Rachel the Book Harlot

Warning: Spoilers Ahead....and quite possibly some fangirling. Proceed with caution.

The end is here.

"There is no avoiding it—the war to decide the fate of both humans and Partials is at hand. Both sides hold in their possession a weapon that could destroy the other, and Kira Walker has precious little time to prevent that from happening. She has one chance to save both species and the world..."

Fear is only as deep as the mind allows.

                                     - Japanese proverb

Dan Wells completes me. The man also scares me since he is not kind to his characters. This fear was further cemented after reading the dedication page:

"This book is dedicated to everybody you hate. Sorry. Life's like that sometimes."

Whaaa? Mind games, man. Mind games. I was ready to curl up into a fetal position after that. But no, it was a great ending to a great series. At least it was for me because I got what I wanted. **evil grin**  

Here's the breakdown:

❖ The resolution: I was satisfied with how everything was resolved (and one thing in particular made me VERY happy). I did think the ending felt a tad rushed. There were some things I thought could have been drawn out a bit more.  

❖ Had me biting my nails: It was unpredictable. Things were bleak for much of the story, and I couldn't fathom how it could all possibly be resolved. There was one thing I thought was telegraphed very early on, but I was still surprised with the "how" of it.

❖ "To err is human, to forgive divine": Much of this series tackles both the fallibility of humanity, human nature, our place in this universe, and how our decisions impact the world around us. But it also speaks to courage--the courage to forgive, to understand, to learn from our mistakes, to start over, and to realize that no matter our differences we are all connected. I love that this all came to a crescendo here, with Mr. Wells making and following through with some tough decisions. 

What I had trouble with:

❖ The POV shifts: I think this was more a result of my own impatience since there were two characters that I was specifically interested in. So, while I understood the need for each of the POV's included, I found myself anxious to return to those 2 in particular. And I found their sections the most interesting.

❖ Some of Kira's behavior towards the end bothered me.

❖ There were a few sections that contained too many unnecessary details. This resulted in slowing the pace down in some places. 

Despite those small obstacles, it was a wonderful and satisfying end to a beloved series.

Final Rating: 5 stars