4.5 Stars 🌟
I have stated quite often that I am a huge fan of this writing duo and of the several series that they currently have ongoing at the moment, so I was excited to see that there was a new release in this series. This series, I think, is one of the first that I fell in love with. We are on book 8 and now there is even a spin off series in the same world - but with different characters - but to me this is the original.
We have seen John Dempsey and the group at Ember through an awful lot and the last few books have been pretty tough. It almost feels like we are on a kind of redemption arc for JD. Not that he needs it, but he is changing - has been forced to change - and I think he is finally realizing that he is okay with who he is turning out to be.
I was also noticing in the last several books that the authors were dropping many breadcrumbs involving Jake Kemper (JD's son) and I knew that eventually, the storyline was going to move in that direction. Without going into spoilers, that becomes more apparent after this book.
This book has some major changes happening in the world, changes that specifically impact the Ember Group and Kelso Jarvis. As usual, the action starts immediately and does not let up until the very last page. We get to see someone come back from Dempsey's past, yet that storyline wasn't really tied off and still felt like a loose end. Actually, come to think about it, it actually felt like this book was setting off several new story arcs with several new plot lines that were kind of resolved, (resolved enough to feel like there was an adequate conclusion to this book) but really did a great job laying out the groundwork for the next few books. We have a new antagonist - and it's going to be a doozy - and we have several storylines that are just waiting to be developed.
So- another winner. Oh, I can't forget to mention that Ray Porter's narration is just perfect for this series. Actually, I haven't found one that he isn't excellent at, but he does a particularly good job in this genre and it makes listening a joy.
Now the wait begins for book 9 :)