Reviews

And finally I know the ending to one of my favorite childhood series! There were so many twists and turns in this story and a lot of time lines to keep straight.

I have mixed feelings about Redeemed. Making a new character the protagonist of the final book in the series was a bold choice, but it was interesting to see from Jordan’s POV. I do think it was valuable to see how he adjusted from his perspective instead of Jonah’s, but that doesn’t mean I still didn’t miss Jonah and Katherine while reading this. Another thing that made this mixed for me was more explaining than action and a departure from revisiting historical time periods which was a big draw for me.

Despite those feelings, this was a nice wrap up to the series! All the loose ends were tied and it feels like a satisfying conclusion. Definitely not my most loved book in this series, but not a bad way to end it either.

neilrcoulter's review against another edition

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3.0

Finally, the conclusion of The Missing series! I've really enjoyed this series and have been excited to see how Haddix will end it. The books building up to this conclusion had been fantastic.

Ultimately, it's hard to conclude a beloved series, and there's bound to be some let-down. I felt that with Redeemed. Generally, I liked this final volume, but I was also disappointed by some aspects. The main disappointment was that the protagonist this time is Jordan, not Jonah. Jordan starts out not knowing anything about time travel, or any events from the previous books. This makes him a difficult character to like right at the start. It feels sometimes like here in the final volume, the speed and momentum have been diminished because of the main character's ignorance. Even by the end of the book, I wasn't as interested in Jordan as I guess I should have been. It's Jonah and Katherine that I've learned to love, but in this story, seeing them from the outside, they are distant, sometimes mean or uncaring, and certainly not the main characters.

The story is the most dizzying spiral of different dimensions, multiple versions of many characters, people appearing at different ages and in different eras, often with little explanation given right away. Some of the books in this series have been relatively simple, others more complex, but this time Haddix is really pushing the limits of what the reader can figure out. Even at the end of the book I was a little confused about some aspects of what had happened. I'm sure all the details work out, but it is often taxing to untangle the various plot strands.

In this volume the ultimate villain is revealed, and it's not exactly who I'd expected. Essentially, then, this book has to reveal the enemy, explain the enemy, and defeat the enemy--all while tying up the many loose ends from the previous books. That's a tall order. Haddix is mostly successful, but the conclusion to the series is not quite as satisfying as I'd hoped. However, I still love The Missing, and I believe Haddix has created an amazing story, which I highly recommend. The entire series, including the final book, is fiercely life-affirming, which is a breath of fresh air compared to the hopeless dystopias of so many other series for youth. I'm thankful for Haddix's optimism, her faithfulness, her optimism about second chances, and her affirmation of the value of life. These are messages that are sorely needed, no matter what the time period or geographical location.

athnyx230's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

superwhytheheck's review

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

happyglowlucky's review against another edition

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5.0

Granted, this is intended for a younger audience, but, personally, I, as an adult, loved it. As other reviewers have mentioned, this is the last book in the series, so, don't read it until you have read all the others, as it will not make sense. This story is told from Jordan's viewpoint, and he learns a lot in it (don't want to say too much, as it will be a spoiler). Fast-paced, fun, and not just for tween and teens! Try reading the whole series!

josiahdegraaf's review against another edition

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3.0

Like I mentioned in my review for book seven of this series, I really don't feel like this story was necessary since book seven really tied up all the main plot lines. That being said, this was a rather enjoyable epilogue of sorts to the rest of the series that did explain a couple of the time paradoxes left in the last book. The new character for this book was interesting and I enjoyed them hopping around the future for various bits and also all the stuff surrounding Sam Chase. The villain was a bit weak, IMO, not because he wasn't intimidating, but that for as much as the book was trying to set him up as the Big Bad of the series, given that none of the other books in the series mentioned him, he seemed to be a bit awkwardly inserted at the end here. Most of my issues with this book would be resolved if it had seemed to be set up more, as well as if there were still main plot lines that needed to be continued here, instead of just being resolved in the last one. Despite my issues with this book however, this was a fun read and a fair conclusion to this eight books series.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Good).

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