My sisters hate their gifts, but they don’t know how lucky they are. They have a home and family. I have nothing. But, I am Courage, and I know my purpose. I exist for one reason only: to complete the Judgement.
Olivia is blind, yet sees. And what she sees, she keeps to herself. Her father conspires for control while Olivia does her own plotting with forces that only she understands. Now, time is running out, and choices that will impact the world must be made.
Book 6 of 6 in the Judgement of the Six series Book 6 of 6 in the Judgement of the Six Companion series
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I’ve followed this series for years. I’ve loved the characters, push/pull of the ties between them, and the entirely new genesis concept, to name a few things.
[[spoilers >>]]
But I’m a bit disappointed in the ending. Not in the way Charlene and Thomas sacrificed themselves, but in the acknowledgment by the Lady at the end that essentially what they did was not in fact the final judgement. For me, it feels now as though everything that was sacrificed was pointless. I’m sorry it was decided to end it this way in order to potentially seed a new series.
Also, we didn’t get closure on Clay and Gabby, Isabelle and Carlos or Olivia and Jim’s relationships. Sadly, it feels unfinished.
So disappointed. I was getting ready for an epic ending and all I got was a slap to the face! After all the shit that the pack went through! Gabby never having a home and losing sam. Michelle losing her parents young and having to raise her 2 younger brothers. Bethi with her fucked up dreams that I won't wish to my worst enemies. Isabella that had no friends except for Ethan whom she lost in the end. Olivia being in the hands of a crazy basterd almost all her life and believing she will die by the end and Charlene that run away from home young to find her mate have 2 kids and then sacrificed her self and for what?!?!?! That damm last page almost made my burn down the entire series. Their will be another judgmen! Are u fucking kidding me?!?! All this hell and for what?! I wished I'd never started this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I am extremely disappointed in the turn this book took. Up until now, I would've consider this series a CLEAN romance. After this one? Nope! It's not. The language is horrible, the violence is horrible, and the sexual contact was not needed (unless it's there because, from what I've read in other reviews, this book ends in a cliffhanger so the author could continue it as an "adult" series).
I get that I'll probably get attacked for my review, but honestly? I don't care. I've invested a week in this series and fell in love with all the characters, only to receive a HUGE slap in the face when they end up being the complete opposite of who I thought they were.
I would NOT recommend this series to any of my clean romance followers.
I wanted so much to love this book but I just can't.
Some scenes just didn't make sense like when Henry felt the pull towards Olivia, but her mate turned out to be Jim. Hmmm...
The only major beef I had with this book was Charlene. She was the only one who refused to use her powers to its full potential because of her stupid no-no about controlling people. Many people would have lived if she wasn't so ... soft, pathetic. She could have saved everyone. She should have taken some pointers from Isabelle and Bethi who could have a damn about hurting the bad guys.
I'm satisfied with the ending - wolf and humans could finally mingle.
This isn't a book hangover. It's a book coma. Never have I gone through such a wide range of emotions while reading a single book. The twists and turns are brilliant. I fluctuated between hating and loving every minute of the book, and when it was all over I was in awe. I don't know how to describe or even talk about what I felt with this book, and I think that alone should let you know how amazing it is. This is by far the best book I've read all year, and maybe my favorite series finale of all time...
Whyyyyy???? I cried so hard. So sad to see it over. I enjoyed it just the same. I wish I would have got a little more of a glimpse into Jim and Olivia's relationship though. Since it didn't work out the way it was suppose to for them. Thanks for the judgement series, waiting patiently for the next series. 🙌
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
4 stars -- Well this review is going to be a bitch to write. Like seriously. I'm going to have to start with super vague feelings, and then put anything else in a huge SPOILER box.
This book went in so many different directions, most of which I wasn't expecting! I expected dual POV, but we actually got, like, everyone's POV. That actually worked okay for me though, b/c sometimes you really do need to be in another's head to see what's going on, especially when SO MUCH is going on! The only thing that bummed me out a bit with that is that I felt a little cheated with Olivia's romance...though, honestly, considering how things played out, that makes sense. I just want all the bonus epilogue novellas. ALL OF THEM. And maybe some side novellas. And prequels. That's not too much to ask, is it?
I can honestly say that I was IMMEDIATELY sucked into this one and stayed up until 3am before I finally had to get some sleep. I just needed to get to the point where I figured some of it out. There were a lot of secrets kept from the reader and doled out along the way, and while that isn't my favourite, I survived. And in general I was pretty satisfied with the ending, how it all played out, what everything meant, etc. There were still things I had questions about, or I wish I knew what the point was, but I'm not like upset about the lack of answers or anything. It's just the difference between a 4 star, and 4.5 or 5, you know?
