Some spoilers for the first two books below.Part of what I adored about Stray and Lab Rat One, parts one and two of the Touchstone Trilogy, was the delightful self-awareness that this story could seem a bit far-fetched at times. As Cass herself said in Lab Rat One, “And me being some mysterious touchstone thing with bunches of incredibly hot people looking after me. It’s all a little wish-fulfillment.” But the thing is, it wasn’t. There was a ring of truth to Cass’s tale and struggles on a new planet, even if she did end up being this miraculous space ninja enhancer. That all disappears in this incredibly disappointing final book, Caszandra, where the plot devolves into a mushy, romantic mess and the looming bad things are solved without much hardship. Every one of Cass’s wishes comes true after finally attaining the love of Kaoren Ruuel, even wishes she didn’t know she had, like becoming a foster mother! I was so immensely frustrated by this book, mostly because I felt like this series was so promising and it didn’t come together in the end. As a result, my reading investment was wasted, my payoff nonexistent. In Caszandra, forgotten is the mythology of the Ena and the Lantarens, swept aside is the possibility of any relationship between Muina and Earth, left behind is any regard for Cass’s family of eighteen years, instead we get pages and pages of Cass loving Kaoren, ravishing Kaoren, planning her future with Kaoren. I think my dissatisfaction comes down to this: I began this series with the promise of interplanetary hijinks and epic battles in virtual reality spaces. What the final volume came down to was an impossibly perfect fiancé, adopted children, and Setari matchmaking.
Jill
Some spoilers for the first two books below.Part of what I adored about Stray and Lab Rat One, parts one and two of the Touchstone Trilogy, was the delightful self-awareness that this story could seem a bit far-fetched at times. As Cass herself said in Lab Rat One, “And me being some mysterious touchstone thing with bunches of incredibly hot people looking after me. It’s all a little wish-fulfillment.” But the thing is, it wasn’t. There was a ring of truth to Cass’s tale and struggles on a new planet, even if she did end up being this miraculous space ninja enhancer. That all disappears in this incredibly disappointing final book, Caszandra, where the plot devolves into a mushy, romantic mess and the looming bad things are solved without much hardship. Every one of Cass’s wishes comes true after finally attaining the love of Kaoren Ruuel, even wishes she didn’t know she had, like becoming a foster mother! I was so immensely frustrated by this book, mostly because I felt like this series was so promising and it didn’t come together in the end. As a result, my reading investment was wasted, my payoff nonexistent. In Caszandra, forgotten is the mythology of the Ena and the Lantarens, swept aside is the possibility of any relationship between Muina and Earth, left behind is any regard for Cass’s family of eighteen years, instead we get pages and pages of Cass loving Kaoren, ravishing Kaoren, planning her future with Kaoren. I think my dissatisfaction comes down to this: I began this series with the promise of interplanetary hijinks and epic battles in virtual reality spaces. What the final volume came down to was an impossibly perfect fiancé, adopted children, and Setari matchmaking.
