Book Review: The Relentless Legion by J.S. Dewes
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Relentless Legion by J.S. Dewes
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Book 3 of The Divide
Publisher: Tor Books (November 12, 2024)
Length: 512 pages
Author Information: Website
J.S. Dewes takes us back to the world of The Divide in The Relentless Legion, the third and final book in the space opera trilogy. The story picks up soon after the ending of The Exiled Fleet, so just a heads up—this review may include spoilers for the first two books if you’re not caught up yet!
After escaping the collapse and surviving the dangers from Core, Adequin Rake and her Sentinels now find themselves racing against time to save the human colonies from a deadly bioweapon. As part of a scheme masterminded by the maniacal August Mercer who thinks he will be “saving” humanity with his actions, the genetically engineered virus would in fact eradicate a significant portion of the population. It’s up to his grandson Cavalon, allied with Rake and her crew, to stop Mercer’s vision from becoming reality.
The Sentinels are facing overwhelming odds as they prepare for this confrontation. Split across multiple perspectives, with Rake, Cavalon, and the tough but private Jackin North taking center stage, the story takes us to a desolate part of the universe where our characters are holed up as they make do with limited resources. However, their efforts to thwart the virus are hampered when one of them is captured by Mercer and compromised, creating tension between the survivors. Friendships are formed, alliances are tested, and sacrifices are made as the team is pushed to their physical and emotional limits.
As always, the world of The Divide stands out with its intriguing glimpses into alien tech and posthuman elements. Dewes has saved the best and most dastardly villain for last, as well as threat that resonates with readers in these uncertain times. Overall, the plot is packed with action and adventure while still making enough time for the softer, quieter moments in which characters get to bond. That said, though, the novel is not without a few flaws along the way.
For one, The Relentless Legion somehow did not feel as well paced as its predecessors. While the action comes fast and furious, the transitions between them do not feel as balanced. This time, there were definitely more pages dedicated to downtime where much exposition and conversation take place, bringing in more drama than I’d bargained for. While I appreciate it when an author develops character relationships, I prefer it when they don’t come at the expense of the story’s momentum. These emotional beats could have been better integrated, making the relationships—especially one romantic subplot in particular—feel more natural and the characters’ choices less questionable.
But for readers looking for as much heart as there is action in their sci-fi, this makes The Divide series a pretty good contender. Even though The Relentless Legion did not reach quite the same heights as the previous two books, it’s still a solid read and a satisfying conclusion to a trilogy that I love as a whole. If you have not read J.S. Dewes yet, don’t wait—she is an author to watch. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of The Last Watch (Book 1)
Review of The Exiled Fleet (Book 2)
The BiblioSanctum 
Well still an enjoyable read despite the flaws! And I don’t like it either if relationships trump the plot except maybe in romance books!
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Exactly, and this wasn’t a romance book in any way shape or form lol.
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My copy of the first book is on its way to me and I’m definitely looking forward to reading this series. Great review.
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I hope you will have a good time with it!
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Loved the first book
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So how big is the romantic subplot? As big as the main plot?
And is this a scifi romance trilogy like a Lindsay Buroker book, or a real SF trilogy? I read your previous reviews (and can’t believe I didn’t comment, maybe I was sick? ha!) and still can’t really tell…
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Yeah, a bit too much drama 😉
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Oh and the romance wasn’t too big of a subplot. Not really at all. I was more annoyed at the constant pausing in the action for everyone to talk about their “feelings” lol.
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-sings
Feelings, it’s ALL about Feelings….
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Haven’t started this yet and I’m a little worried about getting back into the series. But I do want to finish it!
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I was worried I wasn’t going to remember anything! I think that’s why I would have preferred less drama.
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Aw, a shame it didn’t have a stronger finish for you – but, you seemed to really enjoy the series as a whole which is great.
Lynn 😀
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Yeah it was a great finish. I’m glad I read the dull trilogy!
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Even if not as good, a solid conclusion is still good 🙂
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Yep, and satisfying to finish a series!
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This is an author and series I’ve been hoping to try one day. I picked up ebooks of the first 2 books to help encourage me to get to them. 🙂
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Swinging back to this now that I’ve typed up my own review! I liked this a little more than you as the character parts didn’t bother me as much, but I agree it is a bit slower-paced than her other book. I also thought there were just oooone too many new plotlines thrown into the mix that meant there were too many things going on.
BUT I still really enjoyed this series overall and it’s a definite favorite. J.S. Dewes is an autobuy author for sure!
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