The Last Hope is the sequel to The Raging Ones and Becca & Krista Ritchies finale to their duology. After the amazing ending from the first book, I had to get my hands on the second. I was, thankfully, not disappointed. Personally, The Last Hope blows the first novel out of the water. The characters that we’ve grown to love and care for - Franny, Court, Mykal, Kinden, Gemma, Zimmer, and Padgett - are all back, with a brand new mission and and brand new allies. Not only was I intrigued by this mission, it incorporated plot lines and themes from the first over so well. We still get questions of identity, family, belonging, destiny, etc., while big questions are answered throughout. Characters grow, and I am so blissfully content with the ending. Every character was fine justice, and their endings felt so right. There’s also some wonderful plot twists and reveals throughout the book, which kept the pacing consistent.

In short, this book was so wonderful, and is one of my favorites of this year.

You guys, I was so excited about this book. I wait for it since last August when I first read an ARC of "The Raging Ones." I'm not the biggest Sci-Fi girl out there, but what I like about this duology is that is not only a Sci-Fi. It's also a fantasy, a romance, and so much more.


So basically this book starts right after the first one finished, and I was so happy to see Franny, Mykal and Court again. I wanted nothing but their safety and their happiness. I was also so in love with all of the new characters, but especially Stork. From the first moment we set eyes on him, I knew he was gonna be helpful and great in general.
There wasn's a lot about the plot until almost the end of the book, but it was okay and I was satisfied. The book is full of revelations and explanations and even though some of them were a little bit too confused for me, I also think that the book in general has a great structure and a great plot altogether. It's not the classic Sci-Fi set on a foreign land, Earth is a big part of the plot and I was glad that it was the "main planet". It's not something we usually see.
Romance is also a big part of this book, and the two main relationships were so right and so sweet that I was in awe all of the time. Big shoutout to our LGBTQ+ favourite couple that I won't name cause spoilers, but they were my favourite relationship in the whole duology.


I'm not going too much into spoilery thoughts, but the last part was a little bit confusing. The resolution was a bit rushed in my opinion and there were some rules to be set beforehand.
After all, I think this book really preaches what it says in the title. Hope is the last thing to die, the last thing to go away, and you can find hope even in the worst moments if you are loved.
In conclusion, I think this book is an amazing ending to this duology, and I can't recommend it enough.

Thank you Wednesday Books and Krista and Becca Ritchie for the opportunity to read and review The Last Hope. A full review will be posted closer to release!

One of my most highly anticipated books this year and it didn’t disappoint! I’m pulled in to the story from the very first chapter. All those months of waiting for the final book, I’m immediately rewarded with some answers to the lingering questions I had at the end of The Raging Ones. I went into this book blind with no expectations; I had no idea there were four POVs. When the fourth POV was introduced, I was very delighted and pleasantly surprised.

Every chapter I find myself even more engrossed in the story. The twists and turns and the surprises, I couldn’t wait to find out what happens next, but wanted to take my time reading and soaking in all the information and all the revelations. True to Krista and Becca Ritchie fashion, The Last Hope has humor, witty banter, strong friendship and relationship bonds, well-developed characters, gut wrenching moments, as well as intense emotional moments. Where romance was secondary in the first book, there was more focus on it in this book. It was so wonderful (and heartbreaking) to witness Court and Mykal’s love continue to grow. “I want to be where Court and Mykal are in each other’s arms and happy. So deeply happy.” The chemistry between Franny and her new love interest is so strong it’s explosive. Franny is really hilarious when she’s all flustered and I adore his term of endearment for her. They are just way, WAY too cute!!

I loved finding out the truth about Court, Mykal, and Franny, and I loved finding out what happened in the past explaining how they came to live on Saltare-3.

What the triatomic group is willing to sacrifice for each other and to save humanity is truly selfless. Overall, it’s very well written and I love this book so much more than the first because it answers all my questions from The Raging Ones, and because there was more focus on the romance aspect of the story. As I neared the end, I just couldn’t put the book down. The pace picked up and I was in a roller coaster of emotions. I honestly love where the characters are at at the end of the story and I only wish there was more. I don’t want to accept that this is just a duology. I’m not ready for the story to end just yet.

You know when the first book ends on such a massive cliff hanger you almost throw the book across the room? Meet me after finishing The Raging Ones. So to tell you I needed to get my hands on The Last Hope is an understatement. If you read The Raging Ones, then you probably don't need to hear much from me about why you'll enjoy The Last Hope. Talk about an epic cliff hanger. What consistently impresses me about the story is how Becca & Krista aren't afraid to completely dispel any expectations about what you think regarding the genre. The series is one that will keep surprising you. The Last Hope asks us both what makes us human, and who are community will become.

