The Other Side Of Dawn

Tomorrow #7

by John Marsden

At last, the final episode of the gripping Tomorrow series by wildly popular Aussie author John Marsden has crossed the Pacific, and this concluding chapter in the lives of Ellie, Fi, Homer, Kevin, and Lee may be the most exciting one yet. Informed by Colonel Finley that the military is making a move that could be compared to the D-day attack of WWII, the outback teen guerillas know that the end of the bewildering war that changed their lives is drawing near. Armed with plastic explosives and grenades, courtesy of the New Zealand Army, they have been instructed to "spread chaos and confusion behind their (enemy) lines in every way, shape and form." For Ellie and company, this means targeting a hostile refueling station and train tracks. Of course, nothing is ever easy. There are still the feral kids to worry about and the dismal discovery that soldiers have infiltrated Hell, their only secured hiding place in the bush. As The Other Side of Dawn rockets at breakneck speed towards its stunning climax, only one thing is certain: there is no guarantee that any of them will make it through this last conflict alive.

Not a book for new recruits, The Other Side of Dawn will be most enjoyed by those hard-core fans who have been with Ellie and the gang from the beginning. Wirrawee buffs will be rewarded with classic Marsden: teeth-jarring action sequences interspersed with meaningful moments between friends who may not see the sunrise again together. This is a satisfying ending to a smashing good series. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, War, Dystopia, Australia, Adventure, Action

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

There is more than one author with this name in the database, see f.e. John Marsden.

John Marsden was an Australian writer and school principal. He wrote more than 40 books in his career and his books have been translated into many languages. He was especially known for his young adult novel Tomorrow, When the War Began, which began a series of seven books.
Marsden began writing for children while working as a teacher, and had his first book, So Much to Tell You, published in 1987. In 2006, he started an alternative school, Candlebark School, and reduced his writing to focus on teaching and running the school. In 2016, he opened the arts-focused secondary school, Alice Miller School. Both schools are in the Macedon Ranges.

Reviews

[Ryan Buckby · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read: 17th July 2010
Re-read: March 25th 2018, September 26th 2020, June 21st 2022

This is the 7th and final book in the tomorrow series and i think john marsden did an excellent job with the whole series, the storyline and characters are both of things i loved from this story!

I wish it was more popular because this book is one of the best ones to come from an australian writer that i know of!

there are so many twist and turns, heart-stopping moments! but also has its light moments. this would have to go as one of my favourite book series of all time!

'This is it -- the final explosive chapter in an epic saga of war and rebellion. An international bestseller that fans will not be able to resist.
Since their town was invaded by enemy soldiers and transformed into a war zone, Ellie and her four surviving friends have been fighting for their lives. One year later, a resolution may finally be in sight. But as enemy forces close in on her hideout, Ellie discovers that the final battle may be the most dangerous yet. And not every soldier is fated to see the end of every conflict. '

YOU must read this book! because seriously its one of those storys that will stick with you for years to come!

[Nemo (The ☾Moonlight☾ Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library

The final book in the Tomorrow When the War Began series starts with a bang as the New Zealanders fly in a bomb expert to load up the kids and prepare them for D-Day.

The kids take out an enemy squadron that is moving way too close to Hell, then abandon their home in favour of the one final big push. Then Ellie is separated from her friends and lives out the last days of the war as a prisoner.

I really missed Homer, Fi, Kevin, Lee and Gavin in this final instalment. Pretty early on, Ellie is separated from the others when she uses a train to attempt to escape the enemy. After a long, exhausting battle and chase that really makes you feel all of her pain, Ellie is shot in the leg and caught, beaten, and then taken to a prisoner of war camp where her real identity – and the accolades that come from being one of the teen team who blew up Cobblers Bay and the airport, among others – is almost exposed to the enemy. Through the helpfulness of her own people, and her own resourcefulness, Ellie, believing her friends are dead, makes her way to her mother, at which time to war finally over as a peace treaty is agreed to.