So yeah. As with all the stories in this series (and its companion), the world building was super intriguing, the plot captured me, I just wanted a bit more from the characters and the romance. But that's just a personal taste thing... All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my ride, and I'm intrigued with the author's note at the end of the book. You can bet I'll be reading more by Ms. Haag!
We've reached the end. The last Judgement, Olivia has been located and is joining her sisters. It's time for the Judgements to make their decision. Who will it be in favor of? Humans, werewolves or Urbat? The sisters, their mates, and the Elders are all heading for the final showdown with Blake and his Urbats. A call for werewolves willing to make a final stand has gone out. Even humans are turning up in the desert. Another life form is involved and they are desperately eager for the battle, hoping that a decision won't be reached, that the world will burn, will fall and that they can swoop in and take over. The time is now. The Lady will have her say.
This book was good but not as good as I had hoped it would be. Maybe I was asking too much. The series has been so entertaining, tying up the ending was always going to be an impossible feat. I felt like it went a little off course with the Others. The focus went away from the wonderful characters that made me love the series and settled on these other life forms. Olivia was such a closed-off character that she was hard to relate to. It was brilliant to tie her to one of the most beloved guys in the series. It went a long way towards softening her. I didn't feel that the sister's powers were fully used in the end. Charlene, Isabelle, and even Gabby didn't use their gifts as expected. My biggest disappointment was the lack of couple time. I wanted more Luke and Bethi, Michelle and Emmit, Isabelle and Carlos, Thomas and Charlene, and especially more Clay and Gabby. They have always been my favorites and I wanted more time with them and closure of sorts.
I was satisfied with the outcome even with the Lady's warning. I love that the final message was love and the ultimate sacrifice for love wins the day. Greed, self-interest, hatred are all powerful but love the most powerful. I look forward to the possibility of a future, but I really would like a follow-up with Gabby and Clay. Please!
Sur)real is an epic roller coaster ride that I never wanted to get off of!!!!
The stakes are higher than they have ever been before, No one is safe.. The rules of the game have changed in this last installment of The Judgment series! It will keep U on the edge of UR seat with wicked twists N turns U won't see coming!
My emotions were all over the place with this book, I was crying one moment, lol from the cheeky humor the next and then swooning at the delicious romance that only Melissa Haag can deliver!!!
I loved all of the different pov's We get time with so many of our favorite characters and getting to know Olivia was awesome she may be my fave out of all of the Judgment girls!
This series is a Masterpiece that I will love forever! I am so sad to see it end but excited to see what Melissa will create next!
Ok Having a total Fangirl Melt Down lol dying for more maybe Mating novellas like Prosperity for all of the couples? And a Spin-off series? Pretty plzzzz with chocolate carmel whipped cream N a cherry on top! hehe ;)
I can’t believe It’s time to say goodbye to this series. The judgement books reignited my love of reading and gave me hope that there were still authors that wrote based off their imaginations rather than what sells. I picked up Hope(less) out of a list of review submissions on my blog back in May of 2013. I was in a major slump and didn’t really think this would be the book that pulled me out, but I was wrong. I found my author soulmate.
I have devoured and loved every single book she has put out and Sur(real) is no different. Well, kind of. I did have to put it down after chapter 1, but recovered and quickly finished. Grab a box of tissues for the highs and lows and know everything will be okay. This book was everything I was hoping for, even though I could have used one more chapter. But then, I always want just one more chapter from Melissa. ❤️❤️
I will miss this crew so much. Good thing I can always go back and visit.
So I didn't really plan on reading this instalment as I had pretty much given up on the series but as this was the last book I thought I should finish it.
I didn't like it. I had found the idea of the MC in Blake's control pretty interesting earlier as well and liked that dynamic in this story. Jim was the most reasonable character here but Charlene - God, I just find her irksome! Rest of the characters were in their own world. Isabelle was the only judgement that was ok with Olivia, the others were blah. The elders were extremely annoying and foolish.
The story was all over the place and the ending was totally anticlimactic. IMO this was a very disappointing end to the series.
I was really disappointed with how she concluded this series. She killed off a lot of characters we had grown to know and love over the series, including a set of protagonists from an earlier book. This is some George R. R. Martin levels of messed up.
Romances are supposed to have a happy ever after guaranteed. This did not end happily. After all that pain and suffering we're told that the Judgement did not succeed because the wrong couple was sacrificed.
The first books written from Clay and Gabby's PoV had a lot of promise, but the series grows ever darker as it advances, and we don't get the big triumphant conclusion with all our heroes living happily ever after that we would expect in a romance series. This feels more like horror. So disappointed.
