In the third and final volume of an action-filled, near-future trilogy, Leo (they/them), Grayson (he/him), Jayla (she/her), and Ace (he/him), who first met at the B.E.S.T. (Biological Enhancement Systems Technology) Academy, are continuing their secret resistance against the Bixonics corporation. This volume is told from the alternating perspectives of all four characters as they venture from deep undersea to a space station high above, to the Tower of Power campus where their friendship began.
Each has personal challenges even as they face a common goal. Ace is torn between two different augmentations (or “augs”), soaring wings or enhanced emotional intelligence, and also finds himself at odds with his brother. Leo, with the rare and chancy Sherlock enhancement that allows them to deduce and understand everything, nevertheless has trouble understanding their feelings, particularly for Gray. Gray, son of the poisoned Bixonics founder, is grappling with the legacy that he will inherit, and pondering his crush on Leo. Jayla is running herself ragged using her technology aug to try and find a cure for Gray’s parents.
This volume, like the rest of the series, gives us creative worldbuilding and plenty of action, plus food for thought on the uses and abuses of technology—but also well-developed, sympathetic characters who are engaging on their own and even better together. Fans of science fiction and/or superhero tales will likely love it.
Jayla is Black; Leo and Ace are White. Ace has two moms, who appear several times throughout the book.
