Review: Allied by Amy Tintera

Allied

Amy Tintera

(Ruined #3)

Publication Date: May 1, 2018

Hardcover, 405 pages, HarperTeen

Genres: YA, Fantasy

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In the final book in the New York Times bestselling Ruined series, the romance of The Selection and the epic stakes of Red Queen come together in a story of revenge, adventure, and unexpected love.

Emelina Flores and her sister, Olivia, were determined to bring peace to the people of Ruina. But as the war for liberation raged on, what triumph and freedom meant to Em and Olivia slowly changed. As Olivia’s violence and thirst for vengeance became her only ambition, Em was left to pick up the pieces.

But it’s not only Em who is upset by Olivia’s increased violence. Other members of the Ruined army are beginning to see the cracks, and soon a small group of them defects from Olivia’s army and joins Em instead. The two sisters are soon pitted against each other in an epic battle for the kingdom and the future, and only one will win.

My Review

The final book in the Ruined trilogy proves to be a satisfying end to a series that had its fair share of ups and downs. Book one was an amazing, fun adventure, while book two, Avenged, struggled to really grasp my interest. Thankfully, Allied stepped up its game and provided an enjoyable ending.

I have to begin this review with the warning that Allied does start off slowly, with frustrating character development. In Ruined, Cas’s naivete was cute and cinnamon roll-ish. Now, he just seems a little ridiculous, or at least, he does during the first half. He just can’t seem to step up his leading game until Em comes along. The same can be said of Em, though as well. She’s wishy-washy for someone who opened the series as a murderer set on revenge. BUT, once the two are in the same room, they actually take charge and rule. It’s not an amazing partnership, but it’s so much better to watch them work together than to watch them struggle while they’re apart.

My favorite characters in this book were actually the side characters. Aren and Galo had a fun bromance that I wish had been explored a little more, and Iria, despite me not remembering her character from Avenged, had the most interesting chapters. Olivia’s on the other hand, were meh, simply because they didn’t really add to her development. If anything, her POV made her seem badly written. She doesn’t inspire a lot of fear when she’s whining.

Like I mentioned, everything gets more fun as you get closer to the end. The characters are all in relatively close proximity to each other, and the pace picks up. There are rescues and betrayals, and swords and battles. It was a great ride that I flipped through fairly quickly after page 200 or so.

Overall, the premise of this series had so much potential. Magical abilities and royal intrigue are always great plot devices. And while Ruined was a fantastic adventure, Tintera almost lost me with Avenged. The world-building was what was holding the series together, and, sadly, the sometimes poorly-written characters slowly chipped away at that world-building. At least Allied gave the series the opportunity to end on a high note, and for that, I’m thankful.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.