“Now isn't the time to change yourself to fit into the world. You should be changing the world to accept you. To let you exist as you are, without being cut open and damaged.”

Stars (Out of 10): 10/10

Favorite Character: I just love everyone

Spoiler Free: I don’t think I can be okay again after this book. I don’t know what made this series stand out compared to the other dystopians I’ve read lately (which is not many), but I think this will be one of those series that sticks with me for a very long time.

This book will stick with me because it is honest, it is dark, and reveals to us the shadows that hide in our world. I don’t doubt for a second that if this were to actually happen that our world would react in a very similar way, and that what makes this series so hard to read sometimes.

The characters were also phenomenal, just like in books 1 and 2. Almost all the characters are layered in such a phenomenal way, given motivations and flaws, weaknesses and strengths. They are also all individuals, and while there is overlap in the reactions to certain events, there is not overlap in why they reacted that way. This series seemed to have some of the most realistic representations of humanity that I have read in a while, and it had this great representation in almost all of the characters.

It was this realism that allowed me to connect with this story, to fall into it, as much as I did, even if that had some emotional consequences on my end (I kept getting so sucked into the story that I felt as if I was the one experiencing the story itself, and led to me having some pretty rough anxiety at points, and a dream here and there). This connection made some of the deaths/rough parts even more hard hitting, as you feel for the characters as if they were your friends.

Once again, the pacing of the plot was also really well done as well. This series in general did a really good job of pacing out the twists so there was always something more shocking to learn about the world, and this lead to me being even more hooked by the story, as I kept wanting to learn more and more about the reasoning and mystery behind the world. Additionally, the plot itself was also just really interesting as well. While some of the events themselves are ones that commonly occur within dystopian/rebellion books, the way in which it was written made it all feel new. There was also a well-balanced blend of emotional and political tension throughout the entire book, making it interesting on a variety of fronts.

Lastly, the ending was both heartbreaking and happy at the same time. It was hopeful, yet realistic, which matched the rest of the series really well. It managed to make me smile while stabbing me in the heart.

Overall, this series has cemented itself in both my brain and my heart as one of my favorites, and has proven to hold up over time (to me, at least). It’s been a while since every book in a series has blown me away, and managed to consistently keep me happy. This is a series that I am happy to just have been able to experience, and I am incredibly thankful for that. (This review is bringing tears to my eyes, I don’t want to say goodbye!)

Careful! Spoilers beyond this point!

Spoilers:

Spoiler

I love how the happy ending is darkened by all that happened in this book, this series. (Maybe not love, but I love how it makes the books more impactful, longer lasting.)

I won’t, can’t, get over how this story ended for some of the characters. We had Jude in book 2, the literal embodiment of love and sunshine, crushed by a building, dying alone in darkness. We had Cole being burned externally by what had been burning him internally for most of his life. And we had Clancy, who didn’t deserve the ending he got even considering what he put our cast through. Three kids who just wanted a life, wanted to control what their life was and would be, crushed by the darkness in the world, crushed by people just wanting more, and this is why this book will stick with me.