The ending is bittersweet. The start off book 3 is a little odd compared to the rest of the story, but it is needed as it is the origin story of Gus. And others. The group is still traveling, this time they are heading to Alaska. They don’t know what they will find, but according to Gus’s dad’s journal, the answers are up north. But there are some side bits when a green compound is found. The gang wants to stay, and one of the kids really needs to hibernate. But this is a post-apocalyptic world that is dangerous, so nothing is simple or easy. Be prepared for death and destruction. Yes that has been evident in all books in this series, but it just gets worse. But it has to get worse to get better. I loved this book and how it ended. I loved it so much I can not bring myself to watch the netflix show for fear it will ruin it. However, I have recently learned that a new book is imminent. Can’t wait. ( )

I legit can't tell if the art has improved or if I'm just getting used to it. Either way, Gus looks less like a grotesque now. Bobby on the other hand...

The plotting of this is very uneven, and has an almost videogame back and forth quality. Go here, fetch this, escort this person....opps, while you were doing that, something happened at your original destination. Go back, fetch this, escort this person. It happens a LOT.

For the most part, all the mysteries are answered, albeit not in a particularly satisfying or surprising way. [spoiler]Gus was the first hybrid, cloned from a hybrid God, and the plague is punishment from the gods for the sin of attempting to clone them. We don't learn more about the gods, or the plague, or the other clones. [/spoiler] It was enough for me, but I could see a lot of people being dissatisfied with it.

The ending has severe Return of the King syndrome, and there were at least 3 places where it could have appropriately ended before it did. However, like RotK, I was pretty okay with this. They had a hard time. Let them get a thorough sendoff.

I really appreciated the experimentation with art and formatting, and the non-linear story telling. The world is familiar in hits dystopian tropes but still feels unique. ( )

Not gonna lie, I'm totally disappointed that Gus ended up an ex-vegetarian in adulthood. At least blogs don't exist in his world, smh. ( )