So Amazing!

First and foremost, I'm so happy Alexandra Bracken decided to return to this universe and create another story for fans. Zu was my favorite character in the initial trilogy, so getting a standalone centered around her and told from her perspective was a wonderful experience. Though Zu is a prominent figure in the first three books and part of the core four characters, readers didn't learn as much about her as the other three. Part of this is because she is younger than the others, and the other part is because she does not speak and therefore relate her thoughts and feelings in the same way the other characters were able explicitly do so. However, this book is 576 pages of pure Zu thought. Readers are able to learn so much more about her, her powers, and how she's grown. Plus, we get an inside look into how her relationship with Chubs, Liam, and Ruby has developed following the end of In the Afterlight. Seeing her interact with new characters was also really great, but my heart sang whenever she was with or even thinking of the other core three (Also Vida, of course!).

I really loved this story, but I did have to knock off a star because of how rushed the ending was. The book had spent so much time setting up certain things and making them important, only to brush over them in the end. I wish more time had been dedicated to the ending to really flesh out what happened so the story could have felt like it had a more definite end. I heard this was a standalone, but the ending left so many loose threads that I'm not so sure anymore. I don't know if it was initial or not.

Other than the ending, this story was great and my love for these characters is now eternal. 4 stars!