Even though Ellie was surrounded by her own people in the war camp, I still felt alone with her. I really wanted her friends around. Instead, it’s almost as if Marsden, realising this was the last book (it would be some years before he returned to this world with the Ellie Chronicles) decided that this was the last chance to torture Ellie, and figured out what would be the worst thing in the world to happen. Step 1: Remove her friends. Step 2: She gets shot. Step 3: She’s captured and taken to a prison camp. Step 4: Her real identity is discovered. And so on. It just slowly got worse and worse.

But then, while Ellie was running around the countryside, the war was called to a halt. Peace was extended, although both sides had to confirm it at first, and then negotiations splitting up land and returning Australians to their homes began. Ellie’s farm was on the border of the new nation given to the invaders. While I have a hard time suspending my disbelief over this, I also had a hard time believing that New Zealand would be Australia’s saviours – until Japan got involved, at least. The tidying up of loose endings only goes to show how war really affects people, and how different Ellie had become to the girl who started the story.

I’m really looking forward to reading the continuing story of post-war Australia in The Ellie Chronicles, which I’ve not read before.

[Amy Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last book in this series was suitably dark. Although the ending didn’t blow me away, it was fitting. Overall the series is definitely worth picking up, a quintessential Aussie read.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary/recap: The final book in the Tomorrow series, once again starts on the immediate conclusion of the previous book, with the arrival of Ryan, a visiting soldier from New Zealand who is sent to them on orders from Colonel Finley with supplies, and a possible escape... supposedly. And while yes, Ryan does arrive with supplies such as food, there's also a more dangerous aspect to these supplies... i.e. grenades and plastic explosives. And considering the last time anyone used an explosive was Robyn (...and it didn't end well for anyone involved), you know that shit is going to go DOWN in this novel and things are not going to be easy for our team.

Upon taking Ryan back to Tailor's Stitch with them, in order to take some of the supplies into Hell with them (and come back for the rest another night), they are shocked to discover that not 48 hours after their last battle with the enemy, who had been camping out in the area, that there is an entire new squadron out there, and not just at the top - but actually propelling down into Hell itself! The battle really doesn't go well, and while Ellie and Co are able to defeat the enemy without any casualties among them, they finally realise that Hell is no longer safe, and they can no longer call it home. Two lots of soldiers in so short a time is exactly the push they need to leave their sanctuary and really strike out.

While they agree to Ryan's plan for them to be guerrillas (officially this time), and help with the war effort by hitting the enemy behind their lines while the Kiwi soldiers attack them with all they have (for "D-Day"), there is one condition; Ryan (and the kiwis) take the "Ferals" with them to safety, because there is no way that Ellie and Co. can be guerrillas for the cause while attempting to take care of four kids under the age of 12. After some delays and complaints, Ryan agrees to take the Ferals with him, but when they go to the landing spot where they are to meet the helicopter they stumble upon (...and step on, in the case of Ellie) an enemy patrol that is also waiting for the helicopter, and they have to go for their backup plan, which ends up splitting the group. After Ryan and the ferals get on the helicopter and it flies off, they realise one small issue with the getaway... Gavin didn't get away, and stayed behind with them (on purpose) in the confusion.

The team ends up holed up in Stratton for a few days, while they await the "go ahead" to head to Cavendish and do as much damage as possible. While waiting though, they find that they cannot sit still, and try to do some damage to the enemy motorbike patrols with idiotic schemes and limited success, before finally getting the go-ahead and striking out for Cavendish.

