is a non-conclusive ending but we do get some small closures/not a huge cliffhanger). I liked Zu and I enjoyed getting into her head in this story- I also enjoyed the new characters, though I wasn't totally sold on the romance here. Hopefully, this will develop more in future books (they don't spend much time getting closer in this one).

Overall, this was a good read and I am curious to read Zu's next book! Please note that I received a copy through bookish first. All opinions are my own.