readerxxx's review
3.0
I loved book 1 and book 2 but I just liked book 3. Book 3 had some issues that nagged at me.
More so than the previous books, this one shifted the POV too quickly and without good transitions. There were several instances of confusion as I tried to track which character POV i was following at the beginning of each chapter or even within a chapter. I think this could easily be resolved through the use of a character name at the beginning of each chapter or section. Using the pronoun "I" leaves you thinking that you are on the previous character. Just kind of irritating.
I also noticed that the characters took on unbelievable Rambo characteristics in this book more so than the others. Kids taking a beating like they do and keep on trucking was unbelievable.
More so than the previous books, the action sequences in this book suffered with confusing explanations. I had a hard time following several of the battles.
Negativity aside I still enjoyed the book and would recommend the entire series on the merits of the first two books alone.
More so than the previous books, this one shifted the POV too quickly and without good transitions. There were several instances of confusion as I tried to track which character POV i was following at the beginning of each chapter or even within a chapter. I think this could easily be resolved through the use of a character name at the beginning of each chapter or section. Using the pronoun "I" leaves you thinking that you are on the previous character. Just kind of irritating.
I also noticed that the characters took on unbelievable Rambo characteristics in this book more so than the others. Kids taking a beating like they do and keep on trucking was unbelievable.
More so than the previous books, the action sequences in this book suffered with confusing explanations. I had a hard time following several of the battles.
Negativity aside I still enjoyed the book and would recommend the entire series on the merits of the first two books alone.
rosieg's review
4.0
In the last book in Andrews' contribution to the Afterblight Chronicles no punches are pulled. This is a post-apocalyptic world where death and danger is commonplace and no one is safe. What I really loved about this series is how we got to see the characters grow and change over the trilogy and not necessarily in a positive way. In a world surrounded by violence, and killing to survive, all the characters are changed and this is the crux of the book. Whoever they were before The Cull they have been irrevocable altered by the things they have seen and done. Yet the dystopian tone of the book is not forced. Instead it feels honest and while I cannot say there is a lot of hope left by the last chapter I believe the choice of placing this story over a trilogy allowed it the scope and time to properly convey the realities of children forced to grow and survive in a world ravaged by a viral apocalypse.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
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