I really liked the series, liked the characters. It was a good amount of pushing and pulling, the females weren't helpless damsels in distress, loooveed all that.
What made me feel completely cheated was that after 6 BOOKS there's still no resolution.
There's nothing I hate more than cliffhanger, I mean the first book of a trilogy you knooooow it's gonna end on a cliffhanger... It's understandable is a trilogy. But after a complete series of 6, u still gonna pull that...its disappointing.
This is just my opinion, I hated not knowing what happened after the big momentum and not having closure. I made the mistake not researching this series, at least reading the comments cuz I reeeally liked the first book.
Need to read something that will pick me up after this
The Judgement of Six series and Companion novels have introduced us to each Judgement and their Werewolf Mates, but all of the Judgements are needed to prevent the world from burning. In this epic finale you meet Olivia, her Mate and will experience a myriad of emotions. After finishing this book, I felt so much love for Melissa, but honestly, I was also broken from experiencing so much. Melissa's created world is more surprising than I originally anticipated and we finally learn the purpose of Courage. This is a phenomenal read!
Like many others, I was eagerly anticipating the release of the last part from the Judgement Seriers by Melissa Haag. Unfortunately the book did not live up to my expectations. Unlike all the others from the series (including the Companion Series) the plot in this book was rushed, under developed and anticlimactic. The multiple POV did not work for me personally. There was so much potential in many of the concepts introduced in the book including the evolution of the powers which were not exploited. I hope the author might decide to rewrite this book and develop the story and charachters.
Such a let down to such a built up ending. I couldn’t handle some parts of the book. But I kept reading thinking it’d improve. It didn’t. I’m so sad by it. It makes me not want to read the series again. The same stuff kept happening over and over. They just were on the run for the last three books, I was so over it by this last one. Add in Olivia to make it more miserable, and it was such a disappointing read.
I wish I had never started the series. The first two books were great and I was hooked so I kept reading. Books 3, 5, and 6 were dark and depressing. This book was the worst of them all. Mysterious and so full of foreboding it was driving me nuts. I pushed on because I really wanted to know how it would end. I should have stopped then. Terrible ending to a terrible book.
I have enjoyed this series, and I admit that I preordered this final book. I felt that the book did a good job of introducing the final judgement, and tying up some loose ends from the previous books. As with the other books, I felt that the editing could have been better. There were some grammatical and wrong word errors (for example, people lie while objects lay). Also, often I felt that there obscure plot devices that were never clarified. I'd give this three and a half stars if that were possible.
Well, the last book of this series was a disappointment. As much as I, surprisingly, liked the previous five books, no wonder my expectations were very high for this one. However, all that prevailed throughout the book are anger, hate and other negative emotions. The story is told from multiple PoV, and this prevented me from connecting with any character and especially Olivia whom we meet for the first time. The grand finale – the fulfillment of the judgment – was a lackluster instead of an epic battle.
I liked this book and the whole series, but it a little difficult to get to know Olivia. I've loved Jim for a long time! I also was left with a few questions...why did we even have the moment of Henry feeling the pull to O? How was that relevant? Also, in the effort of keeping the ultimate sacrifice vague until the last moment, I guess I still wonder why we even had to sacrifice? On the topic of the sacrifice, I loved the beautiful moment of the mother and father's sacrifice, but it left me feeling a little horrified at the manner of these characters' ending. I would still read any follow ups in this series in the world after judgment, however. Love this author!
I knew going into this book that it was going to be more than one POV, but I expected a dual POV between Olivia, the last of the Judgements, and her mate. What I got instead was a book that jumped between a bunch of characters we'd met prior and a couple new ones, and I didn't like it as well as I'd hoped I would.
One perspective was that of Henry, who felt the pull toward Olivia, but wasn't her mate. Once we discovered who her mate actually was, all the chapters dealing with Henry felt as if they could have been from that person's POV instead, and I felt a little cheated. It almost felt like Henry was supposed to be the mate at first but then the author changed her mind in edits, but didn't clean it up throughout the entire book, if that makes sense.
Another thing that disappointed me were the number of unanswered questions. There were only a couple, but they were brought up in the last couple of books, and I felt they could have been touched upon more.
Carlos's sister for one. We know at the end of his book that she has left him, and it's assumed she's dead, but is she? We don't get any chapters in this book from either Carlos or Isabelle's perspective, so there's no telling.
And then there's Charlene's ability, one she's managed to hide for... however many years since she claimed Thomas. She lied to Bethi when the younger girl asked if her powers had heightened when she mated Thomas. They had. She hadn't been able to control the wills of werewolves before, not like humans, but after she Claimed him, she could. Except for one instance where it was brushed upon, there was no talk of it again. What was the point of including it in the book if it wasn't going to be important? And in the end, it didn't seem important.
