Megan E. O'Keefe concludes her tales of a future in which people can be printed and all the colonies and Earth have been infected by a shroud disease. Now to liberate the The Bound Worlds (paper from Orbit), Naira has to do the impossible by recovering from being cracked and somehow stop the universe from expanding too much. These tales are fun, but the science behind them seems awkward and gave me a headache when I tried to make sense of it

The Bound Worlds is the final book in the Devoured Worlds Trilogy. Overall, I enjoyed this series, and am a big fan of O'Keefe's space operas in general.

Things that made me happy/kept me interested:
-Kav ( I would have loved him to have more print time, so I guess this is also a gripe).
-Diverse and well-thought out characters.
-A few surprises. I greatly enjoy books that can still surprise me with something unexpected.
- The realistic push and pull of doing what is best for the self vs the community.
-Neural maps and 3D body printing.
-Cracking

Things that kept me wondering/less interested:
-Fletcher.
- Tarquin's character throughout the series was annoying (to me).
- I finished still confused with Canus, Relkatite, and The World

Overall, I enjoyed the series and will continue to read what O'keefe puts out.

Thank you Netgalley and Orbit books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Attempting to express what O’Keefe does with this series is impossible. But of course, I will try. The Bounds Worlds is book 3 in her The Devoured Worlds series. This is sci-fi with a major romance subplot and you must start from book 1. Since I am first and foremost a romance fan you’ll hear most about the relationship arc from me but I think it’s important to focus on a few other themes first:

Climate change: the worlds are actually being devoured by an infection caused by human hubris
Death/grief/afterlife: humans are reprinted into new bodies after death but eventually either the money or the mind runs out and those left behind are forced to finally face their grief.
Class: the class structure permeates every part of this series. It’s critical to character development, government structure, science, and war.
AI: there is a significant reliance on AI in this world with both positive and supremely disastrous consequences.
Gender: because of the reprinting system, many people (including a MC) are able to live in the bodies they choose. The cost is not insignificant which brings the series back to class issue.

And now for the romance. The love story between Tarquin and Naira is epic. They are enemies and then lovers. There are secret identities that allow them to see beyond their differences. They are from distinctly different classes. Naira (she is so badass) is a soldier who rose in the ranks to the top. Tarquin is at the top of the elites because of the family he was born into. There are miscommunications and massive mistakes. Tarquin has to learn to love and care for Naira without using his power and money to erase her past. Naira has to learn to let herself be loved while recovering from extensive trauma.

Naira and Tarquin build each other up, tell each other the truth, lead progressively, fight against those resisting progress, make the ultimate sacrifices to keep their people safe, and so move their friends with their love that they are able to find their way back to each other again.

I can’t say enough good things about this series (especially the audio) and cannot wait to reread all 3.

I was so excited to get this book for review!

The Bound Worlds is more of what we love from Megan O'Keefe, with a satisfying finale to an absorbing series.

As always, pacing and emotion are well balanced and I was swept away and totally invested.

Cannot wait for the next book!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

4 stars

This was a great conclusion to the series. It jumps right back into it but I think it would have benefited from a recap. I was a little confused at the beginning because I was trying to remember what happened at the end of the last book and there’s a lot of important elements to keep track of in this series. That being said, I was still enjoying it a lot and it drew me in right away

Like the other books, it continues in a dual perspective narrative with the occasional POV of a side character as an interlude. This always adds intrigue to the plot for me. Some of my favourite chapters from this book (and the entire series) were these little interludes.

I do think there were a tad too many plot twists. It made it feel like you were always on your toes (which isn’t always a bad thing) but it needed some stability to even out these moments so that they felt more like the big moments. It reduces the importance of them when there are too many plot twists.

The characters were amazing. Aside from one which seemed kind of like a mustache twirling villain from the 80s, the characters were so fun. Their mannerisms and actions felt realistic and believable. What they did made sense with their character. I felt invested in their rich storylines and some of these characters really made the series for me. There wasn’t much more world building in this one but that makes sense since this is the conclusion of the series.