On their way to Cavendish, they come across a fuel station that is well-used by enemy patrols, alongside a railway that could be a secondary target for them if they have the time. After planning their attack, they wait until nightfall before essentially going for a three-pronged attack on the garage; Lee and Ellie take out a soldier and steal his clothes so that they can make their way onto the site and blow it up, Kevin takes out the power, and Lee, Fi and Gavin create a distraction to give Lee and Ellie the time they need. During their attack, things do not go well, and Ellie ends up separated from the others and on the run for her life - especially after she purposely gets the attention of the enemy soldiers in order to give her friends a chance to get away with their lives, when she notices that they've almost been caught. She manages to get her pack and make a run for the train, but not without being pursued the entire time by a rather pissed-off soldier, who is DETERMINED to get her and kill her. The both of them end up on a train and go for several kilometres while on the top of it, with Ellie both fighting for her live and attempting to sabotage the train, and the enemy soldier doing his best to take her out no matter what it takes. There's an incredibly brutal battle before Ellie is finally able to win, and when the train slows down, she firstly takes the peg out between the carriages so one stays behind, and then travels along the curve the "fast" way by land in the hopes that she can blow up the track RIGHT BEFORE the train gets there and thus destroy the track, the train, and everyone on it... it doesn't go according to plan unfortunately, and while the track IS destroyed, it's not until most of the train has gone past and so Ellie is kinda left in a really bad situation in which there are a TONNE of enemy soldiers after just one target... her.

After being chased and shot at (repeatedly), Ellie is hit in the leg and goes down HARD, but still manages to stay free from the enemy soldiers until they bring out dogs and she gives herself up (rather than risk being turned into a pincushion, after seeing how the soldiers react to the dogs getting excited). She is saved by an enemy soldier for some as-yet-unknown reason and taken to a hospital where her bullet wound is treated and she is (mostly) healed, but still kept in a ward with enemy soldiers... who are also apparently prisoners. When things get a bit hairy with Kiwi bombings, and pissed inmates who are NOT pleased to be sharing a hospital room with an Australian, Ellie ends up being taken to what is basically a concentration camp, with a bunch of other Aussies (mostly males), who are being held for one crime or another, such as sabotage (from those who were working in factories, and purposely trying to make things not-to-scale so as to sabotage the efforts of the enemy) or crashing a car (which had an important enemy soldier in it). While she's fine (...if a bit beaten down) for a while while everyone thinks her name is "Amber", when someone recognises her as Ellie - as one who's done so much damage - she needs to get out FAST, and with the help of one of the other prisoners (...in particular a poor man who has just died of AIDs) she is able to escape, and decides to head out to the place she has heard her mother has been taken to.
(Side note: said soldier who "saved" her did so to save his own skin, so that there would be a backup plan for him should the war be lost to his side, he also lied and told Ellie that all her friends were dead... nice guy ._.)

Upon finally reaching the set of apartments that her mother lives in (a long with many, MANY other Australians), Ellie arrives to hear that the war is over, it's done! She manages to reunite with her Mother, and they go back to Wirrawee to be reunited with her father, where she has to tell the horrible news to the families of Homer, Fi and Kevin (...though not the families of Lee, because his parents are dead and his siblings are who-knows-where, or Gavin, as she has never met his family) that they are dead. It's not until she manages to speak to General Finley (no longer a Colonel - he's been promoted), that she learns all her (remaining) friends are alive, and they'll be back in Wirrawee soon.

The novel ends with Ellie and Co. together again, with Ellie making one last trip to Hell (...and being attacked by a rabid soldier that was left there since the last battle), and with her reminiscing over how different things are going to be from then on. They may have "won" the war, but Australia is now two countries, and will never be the same again.

I feel that these novels just got more and more intense as the series went along, and by the time I got to this one I was definitely feeling fatigued from the war myself! What with this being the final book in the series, you really see the culmination of effects that the war has had on Ellie, Fi, Lee, Homer and Kevin (though of course Ellie in particular as the narrator of this series). The book starts with Ellie and Co.'s safe haven finally being destroyed, and things kinda go downhill from there... they're all battling personal demons, nightmares, PTSD, and a rather impressive lack of confidence following the shock of their last battle, and they really have all kinda gotten to the end of their tether, to the end of what they can possibly cope with (and to be honest, it's a bloody miracle they've all made it this long, bar a few panic attacks and breakdowns in prior books). Unfortunately, in this book? They all crack. It's just too much, and they start making stupid mistakes, second guessing themselves, making up plans on the fly when they actually have the TIME to go through and plan ahead, not taking into account a backup plan, or a fall-back...

