The Sound of Seas (The Earthend Saga#3 ) by Gillian Anderson and Jeff Rovin | Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)

"I am constantly searching for places that rekindle my sense of wonder."

In the conclusion of Gillian Anderson and Jeff Rovin's highly entertaining The Earthend Saga it is apparent that the answers we so desired from the getgo are fast approaching. The Sound of Seas was the perfect final installment to the highly entertaining series and kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Much like its previous releases, The Sound of Seas follows a similar path of history, science fiction and intrigue--though it is vastly underwhelming compared to the second of the series, it was still a fun read that I don't regret picking up for an instant.

I'm not just saying that as Gillian Anderson's #1 fan, either. The Earthend Saga has had its share of hits and misses but for the most part Marie Claire had it right: it's highly addicting. I love the bending of genres and the array of characters; the way the POV rotates without flaw. Most of all, I love the pacing and the mystery of it. It takes a special talent to mold our world with another and both Anderson and Rovin continue to prove that together they can create a compelling story.
Picking up almost immediately where A Dream of Ice left off we say hello and goodbye to a few familiar faces. I was a little put off by the lack of answers we received by the final pages--it felt not unlike an open door. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the novel or the series; that I didn't think it was well paced or thought out, I just felt a little underwhelmed by the lack of necessary plots being tied up. As far as conclusions go, this isn't the worst final chapter I've ever read but it doesn't change the fact that we don't get a lot of answers.

Perhaps this is the point. In life, we rarely seeing stories of ourselves or others tied up neatly in a bow. I think that's one of the reasons I'm so willing to forgive the ending. I am not going to hold it against the series as a whole because it was still engaging as heck and really captivating in more ways than one.

I felt the writing and plots slipped up here and there with a lack of coherence but it wasn't the sort of unbearable bump in the road, you know? I think that I just wanted more from it because it was very easy to get attached to the characters and I felt like there could have been so much more to expand on; that the story Anderson and Rovin told was much bigger than a trilogy of books that only were around 300 pages in length.

At the end of the day, it was still a solid read that was perfect for a summer binge. I love a good science fiction release and this one hit a lot of stellar marks right on the head. I would gladly recommend this to fans and newcomers of the genre.