The Return

Spirit Animals: Fall of the Beasts #3

by Varian Johnson

A new threat faces the world of Erdas in this continuation of the New York Times bestselling series.

Confidential until May 2016!

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Audiobook, Animals, Young Adult

Audible Audio

First published April 26, 2016

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I definitely just wasted a half hour of my life reading The Return.

I really enjoyed reading the previous installment, Broken Ground. It was one of my favorite ones in the entire series, probably because it was written by the masterful Victoria Schwab, who had a way of making it this series feel dark and suspenseful. She wrote each of the characters wonderfully and really got me invested back into the series.

Varian Johnson? Definitely not Victoria Schwab, and it shows in the writing. I'd never heard of the guy before this, it really makes me wonder how the publishers go from getting an extremely famous writer to work on this series to some dude nobody has heard of.

I know I'm being harsh. It's not a bad thing to not be a well known writer, but I just really didn't like this guy's writing style at all. The style was flat and made my head just want to skim, and the characters felt devoid of their usual personalities. It's one of the issues with having a book written by multiple authors; they're all going to write it differently, and not all of them are going to nail it.

While I strongly disliked Johnson's writing style, my biggest issue was that I found this to be a complete filler book. Where the other books are usually action packed, nothing really important happens until the last 15 pages or so.

I was very bored throughout the majority, and if I only read the last couple chapters I don't think I would have missed anything important to the series. I'm always rather annoyed by filler books. If you don't have enough material for another book, why are you writing it? I know the answer to that question: more money. It just really irks me: write what you have enough material to write, not just to make an extra book or two so the readers have to buy more books.

Sorry for getting a bit rant-y! I will be reading the next book. From the Goodreads page it appears to be the finale (it better not be extended into another series). Jonathan Auxier is going to be writing it, and I have read his novel The Night Gardener and thoroughly enjoyed it due to his writing style, so I have high hopes that he will be able to wrap up this series nicely.

[Eliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending crushed my soul!! Only a few more months until the next book. What is going to happen to them?!? How much more can these kids handle? Urgh. It is killing me slowly.

[Victoria G · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot better than the last one although I'm getting tired of getting introduced to a bunch of new people only to lose every new ally the poor kids meet.

It's like every new author that picks up this new arc is hell bent on winning the competition with the others at how much they can make our fave group of children suffer. Also do they all have a tally of their victim count? Because it sure feels like they're all trying to win "Most innocent people offed in a book in the most traumatic way" trophy 🙄

I remember I was complaining about the fact that four 11 year old children were supervised only by one adult in the last arc but we now don't even get that. Surely the mighty Greencloacks could have spared one additional adult for the most important Marked people on Erdas??

Obviously not as we don't even get that now and each new adult who gets on the pages of these poor books is getting eliminated immediately 😭

I don't even know why I keep reading these at this point, I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment.

But if you introduced your child to the first Spirit animals arc please pretend the second one doesn't exist - it's just pure misery since book 1.

[Sarah Couture · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, mais la finale de ce tome est phénoménale ! Bien que j'avais vu certaines choses venir, d'autres m'ont totalement prise par surprise! J'ai toujours envie de poursuivre ma lecture et de savoir ce qui va se produire.

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another strong book in the series. Gratefully the characters situations do not get any worse, but they don't really get better either, but I think they are on the way to getting the upper hand in the next book. I should find out soon anyhow. ;-) Fun series!

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastyczny tom! Mnóstwo akcji, świetny płot twist na końcu! Póki co zdecydowanie najlepszy w serii. Jedyne, co mi się nigdy nie podobało to fakt, że to jest tak napisane, że od razu potrzebujesz kolejnego tomu ❤️

[Jamie Coudeville · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels like the story is already close to the endgame when there are still a lot of books left

[Maciej Gospodarek · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐

[Paulina]

To chyba był ten weekend co leżałam z gorączką, spałam i czytałam

[Kenji · Rating 4 out of 5]

od razu biorę kolejną 🥰

[Rachel M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I would of chosen what Spirit Animal had to go, Uraza would have not be my choice.

[Gaspard Raynaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

A la recherche de Cabaro le lion suprême

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, is the cover supposed to be Meilin? MY Meilin is much better hehe.

As you may know, each Spirit Animals book is written by a different author. Varian seems to particularly like tragedy and plot twists. I'm heart broken about some things that happened.

I'm going to be talking mostly on the characters.

My ships in this book are Rollan and Meilin, Conor and Abeke, and Tasha and Takoda. Tasha is interesting. Naïve but a fabulous fighter, she starts nervous but grows so much.

I love all the Great Beasts returning, particularly Ninani and Tellun.

You really see Rollan's better sides here. His kindness, and how his past helps his future. LeReimaja is brilliant. It was so clever to bring her into it and in that way. I caught on to her identity right after Tasha sang the stale bread song.

