Author: Michael Buckley
Publisher HMH Books for Young Readers
Year: 2017
Genre: Fantasy
Age: YA 13+
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This is the third & final book in the Undertow trilogy.
It's been a very long few years for Lyric Walker & the rest of the world. First it was the Alpha invasion in Coney Island, then came the Rusalka to every beach on the east coast. Now there is a new enemy-- the Tardigrade.
The story picks up exactly where we left off in book #2. Lyric has been captured by Minerva, the new Alpha prime, & taken underwater to the hunting grounds. There she is kept prisoner & forced to huntil fish. Her only chance of survival is a special Rusalka named Husk. Husk is like Lyric, they can both hear the voice. In book #1 Lyric assumes the Voice she hears is the Great Abyss, now that she's in the hunting grounds she know that's not possible. The Great Abyss is actually a volcano where the Tardigrade live and eat people that are sacrificed to them. Husk helps Lyric escape before she becomes their next victim. Lyric finally makes it home after almost being taken by White Tower.
Once she's reunited with her family & friends the real work begins. Bex helps Lyric rebel against the government & gather an army of people that want the war to end. The group which includes Lyric's parents & the other hybrid kids partner with White Tower to free the Alpha from a holding camp & fight against the Tardigrade to save the world, hopefully for the last time.
Lyric runs into a problem along the way that can either unite all the different races or tear everything apart. Is she strong enough to survive another attack & save the world? Or will she be lost to the Great Abyss?
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Likes: It was cool to have yet another species of "Alpha" added to the mix. I think the story would have gotten boring with the same battle in each book. Instead there is a new enemy everytime.
The "problem" Lyric must overcome is sort of predictable in a way but it adds a new element to the story.
I'm happy that Lyric doesn't end up with either boy, Fathom or Riley, in the end. She is just a strong, independent girl who is a bad ass.
There was a happy ending despite all the war throughout the books.
We get to find out more about how everything came to be in the Alpha'showed world.
Dislikes: They call the White Tower camp a completely different name in this book. In book #2 it was called Tempest & in this book they call it Trident. I'm not sure why the change happened.
The ending was a little rushed. In all it was about 3 chapters of battle then the end & resolution.
Rating:
