4.5 stars

I am wavering in my rating between a 4 and 5 stars because while I did love this book, it didn't quite leave me as impacted as I thought it would. That being said, the way Neal Shusterman was able to weave all of the threads of this world together in a satisfying conclusion is just amazing.

I don't usually say this, but I wonder if this series wouldn't have benefited from being one book longer. There is SO MUCH going on in this book. New characters are introduced in addition to our core cast, and I wish we could've had a little more time spent in developing those characters. Also, we hardly see Rowan at all in this book. In reality, he spends most of this series

in some form of captivity.

To be fair, no one character in this book is the 'main character'. This truly is an ensemble series.

I didn't have any clue where this book was going to go before I picked it up. Thunderhead ended on such a crazy note, and I had no idea where it was headed.

I love the overall structure of the book. Neal Shusterman likes to play with structure and insert a mixed media feel, which I think he does better than just about anybody. It makes for an interesting reading experience, aside from the actual plot of the story. I really enjoy authors who are able to create visual interest in their books. The way he does it is really interesting, because it's mostly expositional, but never feels like an info-dump.

I also love the way he introduces threads into the story that seem random and unconnected to the main action, only to have them come to mean something in the grand scheme of things. He did similar things in his Unwind series, and it works just as well here. It really gives the reader a sense that there is so much more going on than just the small bit we're seeing.

There is definitely a lot of social commentary being made in this story that is applicable to today. At one point, a character says something to the effect of "Only an idiot would build a wall." Most of the time it isn't quite so on-the-nose, but it's still there.

I feel like I'm leaving so much out, but I just read this 625-page book in less than a day and my brain is broken. Suffice it to say, that this is absolutely a 5-star series. One of my favorites. And I can't WAIT to re-read.