The Encounter hones in on the full body-horror of morphing when Tobias grapples with his new reality and how much of it his friends share. This book depicts despair, grief, personal loss, and figuring out how to move on when you can't go back.

It's slower and more introspective than the first few books. The rotating first-person narrative style of the series does lend itself to introspection, but this book in particular really shines when Tobias is trying to work through his thoughts.