The brief scenes with the pirate crew are fabulous as well. Atlanta, oh Atlanta! Uraza, oh Uraza!

This book is better than the previous Fall books, but not quite as good as the original series. The read is worth it, however.

[K. · Rating 1 out of 5]

"SPIRIT ANIMALS" IS NOT A CONCEPT FOR NON-NATIVE PEOPLE TO TAKE.

The title and blurb alone are incredibly racist and appropriate Native cultures. It's never ok for spirit animals to be used in this way. They're sacred to many Native peoples. Something a lot of Native people won't even talk about among themselves/ourselves because it's so sacred and private. For this series to even mention spirit animals is offensive, let alone ENCOURAGE KIDS TO ROLE PLAY HAVING A SPIRIT ANIMAL. Don't pick up this trash. The entire concept is rooted in the oppression of Native people.

Settlers just take and take and take, with no regard or respect for the cultures they're stealing and profiting from. Stop it. Please, just stop. This book and this entire series is sickening. Make up your own concepts and use your own words. Stop appropriating Indigenous peoples. You're causing real harm.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has earned a good rating from me solely due to the ending. Uraza and Abeke are by far my favorite pair (although I quite like Meilin), and their separation is super enticing for the next book. Can't wait to read it!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I died!!! WHY DID YOU KILL ME IN SUCH A EVIL WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Emiline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, it's a good book! But I did not like how Uraza got infected with the Wyrm thing. That was sad, but the Redcloaks seem pretty cool! I can't wait for book four!

[Sarah Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Argh, I am still reeling from the end and what has happened to my favourite character. Though least surprising reveal ever. Good continuation of the series. Can't wait for the next book.

[Tara Patil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense cliffhanger ending! (Reading with Ari)

[Jakenv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Johnson catches tone of series and brings a new exciting adventure.

[Siolu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book good.
Should depict more on main characters than side characters.
Fussy Story

[NoaChloé Saffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bien 🤫

[Lily Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't one of my favorites, but I still liked it alot. I think the cover could have had a better design that wasn't so misleading, but the actual writing was pure genius. I loved the parts with Kirat especially, and the end was epic! Okay, spoilers: the best character in any book ever is in this one at the very ending, which definitely made me like it a lot more! Shane is like, awesome in every way, which makes me furious he dies later in the series, (which happens in the next book, and the next book is..well, I'd rather go watch the worst thing on television than read that, no offense, but I think killing Shane was a stroke of awful thought and writing, and kind of ruined the entire fourth book for me). Still, Shane shows up and doesn't die in this book, so it's good.

[Garret Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the “Worm Trilogy” portion of this second series in the Spirit Animals saga. It felt like our heroes were fighting such impossible foes. I like the terribly difficult situations it created for them, and how it helped us understand things from the first series better, especially Kovo’s reasons for starting the wars. I also really liked the ending. I wasn’t sure how they would fight the work and potentially defeat it, but the final battle was gut-wrenching and intriguing. Good trilogy!

[Kimberlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of this entire series that I read as a print copy instead of listening to the audiobook. Somehow all the names are spelled differently than I thought they would be. :)

The third installment of the Spirit Animals: Fall of the Beast Series was just as intense as the last. Once I started, I couldn't stop. (Though I did miss Nicola Barber's voice.)

Great middle grade series.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

These kids sacrifice way to much!

Poor Abeke.
Poor Uraza. I love the big silly cat!

I'm so hurt and so speechless...

We get more of the many, a few deaths, some more "gruesome" then others, and there is Shane... or the redcloaks... depending on how you look at it. 😄

This book gave me so many feelings...
I'm not waiting and starting the next book right now. I want answers! I wanna know what happens!

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is nothing better than reading a book and being so surprised by a reveal that it makes you gasp out loud. Hence the 4 star rating. There is more than one surprise in the book, but you have to wait until the end for the big one. Maybe other people guessed it, but I did not see it coming at all.

[Cienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly did not think they could keep up the worm plot for this long and I am very please by this. Again I love the new characters. Unfortunately there are several plot holes in this series vs the first one. I won't point them out because spoilers. Also the absolute tragedy that was the final chapter broke my heart.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

We continue the journies of Conor and Meilin underground, and Rollan and Abeke aboveground. Conor and Meilin must find a way out before the Wyrm takes over, and Rollan and Abeke must find Cabaro before Zerif does. So many new characters are introduced in this book, but will any of them survive? And one spirit animal may be lost forever...

[Brittney Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Them saying Cabaro "had his lionesses do his dirty work for him" is just another example of how no one knows anything about animals. That's how lions work.

Other than that, I loved it. Everything was great. The new characters and how they fit in, the battles, the progression. The losses. It couldn't have been better!