Book Stats:
Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Genre: Paranormal
Paperback: 307 pages
Publisher: Razorbill
Release date: November 1, 2011
Series: Strange Angels #5
Source: Review copy sent by Penguin Canada
Reviewed by: Tynga
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
Nobody expected Dru Anderson to survive this long. Not Graves. Not Christophe. Not even Dru. She's battled killer zombies, jealousdjamphirs, and bloodthirsty suckers straight out of her worst nightmares. But now that Dru has bloomed into a full-fledged svetocha - rare, beautiful, and toxic to all vampires - the worst is yet to come.
Because getting out alive is going to cost more than she's ever imagined. And in the end, is survival really worth the sacrifice?
DRU ANDERSON'S NOT AFRAID OF THE DARK. BUT SHE SHOULD BE.
Dru has been through a lot since her father’s death and the experience she gained from the crazy chain of challenges she overcame will be necessary to face what’s to come. After saving Graves and Ash (more-or-less) she now finds herself on the run, trying to keep the three of them alive against swarms of Vampires, the Order (whom she’s not sure she can trust) and a whole new enemy. But what will she do when treason comes from a source she never foresaw? Will her blooming, or even the voices in her head, be enough to save their hides?
True to the previous books in the series, Lilith Saintcrow offered an action-packed installment. Things started a bit slow with the three teenagers hitting the road in a stolen car but it doesn’t take that long before the sh*t hit the metaphorical fan. Numerous fights take place in Reckoning and our heroine will have to face them among friends, alone or worst, side-by-side with a traitor, promising a string of surprising events. I stayed on my toes the whole time and I enjoyed it!
One of the things I love most about this series is the way Dru always bounces back from whatever puts her down and I wasn’t disappointed. Dru might be young, but she’s got some real world experience under her belt and she is very determined and resourceful. Two qualities hitting high on the kick-ass heroine scale. The secondary characters also delivered a good show! Graves’ mood swing annoyed the hell out of me, Christophe’s honesty surprised me and what to say about Ash? He might only have the vocabulary of a two years old, but I love him to pieces.
A lot of issues will be solved in this novel and even though I liked the end of book, a je ne sais quoi was missing to make it a satisfying end to the series. I guess I would’ve liked Dru to head on a path to assume her leader’s responsibilities and *slight spoilers alert* for her to choose which boy she wants to be with, instead of leaving both relationships opened *end of spoilers* but overall it wasn’t bad.
The Strange Angels series has a strong Supernatural (the TV show) vibe, with a YA twist that really got me hooked from the beginning. Now that the series is over, it’s a great opportunity for you to read it all without suffering the torture of awaiting the next installment. Lilith Saintcrow delivers an action-packed series with strong characters that will definitely appeal to YA lovers. All fun and spunk without a sorry-for-herself weepy heroine, much better than so many YA series out there!
Which element are you looking for in a series conclusion? I guess closure is the most important for me, and it seems so hard to get!
Nice review, and to be honest, I can't remember if I have read the last book in a series like this.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review Tynga .. I've been very interested in reading this series ever since I've noticed that it was mentioned at the end of each Vampire Academy book :) !! I still have to buy the first book in the series though ... I agree, it's pretty great that the series is over because if I enjoy Strange Angels, I'll be able to order all the books in the series and read them all without waiting!!
ReplyDeleteIt's very different from VA. But both heroines are bad ass. VA is still by far my favorite though ^^
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