The ending of the book was great and everything felt very satisfying. I do think there were some plot twists that were added that seemed unnecessary (refer to above point about too many plot twists) but overall, it was a good conclusion to one of my favourite scifi series.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Orbit in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fitting ending to the trilogy. I felt like all of the outstanding threads and questions were wrapped up in a way that made sense, the characters developed but stayed true to themselves (SHOCKED that the author someone got me to actually buy in with that villain redemption arc), and even the parts that were upsetting or devastating made a lot of sense for the book. This did make my brain hurt in a Space Between Worlds kind of way but I was really happy with the ending.

4.5 stars.
Author Megan E. O'Keefe concludes her "The Devoured Worlds" trilogy wonderfully. If you have not read the first two books, then stop here, read those, and come back, because I will be mentioning certain plot points that occurred in books two and three so that my comments on this book have some context.

Done?

Here goes.

When we left the characters in book 2, Jonsun was continuing with his plans to destroy the MERIT families' choke hold on well, everything, Naira is holding on, mostly by threads, to her self after what Jonsun did to her in the previous book, Tarquin is continuing to do his best to lead Mercator interests and find more amarthite.

Though the amarthite crisis continues in book 3, Tarquin finds his efforts at building more equitable and harmonious relationships derailed by other MERIT families blackmailing Mercator for more amarthite.

Then, if that wasn't bad enough, one of Tarquin's scientists discovers that something is causing the universe, which has already been expanding forever, to speed up in its expansion. This affects everything that human society is based on: transportation, communication, agriculture, etc., meaning, park every other problem, figure this out.

Canus makes a reappearance, and they are actually even more creepy (how is this even possible?? but O'Keefe does it) when they begin making new demands, which Naira heads out to deal with. But she doesn't make it home, and is instead captured, and kept in check by threats to Kuma's and Kav's lives.

O'Keefe has been giving us Naira's and Tarquin's PoVs in each book, and she does it again, as each character must deal with so many threats, while trying to find some their way back together. The pacing never lets up, and even though I found the whole universe-wrecking threat (its cause and fixing) hard to swallow, I loved everything else about this final instalment. So much peril, so many class-based misunderstandings, so much physical and mental pain overcome by Naira, so many instances when I thought surely things will get fixed now and Naira and Tarquin can reunite, but then yet another calamity or violence would ensue, and I was kept reading frantically, as O'Keefe carefully, but very capably, tied up loose ends and answered questions, injecting much needed gallows-humour and genuinely touching moments throughout.

And then the last few chapters left me a wreck and in tears, but also totally satisfied in how things were wrapped up.

Some random thoughts:
-Though Tarquin occasionally irritated me over the trilogy, I deeply appreciated how he kept trying to get past his privilege and do better, and be kinder.
-Helms and Ward are great in how they support Naira.
-Kav Ayuba and Caldweller are wonderful.
-I felt a little fondness for Fletcher in this book, something I never expected to feel.
-The standout character in this book, and this trilogy, for me is, unsurprisingly, Naira, in all her compassion, kindness, pragmatism, and ass-kicking glory, who'll go past all her limits, despite her chronic pain, to protect those who need it. She's been wonderful to get to know and to root for, and thank you Megan E. O'Keefe for creating her.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Orbit Book for this ARC in exchange for my review.

The third book in The Bound Worlds trilogy picks up a little bit after book two ends. The main characters think they’ve found a safe place to settle, but of course it’s not that easy. It’s hard to say what’s happening without spoiling the other books, but the fate of humanity is at stake as the universe rips itself apart. There’s a race against the clock to stop it and save…everything.

Not only does each book in the trilogy ratchet up the stakes, but the story in this book keeps escalating. It’s fast-paced sci-fi, with surprises and betrayals and excellent characters. There are parts that are heart-wrenching. This book made me cry. It was so good. It’s an excellent conclusion to the trilogy, which I recommend for sci-fi fans. It comes out today! Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for the eARC.

5 ⭐
1 🌶️

I was very excited to be allowed to read The Bound Worlds, the final book in The Devoured Worlds trilogy. It met all my expectations. After dragging my heart and brain through all the worlds, battles, tears, and heartbreak, the long journey was worth it. It's a complicated, intertwining story with many characters, politics, and subplots, but the core remains--Naira and Tarq. And if you embark on this long gold-enhanced pathway, you, too, will hopefully find this series well worth the time. Highly recommend.

