Review: Justice Ascending by Rebecca Zanetti (Scorpius Syndrome #3)

Justice Ascending (Scorpius Syndrome #3)
Rebecca Zanetti
Published: Jan. 31, 2017 (Zebra)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review Source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for and honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference previous events. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Mercury Rising.

Tace Justice was just a good ol’ boy from Texas, serving his country as a medic when Scorpius hit. Now, he’s one of Vanguard’s elite soldiers and one of Jax Mercury’s right hand people. But being infected with the virus a few weeks ago has changed him, and not necessarily for the better. Still waiting for the other shoe to drop as far as his sanity goes, Tace is trying to stay as far away from Sami Steel as possible. He doesn’t know if his sudden attraction to his fellow soldier is entirely natural or if it borders more on psychotic obsession.

In Vanguard, Sami has finally found a place she calls home. A place where she feels like she fits completely. That is, as long as her secrets stay hidden. She’s pretty sure if they got out, and they let her live, she’d be sent packing. That’s why she can’t let herself get too close to Tace. He has the potential of breaking down the rest of her carefully laid boundaries. As the threats against Vanguard and its people continue to rise, and as their supplies continue to dwindle, Sami will have to trust the family she’s made, especially a certain soldier with an over-protective streak.

Justice Ascending has the distinction of being the first book where the two romantic leads have already been featured in the previous books. We’ve known Sami and Tace from the beginning, so I feel like their finally forming this extra layer to their relationship really makes the emotional connection I feel with these characters that much stronger. In fact, everything we learn—about the characters and more developments about the world—was spot on in this installment.

Justice Ascending picks up pretty much right after the events of Shadow Falling. With the help of the Mercenaries, our group successfully retrieved Doc Vinnie and Raze’s sister Maureen from the evil President’s clutches. That mission brokers a very tentative trust between Vanguard and the Mercs, and here we get to see the potential of what an alliance with another group could mean for Vanguard. But I still liked that Jax holds back from one hundred percent trusting the Mercs. This is still a post-apocalyptic world here, and for many that means they look out for themselves first, and everyone else second. But it will definitely be interesting to watch these relationships being built. And there are some clear ones Rebecca Zanetti has set up for the future.

I almost find this book difficult to talk about because so much happens in the story in regards to ongoing story threads. A lot is discovered and a lot of information cleared up, so to speak. I look forward to the fourth book, because that means I’ll finally be able to talk about the bulk of what went down in the climax of Justice Ascending.

Being pretty close to perfect, I’d say the only drawback I found was once we reached a certain point in the book, the ending felt a little long and drawn-out, but I love all that is revealed. Justice Ascending has definitely been the best in the series by far, and I love the direction this series is headed. The world after Scorpius just got a whole lot bigger.

Sexual content: sex