Returning to Charlene and Thomas, once we learned what Olivia and her mate's purpose were for the Judgements, I felt like it was only natural that they would sacrifice themselves instead, but I need more to the story. I need to know what happened after. We get a hint from The Lady that it was the wrong choice, which hints at a new story, but I didn't feel like it was the wrong choice. In fact, knowing Charlene's personality and Thomas's devotion to her, it seemed like the exact thing they would do, which I feel like The Lady would have known, so why the cryptic warning about it being the wrong choice?
Don't get me wrong, I did like this book, but not as much as the others. I felt the book would have worked better in just the POV of Olivia and her mate, and if that wasn't done, more could have been explored with some of the other Judgements and their partners. It actually would have been cool to see this split in the same way the other books in the two series had been thus far. I think it would have covered more of the trailing threads while also exploring more of the aftermath of the Judgement in the secondary book. Like, this one end with the Judgement being made, and then the last one going a little beyond that and covering the ending that this one did have. If that makes sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Okay. Review time. Melissa Haag has a gift for writing. She REALLY does. You can tell a good author because they make you feel something and boy did this book make me feel. I felt joy, excitement, fear, shock, horror, and devastation all within the confines of around 300 pages. Where to begin? Why not the beginning? We finally see things from Oliva's point of view and, as usual, things are not what they once appeared to be. The Judgement is coming. Soon. And Olivia knows what has to be done. What she was born to do and though she does not relish in her fate she knows what has to be done to keep the world in balance and will stop at nothing to make sure things happen as they are supposed to. This book picks up right where the last one left off and sure hit the ground running. I mean DAMN! The story is told from almost everyone's point of view the most common being Olivia, Winni, Jim, and Henry. The other girls and some mates get the chance to tell there sides too, thus creating a tone to this book so very unlike the others we've read in this series. This book was so up and down it was almost hard to read in a way, maybe that was also because I knew, I JUST FREAKING knew what was coming and I didn't want it to pass, but just because I got mad and stopped reading, the ending remained the same. But Melissa being the genius author she is, threw in a few crazy twists I did not see coming. They made my jaw drop, my eyes tear up and my heart break. This was by far the best book in the series, but was also the worst. Oh my God does this book serve as a reminder of how utterly UNFAIR life can be. But along with the misery comes the happiness. This was the best book I have read all year long. Very well done, and my hats off to you Miss Haag. Please for the love of reading, do not ever stop writing! You're too good at it! 5/5 stars
I’m so disappointed in how this last book went. There were way too many narrators, and it made it somewhat confusing. I almost couldn’t keep everyone straight. After waiting so long for the last book, it was frustrating on how it turned out.
In “(Sur)real” the epic finale in an intriguing and highly imaginative series, the existence of the Werewolf and Urbat races has been made public, and the Judgements, their mates and the Elders are on the run as a decision draws closer that could either bring balance to the world or end it with fire and death. When the story opens Olivia bonded from age four to the Urbat leader Blake Torrin and able to see through the shadows of her blindness with the assistance of an enigmatic race called the “Others” breaks free from his controlling grasp, she joins her sisters, determined to bring their Judgement to fulfillment as prophesied.
With her father single-minded in his determination to capture the sisters and control their choice, Olivia deceptively plots against him with the help of a mysterious force knowing that either decades of pain and suffering will end with the judgement or many will die. But what Olivia doesn’t expect is that she’ll find love and acceptance with the most unlikely werewolf, one who swore to sacrifice himself to protect his people at the cost of his own happiness.
Set in a chaotic world where the werewolf race faces extinction because of a lack of females while the Urbat have been increasing their population by kidnapping and breeding with any werewolf females they find, any hope for change lies in the Judgements bringing balance to the races. Fast-paced and emotionally-charged with every confrontation and werewolf life lost, Olivia recounts the misery of her life with Blake; her isolation from the other females; and her agony when the Others exact a price for their help, facing life with courage and never expecting any happiness in return.
Well-written and intoxicating the plot heats up as Olivia, her sisters, their mates and their Elders slowly unravel clues to the mystery of the Judgement where in the past all have been killed before they could make a choice together. Skilfully Melissa Haag builds intensity and suspense as decades later and having lived countless lives the sisters are finally together, although the Urbat and their leader are never far behind. With unexpected twists and turns the tension escalates as the story flows smoothly to a gripping and deadly ending with surprises you don’t see coming.
