In this final installment, 12-year-old Gregor, the warrior from the Overland, is tired of all the fighting and killing. He’s especially tired of feeling manipulated - by the Underland leaders, and by prophecies written many years before by a man Gregor has come to despise more and more. The book is full of questions about fate, about duty, and about truth. Not all of the questions get comfortable answers.

I enjoyed seeing Collins use unexpected characters in ways that showed the strongest and bravest are not necessarily the most valuable. To get the most out of the series, it’s best to read the books chronologically, but for those who’ve followed avidly, this is a satisfying ending - in some ways unexpected and not necessarily catering to our greatest hopes, but definitely unfolding in ways that make us remember that Gregor is only twelve, and this is how the story most surely really would end. This series is destined to be one that continues to fare well on repeat reads - the sure mark of a classic.