Thank you, NetGalley and Orbit Books, for the eArc. These opinions are my own.

This series overall was very enjoyable. The final book really hit all of the emotional levels I was hoping for. I love Tarquin and Naira so much as well as our other characters. I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book. It was a very trilling conclusion that also ripped my heart out at times. I look forward to ready many more book from Megan E. O'Keefe in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. .

The Bound Worlds is a great conclusion to Megan E. O'Keefe's Devoured Worlds trilogy, delivering a finale that not only meets but surpasses the high expectations I had for it. As a fan of O'Keefe's space operas, I was both excited and apprehensive to dive into the final installment. However, any fears were quickly allayed as I found myself engrossed in a high-stakes, emotionally charged narrative that kept me on the edge of my seat. I knew when I started reading this book that I had a lot of questions that needed to be answered, and I’m happy to say that my questions were answered. I also knew by chapter 5 that this book would make me cry, so be warned.

The Bound Worlds delivers a satisfying and emotionally resonant ending to the Devoured Worlds trilogy. The character development, high-stakes plot, and commitment to representation make this book a standout in the genre. The Bound Worlds is a must-read for fans of character-driven sci-fi and anyone looking for a richly diverse and emotionally engaging narrative. This series has been a great journey, and I eagerly anticipate whatever O'Keefe has in store next.

Thank you to Net Galley, Orbit Books, and the author, Megan E. O’Keefe, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for a review.

First of all, Disney needs to call Megan O'Keefe to write Ben Solo's atonement story. Wow! I am in awe with what she did with one of my favorite villains.

The Bound Worlds is the third and final book in the Devoured Worlds trilogy and O'Keefe took a different turn than I expected. We get a new threat that challenges Tarquin and Naira both as individuals and as a couple. From the very beginning, this final installment seemed more character driven than the other two and while the plot points helped hold the story together, it felt more like an afterthought. The political power structure seemed less involved and Tarquin's issues with being the head of a system he loathes took a backseat to the new problem he faced. O'Keefe kept the tension up and since this book is not a romance and there is no guaranteed HEA, I was on the edge of my seat and read this book in two sessions. The science fiction became more science fantasy and this may bother some readers who want their sci-fi to be more concrete. The world building aspects were still there, but not as heavy as they were in books 1 and 2 and while this book is still overall 5 stars, I would have liked to see more of canus, the relkatite supply issues, the underlying class caste system, etc. They aren't issues that can be resolved, but I'd love to see O'Keefe continue exploring this world even as we leave Tarquin, Naira, and their friends behind.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for the arc for review purposes.

I loved the first books in this series by Megan O'Keefe. I never thought I would be so interested in fungal overtaking of the world. O'Keefe does an excellent job of mixing science and space nerdery with an interesting plot and some fun Romance. In this final installment of the series, we get to see plenty of Naira and Tarquin, our main leads. The politics gets really intense, as does the action. It's pretty non-stop and twisty. Tarquin becomes annoyingly protective of Naira, but grows into being a more honest partner who learns to trust Naira to take care of herself. I love how badass she is, and how she continues to be as she deals with her own physical changes and limitations. This was an excellent capstone to this series.

That you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Bound Worlds is the third and final book in The Devoured Worlds trilogy by Megan E. O'Keefe. And it was a fantastic conclusion. I really enjoyed the first book, but the second was a little disappointing - it felt a little messy and all over the place. A tiny bit of that feeling lingers in the beginning of book 3, but once I hit 40% I had trouble putting it down. This was definitely more fast-paced than the last book.

One thing I really enjoy about this series are the science fiction themes - there are SO many interesting ones addressed. We have aliens, time travel (not a lot - thankfully), astronomy, geology, and neurology. The Bound Worlds just continues to expand on these themes.

I loved these characters and had so much fun following their journey. I love how the author maintains a sense of danger and true risk in a future where a person's neural 'map' can just be reuploaded into a new 'print'. And I admit, I was sobbing by the end of it.

If you like a fast-paced science fiction/space opera with excellent characters, high risks, and a lot of action - this series is for you. 4.75 stars - loved it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Orbit Books for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really strong finale to a great series overall. In this conclusion, the stakes are higher than ever, especially for our main characters, but also, for the entirety of humanity. They keep finding out things that prove their situation to be more and more dire- and preventing it will inevitably cost someone, or multiple someones, their lives. I thought that especially in this book, the pacing was great. I was never bored, and always on the edge of my seat.

