4.5
In this 5th book of Michael Richan's The River series, father and son duo, Roy and Steven, are faced with their darkest, bloodiest, and most disturbing test to date. Roy and Steven come across a family plagued by something that Steven has never experienced before. In this book, Richan holds nothing back and lets the brutality run free. Besides upping the blood and violence factors, this entire story has a distinctly darker tone than its predecessors. Steven has come a long way under Roy's tutelage, and is now discovering mysterious powers unique to himself. Due to this progression, Richan is able to take the series even farther, engaging the duo (and various "gifted" friends) in more "destructive" situations, in addition to their "helping people in trouble" theme that summarized earlier novels.
The progression of Steven's "powers" and strength of his relationship with his father, has allowed for a more complex storyline, while at the same time NOT detracting from the character traits that we have come to know throughout the series. The personalities remain constant, while at the same time, "growing" in a very natural seeming way.
This series continues to improve with each succession, and I look forward to each new installment! I have to add, that this is one novel that I wished had continued on for several more chapters. Not because it wasn't complete, but rather because I just didn't want it to be over.
Highly recommended!