A loner for years, her life filled with fear, anxiety and panic although in front of Blake she’s learned to be calm and hide her emotions, Olivia has finally had the courage to plot her escape and join up with the werewolves and her sisters who are on the run from the Urbat. Beautiful, blind and in a race against time to fulfill her destiny she never expects to have sparks ignite and feel the pressure of discovering the caring, compassion and even humor of a werewolf who will do anything (even give his life) to make her his mate. It is complexity of characters like Olivia, her sisters and their family of werewolves that bring this story to life with all its drama and high-energy, making it a page-turner from beginning to end.
I thoroughly enjoyed “(Sur)real” and hope we haven’t seen the last of the Judgements and their mates.
What a finale! I have followed these characters from the beginning and it was bittersweet to say goodbye to them. I won’t say I’m happy with the ending. Happy would be no ending at all. Since Melissa Haag insists on ending the series (despite my begging), this ending will do. Did I say “ending” too much? Oh well, here’s another. Ending. This book had so many emotions and I was crying within 10 minutes and once or twice I had to talk myself out of stalking one of my favorite authors and demanding a re-write. So, this one is different from the rest since it is written from several points of view. It hops around to many of the characters which was very informative and interesting, but also a little sad since we won’t be getting a companion book out of this one since Olivia’s mate gets his perspective in the story too. Oh, and don’t forget all the little surprises that are thrown in there. I never saw some of those coming! The very end was something I guess and then was followed by something I really didn’t think of, so good job Melissa!
*Spoiler Alert* Don’t read below this line if you don’t want a spoiler. Are you good? Here goes…
I didn’t like the Henry connection. What was the point? Aside from being excited to find a mate. Like I know the girls can have a wolf and urbat mate, but 2 mates of the same species? And then it just kind of faded away… Seriously, all the other guys were ka-razy when they found their girls. No one was getting in their way. Henry was just like “Well, I don’t want a mate right now, so go ahead”. It just didn’t seem right to me. Bad author. Your punishment is more judgment books.
That being said. Thank you so much, Melissa. I loved being part of this world.
This year has been a year of tough reviews to write, with so many amazing books released in 2017 each one topping the last. (Sur)real by Melissa Haag was no different! As I sit here and try to write this review I find myself struggling for the words that would best describe my thoughts of this amazing book. I am not struggling because it was bad or poorly written, in fact this is her best work yet! I struggle because I do not feel I can ever convey how truly amazing this book is. I read it in less than 24 hours and it was a roller coaster of a read. I felt every FEEL there was to feel and then some I didn't know I had. Tears were my constant companion throughout this book and not just she slipping of a tear here or there. This book has me in UGLY CRY mode. Something else that happened for the first time with this book, I literally had to put it down and walk away, I was so overwhelmed by emotions and what was happening that I needed a break. It kept drawing me back, kept pulling me in, I had to know what was happening, I had to know how it ended. This is the FINAL book in the Judgment of the Six series and Ms. Haag crammed it all into this final book! The characters were so well developed, they felt like a part of my family and as this book unfolded we met Olivia who was Courage the final judgement. This book not only focused on her but the intricate relationships between her and her sister judgements, her sister judgements and their mates, the wolf pack we had grown to love and even the urbat we have grown to hate. So many questions were answered, so many pieces of the puzzle finally fit into their final resting place. Do not pass this book up it is truly a work of art that must be read, shared, reread, passed around and loved by all!
(Sur)Real is the final book in the Judgement of Six series by Melissa Haag. Everything that the Judgements and the werewolves have been through all leads up to this, the final judgment. Who will prosper, who will fail, it's all up to the girls and afterward nothing will be the same.
Since I like to live in book worlds, I prolong it as long as possible. I would generally read one book in the series per year (if the series is already out that is) just so I can stay with the characters and in the world a little while longer. I have been reading this series for a few years, I read the main series and the companion books side by side and it took a while. I knew it was time to finally finish the series and I was NOT ready.
I love the series so much, it was unique and while each book had different characters and subplots the overall arc of the story pulled together seamlessly in such a unique story that it was compelling. The judgment of the world, fated mates, girls with powers, danger lurking around every corner and the mystery of the past and the future, it all made for a very compelling read.
(Sur)Real was incredibly good, I loved seeing all the characters together, that so many characters had their povs in the story and finally we get some answers to a lot of things. I am not gonna lie, this book killed me. By the time I finished (Sur)Real I was crying like a baby and I am not okay but I am so glad that I got to read this series, that I was able to finish the story. I love every moment of this series and if you like fated mates, werewolves and a unique story then I would suggest you pick this one up and if you have the series but haven't finished it then I ask "What are you waiting for" you have to see how it ends.