A review by ging090803
The Toll by Neal Shusterman

adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Incredible.
Each book was better than the previous one. I'm glad I stuck to it.
I loved how we had so many POVs but were still kept in the dark for the major plots so it kept the story intriguing. I couldn't stop reading, I just wanted to know what would happen next.
At some point, it started to circle a little, but I was still hooked on the story. Tho, the thing that got me mixed up a little was how the chronological order wasn't really followed.
The story takes place 3 years after the sinking, but it is important to know what happened in between. Yet, it goes back and forth between periods and I'm the kind who needs some order in a timeline to not get lost, but it was still manageable.
Goddard has not changed. He is still execrable. He still gets on my nerves.
Love turned Rand weaker I feel. This is not a bad thing but didn't feel like the psycho from the first book.
Greyson was okay. He was a little bit of a pain in the "rear" being the martyr and the big guy at the same time.
But he got better more the book advanced. We could see, by the end, why he was truly chosen

2 things bothered me tho :
1.
Faraday's depression. He was important for a while then became nothing. It was kinda sad and a little useless by that point. He discovered the atolls and then... nothing but complains. I do understand his feelings but at what point was he a necessary character. And the little deception when they opened the bunker. I was waiting for the big reveal.

2.
Citra and freaking Rowan. Why??? First, their relationship is sooo intense, I feel it's a little overtop. Yet, don't get me wrong, I'm still a stucker for them both. That's why my heart literally shattered when she was killed in the final scene and Rowan had to wait another freaking 117 years before getting together. They are like another type of Romeo-Juliette lovers and it was painful to read. Torture.
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