Despite all this though, you can't help but respect all of these teenagers, ESPECIALLY Ellie, who is as determined as ever to protect her friends at all cost (no matter what it might do to her), and who can still come up with some remarkably good plans even when on a train heading to nowhere (...literally for her).

This novel really does focus pretty much solely on Ellie and her grief, with her learning that her friends have all been killed from an enemy soldier (only they haven't, because he lied) and feeling all alone in a prison with other "rebels" (who were no where NEAR as "rebellious" as Ellie and Co. for the record), thanks to being captured alone, trying to survive and keep her head above water when she feels dead inside, and like all the light has left her. And when the war is finally over and she's able to reunite with her parents? It's NOTHING like what she imagined. All that time thinking that she'd get to be a kid again when she met up with her parents, that they'd take care of her and she'd be able to forget the war and her trauma, even a little? No luck. She basically has to be parent to them.

This really was a difficult novel to read. Not because it wasn't brilliant (because it really WAS) but just because of how difficult the subject material was, and how the author didn't really cut any corners, or give you any happy moments to lighten the mood aside from the little "Ellie's friends are alive!" bit at least :P. The novel didn't shy away from the darker aspects of the subject, and there's just SO MUCH to think about here that it just kinda makes your head hurt, but it's just SO WELL DONE and I love it.

...definitely need my next read to be a bit more cheerful though ._.

[Jade Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cried through the last half of the book. I forgot how it ended. This is truly the best series ever written

[Rjmiller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review will contain Tomorrow series spoilers. And one for Harry Potter.

I'm not going to spend anytime on what's great about book. It has everything that fans of the Tomorrow series have come to expect and love. It's fast-paced. There are big action set-pieces. The themes of friendship, loyality, love are all still there. It's heart-breaking at times.

So instead, I'll go into some of the aspects I didn't like and why I rated it only 3 stars.

Gavin - I'll just say it, this was a terrible character. What was Mr Marsden thinking? I can buy a group of 16-17 year olds becoming guerillas. I can even buy them finding kids living on the street. What I can't buy is them towing a 10 year-old deaf kid around the bush with them while they blow stuff up. And the way he gets to stay with the group was absurd. Like none of them would notice that he didn't get on the helicopter or figure he would try to pull something? Now instead of focusing on four characters plus Kevin (sorry Kevin!) we've come to love over 10 years, we have to deal with a character that is just not likable.

The train sequence and the chase - These two set pieces were just convoluted, hard to follow, went on too long and at times, made not sense. Since this was the last book, I wished we had got something better.

No discussion on just how F'd up these kids are:
- The whole discussion of just how much therapy these kids would need and how they'd be suffering from PTSD was barely mentioned. We got Ellie mentioning her therapist in New Zealand and she should call her and that was it. After what these kids went through, there should have been more said on how they were effected and the type of help they were getting.

The relationships.
- Ellie is still very close to Fi and Homer which is great but that's about the only thing.
- Lee is in Stratton and having a tough time. She doesn't love him (again) but they still talk and instead of Ellie being empathic, she sounds annoyed.
- Fi doesn't love Homer anymore. I hate the choice of words here. She may not be "in love" with Homer but after what they'd been through together, she'll always love him.
- The boys not having any contact (and Ellie not having contact with Kevin). This may have bothered me the most. Ellie, Homer, Fi, Kevin, and Lee are the only five people in the world that can understand what each has been through. They would need each other. We see it in real life today, vets helping other vets get past what they've experienced. Kevin, Lee and Homer may not be living together raising kids like on 'Full House', but I don't see them not staying in contact. They are the definition of a Band of Brothers.

