I absolutely loved this trilogy! Fantastic conclusion to an amazing story! From the moment I started Sleeping Giants (#1), I was hooked!! This was a very satisfying ending for this super imaginative and cleverly written trilogy.

I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion

The Themis Files trilogy is an outlier, as it seems to get better from book to book (I’m looking at you, Hunger Games). Only Human is the best of the bunch. It has extreme heart, and it unlocks a wider world for the reader to explore. Engrossing, funny, and warm, the Themis Files trilogy is one that even the novice sci-fi fan can enjoy.

I can't believe we're already at the end of such a thunderous trilogy. The Themis Files swept me off my feet from the first page of book one, and kept me begging for more until the very end. Only Human is a fantastic finale to an already strong series, and while I'm sad to see it end, it was definitely the epic conclusion the Themis Files deserved.

Once again, nine years have passed between this book and the last. While I found this temporal jump unsettling when reading Waking Gods, it was even more shocking when reading Only Human because of just how much had changed: humanity has lost its mind. The robot our motley crew defeated at the end of the last book has been taken over by the US, who have been using to, well, take over the world. Just as Rose and Vincent predicted, with an unbeatable robot in the hands of a single government, the world is falling to its knees. To top it all off, the discovery of alien DNA in the population has led to widespread segregation across the planet, including work camps and executions. Countries are using the genetic code to crack down on their undesirables - a thinly veiled allegory to what could happen to us if we allowed our genetic differences to divide us. Sound familiar?

And while the Earth has been growing more insane, Rose, Vincent, Eva and General Govender have been trying to adapt to life on the Alien world of Esat Ekt. Here the author demonstrates a fantastic job of worldbuilding, as he creates a massive society so different from ours. It reads almost like a thought experiment, seeing what would happen to a society so afraid of stepping on its own toes that it never accomplishes anything. It was also an interesting change having two different time periods running concurrently through the book: life on Esat Ekt alternating with life back on earth, after the team returns.

I absolutely loved the character building. Eva and Vincent's relationship grew perfectly in this last installment. It was fantastic seeing them try to learn to live as a family, see them butt heads, see them end up on opposing sides. Eva has to be my favorite character here: while I miss Kara, she makes up for her departure with a familiar snark. Seeing Vincent wanting nothing more than to go home, while Eva put down roots, made me relate to Eva even more: third culture kids, children of expats, we recognize each other everywhere.

If I did have some qualms, it would be with how certain parts felt a little rushed. I realize the author was trying to show how slowly things moved on Esat Ekt, but at times it felt too slow: they lived on that planet for almost a decade, but it read like the course of a year. And the ending was a little... I don't think Deus Ex Machina has ever been such an accurate term. It was a little too perfect, to the point I could easily imagine that Vincent or Rose died and imagined the entire thing. But maybe it's because I'm not used to happy endings!

Rose's growth was incredible; Vincent's mental anguish was palpable; Eva's determination and will made her a force to be reconned with. Other characters grew a lot over the past 18 years of this series, as well, and I was happy to see them almost redeemed at the end. All in all, a fitting conclusion to a fantastic series. Not to mention it was impossible to put down. I sure hope Neuvel has more planned for us in the future, despite the trilogy ending!

OK, so if you're reading this book you're already familiar with the story and a fan of the series. So you already know that the giant robots are more the backdrop of the story and it's not like "Pacific Rim" with a bunch of robots fighting all the time. What you want to know is whether this book is as good as the others. My answer would be a yes and a no. This one is set 9 years after #2, which was 10 years, after #1 so we've been around a while. Only Human is centered around what happened to our characters at the end of #2 and the aftermath of the millions of deaths that also occurred in that book. Our main question (what happened to them) is answered pretty much right away so we're not left hanging there. We follow the adventures of some of our favorite characters and are even introduced to some interesting new ones. As a whole this one is quite interesting. However, I just didn't like it quite as much as the previous ones. It's hard to put my finger on exactly why. I'm thinking it may be because in #1 and #2 we were discovering a new world and it felt like we were on a journey. Only Human seems more like we've taken our journey but now we have to put everything back together. Maybe that will make sense after you read. Or maybe I'm just an idiot... All in all it was a satisfying end to the trilogy and you definitely MUST read it if you've gotten this far in the series.

I received and ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for a fair review, which I always give, good or bad.

Oh my gosh I actually shed a tear when I got to the end of Only Human – possibly because of what happened in it but mostly because THIS IS THE END. What an amazing, entertaining, creative and brilliantly written trilogy.

This series has had it all, amazing characters, heart stopping action, emotional trauma, and GIANT ROBOTS. Did I mention the GIANT ROBOTS?

So Only Human completes the tale, here we find some of our friends living on an alien planet until OOPS nope they are home. But what the heck have they arrived back into? The world is in turmoil, we have all gone mad and goodness knows whether or not there is any way back for the human race. It doesn’t help that the alien race are not exactly the greatest role models…

ANYWAY Eva is cross with her Dad Vincent and that may cause one or two issues. I thought I was going to miss someone but actually Katherine arrived and so I didn’t as much as I might have. I still haven’t forgiven the author though, just in case he thinks he’s off the hook, I said Katherine helped. Because she was funny and dangerous and brought some new life to our eclectic and highly captivating cast. In fact this may be one of the best yet for those hilariously ironic and clever little dialogue pieces that just make you smile.

I’m not giving away any further plot details, I’m trying not to spoil too much for anyone that hasn’t even started these yet – what I will do is say that this was the perfect end to what has been a perfect trilogy for this reader, the writing is simply rock and roll and it’s a bit of a rock and roll story from start to finish – but with an emotional depth that grips you and, honestly drives you a bit mad. In a great reading way.

So if I haven’t sold it to you yet, can I just remind you – GIANT ROBOTS. Plus damn fine plotting, damn fine characters and a damn fine finish . A trilogy to die for.

Highly Recommended.

Thank you to folks at Netgalley for giving me access to a review copy of this book . First I have to tell you that I love this trilogy and I was immersed in this world as soon as I read “sleeping Giants” so I came into this book with a biased opinion. I won’t give any spoilers or a complex review until the official date of this book but I can say that I was satisfied with the ending , not completely happy but satisfied. Hopefully you guys all get a chance to read this books , let me know what you think of this book .

Not as enjoyable as the first two books. But, it was still a decent send off for one of my favorite series.

I have followed the Themis Files from the beginning and like the whole scenario of the Ekt coming to our world. Vincent and Eva are back in planet Earth in Them is and things are not as they left them nine years ago. The U.S. Is using Lapetus for world domination. Can Themis bring back peace?

Wow! Sylvain Neuvel has done it again! I was so excited when I was approved for this ARC because I absolutely LOVE these books and Only Human is just as magnificent as the first two. I started reading it earlier this afternoon and finished it at a little after 1am; I couldn't sleep without knowing how it ended!

I'll post a longer review closer to the release date, I need a minute to process all my thoughts on this one. Just know that it is an incredible end to an amazing trilogy!

**Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!! All opinions are my own.**