I guess it's true what they say: A good ending can really save a mediocre story! This fifth and final book is by far the best in the series. It is far darker, with a great deal of extremely graphic violence. By tying in themes from the other three books and letting simmering character traits come out in blunt fashion, Collins has capped off her story in an exciting and satisfying fashion.

I barely cared for the first three books in the Underland series. I was just interested enough to read the next book in the series for a while, but the fourth and fifth book really hooked me.

As my earlier reviews state, I hated a lot of the contrivences and immaturity of the first few books in the Gregor arch, but in the fourth book it gets darker and a very clear holocaust allegory pops out.

The fifth book is very action heavy, but also allows mature themes involving war, power, compliance, and destiny to be considered. The final showdown is a doozy, fitting for what is ultimately a fine epic. I am really glad I stuck with the series until the end.