2.5 stars.

I don't know how this book managed to be both imaginative and kind of predictable. It has a really well-crafted setting which obviously required a lot of thought and planning, and yet for all that, the narrative really felt cluttered to me, like the story was observing the rules of the world created in it, and yet there were so many rules that somehow everything seemed possible to the point that I found it all rather ridiculous.... I just lost patience at some point, and skimmed the last few hundred pages (yes, it felt way too long). To be fair, though, it did continue in the vein of the two installments preceding it, and it was a rather good conclusion to the trilogy in that sense. Maybe it was just that it took me so long to get to third book, or just that it kinda felt like it was directed at a much younger audience than me, but in any case I couldn't really enjoy it. ( )

When I started this trilogy I wasn't sure if I liked it. It had an interesting premise but it took me a while to get into the characters and the story, but by this third book I was hooked! The story seemed to get darker and darker as Mary's quest to save the children grew more and more fanatical and her battle with Nick and his allies to thwart her plans seemed to push her past the edge of sanity. The books ended up having much more depth than I had expected when I began book 1. It touched on so many different things that left me thinking about it long after I had put the book down and turned off the light to sleep.

This final book really pulled all three books together and it ended up being one of the best stories (the three books combined) that I've read. Highly recommended! ( )

A great ending to the trilogy. Very well-written and fast-paced. ( )

The culmination of this trilogy. Love is found, love is reunited, the armies face off, a weapon of mass destruction is detonated, spirits are exorcised, and good wins at the end of the day.

This is actually the first time I have given the last book a higher rating than the previous ones. It's strengths lie in the fact that the book does not skimp on new characters - bringing a new life to each story. While I would have wished I could learn about Allie and Nick better, to be quite frank, Shusterman didn't really have much to add to their personalities anyway.

Again, it was a highly plot driven story, rather than a character story. But it was good because it kept it fast-paced and always moving.

It was a good end to the series.
I'm not going to read it again, but I don't regret reading the trilogy.

Three stars because I am actually pleased at the ending and how things were wrapped up - which is difficult in a series. Recommended for people who read the previous two books, naturally. ( )

The culmination of this trilogy. Love is found, love is reunited, the armies face off, a weapon of mass destruction is detonated, spirits are exorcised, and good wins at the end of the day.

This is actually the first time I have given the last book a higher rating than the previous ones. It's strengths lie in the fact that the book does not skimp on new characters - bringing a new life to each story. While I would have wished I could learn about Allie and Nick better, to be quite frank, Shusterman didn't really have much to add to their personalities anyway.

Again, it was a highly plot driven story, rather than a character story. But it was good because it kept it fast-paced and always moving.

It was a good end to the series.
I'm not going to read it again, but I don't regret reading the trilogy.

Three stars because I am actually pleased at the ending and how things were wrapped up - which is difficult in a series. Recommended for people who read the previous two books, naturally. ( )