The final book in the Newsflesh trilogy played out like the last 45 minutes of an action packed thriller. Well... that is, an action packed thriller with an anti-climatic ending so disappointing, it had me shaking my head and mourning the unfulfilled potential. It wouldn't have been so bad had the first two books in the series not finished with such heart-stopping, epic conclusions! With the bar raised like that, one could only expect the final book, the book Grant promised would reveal all, would eclipse the other two in the shadow of its behemoth of a finale.

No. This was not the case at all.

While I enjoyed the majority of the book, the "endgame" as it was called, was left until the last 100 pages and didn't offer much more in explanation that readers didn't already know. Oh, and a very key plot point was almost completely skimmed over!. Please only read the following spoiler if you have finished this series in its entirety.

(view spoiler)[The evil doctor from the CDC tells them there can never be a cure for the virus without destroying peoples' immune systems and that individuals with reservoir conditions must be eliminated in order to prevent people dying needlessly from second-guessing themselves. I get that, I really do, but once the good old doc is dealt with and it is revealed to the actual fucking scientists that Shaun is immune from his prolonged exposure to Georgia and her reservoir condition, it is completely overlooked as far as future cure research is concerned. Sure they must immediately make a run for their lives and don't have time to really think it over, but in the epilogue, which is over nine months later, Mahir reiterates that there can never be a cure! Ummm... so the EIS decided to completely disregard immunity via sexy time with reservoir conditioned lovers? Not even gonna look into it? No? Too much of a hassle for you? Ok, sure! We're cool with Zombieland USA anyways. (hide spoiler)]

After all the build-up, the fantastic world building, the endearing characters, the insane plot-twists, and the BALLS Grant had to posses to take the risks she did, this ending felt sloppy and rushed in comparison. Why bother putting in all that hard work? Why bother with the extensive research? Why bother developing the science when you are going to end it all like THAT? As you can see, I'm pissed, and for good reason too. I had so much invested in this series. I cried, laughed, and sweated bullets with these characters for nearly 2,000 pages total for all three books. I grieved at the losses, raged over the injustices, and rejoiced in their triumphs, only for it all to come down to such a baffling conclusion.

I am disillusioned

I am disheartened

I am utterly disappointed with a series that had begun to define me as a reader and shift my standards for what makes great fiction.

I bet you've gotten to this point in the review and are wondering, "What the hell, Jess? If you're so pissed, why give it 4 stars?"

Well my Wicked Darling, while I am obviously upset over the ending, I did mention earlier that I enjoyed the majority of this book. The shifting view points from chapter to chapter was a nice change from the usual stagnant single narrator POV from the previous two books.

Each new revelation presented on page made for perpetually increasing possibilities. I don't know how many times Wigs and I said to each other, "There are so many ways this could go horribly wrong! And we love it!" The level of excitement that was built up over 3/4 of the book had me frantic to get to the climax. Only to have it wind down rather than explode in a blaze of glory. (Yes that innuendo was intentional.)

Regardless of my sadness over how it all went down, this still remains a series I will keep close to my heart. I can't say the same for Wigs, who wasn't nearly as attached as I was in the first place and was still disappointed. Wigs, at least we'll always have THE FOX.

Adorable
Frightening
Bat-shit
I am The Fox