A Search for Starlight (The Firewall Trilogy #3)
Published February 4th 2021, Kindle Edition 331 pages
Beyond the firewall lies a greater threat than Taimin and Selena could have foreseen.
Taimin and Selena have destroyed the firewall that once trapped them in their dangerous wasteland. But with their hard-fought freedom now comes a greater threat.
Outside the wasteland, under the same two scorching suns, live the bonded. This powerful ancient enemy will unleash a destructive war on the wasteland’s inhabitants, and Taimin knows it’s a fight they cannot win.
When Zorn comes under attack, Selena uses all her power as a mystic to protect the white city. Meanwhile Taimin’s path takes him to Agravida, the capital of the advanced bonded civilization—where he must work fast to find a weakness in a seemingly unbeatable enemy.
To save everyone in the wasteland from certain death, Taimin and Selena seek to contact their ancestors in the stars. But will they reach them in time, and will their help be enough to turn the tide? The existence of the world is in their hands…
User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
A 4.5 stars.
I love it! I am quite satisfied with the ending. Though the Aurelium and the Mystic power are still a mystery, it was so good to read the final book. It was refreshing to read the pov of awe to the highly advanced world again. I always loved how richly all the races are represented in this series. I liked to read about the bonded too. This book reminded me of Starsight and Red Rising saga because of the sci-fi.
We all know that Taimin and co. will pull through the imminent doom... or will they?
It was nice to keep my mind scrambling for the possible good endings throughout the plot. The thick plot being absolutely fast paced, wrapped with a happy ending pleased me.
(Slight spoilers ahead)
(view spoiler)
[I would love to read a spin-off novella/short story where Taimin and co. visit Earth! (hide spoiler)]Total time spent: 5h 8min.
~ARC received through NetGalley for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
Best of the series! I loved the wyvern riders attacking wing fighters, bow and arrows taking down the fancy pants spaceships. Hero’s and villains, alien life forms, mystics, space travel, inter-galactic war...
5 races war for dominance; not so different than our day! But a lot more fun than watching the nightly news. Solid ending to the trilogy.
Rating: really liked it
I loved this series! The world that James Maxwell created was so expansive, but was developed at a great pace throughout the series. Each book took a couple chapters for me to get into the groove of the story, but once I did, I had a hard time putting it down. But this book really ties the series all together very well. I especially loved how the uniqueness of each of the species in the world are highlighted to resolve the conflict. It's a great reminder that together, we can do seemingly impossible things when we work within our strengths.
I really loved the ending for Taimin and Selina as well. It was a really fun surprise!
Rating: really liked it
Great World-BuildingWell-written series, strong on character, plot, and originality. Up there with Brent Weeks and Brandon Sanderson. The series starts deceptively as an apparent fantasy trilogy, but then the protagonists ' circumstances are revealed to be caused by a forgotten war involving six different galactic civilisations. I read the trilogy over two days on Kindle Unlimited. The quality of writing is well above the norm for KU, in which easy-reading light fantasy predominates.
Rating: really liked it
I read A Girl from Nowhere through Prime First reads and it was a 5 star novel for me! The second book was still super great but not as great as the first. This final book, for me, rates higher than book 2 but still didn't strike my heart as fiercely as book 1.
Which is all to say, WOW I LOVE THIS SERIES. It's a great adult but young adult appropriate fantasy with a bit of sci fi feel. The world building is so incredible through all three books. I was constantly gushing over the creativity and development world building and relationships as the trilogy ended in A Search for Starlight. It's a great ending to a great series. Did I mention this series is great?
The romance arc is slight, it takes a back seat to the action, which I didn't mind since that stayed consistent through all 3 books. All issues were tied up, but not so neatly as to be boring.
What I especially adore about these books and this third one in particular, is the social and philosophical issues that are dealt with with grace, tact, and not heavily handed. Like Red Rising series, Hunger Games, and Harry Potter, these books tackle big topics like racism, imperialism, government theory, etc. in a way that is still also entertaining, beautiful, and approachable.
I am definitely hooked on this author and can't wait to read more by him! Thank you NetGalley and 47North for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review. See reviews for all 3 books on my instagram page: @interview.with.a.reader
Rating: really liked it
The revelations that helped me understand what was actually going on in this universe was fascinating and that's what I enjoyed most. As far as character development and relationships between the characters, I was a bit disappointed after the character interaction in the first book left me heart wrenching, laughing, and generally feel good vibe. In this book the relationships between the characters are subpar especially the main characters from the first book. The newer(ish) characters had more time to shine, still... I did really like the ending to the point where I kinda just wanna leave it here, and have not yet decided to read the next book
Rating: really liked it
Enjoyable - I enjoyed all 3 books in this series. And I have recommended to a friend already. What I really liked was that the author kept your attention without resorting to bad language or immortality. If a child read this they would actually learn what love is (not lust). True friendship and the importance of being honest and how peace and working together is far more powerful and meaningful than war. We all have differences but that we can all work together when we try to understand each other and see the good that is there. I am 68 years old and am grateful that I could really enjoy this author’s vision and I know my grandchildren will too.
Rating: really liked it
A fitting end to this series, I don't think I would ever have guessed at this upon reading the first book. The characterisations are consistent and as I know the characters better from the first couple of books I didn't feel so irritated by some behaviours (Vance's or Taimin's jealous) and well developed with the worlds created and described vividly. I felt the tension of the different situations through the writing and could imagine the wasteland as well as the cities and technology of the bonded. A really enjoyable trilogy.
