No Vain Loss by M.C. Frank

My Friday reading tips this week is the magical No Vain Loss, the epic finale of the spellbinding and fascinating YA sci fi trilogy No Ordinary Star by M.C. Frank. I absolutely loved this fast paced, beautiful and emotional story of how two unlikely people change the world, and each other. 

This futuristic YA trilogy takes place in the year 2524, when the world is a cold place in all its meaning: There’s no emotions left in human, men and women are separated, there are no families, food does no longer exists but are replaced by pills, everything is controlled. Humans can live for 300 years with no disease, no illness and no need to sleep. Even Christmas is forgotten!
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In the first book, No Ordinary Star, we are introduced to the world and two main characters, Felix (“tin soldier”) and Astra (“match girl”). 

Once I started to understand the world described in the book and got to know the two main characters I just loved it! I absolutely adored both of the main characters and each of their unique personalities. With a world on the brink of war, Felix and Astra are about to set a flame to everything they know. Everything that everyone knows. And it all begins with fixing a clock.
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The second book, No Plain Rebel, picks up where the first book, No Ordinary Star, left off, with Felix reading the story of the tin soldier to Astra and uncovering the secrets held in the Clockmaster’s hidden library. 

This second book is more focused on Felix, even though Astra was still a main part of the story. While No Ordinary Star was more of an introduction and left the reader with a lot of questions, much more happens in this one and many questions get answered.
I really loved that this book gave a more understanding for and a better explanation of the world and the reasons behind people's actions. I also love the warming and beautiful developing relationship between Felix and Astra and that the get to take their time to get to know each other, and how natural it became for them to spend time together, even though in this world woman and man live separated.

The book reveals new information to the characters about their backgrounds and the truth about the real world. Alongside Astra and Felix, we begin to see what they have missed in their lives, and learn the horrible truth of the history and future for the One World. In the book Felix starts to find himself and understand what it truly means to be human. Astra also developed along with Felix, discovering the true human joys in life, and learning to trust others.
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In No Vain Loss, this series comes to its graceful ending. It picks up where No Plain Rebel left, directly throwing you right into the action. 

In this epic finale, we are at the brink of the war and watch as everything unfolds around us and learn new truths. Just like the two other books, it’s a fast-paced story (this one is even faster!), beautifully written and with unexpected plot twists. The plot remained completely unpredictable all the way until the very ending and held so much emotions, joy and hope, heartbreak and sorrow, and love. M.C. Frank sure keeps the readers on the edge of their seats! My head was spinning and my heart was pumping with all the emotions I kept going through not wanting to believe what was happening or just being thoroughly pleased with the events unfolding. This is one of the rare occasions where a sequel is even better than the first book!

I absolutely love how Felix and Astra so clearly have grown up in this series. They are so much more mature in this third book than in the first one. Following them throughout the series makes you feel so proud when you see how far they have come in this final book. I also love how their relationship unfolded, and how they develop such a high morale and integrity, in a world where no such things have previously existed.

One of the things I love most about this series is that it is so much about what it means to be human and human emotions. This is a hearthwarming and beautiful story about courage and integrity and about doing the right thing, no matter how hard it is.

I recommend this unique, magical and emotional series with all my heart!

Find out more about the No Ordinary Star trilogy and the author here: M.C. Frank