Into the Bright Unknown

The last book in the Gold Seer Trilogy and it is a sad goodbye.

As a whole, I have loved this series. I love the characters, the magic, and the way Rae Carson writes her historical fiction. I really loved – and I cannot emphasize this enough – the way Leah is constantly challenged to understand her privilege and make the world a better place for everyone. I have never, never read fantasy or historical fiction that so bluntly addresses inherent racism and urges action. I really appreciated it, and it makes me appreciate Carson that much more.

Outside of the activism and the fact that I have grown to love these characters and would just like more books about the residents of Glory… Into the Bright Unknown is not very impressive. The show more elements that I liked from previous books were all there, but this is the last book in the trilogy and I really expected more action. At the least, I thought there would be a climatic ending. But there was not. Into the Bright Unknown feels like book-three-out-of-four, where we were still being introduced to new elements. The big bad, although concerning, played all his cards early in the novel and the action never rose from there.

And don’t get me wrong. I still enjoyed it. I still loved it. My personal enjoyment rating is still 5/5 stars. But I can’t overlook the fact that it was an unsatisfying end. The plot meandered, and while there were lives and the town at stake in words… it never felt like those things were at stake in feeling. The sense of urgency was missing, and while Hardwick definitely had the outline to be a formidable villain (the conversation about a corrupt-to-wealthy-and-successful businessman cashing it all in for a political career so he could make laws that suit him rang painfully familiar)… his threat felt detached from the gang. Also worth mentioning – this was a heist plot and it was just… slow.

The characters are still good. I appreciated Jim’s return, as well as a little more development in Becky’s character (though she’s still has opportunities for more growth). I actually wanted to see a little more of the side plot romance than just at the tail ends of the book. In many ways, Like a River Glorious tied up loose ends, so all we got in Into the Bright Unknown were new loose ends that didn’t really get resolved because this was the last book. There were moments that I really enjoyed, like Leah trying to get out of wedding planning and extravagance. Or the subtle gay relationship that has been slowing blooming in the background since book one. I enjoyed the experience of Into the Bright Unknown, despite its flaws.

If you, like me, were a big fan of Walk on Earth a Stranger and Like a River Glorious, then I think you’ll enjoy Into the Bright Unknown. Not because it’s a smashing ending, but just because it’s an extension to the story and you get to spend a little more time in this world and with these characters. But, objectively, the story really seems to end neatly in Like a River Glorious and this third book could be skipped without the reader really missing out on anything. I liked it, I’d still say read it because I love Rae Carson’s work, but it’s not strictly necessary. show less

The conclusion to Rae Carson’s young adult trilogy set during the Californian gold-rush. Leah Westfall and her friends arrive in San Francisco in 1850, hopeful that their various goals will be straightforward to achieve. Instead they discover complications and obstacles -- and a city in which laws can be circumnavigated if those who have the right combination of money and connections. I like how this builds on the previous books: Walk on Earth a Stranger was about the journey to California, Like a River Glorious was about life on the goldfields. Leah’s magical ability with gold also has an even more prominent role in the story, as she continues to explore, and make use of, her unusual talent.

Leah’s voice is engaging, her story is show more tense and eventful, the writing is vivid and lovely, and the historical details are fascinating. Carson continues to thoughtfully highlight abuses of power and raise questions about land ownership, privilege and injustice. It would be easy to have a story in which Leah, with her supernatural ability to acquire wealth, gets to sweep in and buy her friends free from trouble. But instead she is confronted with the fact that the solutions her money can buy have limitations. To be effective, to attempt to change the system and not just rescue one person, requires teamwork.

I was expecting a slightly more explosive ending. However, I like that Leah’s journey -- in spite of its hardships and difficult lessons -- ends so positively. She has friends she can trust, friends who love her and who know her secrets, and that is wonderful.