The characters were, as always, very well developed. I think even more than ever, their relationships with each other played a huge role in the story. Who to trust was akin to literal life or death, so their relationships were so important to the plot. The romance was not the focus, which I appreciated, but it was still present. I was honestly quite impressed that the author was able to have an active relationship between main characters that didn't at all weigh down the book. For me personally, that is a rare feat. Also because of the well developed characters and relationships, the emotional stakes for the reader was equally high, and the author delivered on that front, too!

My only qualm, and my only real qualm with the series really, is that I didn't ever fully get a grasp of the worlds- like, I could never quite picture the "cradles" and such. I think because of that, I had a wee bit of trouble understanding what was going on with Naira a few times, but this is really not a huge complaint. There were a lot of great twists to the story, and a lot of stuff I never saw coming. All in all, this was an excellent conclusion, and I finished the series very satisfied.

Bottom Line: We just love when a series finale nails the landing.

The conclusion to The Devoured Worlds trilogy, The Bound Worlds ties up the story of Liege Tarquin Mercator and Executor Naira Sharp as they battle against the alien outbreak within their neural implants, for the future of the human race.

Right off the bat, I must admit that I was left unsatisfied with the direction taken by the final installment of The Devoured Worlds trilogy, especially since I thought that the first book, The Blighted Stars explored novel concepts and provided reasonably fresh takes on standard sci-fi tropes. It is a novel that felt familiar yet provided enough to keep you glued to the series. The sequel, The Fractured Dark succeeded where most middle books fail: the world was expanded, new elements were added to deepen the lore, and the stakes were significantly increased. With a cracker cliffhanger, I was deeply looking forward to where the O’Keefe would take us with the finale, and was thrilled to receive a review copy of The Bound Worlds.

Which makes my disappointment that much more severe.

Fundamentally, The Bound Worlds is not a bad book by any means, nor is it a wholly disappointing conclusion to the series. My major grouse with this series ender was that it felt like O’Keefe reduced the scope of the narrative and narrowed down several aspects, perhaps to present a more cohesive and complete conclusion to the major plotline.

One of the aspects I thoroughly enjoyed about The Fractured Dark was the broader universe impacts that were being built up towards the climax of the book. The stakes heightened considerably as the virophage canus continued to dig deeper into the material relkalite, used for all the post-human implants (called pathways) in the story. The pre-sentience that canus portrayed as it manipulated infected hosts towards its malignant spread across the imperium of human-occupied space was something that was expertly crafted. There is always something particularly delicious about a non-human malevolent antagonist that cannot be reasoned with, unlike human enemies.

All of that build-up was slashed down to an almost wall-hanging background quality, bringing forth Jonsun back as the primary antagonist, putting the narrative back in bog-standard Human Vs. Human territory, which ended up being quite lackluster.

The major focus of The Bound Worlds is the internal (and external struggle) of Naira Sharp as she navigates being “cracked” and that effect on her romantic progress with the now-leader of the Mercator faction, Tarquin. One of the areas where Megan O’Keefe excelled, particularly with the first two books of this series was in keeping the readers anchored in the personal element of an otherwise expansive sci-fi story. Told through the POVs of Tarquin and Naira, the story always felt grounded in something more tangible, even with increasing stakes. However, with the climax of the entire series looming over us in The Bound Worlds, the increased emphasis on the interpersonal (and romantic struggle) between Tarquin and Naira ate up far too much space in the overall narrative and stole much of the nervous excitement of a story ramping up to a crescendo.

In addition, a few more elements were added to the story (spoilers redacted) which felt more like a deux-ex-machina moment (quite literally in some cases) and signaled that the author struggled with tying all the plot threads set up over the series in a meaningful way. In addition, the character arc of the finalizer Fletcher Demarco from menacing hench-villain to antihero, to straight-up protagonist did not feel earned at all and went further to cheapen the stakes. Furthermore, Aceleus Mercator (Tarquin’s father) proved to be a much more capable and vehement antagonist, making Jonsun feel like a sub-boss that should have been dealt with as a side-plot rather than towards the end of the series. At no point, even in Act 3 of the book, did I ever feel satisfactorily anxious about the tension created by the weakened plotlines. Bah!

