December 13, 2014: 'Renegade'

Welcome to Book City

Date: December 13, 2014

Spoilers Ahead

Headline

Renegade

Antony John

The finale to the dystopian fantasy trilogy James Dashner called "fantastic" has a daring escape from pirates, life-or-death rescue missions, and a heartbreaking romance.

Thom and his fellow colonists are in danger of paying the ultimate price to secure their homeland in this last book of the Elemental trilogy. After the shocking discovery that his mother is still alive and on Roanoke, Thom is determined to return to that island. However, the island is still under pirate control, and a mysterious boy in possession of a dangerous element appears. With the help of an unlikely ally and the newly discovered ability to combine elements, Thom must summon the full extent of his power to end this battle for their home once and for all.

Packed with adventure, mystery, and romance, the gripping conclusion to the series that began with Elemental and Firenbrand is perfect for fans of Ship Breaker and Divergent.

City Calendar:

This is what happened during the week.

The elementals see Dare's ship. They take the ship. Rose and Dennis get the Plague. Alice is burned when they try to kill the rats. Thomas finds out he can take powers. They go to Roanoke. Thomas finds out that Alice has the third journal. Tomas talks to Alice about it. Alice tells him to move on. They see a raft with four dead bodies on it. They pull in the raft and find out that one body is alive. That body is Tessa. They go on the island and see a body during their search for Skya Thomas's mother. They are attacked by rats and find the pirates. They escape to the ship. Thomas sees Griffin cure Dennis of the Plague. They fight the rats that try to come on the ship. Thomas finds out that Dare is on the ship. Dare reveals he's Alice's father. Thomas confronts Tarn Alice's mother. He plans a rescue to save Alice, Jerren, his father, and Ananias who were stranded on the island. He takes Tessa to Dare, and Tessa dies. Dare explains the past. The ship goes to the island to get Kieran. (Thomas saw him before when he got attacked by rats. He saw Kieran controlling the rats.) They find him. They set the clan people free. He sees Alice, Jerren, Ananias, and his father about to be hanged by Jossi Dare's ex-second-in-hand.  They take them down after Jossi kicks Thomas's father's box down. His father dies. Rats come. The group looks for Kieran. They find him on top of the water tower. Thomas and Kieran combine to draw the rats in, so the others can kill them. The fire that kill the rats makes the stilts fall. Many die. The water tower falls. They see Dare on a piece of driftwood. Ananias appears hurt and on the verge of death. Griffin draws Dare to save Ananias. Jerren, Tarn, and Skya who were thought to be dead appear. They get to land. Griffin and Nyla save a sick man to prove they, the elementals, have worth to let them live. The clan people start to rebuild, reluctantly letting the elementals help. Griffin saves Thomas from the Plague. Thomas talks to his mother. He decides to leave and explore the mainland. Alive, Jerren, and Rose join him as he goes off to explore.

And that's what happened this week. 

Personal Ads:

Thomas.

Can take over powers. Can use electricity. Son. Brother. Friend. Likes Rose. Afraid to hurt people by touching them. 

Opinions:

I didn't really like the series. It was just okay. It didn't surprise me. 

I liked the powers. Elemental powers are fascinating. The way you could use the power in this book was interesting. Tornadoes from wind/air power. I like that the powers aren't restricted to just elemental. We have Jerren's sound powers. Tarn and Alice's enhanced sight and sound. And Griffin. The seers. The powers Thomas has. (I'm not sure how to categorize it.) They use their powers to survive. To make sure no one gets the Plague. To continue on. I think that powers would be fantastic in real life. I think I've said that people would abuse the powers, though. I'm not sure if I like the idea of people abusing fire powers. 

And plot twists were interesting. They were surprising. Alice and Dare being related? The many deaths? Skya being alive? Whoo. These people get too much thrown at them. I don't know how they bounce back. Part of plot twists is how the characters deal. They have to react. Whether someone is, for example, a traitor or maybe alive even though they were presumed dead. You can cry. Smile. Stay the same. Get angry. Get quiet. The way they react shows part of who they are. 

I also like Alice. She is feisty. Daring. Brave. I wish she was the protagonist. She has more going for her compared to Thomas. If she had crazy powers like he did, that would only make me like her more. She did what she thought would benefit everyone else. And she is like Thomas. Reclusive. Didn't interact. (You know...she's the better hero really. Thomas is too romantic. And he is simply...annoying. Alice is take-charge. She's a leader. Thomas hides in the back. Sure, he's a male Juliett from 'Shatter Me'. But that doesn't mean he can't rise up. Rose did.) 

This story had too many 'I thought you were dead' moments. This was annoying to me. It makes it sound like someone has resurrection powers. Seriously. It's driving me crazy. Jerren. Tessa. Skya. Tarn. Why is this false hope happening? We don't have people randomly showing up even though you think they're dead. It's like...a crime show. An undercover cop who has to fake his/her death. I want that for crime shows. Not my books. Especially not these post-apocalyptic, fantasy books.

The ending wasn't...satisfying. It felt like it wasn't enough of the Skeleton Town. How did they survive? Did the Elementals get killed off? Did the clan people accept them? What about Kieran? And Skya? Did she ever cross the chasm between Thomas and her? There are too many questions. I also feel like Thomas is running away from his problems. He's not fighting them. He's fleeing to the mainland. He's not trying to control his powers. I think that, even though Rose touches him, he gets nothing for what he went through. He lost more than he gained. 

Weather:

Stormy with clouds ahead and a 80% chance of rain

2.5/5