Apostles of Mercy is the third installment in Lindsay Ellis' Noumena series, an alternative history, first-contact sci-fi saga.
After struggling through the first two books in the Noumena series, I’m honestly surprised I even picked up the third one. I guess my need to finish what I started won out. I went into Axiom's End with high expectations, but I was let down. With Truth of the Divine, my expectations were lower, but still, it didn’t hit the mark for me. By the time I started Apostles of Mercy, my expectations were practically underground. Maybe that’s why it finally worked for me—because, for once, I wasn’t disappointed.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of issues. Some of the relationships feel forced, and a few moments are a bit jarring. But overall, the improvement in both writing and pacing is impressive. This book almost makes the struggle of the first two worth it. That said, I still don’t like Cora. She’s less annoying and whiny here, and her character has grown since book one, but she’s still not my favorite.
One thing this series made me realize: I really hate when authors use pop culture references to describe things—it dates the book immediately. I get it, you don’t like Bill Maher! Also, I’m beyond relieved not to hear 'animal brain/human brain' again. The repetition of those phrases in the first two books almost drove me insane. There was a new variation of it - but it was only used once or twice so I'm gonna give it a pass.
After finishing Truth of the Divine, I felt a sense of relief to be done. But Apostles of Mercy did the opposite—it left me hopeful. If the original plan for five books comes through and the improvements continue, I could see the Noumena series becoming a sci-fi classic one day.
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5
Book & Author Information:
Apostles of Mercy: Goodreads
Lindsay Ellis: Goodreads, Official, Instagram
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