But first things first, before I fangirl for the rest of the review. Technically speaking, this book is Weeks best yet as far as sound writing, strong voice, and coherency of the plot. As each book has gone by, you can see the progression as Weeks' skill continues to grow and shine. The second book had weak points within the structure of the plot and story arc, but this book is nearly flawless. One minor complaint, and the reason I can't mark it as a 5 star: there is a point at the end where Kip and his friends must escape... something (no spoilers here)... and it was a little too convenient. Things just fell into place too easily, in my opinion. But other than that, I see no other flaws with this story.
The characters continue to shine. Kip, of course, remains my favorite. His arc keeps expanding and growing, and in this book in particular, we get a stronger sense of who he is growing into. The change in him is realistic, steady, and compelling. He often rises to the challenges facing him, yet there are times he fails, too, and it gives a sense that he is a real person, with real reactions to adversity.
Gavin and Karris... well, I don't want to give a lot away, but their story is far from cookie-cutter. Both of their character arcs, like Kip, go places that are surprising yet realistic. And I'll just say this: it's brilliant. What Weeks has done with their story, with them both starting out in book one in VERY different places than where they end up in book three, is genius.
The pacing of the book is great. There is plenty of action, lots of humor, fantastic worldbuilding, and shocking surprises. The ending is just... what? See. No words. Just feeling. Someone send help. As the scope of what the author is accomplishing with this series starts to unfold, your jaw will drop. It's that good. Do yourself a favor and drop whatever you are reading now, and start reading this series. You can read my review for book one here, and my review for book two here.