The Ending
- This is YA fiction and there is nothing wrong with nice, tidy, and happy ending. The Harry Potter series proved that. While I hate "20 years later" epilogue, as a reader who grew to love Harry and his friends, it was great to see that they were all happy and involved in each others lives. There is absolutely no reason that Mr Marsden couldn't have give us the same thing. 10 years and 7 books. I feel I deserved better.

I saw no reason why Mr Marsden couldn't have just told us that Fi and Homer and Ellie and Lee weren't seeing each but were still close friends. That Kevin needed some time away so he went to New Zealand. That Ellie and Homer were still thick as thieves. How all five had a special bond that was formed in Hell (pun intended) and they will always be part of each others lives.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot summary: It's been over a year since Ellie and her friends left on the camping trip that would ultimately save them from captivity in the war, but throwing them into the depths of guerilla warfare. In this, the final installment, they must fight like never before. The war is drawing to a lose, and with the delivery of a quantity of plastic explosives from the New Zealand armed forces, they're out to do what damage they can.

Thoughts: This is the conclusion to the series that dominated my teen years, and Marsden delivers in fine form. For much of the book, Ellie is separated from her friends, with no idea of what's happened to them, or, for that matter, what's going to happen to her. Ellie's fear is palpable for much of the book.

There's one scene in particular in this book that's stuck with me for years - the scene in which Colonel Long makes it clear that he wants something in exchange for protecting Ellie. I spent the whole series thinking "This must be the book with that scene". But after six books, I assumed that I'd made it up. So I was somewhat relieved to find it in The Other Side of Dawn. That said, the scene still makes me shudder, all these years later.

I read the last 75 pages with tears in my eyes. Not necessarily because it warranted tears. But because I grew up reading about Ellie, Fi, Homer, Kevin and Lee. I feel the same connection to them that I feel to Harry, Ron and Hermione. And seeing their story come to an end once again will forever make me feel all the feels.

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel at a complete loss now that it's ended

[Leah (Jane Speare) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a first...I've read this entire seven-book series all in one year. It's the longest series I've stuck to, besides Max Ride and Harry Potter. And it's just as worthy and awesome! I wish it didn't have to end.

These books have been a great cure to "so many books, what should I pick up for a relaxing read in between?" Now that may sound weird considering these are war books and not a bit relaxing, but over the past year, I've become so attached to Ellie and her friends, reading the next one was like a comfortable visit to see them all.

Now, I haven't written reviews on every single book. But I did review the first book on here, at the beginning of this blog. And to this day, it's the most viewed review I've ever written. I really wish this series'd get more publicity here in the States, but I know you guys in Aussie appreciate it's greatness. ;)

So there's a few spoilers mentioned ahead from the previous six books...I mean, it's kind of hard not to include some accidentally. But I'll try my best, and also not include any from this one...even though it's realllly hard not too. Lots of my opinions have to do with major events that would spoil for the not-yet-readers.

I'm a normally peaceful person...pacifist. War books are a turn off for me. Not this series though. And I think the reason I love them so much, is because of the intense psychology involved. None of it is exaggerated to sound cooler, people die. A lot. Friends change, relationships are extremely unstable and this is war, and it sucks.

Expanding on the relationships. For the first three books, romantic relationships were very present. But as the story moved along, there was less time for that, and more time to figure out if your friends could hold your back in a shootout. I liked that, and the romances in here I never really liked in the first place. Well, except Homer and Fi. They were awkwardly sweet for a while.

Ellie's not one of my favorite protagonists. Lots of decisions she makes, and things she does I did not agree with and I got mad at her sometimes. I think that's because if I were in her shoes, I wouldn't be able to handle anything at all, just end up like Kevin did with a nervous breakdown and hinder my friends for two books worth of adventures. So I admire for her strength of what had to be done, but it makes me sad to think she's my age and had to kill so many people.

Homer, to the very end, remained my favorite character. He always says the wrong thing, but that keeps things just a little bit brighter sometimes and I could tell he cared so much about his friends. Fi went through the most character development throughout the year-and-a-half-long war; from a girly city girl afraid to misplace her make-up bag, to a loyal best friend of Ellie's and not afraid to blow stuff up. She actually enjoyed it a lot more than she should have.

