Endure by Carrie Jones

Book:  Endure

Author:  Carrie Jones

Publisher:  Bloomsbury Children’s

Date:  May 8, 2012

Source:  Publisher via Netgalley

My grade:  A

 It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.

Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . .

Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers.

My Review

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST 3 BOOKS OF THIS SERIES!!!

I'm trying something new with this review by dividing it into categories.  I feel like I ramble a lot so I'm hoping this will keep me on track.  Let me know if you like this format better or if you prefer my aimless rambling reviews!

 

The title and cover

I love the covers for these books, but the titles are only so-so.  This one is the worst in my opinion.  It sounds so boring when the book is about trying to save the world from the apocalypse!  For heaven sakes!  Who thought Endure would be a good title for that kind of book??

The plot

Of course, this book picks up right where the last one left off.  Betty is still going all feral tiger and Nick is still being a wordthatrhymeswithhisnamebutstartswithaD.  Zara is still very emotional and things are just getting worse.  This story is non-stop action all the way through the book.  The characters never have any down time at all and I felt like I was holding my breath through most of the book. I don't know how the characters survived because I was worn out by the time I reached the end. There are some plot twists that were surprises and I love the way Carrie Jones mixes in all the Norse mythology.  I am definitely going to have to get some books on that stuff because it seems pretty epic.  I don’t think I can tell you many details about the plot without spoilers, so let me just tell you that this is an action-packed, fast-paced book that has a real whirlwind of a plot.

There is one thing that bothered me about the plot and that is why this book is not an A+.  The whole prophecy/chosen one thing felt a little like a Harry Potter rip-off.  Now, I know that JK Rowling cannot be the only person to ever write that sort of thing, but this one was not well-developed throughout the series and so it felt a little thrown together for me.  Especially when it seems that Zara is going to have to sacrifice herself for the good of humanity.  I don’t know.  Maybe it’s just because Rowling did that plotline so much better.  ::shrugs::  That’s really the only point of contention I have with this book.

The characters

I really feel like I got to know these characters over 4 books.  I like seeing Zara become more confident.  In fact, she’s pretty badass in this book.  I also really like Issie in this book.

Of course, the characters that everyone wants to know about are Nick and Astley, right?  Astley is as swoon-worthy as ever.  That guy just has everything!  He is so sweet and caring with Zara.  I just want to smack her for not seeing what’s right there in front of her eyes and for pining over Nick the D***.  And as far as Nick goes, I’m not even sure why I liked this guy in the first book.  He’s a real jerk and especially now that Zara has found her own voice.  I spent most of the book wanting to punch him.  Of course, by the end of the book, he redeems himself somewhat, but not enough, in my humble opinion, to make up for being mean to Zara who became a pixie to go all the way to Valhalla and save his worthless hide.

(politely steps off soapbox)

The final grade

My grade for this book is an A.  It is a short, fast read with lots of action and a smattering of romance.  I think it wrapped up the whole series nicely and I think that fans of the book will love this one.  Well, unless you’re a fan of the guy she doesn’t end up with.  Then you might be bitter like all those Team Jacob people out there.  But I think she ended up with the right person and now if I could just get an outtake chapter of them on a hot date with some real liplocks going on………

Thank you to Bloomsbury and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.  I received no compensation for this review, except a couple hundred pages of Astley hotness.