OFFICIAL AUTHOR BIO: Beth Revis grew up in the Appalachian Mountains with a cemetery in her backyard, which is probably why she prefers her stories to be dark and full of twists. She’s the New York Times bestselling author of the Across the Universe trilogy, which has been translated into more than 20 languages. Beth lives in a house full of boys—her husband, son, and two massive dogs—and she forces them all to watch reruns of Firefly and Doctor Who. Visit her at bethrevis.com.

FORMAT/INFO: Last Chance to Save the World will be published on April 8th, 2025 from DAW Books. It is 133 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: It's a race against time as con artist Ada pulls off her most daring escapade yet. The target: the launching facility of a fleet of nanodrones during one of the most publicized (and secured) events in the galaxy. The mission: upload a code that will delete the secret planned obsolescence code in the nanobots planted by the company that built them, ensuring the bots fulfill their mission to clean the environmental damage on Earth. Ada's convinced government agent Rian to help her, but can she count on him not to betray her at the last minute?

Last Chance to Save the World is a fun and frenetic finale, even if it does lose a bit of the chemistry between its leads along the way. While all the books in this novella series revolve around individual capers, they've all been part of one overarching arc that we see play out in this last adventure. Once again, we're treated to the unreliable narrator of Ada, who doesn't always tell the reader everything that's going on. Is everything going according to her plan? Only Ada knows until the final chapter plays out.

I do love seeing a well-executed plan, and there's plenty of that here. Seeds planted in previous books blossom into fruition for the finale and there's always one more ace up Ada's sleeve. It's a slick Hollywood heist film ending where the real bad guys get their just desserts.

But I also love seeing evenly matched opponents in these kinds of stories, and that's where Last Chance to Save the World fell a bit flat. In the first book, Rian was a worthy foil to Ada, with his own counter-moves that she had to outfox. Here, he's little more than helpless eye-candy. Sure, we're teased that he has a plan of his own, but he never surprises Ada or has the upper hand. She's always one step ahead and we know it, which takes away the chemistry between the two characters. The heat in the romance came from the danger of knowing that Rian COULD outsmart Ada if she's not careful, and that's just not showcased here.

CONCLUSION: From start to finish, the Chaotic Orbits novellas are a rollicking fun time that will leave you grinning. Now that the trilogy is complete, readers can watch Ada's plans unfold from start to finish in just a few sittings. I will always be a fan of Ada's chaotic energy, her constant shifting of conversational topics and goals designed to put her opponents on their back feet. If you're looking for a quick and easy entertaining adventure, these are just the reading snack to bite into.