The ending...epilogue...man, I was kind of a mess. There is obviously no happily ever after; that would just be inconsistent and stupid. But it's realistic, and scary because of that. Marsden did an excellent job at tying everything up, especially some ends that had been loose for a few books. Ellie's troubles are not over, and she has a hard time ahead of her still...and that's pretty much all I can say without even hinting at how the book ends. Throughout the entire book I had no idea how it would all end up, so I want to keep that feeling for you guys too. Just know I got chills a few times, and cried a bit.

I could go on and on with every detail in the entire series, but this is too long already, and I'll just let you get to reading the book, or series, if you haven't started already.

The movie for Tomorrow, When the War Began just appeared on my Netflix the other day. So after screaming in excitement, I watched it. And it was perfect!!! Totally good job, especially the casting! I recommend seeing it whether you've read the book(s) or not! Can't wait for the second one.

From some Goodreads browsing I found, to my delight, a follow-up series! The Ellie Chronicles! I'm very interested to read those, and I hope my library has them...BUT don't even look at the page unless you want entire series spoilers like I did a few months ago. Not on purpose. *headdesk* You've been warned.

Alright, now I need another long series to get addicted to! Anyone? :)

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this was a great close off to the series!! I think the series could’ve had about 3 less books in it though. But I really loved the development of the characters over the 7 books! Definitely worth a read, especially because the books are quite short!

[Ewa (humanizmowo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A już myślałam, że autor odpuści sobie wątek romantyczny, ale akurat na zakończenie musiał się pojawić i był bez sensu. Ogólnie ta część była przepełniona akcją, która trzymała mnie od początku do końca w niepewności.

Pierwszy i ostatni tom najlepszy. Jeśli miałabym wybierać ulubioną postać to jest to Homer.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were times that I did not want this last book to be done, but too many times, I could not bear all of the horror of the kids fighting the enemy soldiers and all of the hardships they were experiencing.

What Ellie and her friends and all they went through, can never be appreciated nor understood, except by someone who has lived through what they did. It was a masterful accounting and I am so glad I stumbled across this series.

The wrap was well done.
Ellie said "I know I won't live happily ever after. I want more than that, something richer. I want to go right up close to the beauty and the ugliness. I want to see it all, know it all, understand it all. The richness and the poverty, the joy, and the cruelty, the sweetness and the sdness. ...That's the best way I can lead a life I can be proud to call my own. I want to experience everything it has to offer: LIFE!"

[Claire Syers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished this series! I was pretty hooked. Very easy bedtime reading 👌

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about the final book. It was action-packed, which I should have loved, but I just didn't feel invested. I didn't like how Ellie got split up from the others for half the book. Looking back, I think that's why it felt so weird to read and where it fell flat for me. This series is what it is because of the gang and how they work as a team. It's not to say I don't love Ellie because I do, but it's pretty much always been them all together, never just Ellie on her own. Considering how much I love the characters, I wanted more time with them, knowing this was they last book of the series, but that was cut short. Overall, I liked how it ended and it was realistic, but I was also left wanting a bit more from it. Overall, a good series that's held up very well. Recommend for the great characters alone.

[Philip Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. It was ok. Pretty underwhelming ending to the series that was a little too convenient in places. The two state solution sounds implausible. I wanted more specifics on how the war was won (I get that it's from the point of teenagers but still). How things finish with Ellie and Lee made their relationship throughout the series totally pointless.

Even still, I'm glad I finished these. Had wondered since 2008 after reading the first one for novel study in English what happened. So at least I can tick that off and don't have to wonder.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing end to the series,particularly in the realistic portrayal of how life can't go back to how it was before the war. My only criticism is that some of the close-knit friendships and relationships got cut off too quickly, which may be realistic but was still disappointing. I definitely need to track down the three books in the Ellie Chronicles to read, too.

