Light

I can't even say how much I love this book. This series is the best series l've ever read. I've cried and laughed and been angry along with all of these amazing characters and this book just tied everything up so incredibly. It's so hard to leave these characters behind and I really don't want to.

This book is emotional and leaving this series makes it even more difficult. I can't wait to re read this series. I'll always recommend it so they can feel the way I have. I can't think of a single series I've loved more than this.

Since I find it somewhat pointless to make a review of a sixth book in a series, I'm going to do something different this time around: I'm going to be talking about the series as a whole. This is so that you, the reader, can get an idea of if this is the right series for you at the final book, in case you don't want to commit to yet another YA series.

Note: I know that there are three more books set after Light, but they are set four years in the future. For the sake of argument, I'm going to pretend that this is the series' natural endpoint.

One of the series's best elements is the descriptions of violence and how that violence impacts our characters. In many books, the violence is there for something fun to read, and nothing more. However, these books treat violence with all of the gravitas it deserves. The character's attitudes toward violence range from those who love it, hate it, or only do it when necessary. The best part is that no character comes away physically or mentally unscathed from these violent acts, giving the reader the impression that it is not something to be taken lightly. In our world of superhero beat-em-ups, this is a refreshing message that I can get behind.

I also enjoyed the diversity of the cast of characters in this series. We have people of every color, gender, religion, and economic background. In the past few years, this has been a main selling point of novels, say a fairytale retelling, where the main character is of a different skin color, and that is it, with nothing new added to the story. Here, we get many different characters from different backgrounds, without it having to be emphasized by the author. This is refreshing in my eyes.

That diversity also comes in the form of the character's attitudes towards religion. By the end of the series, some people find faith in God. Others seem to reject it. And others still have a twisted view of God where the main antagonist is their version of the Lord. All of this is believable, and I could understand how these characters got to this idea, even if I disagreed. This can make for a solid discussion on belief and how we deal with stressful situations and turn to, or away, from faith as a result.

There are a few downsides, though. One of the most significant is the pacing. Grant seems to have a problem creating meaningful lulls in the action so that the reader can feel the hype when the action starts. He also has a large cast of characters that he (and by extension, the reader) needs to keep track of. This results in him writing about how Character A and B walked along a path to get to Character C, and they talk about some mundane thing. While I appreciate his wanting to help us keep track of all the moving pieces, he doesn't write these sections well, and it is as boring as it sounds.

Then there is the violence in this book. As much as I praise its impact on the characters, the depictions can be a bit much. It is honestly as explicit as it can be without venturing into adult territory. The audiobook also ratchets this up as well, with an excellent (if slow) performance by Kyle McCarley. All of this means while some readers may like it for the action, others may find it disturbing to the point of not wanting to read. This is something parents may want to be aware of.

The series does have a good ending. While I won't spoil it here, I will only say that it is just the right kind of positive ending for my liking. It combines the growth the characters found inside the FAYZ, with the conflicts on the outside that have yet to be resolved. The kids are not okay, and may never be okay, and I think that works for me based on what the series has been about so far.

All in all, I have liked this series. The sixth book feels like the end to it, even though I know there are three more books to go set four years after Light. I would say that if you haven't read the series because you don't want the commitment of another long list of books, try it out anyway. Grant offers a gut-punching read from the first book to the last. I give Light a four, out of five.