Review: The Bound Worlds by Megan E. O'Keefe

The Bound Worlds

Megan E. O'Keefe

(The Devouring Worlds #3)

Publication Date: June 25, 2024

Paperback, 496 pages, Orbit

Genres: Adult, Sci-Fi

Goodreads

Dying planets, dangerous conspiracies, and secret romance abound in the second installment of the Devoured Worlds trilogy by award-winning author Megan E. O'Keefe.

 

Worlds will collide and fates will be rewritten in the thrilling conclusion to the Devoured Worlds space opera trilogy by award-winning author Megan E. O’Keefe. Naira and Tarquin have found a new home on Seventh Cradle. But the peace they’ve built is short-lived as mysterious assailants ambush the settlement and Naira is haunted by visions of a monstrous future. Catastrophe strikes when Tarquin uncovers a plot to bring about the end of the universe. As humanity races against the clock to prevent their extinction, old secrets come to light and loyalties fracture, and Naira realizes she may be the key to saving the world—or ending it..

 

My Review

After reading this series for two years, it's finally at an end. It's definitely a bittersweet moment. I'm going to miss Tarquin and Naira. But, to be honest, it's kind of difficult for me to review The Bound Worlds. Not because it was bad, but because my experience was a mix of "I love these characters," and "I completely forgot what this is," for 70% of the book. It had just been too long since I'd read the first two installments. So, I was really going off of vibes and my feelings for the two main characters for most of my read.

I kind of hopped into The Bound Worlds with vague recollections, reading but not really comprehending the canus and other sciency specifics. And, unsurprisingly, it was still an entertaining read. So I'm sure adamant sci-fi readers who love space and mind-controlling ethics and experimentation discussions will love this whole trilogy. I do think it's best to read it all close together, though. Don't wait months/years between books or your brief stint as a space-traveling reincarnated scientist-prince or a badass ex-bodyguard will be completely forgotten.

As for the characters, Naira is still being her tough, kick-butt, in-charge self, despite her unfortunate circumstances. And Tarquin is still a fool in love who doesn't get to be as fool-y in this installment due to his elevated status, which was honestly sad. I miss nerdy first-book Tarquin. I also hate when the two main characters are separated. They're more fun when they're together. And, unfortunately, the two were separated about 80% of this book. Oh, and Naira, I need you to never hurt Tarquin again. That was cruel. It hurt my heart.

As for the plot, things were going fairly well at first. Canus and Naira's issues were the main storyline. However, I did get confused that we seemed to have introduced two new major problems into the last half of the final book. All of the sudden there was time travel and brainwashing. Also, I wasn't thrilled with where Tarquin's storyline went. It felt a bit out of character at points. But, just when I was getting a bit upset and thinking about setting the book down, soooo much happened! There was a lot of action and the ending was crazy. The very, very end seemed a bit rushed, but the solution was satisfying as a lover of these characters. I do think the canus stuff was left a bit unresolved though.

All in all, I'm glad I read this series, and I'm definitely curious about Megan O. Keefe's next series. Space pirates, here I come! As I've said for each book in this series, if you enjoy The Expanse series, J.S. Dewes's The Divide trilogy, or even The Illuminae Files and The Aurora Cycle series, then The Devouring Worlds trilogy is probably a good pick for you.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion/review.