[Darcey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book series is brilliant and a must read of a war, romance, adventure, survival and teen series! My full series review is on Tomorrow, When the War Began (Tomorrow, #1). Also, I really love all the different titles across the 7 books.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some things end, but war never does.

One of those solid endings that wrap things up really well but left me feeling a deep sense of melancholy.

Actual rating: 4.5

[Magda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐ /// 14/15+
Tak, prawie całą serię oceniam na tyle samo, bo mimo że niektóre części mogły być trochę nudniejsze, to byłaby to mała różnica.
Za duży plus uważam, że mimo tego, że książki zostały wydane w latach 90. to w ogóle tego nie czuć. I mi, trzydzieści lat później, też może się podobać ta seria.
Bo ja ją lubię. Często akcja mnie wciągała i myślałam o tym, co będzie dalej, co jeszcze bohaterowie i bohaterki przeżyją.
O zakończeniu powiem, że było bardzo prawdziwe. Na początku pomyślałam: "no nie, nie podoba mi się to". Ale zdałam sobie sprawę, że to mogłoby tak wyglądać. W życiu nie wszystko jest zawsze super i nie wszystko się udaje.

"Niektóre rzeczy się kończą. Ale nie wojna."

[Max Bramwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end could have been done better I feel. Great book nonetheless

[Holly Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice finale

[Ebony]

4 star series. Loved! A lil hectic a times for YA 😅😂

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the final installment in the Tomorrow series. I liked the ending...it was a little rosy but satisfying nonetheless. I think though that I would have liked a little fairplay when it came to the soldiers who were driven out. But that is just me.

Overall, this series was enjoyable....so 4 stars.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series finale that appropriately does not airbrush or glamorize war or it’s aftermath, alas still a rather irritating protagonist.

[Meg Ridley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic series. Written as rough, raw and harrowing as it would be. The pain, hunger, depression and loss are as realistic and awful as they also would be. I’m devastated this series is over, because I still feel like I’m gunning for Ellie and her friends. An essential Aussie read. Thanks Jlo for getting me onto finishing this series.

[Nairabell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a little over a year since Ellie and her friends returned from their camping trip in Hell to find their country had been invaded and their families captured. The original group of eight has been reduced to five, and they've gained a group of rescued orphans. Now the New Zealand troops are preparing their final assault, and Ellie and her friends are about to be called into action for one final time.

This is the seventh and final book in the incredible Tomorrow series (after Tomorrow When the War Began, The Dead Of Night, The Third Day, the Frost, Darkness, Be My Friend, Burning For Revenge and The Night Is For Hunting) and it wasn't really what I expected.

Reading the blurb and other reviews I thought this book would be a series of fairly random attacks where all the main characters were involved. Without including any spoilers, all I will say is that the story took some totally unexpected twists and turns. It was an incredible journey that kept me glued to the page. Knowing that the series and the war would be ending in this book, but not knowing how or whether the characters would survive made it unputdownable.

The ending is fitting to the series, and I'm really glad there wasn't a movie style perfect happy ending where everything is tied up in a neat little bow. At the end of the day the characters have been through an incredible amount so to make everything all better again not only would have been unrealistic, but also would have devalued the previous books.

All in all this was a great conclusion to an amazing series that I thoroughly recommend to anyone who likes dystopian novels and/or action packed stories.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Cover: 10/10

Overall: 48/50

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm making this a bit of an overall review of the series, as I find it hard to separately review books that form a continuous story the way these do, so this review will probably be a general overview of how I felt about them.

I've been wanting to re-read this series for a while, because I remember being obsessed with the books as a kid--I must've read them two or three times within a few years. About a decade later, I still think they're fantastic. They're action-packed, but not devoid of introspection or (emotional) development, and the way they are written makes it easy to get into Ellie's head even though I have never been able to actually imagine myself in her position, and hope I never will be. Ellie, and all her friends for that matter, are realistic, rounded characters like that, quite possibly because Ellie is the one who is writing about all the events and the people. I'm glad that they aren't superheroes, but that there are consequences to their actions, even though they aren't always fun to read about. As bad as it sounds, I'm even, in a way, glad not all of them survive, and that they die in such different ways--not because like them dying, but because that is what terrible events can do to people, and it's as much part of it as all the other emotions and events the teenagers go through.

