#Friday Review - Unbreakable: Heroes of Arcania by Liz Long (Young Adult, Science Fiction)

Series: Heroes of Arcania
Format: Mobi, 262 pages
Release Date: August 18, 2016
Publisher: CreateSpace
Source: Author
Genre: YA, Science Fiction

True heroes refuse to be broken.

Nova started the fight against Fortune for simple revenge, but now it’s turned into something much bigger. Arcania’s criminals are at each other’s throats, putting the city right in the middle of a war-zone. She’ll have to work with a few unlikely allies to end Fortune’s games once and for all. Nova thought she understood what it meant to be a superhero, but will she have to lose herself to truly defeat Fortune? 

Fortune has given Cole a choice, one with unbearable consequences. When Cole takes matters into his own hands to save his sister Penelope, he realizes too late he’s another pawn in Fortune’s games. Fortune will use Cole’s gift against his enemies…including Nova. Cole will have to become the hero he always wanted to be if he’s going to protect the love of his life. 

Nova and Cole could finally save Arcania from Fortune’s deadly games, but are they willing to sacrifice each other?

Unbreakable is the third and final installment in author Liz Long's Heroes of Arcania trilogy. When last we left Nova Benson, aka Supernova, she was being tossed out a window by her arch-nemesis Fortune while holding a bomb. At the same time, Cole Warner was taken by a teleporter to Fortune, where he is given an ultimatum. He can either save his sister Penelope, or bring him Nova in hopes she will join with him and stop fighting him ever inch of the way. Cole's choice will have immediate implications for everyone involved. 

Once again, Long alternatives narratives between Nova and Cole. I have absolutely no complaints at this since you get both characters perspectives while they are away from each other, and together trying to find a way to defeat Fortune. Nova Benson, who has impenetrable skin, increased strength, speed, and agility, became a superhero after her younger sister Sterling was murdered in cold blood by Fortune. In a town that is over run with criminals and like minded folks with powers, Nova has become a beacon of hope for the innocents who end up caught in the middle.

Sterling knew all about her abilities as an Unbreakable and encouraged her to not follow in her father's footsteps and become a lawyer. Since then, Nova has joined with Cole to form a group that has been called vigilantes by the citizens of Arcania, as well as the police, including Detective Barnes who is like an itch you can't reach when it comes to digging into who Nova and Cole really are, and what they are really up to. In the last book, Nova's best friend Henry Wheeler discovered a secret that has set him on a new path. Can Henry survive in a world where powerful beings can crush him like a bug?

While Nova is struggling with Cole's choice, and the fact that Penelope has become her new partner in his absence, Cole has to work to find a way to get Fortune to trust him until Nova can find a key figure that will bring Fortune down. Trust doesn't come easy to a man who can control electricity and has people who can quickly teleport his posse away from trouble quickly. Cole's journey isn't at all easy. He's tested time and time again. He knows that Fortune isn't messing around with him, nor does he truly trust Cole. Yet, Fortune can offer something Cole wants; more training in how to use his timekeeper abilities.

One of the things I have been most impressed with in this series, besides the action, suspense, romance, and powerful villains, is the fact that Nova's parents are engaged. They may not like the fact that she is running around saving the day, but they haven't sat her down and demanded that she cease and desist. They haven't demanded that she move out of town in order to stay away from Fortune and the powerful gangs that run Arcania. On the other side of the coin, Cole and Penelope's relationship really comes full circle, while their father Benjamin has to make choices of his own. 

If you have read the previous two installments, then you know that there is a prophecy when it comes to Penelope. A prophecy that she learned about in Supernova which sent her off with Fortune and his hodge podge group of supervillains who all have super abilities. I will say that I am more than happy with Penelope being back in the fold, and for the choice she is forced to make. I am happy that Henry, and Nova are still friends no matter what happened in the previous installments. I loved the ending to this series. I dare say that I am totally OK with how Long wraps up her story line. I am also grateful that she reached out to me and offered access to all three titles in lieu of an honest review.  

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