Faced with an enemy that won't die, one where consequences, foregone conclusions, and fate are second nature. The secrets, revelations, and mysteries constantly unfold across the page. As they must navigate their bond and relationships between Franny, Court, and Mykal (especially as their romantic relationship becomes stronger), is a challenge they must still face - will they ever emerge on the other side? Especially as they evaluate the pros and cons of their bond, what it gives, but also takes from them.

3.5 Stars!

The Last Hope is one of those books that is harder for me to review because it was very different from the first book in the duology, The Raging Ones. The characters were the same, but the story took a turn I wasn't expecting (possibly because I hadn't seen the new book blurb).

This book felt like it was more about a quest than it was the connection between the characters. I was most interested about Mykal, Court, Fanny's relationship in the first book. Their histories and the personal stories was what made that book for me. With a greater emphasis on their quest, I wasn't enjoying things as much. It took a long time to build up to the quest and reasoning behind it. I wasn't really into all that stuff. Once the reasoning behind it all -- the baby, the connection between Mykal, Court, and Fanny, what was at stake-- became apparent and the action started, I became way more invested in the story.


That last third of the book when everything started happening was super exciting. I loved finding out how everything was connected and what it meant. This part of the story saved the book for me. I wasn't quite as into this book as I was the first one, but it was still a fast-paced read that gave me an ending I was satisfied with. I enjoyed Krista and Becca Ritchie's writing even when I wasn't into the story. Overall, I thought it was a good way to end the duology.

What an awesome closing to an awesome adventure. I really enjoyed following our three favorite bonded characters as they try and save earth. We ran through a plethora of emotions as our three characters developed into what seemed to be three separate entities by the end of the story. I loved how things progressed and the flow of the story was smooth. I wish there was another book in the series, but I will have to make do.

<b>The Last Hope</b> the sequel to [book:The Raging Ones|30301147] was another fun <i>Young Adult Sci-Fi</i> book. While it took me a little longer to get into the story and to find my footing with these returning characters, the story ramped up nicely overall and ended in a way that was both exciting and satisfying.

A nice compliment to the first, I was glad to see another duology rather than stretching a series into a trilogy and have a middle book suffer because of it. The Ritchie sisters have crafted a well-thought out story arc and installed a trio of main characters who are completely individual and also wonderfully connected to each other along with the greater story.

"The Last Hope" by Krista and Becca Ritchie was simply amazing. I didn't even read the first book in this duology and it didn't even matter. They did a good job at sprinkling the details I needed throughout and I had no problem attaching to the characters even without knowing them from the prior book. There was a lot about this story that stood on its own. The science fiction/space aspect of it was well-developed but didn't overpower the plot or the human aspect of the story. The romances were beautiful, but the platonic relationships involved were equally as powerful. It just reveled in so many gorgeous aspects of humanity and love and survival and life and death. I highly recommend it. Simply amazing.

In a nutshell, Book one and Book two are completely different books. Same characters, same plot building up and out, but somehow entirely different. The Raging Ones was a sold sci-fi with awesome world-building and an honest and believable plot. This one ... took a very weird turn. Like magical babies, water world planets with 80's-esque tropical clothing, and humans on spaceships dressed like roman gladiators. I'm not quite so sure what to think of this one. My complaints from the first book still hold here, but I still enjoyed it as a whole???

2.5/5 stars

I lived the twists in this book guys! I devoured the first book in The Raging Ones and was STOKED to get a copy of The Last Hope. I loved the dynastic of Mykal, Court and Franny and the twists in this? Perfection.

This was the prefect way to wrap up this duet. Literally I couldn’t’ be more happy.

I can’t even write anything but to tell you hat this is everything you want and I refuse to spin anything. GO READ IT.

Krista and Becca Ritchie are autobuy authors from me since their addicted series, and when I found out they were writing a sci-fi young adult duology I immediately felt the hype in my soul. It definitely was the perfect conclusion, I loved Frannie, Mykal and Court with my entire heart. Their bond and their love was something I’ve never read before. Mykal and Court are definitely one of my favorite m/m couples and I will always always keep them close in my heart. I wish we had more of Frannie and Stork for me to actually root for them (a part of me will always love Frannie and Zimmer more, my selfless baby boy [insert sad emoji]) I hope the authors will go back to write more sci-fi in the future because I feel they are doing it really well.

The Last Hope is the conclusion to The Raging Ones Duet. I was happy to be reunited with the great set of characters. The blurb summarizes this book perfectly so I will not really go into that. Krista and Becca did a great job with this duet. It was original, mysterious, suspenseful, emotional, funny and romantic. It did take me longer to finish this book, I didn't get the urge to binge-read it in one or two sittings. There were a couple of times, especially in the beginning of the book, that I thought the story was moving too fast. I had no idea how everything could be resolved in one book. However, the authors surprised me and did a pretty good job in telling a complete story.