The downgrade of the non-human threat and heightened emphasis on the personal character conflict reached a climax that felt cheapened by the reduced stakes. All of these elements robbed The Bound Worlds of an ending that felt rewarding and earned. Moreso, it reduced my memory of the previous books as well, marring my overall impression of The Devoured Worlds series.

I devoured (ba dum tsss) the first book of the Devoured Worlds trilogy, and the second book kept that going. This book, I am delighted to say, sticks the landing. Delighted with the book and the trilogy, but there’s also a lot of other emotions kicking around here too. This book put me through the wringer.


I don’t want to give spoilers, either for this book or for the first two. So, to keep this generic: a lot of things happened I did not at all expect. There were some directions I thought things were going to go, and some that took me completely by surprise. A number of things that were foreshadowed (either subtly or in a “hey, look, there’s a gun on the wall!” kind of way à la Chekov) happened, some good, some … not so good. There were several moments where things happened that left me terrified to turn to the next page. At one point (despite my desperate desire to know what happened next) I spent probably 36 hours stalling before I could make myself continue.


This was more strongly character-driven than the first two books. There’s still lots of things that the characters are struggling against - it’s not about internal stuff, and it’s not about Tarquin and Naira’s relationship, per se. But the conflicts they’re dealing with are framed in terms of their relationship, and their relationship is what shapes their decisions.


My only real criticism is the science of the book. Relkatite has always been something of an Unobtanium as a plot device. I’ve never really had a problem suspending disbelief on that score, but this book pushed that at points. I also wish the villain from the first book played more of a role here; they were kind of sidelined, and didn’t have a huge amount of agency in the role they did play.


But those are, overall, minor complaints. This series is excellent, and I am very much looking forward to whatever else Megan E. O’Keefe has coming.

An amazing ending the this trilogy series, which is truly a hit or miss of late, but I feel that this one landed it. The action was non stop, and I loved the relationship between Naira and Tarquin throughout the whole series and had me invested beyond believe. I wanted this to be the front and center, but the adventures and situations made the book fly by. A wonderful series for those looking for an amazing fantasy series.

In the end I will give this 4.5 stars. I am going to start it off with that. I will say that while I was reading I would have told you that i was leaning towards 3.75 and as the ending was getting closer and closer that my rating was rising the entire time.
My favorite parts of in the beginning and up until the middle were all Naria’s POVs. I really was liking her portions. When we got to the part where we got to see some of the characters coming back from pervious books then it switched over more to Tarquin’s. I believe my favorite book in the series is still by far the second book. But I really do like how she wrapped up the story and do not see how it could have ended any other way. I was crying the entire time for the last 9ish percent of the book. I really don’t want to say much as I feel like if I do that I would be giving spoilers for the previous books and this one and I really think to enjoy this you really just need to read it.
Overall the writing was great and I feel like the characters stayed true to who they were originally written to from the beginning of the book. Now that this series is finished I will be going through Megan O’Keefe’s backlist! I really can’t wait to see what else she has out there!

Thanks to Orbit Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

As the second series I have now read of Megan's, I can tell you that going forward I will read everything that she puts out! The Bound Worlds is the final volume in the Devoured Worlds trilogy and it and each book in this series hits all the marks, excellent world building, a plot that hooks you and keeps you guessing and is filled with rich, realistic and captivating characters. And dang did Megan make me cry......that's how invested I was in these characters and all that they went through.

The final book takes place on Seventh Cradle as Tarquin and Naira do everything they can to not only keep canus from continuing it's takeover of humanity, but also deal with the effects it seems to be having on the universe at large. There continue to be secrets, betrayals, quiet moments, battles and through it all, Naira and Tarquin also battle to stay together. Naira's journey through this whole trilogy is so full of strength, determination, and the willingness to accept her flaws as she works to save her relationship with Tarquin. I loved all the twists, turns and a redemption of one of the most interesting characters I've met in a long time. The wonderful pacing of the story carries you along and it was definitely a book and a trilogy that I didn't want to end. If you are in need of a science fiction world to get carried away in and just have such a good time with, I highly recommend this series!!