Saturday, December 14, 2013

Champion

Over the last year I have concluded several YA series. On the most part I have been somewhat disappointed by a great majority of them. It often seems like the author came up with a great idea and the first book was great. But then it's as if they don't know how to finish it. It's happened again and again. It's very discouraging. Now, I'm not saying it's easy to write a book. I know it's not. It takes a ton of work. I do get that. It doesn't meant I can't recognize when a story suffers from the first to the last. I just finished a series that did not do this. The first book is called Legend, then Prodigy, and the last was Champion. The first was great, the second was still kind of a middle filler book but ended with a great cliff hanger. The third wrapped it all up--but not perfectly neatly. It was believable. The author, Marie Lu, took her idea and went with it. The story was messy, heartbreaking at times, and full of character redemption. It ended with hope and encouragement even through there was also sacrifice and trials. I loved the way this book ended. It left me feeling happy and content. I didn't want to start another book for a few days because I just wanted to bask in the ending and possibilities before the characters I had just left. Not all books can do that and it makes me doubly grateful for the ones that can.