Franny, Court, and Mykal are such amazing main characters and I enjoyed reading their POVs. All the side characters were very important as well, and I loved how all the relationships developed even further. We learn so much new in this book and a couple of those revelations really surprised me, and added another layer to the story. I think the authors did a great job in adding the twist to the story. I loved that everything was so easy to understand, and not confusing (which is sometimes the case with fantasy/scifi books). I really enjoyed this duet and am very sad to say goodbye to all the characters. I really hope Krista and Becca will decide to write more books in this genre, because they are pretty good at it.

Not sure what it is about this novel that makes this novel less exciting than it could be. The plot is interesting, of that there is no doubt. The story is interesting, the plot is interesting enough to keep the reader somewhat engaged, but there is something about the pace of the novel that makes the story dull and uninteresting. It is not even that the characters are uninteresting; they are, especially given the representation going on here. Court and Mykal are in a relationship, and it is beautiful to see their relationship grow and survive through all the struggles they face. To see the kind of love they have for one another is fantastic, and to see it flourish in this novel is one of the better highlights of this novel.

The characters have come a long way from the previous novel, and not just the main characters but also the minor characters as well. They have all developed and grown, of that there is no doubt.
However, the pace of the story is lacking. Moreover, it is not as if nothing is happening; things are happening; these characters have come to know some undeniable truths about their history that explains so much to them. However, the pacing, the dialogue, and narrative, something is lacking about it that makes the story seem so slow.

The authors do a good job summarizing the passage of time, and they do an excellent job of making sure that the vital information is not just packed in at one moment, they make sure that the story has substance, but when it comes to the pacing, something is lacking. Some of the scenes, they do not flow as strongly as others; they linger too much on internal narrative and exposition without the dialogue fully utilized to capture the importance of the scene.

Ultimately, while the story presented has both a unique premise and strong characters, the pacing leaves a lot to be desired.

When I got an email inviting me to read the second book of The Raging Ones duology I jumped at the chance. The first book left me intrigued and kind of on the edge of my seat with a cliffhanger and I was excited to get back to these three and see how their story ended.

When we meet up with the three: Franny, Mykal, and Court, they are being held captive by an enemy crew. Though they aren't quite sure what the reasoning is and things are really not looking up for them. Because of their bond they are each suffering three-fold and they don't know that they are being watched.

They're saved by Stork and told so much new information about themselves that they don't know what to believe, then all hell breaks loose. The leaders of the people who freed them are murdered on a live feed and now it's up to them to save what's left of humanity. Yep, humanity.

I enjoyed that this book was fast-paced and kept me guessing, though it could be a little corny and far-fetched at times. I guess that's what comes with having three people emotionally linked? I was finding that the things I found endearing in the first book were things that annoyed me in this one. It was obvious that Mykal and Court were moving forward into their relationship and leaving Franny behind. Not going to lie, I was really rooting for all three of them to live happily ever after.

That doesn't happen, though.

The ending, with the baby...It's simple and no-nonsense and will kind of leave you scratching your head a little bit. I enjoyed everything being tied up with a nice little bow, even if it wasn't what I wanted.

Mostly I loved Stork and his growth. The other three kind of got on my nerves through the whole book until the very end and even then I was annoyed with them. Maybe that's just me, though.

"We are together. We are one, and we are two and then three, and finally, we have found real, everlasting peace"

* * *
3 / 5

I really loved The Raging Ones: I thought it was so creative, with a setting on a frozen world with a lilac sky where everyone knows the date that they will die, and a trio of soulbonded characters where the two men are in love. I knew it was going to be a hard act to follow and The Last Hope was a good book, but it was a little "far out".

"You know, you carry yourself like you have a thousand secrets"

The book picks up where it left off: Franny, Court, and Mykal in the brig of a starship, accused on being Human rather than Saltarian as they have always believed. The empire of Saltare spans a number of planets and our trio grew up on the smallest and most provincial of the four, never subjected to a DNA scanner. Saltare and Earth have been at war for years and Earth is losing because Saltarians can only die on their deathday. Kind of hard to fight an enemy that you can't kill.

The trio are rescued by a new character to the show - Stork - who gets his own point of view chapters, they join up with the Earthen fleet and end up on some hair-brained goose chase involving a prophesied magical baby. The plot is, to be honest, kind of whack. The high point of this book is definitely the characters: Court, Mykal, and Franny are still distinct, realistic, gritty, lovable characters. And then Stork gets added to the mix, tough, devoted, loving Stork who knows what it is to grow up somewhere you don't truly belong. 

