My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Jess is back in the teeth of the wolf for the penultimate book in the series–this time set in the rebellious, Library-hating Americas!
The story really lets Thomas shine and deepens the relationship between Wolfe and Santi, which is touching and feels realistic. The Burners, even, are shown to be nuanced, justifiably hating the Library and yet still with kindness in them.
The ending had me literally gasping, but the middle felt a bit –obvious? The pacing was predictable, and so often Jess would narrate something and it would immediately be repeated as true on the next line. “…It also made him think, They should be afraid.
Jess certainly was.”
That kind of thing, over and over and over, until I could hear the …dada dada da? Da da…pacing in the text. It got wearying.
But the characters are still vibrant and I’m still not clear how the story will end, so I’ll meet you for the final soon.
M.E. Kinkade 