by Gregg Hurwitz
Release Date: February 14, 2023
2023 Minotaur Books
Audiobook & Ebook; 352 Pages & 11h32min
ISBN: 978-1250252326
ASIN: B09TYQVFJ5
Audiobook: B09YGFNHX1
Genre: Fiction / Thriller
Source: Copy from publisher
3.75 / 5 Stars
Summary
When Evan Smoak broke with an off-the-books assassin program
for the government and went deep underground, he left with a lot of secrets in his head
that the government would do anything to make sure never got out. Having eliminated most of the Orphans in the
program, the government will stop at nothing to eliminate the threat
they see in Evan. But Orphan X has always been several steps ahead of
his pursuers. Until he makes one little mistake...
Now the President has him in her control and offers Evan a deal - eliminate a rich, powerful man she says is too dangerous to live and, in turn, she'll let Evan survive. But when Evan left the Program he swore to only use his skills against those who really deserve it. Now he has to decide what's more important - his principles or his life.
Now the President has him in her control and offers Evan a deal - eliminate a rich, powerful man she says is too dangerous to live and, in turn, she'll let Evan survive. But when Evan left the Program he swore to only use his skills against those who really deserve it. Now he has to decide what's more important - his principles or his life.
My Thoughts
The Last Orphan is the eighth book in the best-selling Orphan X series, and while this one was somewhat different from previous entries, I liked the change. And by different, I mean Evan was off his game just the slightest which made him question a lot of things in his life including his morals, his values, who he could trust, and what he wants from life.
One of the highlights for me has always been Evan’s personal evolution as he learns about the world and how to interact within it. This is especially interesting as he continues to navigate, and develop, his relationship with Joey as well as the newish people he has met over time. I was glad to see some previous characters included in this book and that Evan has kept in contact with them; this continues his character development and his learning process to develop friendships and not just use people for those situations in which he finds himself. While I was disappointed not to have too much of Mia and Peter in this installment, I did understand the reasons why.
The actual plot felt a little flat and tired, but I also felt like the author is taking this series in a new direction and this book is needed in order to do so. And by flat and tired, I am comparing it to previous books in this series so it was still quite good, with lots of action and all the usual stuff you would expect in an Orphan X novel. When Evan was tasked with the job in this book by the president of the US, despite everything I learned about Evan, I still wasn’t sure what he would do when he eventually found his target.
Verdict
The Last Orphan had lots of twists and turns, and while not quite as good as previous novels in this series, it still delivered. The characters are always complex, and you never know what is going to happen from one scene to the next. I love listening to this series as the narrator, Scott Brick, is outstanding and really brings the story to life. While you could read this as a standalone, I do not recommend it as you will gain a better appreciation for Joey and Orphan V if you are familiar with the background stories.
One of the highlights for me has always been Evan’s personal evolution as he learns about the world and how to interact within it. This is especially interesting as he continues to navigate, and develop, his relationship with Joey as well as the newish people he has met over time. I was glad to see some previous characters included in this book and that Evan has kept in contact with them; this continues his character development and his learning process to develop friendships and not just use people for those situations in which he finds himself. While I was disappointed not to have too much of Mia and Peter in this installment, I did understand the reasons why.
The actual plot felt a little flat and tired, but I also felt like the author is taking this series in a new direction and this book is needed in order to do so. And by flat and tired, I am comparing it to previous books in this series so it was still quite good, with lots of action and all the usual stuff you would expect in an Orphan X novel. When Evan was tasked with the job in this book by the president of the US, despite everything I learned about Evan, I still wasn’t sure what he would do when he eventually found his target.
Verdict
The Last Orphan had lots of twists and turns, and while not quite as good as previous novels in this series, it still delivered. The characters are always complex, and you never know what is going to happen from one scene to the next. I love listening to this series as the narrator, Scott Brick, is outstanding and really brings the story to life. While you could read this as a standalone, I do not recommend it as you will gain a better appreciation for Joey and Orphan V if you are familiar with the background stories.
0 comments:
Post a Comment