Rating: really liked it
The Wasteland was just a forgotten playgroundA Search for Starlight was an enjoyable read/listen with Kindle whispersync, it was fast paced and had an interesting story where fantasy meets sci-fi... but I had some issues.
While it was fast paced, it did move a little too quick at times which kept me from connecting and the lack of a
STORY SO FAR made it difficult for me to remember events that happened in books 1 & 2 since I have read over 30 books since reading them.
Other issues I had was the weird “love triangle” with Selena. It didn’t make any sense to add it and it didn’t change anything with the characters or the story.
A man accused his wife of having an affair and her reaction is laughing it off and forgives him for being a fool. Not sure I’ve seen a good convo happen when a spouse accused the other of being with someone else.
Both of these just felt like unnecessary plot lines that didn’t add much substance to the characters involved.
Strange to say this but I felt this book was too descriptive. They were great, don’t get me wrong, it painted a picture that you could easily see. But it was almost 15% of the book. For a final book of a series of this size, just a little over 300 pages, it just felt a bit much.
I wish these books were longer to get more out of them, because it really is a great story.
3.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
I had previously read the Everman Saga so was already a fan of James Maxwell. I must say, he outdid himself with the Firewall trilogy. Even if you are not a fan of fantasy or science fiction, this story will grab you and not let you go through each of the three outstanding segments of this saga. The first book, "the Girl from Nowhere" is a thrilling adventure in its own right that winds through a perilous journey in which many fascinating characters are developed and culminates in an epic struggle for survival in the city of Zorn. The second novel, "A World of Secrets" reveals aspects of this "world of the wasteland" that the reader cannot imagine from the first book. Both the alliances that develop as well as the new threats our main characters face are completely unexpected from the first book but pivot the story beautifully into the absorbing third act, "A Search for Starlight." I read this third installment in 2 days which is extremely fast for me and a testament as to how gripping this epic becomes as it moves to a climax. Here again, new alliances are formed and the journey goes well beyond the borders of the wasteland at the story's heart. I loved the world and all the unique characters that James Maxwell creates in this saga. If there is a fourth book or beyond, I will eagerly resume following the exploits of Taimin and Selena. I highly recommend this trilogy.
Rating: really liked it
Despite Maxwell being "the top 5 best selling authors on Amazon worldwide" I hadn't read anything by him before coming across "A Search for Starlight." That's understandable because his first two series, The Evermen Saga and The Shifting Tides, were both fantasy, which is fine, but not generally on my reading list.
This book could well have been fantasy too, and when I started it out I was initially put off by Selena's mystic powers, which reveal themselves as astral projection and telepathy. The setup, humans and four other races in a Wasteland that had been penned in by another alien race for sport, becomes more and more validly science-fictional as the story goes on, especially as what looks like sword and sorcery pale in the face of a modern military.
Taiman and Selena have been the main characters from the start, and they get to finish in style, even if they do wind up separating for a fair bit of the story. Readers of the whole trilogy will be happy to see old friends unite to fight again.
I'm only giving it a three-star rating, because it's entertaining but not groundbreaking, which doesn't mean it's not fun. For fans of sword and sorcery with a bit of science fiction on the side, it's a good read.
Rating: really liked it
James Maxwell's Firewall Trilogy finished in solid fashion with "A Search for Starlight," as he continued to unveil surprises almost until the end. But late-breaking surprises can come across as deus-ex-machina devices that are introduced just to salvage a plot gone awry, and it seemed that after writing himself into a corner as a plucky band of humans and aliens have to somehow overcome an interstellar civilization, Maxwell wrote himself out of it with some hand-waving and unlikely occurrences.
That said, "A Search for Starlight" was a pretty good read, furthering the adventures of Taiman and Selena. They began the series trying to survive in a harsh desert, and ended by dealing with an star-spanning war that had gone for centuries, but this young-adult effort got bogged down in plot machinations about their relationship and their friends' relationships. (Relationships are important in any novel, of course, but artificially setting up conflict, for example, to add tension, wears thin, as do out-of-the-blue plot developments that abruptly alter the arc of the story.
Still, the Firewall Trilogy is a fun read, because Maxwell has a ton of ideas, and makes most of them work. It's asking a lot for all of them to work, but that's what separates four stars from five stars.
Rating: really liked it
[love triangles??? Yes, that's plural. (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
Interesting endingTaimin and Selena have grown closer together and they both strive to do what's best for the people. Talon believes when can convince the warriors to agree to leave if only he can speak with them. Now that Ingren is without her protector, Taimin wants her to take him to their city. She agrees. With sheer determination, they leave not knowing what he will find if he returns. His only thought is to save her.
Terror rains down as the city housing all five factions is attacked. People die. Hell spreads through and they must decide what to do.
Will Taimin succeed or fail?? Can they survive??
You must read to find the answers. It's an interesting story. Read on my friends.
Rating: really liked it
A Fitting End to the SeriesI really enjoyed the Firewall Trilogy and A Search for Starlight, although the ending left me wanting more. I enjoyed Taimin’s continued character development, learning more about Ingrin and the Bonded, and Maxwell’s vivid descriptions of Agravida and the technology within. I didn’t love the hint of a spark between Selena and Dale - I found it unnecessary and thought it detracted from Selena’s character. Taimin fought so fiercely for her wellbeing that it felt like a betrayal. I would have also liked to learn more about the origins of the five species, and how the war between species came to be. Perhaps the author was leaving space for additional books down the line? Overall, a good book and a great series.