"It's better to be cautious. To be alert. To be maddeningly strict and survive than to be starry-eyed in love and perish"

This book is fantastically written - all the characters have their unique signature, so I always knew exactly whose chapter I was reading without having to check. Mykal is rough and gruff with slang, Court is precise and in pain, Franny is full of emotion and filled with a sense of urgency, and Stork is reflective and drunk at least 50% of the time. I also thought that this series worked really well as a duology. 

I seriously recommend that people give this series a shot - it's creative, full of life and ideas and fantastic characters.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the authors for an ARC of The Last Hope.

I recently read an Advanced Copy of The Last Hope. This is the conclusion to The Raging Ones. First let me be honest and say I have yet to be disappointed by anything Krista and Becca Ritchie write. Okay, on to the book...three friends, Franny, Mykal and Court have dodge their deathday, forcing them to flee their planet. The Last Hope take you through each harrowing moment they fight to survive. A Blaudrader, the enemy, offers to help. But can they trust him? What will be asked of them and will they be willing to comply? Find out in this fast paced, sci-fi full of plot twist and surprise.

'The Last Hope’ is the conclusion to Franny, Court, and Mykal’s story, started in ‘The Raging Ones.’ A proper, full review would include spoiling plot points, so if you generally trust and agree with my taste in books, please run – don’t walk – towards this duology and enjoy! ‘The Last Hope’ releases on August 13, 2019.

The Quick Cut: The final book in this duology, three teens connected to one another find themselves rescued for the sole purpose of helping with a mission. Not all is as straight forward as it seems when the truth of who they are slowly comes to the surface.

A Real Review:
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So much of who we are is connected to where we came from. How can you connect to that though when your home and it's details are kept secret from you? This is the reality for our three heroes: Franny, Court, & Mykal.

Our three heroes start having learned the truth of who they are a month ago, while sitting with the truth in the bright of a ship. Just when they realize that escaping is a far off reality, someone comes and bails them out with the promise of truth about their origins in exchange for help with a mission. Is this rescue as straight forward as it seems or is there ulterior motives lying under the surface?

It took me quite some time to get back into this story. Based on the way the book starts, it seems clear that this duology is meant to be read close together. By the time I got a third of the way through the story, I JUST started to get back into the rhythm of the characters. On the upside, the general arc is interesting and provides plenty of opportunities to see the characters develop.

On the downside, some of the answers to the story's created questions are very far fetched and feel as much once the book ends. The Sense8 type connection between these three was intriguing enough, but when you expect your readers to buy this many bananas answers... you lose your audience in the process.

With a fascinating story but odd answers, the final result is a mixed bag.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5

THE LAST HOPE is a thrilling conclusion to the THE RAGING ONES duology. As we know from the first book, Franny, Court, and Mykal found each other on their death days, when they became inexplicably linked. Able to detect each other’s emotions, touch, and taste, the ability sometimes feels like a blessing and other times like a curse.

They live on Saltare-3, a cold planet where technology has advanced so much that a special reader can tell you the exact date you will die. It is inescapable, and you cannot defeat it through endangering your life earlier- things which should kill you may only maim you. You will only die on your death day. However, Franny, Court, and Mykal somehow escaped their death day, living through it. Each had a different place in their society, filling the roles allowed to them by chance and their death date. For instance, Franny was a fast-tracker, someone who would die before 29, and so does not receive education, takes labor jobs earlier, and generally lives for pleasure until their death date.

The three ended the previous book with stealing a spaceship after forging different death dates, along with some of their classmates, and arriving in space to learn that they are actually human, and the others are Saltarian. This book begins where the last left off, with the three locked up in the brig and wondering what that revelation even means. Soon, they are rescued and then sent on a mission to find a newborn. We get many of the answers to the questions that arose at the end of the first book, as well as more exploration of what the universe looks like in this future.

What I loved: The pacing in this book was better than the first, and I was completely captivated the whole way through. The world-building is also enhanced as we learn more about Earth and the Saltare planets in this book. The sci-fi is a lot stronger. The romance is also stronger. The couples that arise were amazing, and I was cheering for them the whole way through. I loved the main characters still, and the new characters added were equally as endearing. I really admire how different the main characters are and how well they come off the page.

What left me wanting more: As a relatively minor point, the sci-fi explanations were not quite so scientifically accurate, and there seemed to be a supernatural element to these, as well as a little belief needed to accept them. The ending also felt a little rushed with a lot coming together and happening quickly without full explanations. I would have liked a more extended ending to fully capture the end and how everything comes together. Adding to this, I would have liked one more chapter in the epilogue from another point-of-view to also add to the what will happen vibe (I won’t say who to avoid spoilers).

Final verdict: THE LAST HOPE is a fantastic end to a wonderful duology, and I highly recommend for fans of sci-fi, such as DEFY THE STARS and ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. Despite minor concerns, this is a strong continuation of a really engaging and intriguing YA sci-fi/fantasy duology.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.