Gold has been singing a muted song for our entire journey here, sometimes from far away, sometimes buzzing in my throat. But this, when my feet touch ground here.. this is like hearing a chorus of a thousand voices. show less

I loved the first books in this series but I think it should have been a doulogy. I actually thought the second book wrapped up very well, though after reading this I realize there were a handful of loose ends still (Becky's house, Hampton's wife, Free Jim, Lee's real parentage - not that it mattered).

Uncle Hiram was a compelling antagonist, but James Henry Hardwick just isn't.

*minor spoilers ahead*

I thought Mrs. Joiner discussed in the last book how she could not claim her house without her husband....so why didn't she have one of the guys from Glory go with her in the first place? Wasn't it mentioned in the last book that no one in San Francisco knew what Mr. Joiner looked like??

I liked that the powers were explored more and we got show more to meet someone else with powers.

I disliked the ending though, where they explain everything that has been happening and how everyone played their part. It just felt silly.

I felt like killing a character and *surprise* not dead! is just playing with the reader's emotions. It can be done well, but I didn't feel it was necessary here. It didn't even advance the plot.

The writing was good and I enjoy the characters. It was entertaining, but a disappointing end of the series. show less

I have loved reading this trilogy about Leah Westfall. Her adventures are fascinating to read, just a little bit suspenseful with a pioneering 19th century setting that incorporates discussion of several intersections of discrimination and what it means to be a minority in that time and place, all the while featuring a young woman who resists the things that try to tie her down and instead tries to make her own destiny.

One of the weird things about the series is that it can be clunky and preachy about the discrimination and prejudices it tries to depict, and it comes across as a little bit tone deaf in places. I've figured that it's just the author trying to do extra good in response to previous criticism, and I admire the attempt, but show more in this third and presumably final book in the series, it got to be a little too precious for me. This time, in addition to general 19th century misogyny and racism, Leah and her friends come up against a very wealthy man who controls all of San Francisco through dirty dealings and cheating the people (he sells future land multiple times, for example), and who aims for much more political power. He felt like a caricature, even though I know this kind of person existed and still exists, and the very 2017-tone of the characters' responses to his robber baronry felt out of place. Plenty of folks protested similarly 150 years ago, but something about Leah and co. never quite felt like it fit the setting.

Now that I've complained about what should be an admirable attempt at highlighting the injustices of 1850, I have to admit that I still read the book cover-to-cover in a single afternoon because it was that engaging. As with Like a River Glorious, Leah and her friends get caught up in a terrible situation and scheme to save themselves. This time, the house that Becky Joyner's husband had disassembled and shipped to San Francisco has finally arrived, but they can't claim it because he has died and Becky can't lay claim to property herself. Meanwhile, James Hardwick, the millionaire who had conned Leah's horrible uncle, refuses to fulfill his side of a bargain to get a charter for their little town in the mountains, and he uses his wealth to also hurt her friends. Since Becky refuses to give up her own house and the college men want to gain employment in the city anyway, they all settle down for a bit to work out how to get the house back and take care of Hardwick.

The gang is split up again and the narrative takes pains to keep certain plot elements a secret without making it obvious, so that the final stand-off against Hardwick is exciting and full of tension. I think it worked really well - I certainly couldn't put the book down because I needed to know if Hampton was okay, if Tom had really sold out, and what exactly Hardwick's "associate" Miss Helena Russell was up to, among other things. There were strong suggestions throughout of what was going on, but it isn't until nearly the very end that all the moving parts are revealed and confirmed.

This was a very satisfying conclusion to Leah's story which maintained the tone and adventure of the other books. Some of the social justice elements, while presented in good faith, were a bit clunky, but that aside, it was great fun to read. I will keep an eye out for Carson's next book. show less

It's a heist book! Lee gets her privilege checked! (and to other reviewers mentioning they wanted a satisfying story, not a sermon, welp... what do you expect from 1850s Gold Rush?) I enjoyed the finale to Gold Seer- with each character not knowing the entirety of the plan for plot reasons that made sense, it's up to the reader to put clues together (and really, all the elements are sprinkled throughout the book) like why else would you pointedly look at the wax impressions for key making or just casually mention the repair of some hose.

