I debated whether or not I was going to post a review on this book. I have enjoyed this series thus far, but this book didn't feel quite the same to me. Frankly, I was disappointed. I was going to keep my opinions to myself as I don't like to post a negative review of something an author and publisher have put significant work into, but as I have had students (and parents) also read the book and have similar reactions, I thought I would go ahead and post a couple observations. Maybe this will help other readers be prepared for the differences in this book compared to the first two.
First, the point of view character changed from the first two books, which was an abrupt shift. Not "bad," just different and unexpected. Second, the influence of Wonderland was annoying to me as I don't care for Alice and Wonderland. That is a matter of preference. Some reviewers have loved this aspect while others have not. I'm just one of the "nots."
SPOILER ALERT: Do NOT read farther if you don't want to read a SPOILER.
My final frustration was that in the end, when all the action has finished, most of the characters forget the entire events of the story!
What?!
Ignoring the first two issues I noted, I could have easily given this 4 or 4.5 stars. I really got into the rhythm of the new characters and enjoyed watching them evolve over the story. But having almost all of them completely forget what happened really disappointed me. It was like watching a TV show and having it all be a dream in the end. I'm not sure why you would want to go to the trouble of telling a story only a couple characters will remember in the end. And with a change of author for the next portion of the series, I don't know if that will be happily resolved later down the line. I don't know if I will read the next book in the series. This choice of ending really surprised me from this author and from the powers-that-be who launched this franchise.
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