Title: Phase Shift (Chaos Station: Book Five)
Authors: Jenn Burke and Kelly Jensen
Publisher: Carina Press
Pages/Word Count: 207 Pages
At a Glance: Final book in the series is bittersweet yet satisfying.
Reviewed By: Jennifer
Blurb: Zander and Felix’s relationship has always pushed boundaries—personal and professional alike—but their love and commitment is stronger than ever. So strong that Zander’s ready to ask commitment-shy Felix the question of a lifetime when he’s interrupted. The Chaos is being hacked, and crucial, top secret information about the project that created Zander—and his fellow super soldiers—has been leaked.
Neither man could have expected the enormity of what’s discovered at the end of the data trail: an entire colony of super soldiers run by the very doctor who changed Zander’s life forever. And now she needs them both—Zander to train her new crop of soldiers, and Felix’s new crystalline arm to stabilize their body chemistry.
With help from the unlikeliest of allies, Zander, Felix and the Chaos crew must destroy the project and all its ill-gotten information. But when the team is split up and Felix is MIA after a dangerous run, galactic disaster is a very real possibility…and Zander may have missed his chance to ask for forever.
Review: This is going to be a difficult review to write because Phase Shift is the last in the Chaos Station series, which I have read and reviewed from the beginning. Over the course of five books I have gotten to know Zed, Flick, and the rest of the Chaos crew as if they were family. I’ve cried with them, laughed with them, and enjoyed reading about their adventures. But, as with all good things, it is time for it to come to an end. So I consider this review to be my send-off to the series, an homage, if you will.
Having survived death and near-death experiences together after being reunited when they both thought the other was dead, Zed is ready to pop the questions to Flick. Of course, Flick, being himself, he’s commitment-shy, and this being them, nothing goes off without a hitch. In this case, the Chaos is hacked and important data is stolen. Before Zed can ask Flick to marry him. This sets in motion a series of events that will push the two to their limits and put them in their most dangerous situation since the human-stin war. What’s out there? Well, Preston has managed to duplicate the Dreamweaver project, and more humans can Zone and phase shift like Zed. And that’s problematic. So much so that even the Guardians feel they must step in. What follows is a mission the two must run together, and seemingly alone, where not only their lives but the lives of everyone in the universe—human, stin, ashushk, and resonance alike—are in serious jeopardy.
There really was not a single bad book in this series, and each one builds up the tension to this one. The first reunites Zed and Flick and rekindles their love for each other. The subsequent books show the challenges their love will face if they decide to stay together. This final book puts them on the ultimate test and, as I said, the most dangerous mission. Stuck on Leonis Bb, an uninhabited planet, they must survive all sorts of things—weird tentacle creatures, a sunken ship, and scorching temperatures—with barely anything to survive on. And when they find out they aren’t alone? Well, that’s when all hell breaks loose.
Flick and Zed truly are at their most human in these moments, despite their unique situations. Readers will see more of Flick’s family history and why some things don’t seem as important to him. Likewise, the same can be said of Zed. How is it that two people who seem to be such opposites are drawn to each other?
Of course, the rest of the crew is just as important. Elias, Nessa, and Qek have their own battles to fight, and the three grow as a crew without Zed and Flick with them. Qek, as usual, steals the show between the three, and I adore her even more.
As for the mysterious Guardians, they are the only alien species to show up in this book, which is a little disappointing because I enjoyed learning about the resonance and had hoped for more with them since they only have one book. The Guardians, though… well, readers finally have some answers. Not everything is revealed about them, though, but I was pleasantly surprised by the ending of the book. Maybe I should have expected it, but I didn’t. Neither, it seems, did Zed.
I’m truly going to miss this series and the characters. I would happily read another five books featuring the Chaos and her crew, following them into the next chapter of their lives. I can even think of some fun—and adorable—stories that they could use…ahem. I’m sure they know what I’m talking about.
If you’re interested in this series, you really must read from the beginning. Each book lays the groundwork for the following installments, and the world-building is just phenomenal. If you’re a fan of science fiction, believe me, you will not regret the series. Even if you aren’t a fan but you love romance, you should still read this because Flick and Zed have one of the most wonderful relationships I’ve ever read on a page, and I honestly shed tears over how beautiful their love and trust for each other was.
For now, goodbye to the Chaos and her crew. Even if short stories or spin-offs aren’t produced, I know I’ll be revisiting this series. Thank you to Jenn Burke and Kelly Jensen for taking us on such a wonderful ride.
You can buy Phase Shift here:
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