3.5 stars - I have mixed feelings about this installment in the Defiance Falls trilogy. I absolutely loved the first one and enjoyed the second, but with Defiance Falls War, it’s hard to say exactly where I land on this one.

One of the best parts of this book is that we finally get some solid soccer content. For the previous two books we’ve heard a lot about how incredible Hazel and the boys are at soccer, but we finally got to see them in action. The scenes involving soccer aren’t too long, but they add so much to the story and remind you that these characters are all still teenagers. Plus, it’s just great to read along as Hazel kicks major butt on the soccer field.

I also liked that some loose ends were tied up. I won’t say exactly what happens, but expect to learn more about the sophomore JV players, Seamus Malone, and some of the boys’ transgressions from the earlier books. I was very satisfied with where these storylines went.

One of my biggest hold ups with this book is that there is a lot of time spent speaking about action and very little time for the action to take place. The more tense and exciting scenes seem slightly rushed and I wish there was a bit more meat to them. It’s important to note that the scenes themselves are very good, I just felt their timing was off.

I also struggle with Hazel and Cruz’s relationship. On one hand, I like that things aren’t always easy for them and that they do have some fights, but I can’t help but wish they got to have more happy moments. The two of them have been through so much individually and together that it’s hard to see them struggle to figure out how to be together.

All in all, I did like this final book and would absolutely, definitely recommend reading it ASAP to finally get all of your Defiance Falls questions answered!