It always seems difficult to let go of such characters after finishing a series. One thing that has always stood by me is how upset it made me that in the end, when all is over, nothing is the same as it was--the whole situation, their relationship with each other, their relationship with other people they are reunited with. I was terribly sad about Hell being so screwed up their safe place will never feel safe again. Now that I'm older, I feel it adds to the believability (I'm aware that isn't a word) of it all. That's sad, but that is life.

I might read The Ellie Chronicles at some point. I've always wondered how life would go on for her. For now, though, as much as I love these books, I need a slight break from the despair of reading about a war zone.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite some initial reservations, I've grown to love this series. This finale offers the same brilliant action and heartwarming personal stories as the other novels.

The seperation from the ferals was absolutely heartwrenching, and the group went out with a bang in their final contribution to the war.
However, I was completely disappointed by the ending.

I can see where Marsden was coming from- this was the end of a violent war, and a 'they lived happily ever after' would have been a bit unrealistic. But I think he represented Ellie as too fickle in the end. A girl that suddenly falls out of love with one friend (AGAIN!) and begins to have feelings for another (AGAIN!) (I really thought she was over that drama), and a girl that breaks a promise to a little girl... it just does not feel like the Ellie I admired throughout the series. And beyond that, the cruel splitting up of the group... I understand that their relationships would have a little tension now, but after everything they went through, it just seems bizzare.
And I suppose that somewhat naively, after how independent the group acted for so long, I did not envision them becoming obedient teenagers that follow the decisions of their parents (ie. Fi's move to the city). They just seemed too grown-up for that.

Anyway, this novel is as brilliant as its predecessors, and although I personally hate the ending, if I view it from a distance, I can understand and respect that Marsden's ending stays true to the cold, hard, reality. I think I just got too emotionally involved in the series.

PS. I totally knew that the rest of the group was alive! I was in complete denial when Ellie thought they were dead..it would have been too cruel.

[Amberlea Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last book of the series! I really sped through these books because they're so interesting and action-packed. Though this book is okay, I wasn't a fan of the ending. Realistically the war isn't over while part of their country is still over run and there is a sort of border between them and the enemy.
I particularly didn't like the romance. John Marsden writes excellent action scenes and twist plots but the romance sucked. Not only does it give too much detail (there are some things the readers don't want to know) but it's also insanely frustrating. I felt like we went in a circle because the characters relationships between each other is almost exactly the same as it was in the first book. Ellie and Lee frustrated me the most because Ellie was always going back and forth, changing her mind. She's clearly stringing along Lee, who is an orphan and apparently is often depressed by the end of the story. Worse than that in the last few chapters she states what a hero he is, his incredible personality traits, leading to some chemistry and then she "loses feelings for him" (AGAIN) I also found it very sad how at the end of the story, after going through so much together, creating a strong bond, almost all the main characters go their separate ways.

[Boots · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this is the seventh and final book in the Tomorrow series by John Marsden. To be honest I'm surprised this series isn't more popular than it is. It has everything it needs to be a huge hit, although I have to admit that it is missing vampires, thankfully.

This entire series was written in the first person by a female protagonist named Ellie. Her character developed well throughout the series but when it comes right down to it I didn't particularly like her. In fact she was my least favorite part of the entire series, she came across as overly possessive and at times seemed to treat her friends more like objects then people. It certainly managed to show that war changes people.

These books read very fast so if you're a fast reader it wouldn't take too long to go through the entire series. The action and the overall story managed to hold it all together and even though I didn't give any of the books in the series five stars I would give the series on a whole five stars if I could.