In this third book of the Darkest Minds trilogy, Ruby and the rest of the survivors of the attack on L.A. are on the run with their prisoner, the president’s son Clancy Gray. They are hoping to use him as leverage with his mom, who is the only one who possesses a possible treatment for the kids who have developed psionic abilities.

Even though I hadn’t read the first two books in the trilogy, I was able to pick up the plot line and figure out what was going on. I was, however, surprised at how slow and tedious the book was at times, since third books are generally action-packed. I found Ruby to be extremely annoying and far too obsessed with events in the past that she blamed herself for. Furthermore, for someone who was supposedly aware of Clancy’s dangerously powerful mind manipulations, I found it unrealistic that he could have manipulated her mind for so long without her knowledge. Ruby’s relationship with Liam was not well fleshed out, and I found the Liam-Cole rivalry to be forced.  I did enjoy the premise, but dystopian plot lines in general are becoming old.

Recommended as optional purchase for gr. 9-12. 

In this final book of The Maze Runner trilogy (although there is a prequel coming in August 2012), WICKED (World in Catastrophe, Killzone Experiment Department) wants to stop lying and playing twisted psychological games with the Maze and Scorch survivors. They need everyone’s cooperation to help complete the final blueprint for the Flare’s cure. In order to do that, though, they need to give the subjects their memories back, but Thomas and some of the others don’t trust WICKED enough to give them yet another opportunity to mess with their brains. Thomas, Newt, Minho, Brenda, and Jorge escape to Denver to join forces with The Right Arm, a revolutionary group whose mission is to destroy WICKED. When it becomes apparent that the Flare has taken over most of the population and that The Right Arm may be as insane as the organization they are trying to destroy, Thomas finds himself once again struggling with questions of right vs. wrong, good vs. evil, and greater good vs. individual rights.  

As was the case with the other two books in this series, The Death Cure raises more questions than it answers. I was left scratching my head, wondering if the author deliberately left the ending ambiguous in order to open the door for either a fourth book or a spin-off series, or if he wanted to leave us feeling frustrated and filled with questions. I wasn’t expecting a happily-ever-after ending, but it would have been nice to have some closure. 

Recommended for grades 9-12. For more information, visit James Dashner.

In Life As We Knew It, Miranda’s life was forever altered after a meteor hit the moon and knocked it out of orbit, causing earthquakes, volcanoes, loss of power, and food shortages. The Dead and the Gone introduced Alex and Julie Morales and described their struggle to survive after the meteor strike. In This World We Live In, the Morales’ show up at Miranda’s house along with Miranda’s father, stepmother, baby half-brother, and another man, Charlie. Miranda and her family are already feeding one more person—Syl, the girl that Matt met and married while on a fishing expedition with Jon—but they welcome the needy newcomers. Alex is determined not to overstay his welcome. His plan is to take Julie to a convent in New York and then travel to Ohio to enter a monastery, but those plans are disrupted when they discover that the convent no longer actually exists. When a new disaster strikes, life is altered yet again, and both groups need to decide what to do next.

I had been so anxious to find out what happened to Miranda and her family, but this sequel left me feeling dissatisfied. There are gaping holes in the story and a lot of things are left unexplained, but the worst is the ending. Readers are once again left wondering what will happen to Miranda and her family. There may be another book, but at this point readers might be losing interest. The relationship between Miranda and Alex seems forced and unbelievable, and Miranda’s decision at the end of the book regarding Julie is bizarre and terribly out of character. I recommend it for people who have read the first two books in the series, but readers need to be warned in advance that they will not receive any sort of closure with this latest installment.

Recommended with reservations to gr. 9-12.

Taking up where Catching Fire left off, readers learn that District 12 has been bombed to oblivion and all of the surviving residents have been relocated to the underground world of District 13. Katniss’ mother, sister, and best friend Gale are among the survivors, and while Katniss is grateful for that, she feels increasing guilt for Peeta’s abduction as well as for the destruction that has been wreaked upon the Districts by the Capital. As the Districts pressure her to become their Mockingjay in every sense of the word, Katniss finds herself struggling with her new reality. As Katniss and her team get closer to infiltrating the Capital, the more futile everything seems, and readers find themselves asking the same questions that Katniss asks: Where do you draw the line when you are at war? What should you be willing to do in the name of justice? At what point do you begin to ask yourself what is right and what is wrong?

Many have claimed to be disappointed in this final book of the Hunger Games trilogy, but I was not. It was definitely darker and more violent than the first two books, and many of the most beloved characters were killed, but war is like that, isn’t it? Those who seem the most disappointed in the novel tend to focus on the outcome of the love triangle, but for me that was never the main focus of the trilogy. The epilogue, I admit, was a little much, but it does leave readers with hope…something that is lacking throughout the rest of the novel. I can’t say that I loved Mockingjay, because it was so sad and dark and painful, but I loved the series and I don’t think it could have realistically ended any other way. Please leave me a comment if you disagree. I’d love to hear other opinions.

Highly recommended for gr. 9-12.