Author's note at the end namechecked Polly Bemis as influence for Mary- as Polly settled in my home state, I can kind of see it? I guess? I am grateful for her presence (and really, also acknowledging show more the fact that fantasy historical fiction ought to include people of color because we were around in those days). show less

When Becky gets a letter telling her that the house her husband had disassembled and shipped through the Panama Canal has arrived in San Francisco, most of the group decides to go along. The bachelors are looking to advance their careers and Leah and Jefferson want to see the Pacific Ocean.

San Francisco is a bustling, lawless town. They find Becky's house but without her deceased husband she has no right to it. She can attend an auction and try to buy it back. Leah discovers that Hardwick, who offered to get her a charter for her town of Glory, is one of the biggest crooks around. He is paying off people to get access to land which he sells over and over again. He is amassing a huge amount of gold which he intends to take back East show more with him to buy his way into the political power structure.

Leah and her crew want to destroy his plans and they plan an elaborate con to ruin his reputation and take his gold away from him. Leah develops new abilities in this one. Not only can she find gold but she can pull or push it too.

I loved the historical detail in this series. I also loved that Leah was a smart, honorable person who wanted to help those less fortunate than herself. This was a very satisfying conclusion to the Gold Seer Trilogy. show less

*Read at work for review for ROYAL*

Into The Bright Unknown concludes Rae Carson’s Gold Seer trilogy in both a satisfying and strategic manner, as Leah, Jefferson, and their merry band of misfits are faced with new challenges in the untamed lands of California.

In the final installment of the trilogy, Leah is finally free of her Uncle Hiram’s treachery. You’d think she could finally rest easy, marry her best friend/fiancé, Jefferson, and live happily ever after. Well…not quite. First she’s got to defeat a new foe by the name of James Henry Hardwick and pull off a pretty big gold heist in the process.

I really enjoyed all the characters in the novel. Leah is still stubborn and pretty fearless, charging into almost every show more situation, shotgun ready and loaded. Thankfully, she has wonderful, supportive, sweet and thoughtful Jefferson to remind her that maybe sometimes it’s better to have a plan of action. Overall, the plot was pretty good, and made sense for a third book, wrapping the story up nicely. There were times however, where I wished for a little more showing rather than telling.

One of the biggest plot points of the novel is James Henry Hardwick scamming pretty much everyone in San Francisco out of things they already own. He often resells the same land in auction that already sold the week prior, or rents residencies to people with so much interest that within a few months they can no longer maintain the payments. He’s a swindler and a thief and a rotten, villainous man. Lee and her friends plan to rectify the situation by tearing Hardwick down to nothing and outing him as a criminal so that no one will ever invest with him again. Through a somewhat elaborate scheme that involves a wide cast of characters, a heist for gold is put into play and Hardwick pays the ultimate price.

This is where I would have liked a little more show, rather than tell. Once Lee and her compatriots are basically declared victorious, the whole group comes together to fill each other in on how the heist worked. There was a smattering of foreshadowing and some strange reactions to pretty monumental situations earlier in the book that lead me to believe something bigger was afoot, a la the heist, but having the whole thing explained at the end was almost kind of anticlimactic and would have been more fun if we had been more privy to what was going on as it was happening. I get that this is harder in a book rather than a movie, where a scene like this could actually flashback and show how each step of the plan worked, but maybe a little more info as we went along would have been nice.

One thing I really loved about the book was the introduction of another direct character with what Lee refers to as “witchy” powers, and the mention of others that we don’t get to meet. One of my favorite things about this series is that it is historical fiction with a magical element. The addition of more magical people just expands on the universe and gives it more depth.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and felt like it was a satisfying end to a really well written trilogy. show less