The Last Watch (The Divide #1)

J.S. Dewes

The Expanse meets Game of Thrones in J. S. Dewes’ fast-paced, sf adventure The Last Watch, where a handful of soldiers stand between humanity and annihilation.

The Divide.

It’s the edge of the universe.

Now it’s collapsing—and taking everyone and everything with it.

The only ones who can stop it are the Sentinels—the recruits, exiles, and court-martialed dregs of the military.

At the Divide, Adequin Rake, commanding the Argus, has no resources, no comms—nothing, except for the soldiers that no one wanted.

They’re humanity’s only chance. 

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings.

My Opinion

(4.5 / 5) This was fabulous! There is something so good about a space opera. Does a trip in space ever go well? I really don’t think so. This was so full action and complications that I was on the edge of my seat multiple times.

The characters are well-rounded but flawed. They are a crazy crew of misfits, or maybe rejects, and they all converge on this ship, the Argus, to monitor the edge of the universe. It’s the job nobody wants because it’s hardly essential. Until, dun dun dun, The universe is collapsing. Wait, what? Yep, you don’t get much more dramatic than that. And the only people who are even around to help are the unqualified disasters. This is where it gets good. Not only are they the best fit for the job, they succeed time and time again in harrowing adventures, dramatic rescues and courageous suicide missions. I loved every second.

This book is so character-driven that I was shocked it is Dewes debut. My favorite character, Cavalon, was witty, sarcastic, a nuisance and incredibly smart. He had some amazing hidden qualities that truly endeared me to him. My next favorite character is Adequin Rake. She was the ultimate tough-chick leader that demands and earns respect. She cares, she’s loyal and she’s willing to see Cavalon, and each crew member, differently than they see themselves.

The plot is expertly built with science that sometimes went way over my head. But that didn’t stop me from grasping what was happening and bugging my eyes out in anticipation. Truly, this is a terrifyingly tense plot that kept throwing obstacle after obstacle at the characters. It’s full of politics, questioning orders, putting trust in people you hardly know and just making the decision to give it your all, no matter the consequences.

Last but not least, how do I get my hands on my own set of imprints?? They look like small tattoo’s but move with the person to provide more strength, healing, agility and more.

Macmillan Audio was kind enough to gift me the ALC copy. So while the paperback version gets a special place on my shelf, I adored the audio also. I was able to finish listening to this on a road trip and it went so quickly. The voice of Cavalon was my favorite, he had the perfect voice for sarcasm and snark and I laughed out loud multiple times. Both narrators enveloped me in the story quickly with great flow and just enough emotion attached when necessary. I will definitely be checking more of their work.

Content Summary: 20+ F words (count on that being over 100 but I didn’t count past 20). Bullying, death of a loved one, dramatic death-defying scenes, and a cavity check to come on board.

Thank you to Tor Books for the gifted copy and Macmillan Audio for the ALC copy in exchange for an honest review. I will be watching this series and this author because I want to be here for all of it!

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