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Annum Guard #3
Parallel
Amanda Obermann, Code Name Iris, hasn’t had the easiest life. Her father, a corrupt government agent, died when she was a baby, and she was raised by her mentally unstable mother. She’s also a member of Annum Guard, a secret government organization that travels through time to alter the course of history. But on her last mission, Amanda made a horrible mistake. She traveled to the past and accidentally caused the death of her boyfriend Abe’s grandfather—completely erasing Abe from existence and launching herself into a parallel universe where her father is very much alive.
Desperate to set things right, Amanda is forced to go on the defensive. She must play a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with her own father as she navigates an unfamiliar Annum Guard in order to save Abe. But the further in she gets, the more she realizes that nothing is as it seems. Her father isn’t quite the monster she’d always assumed. Her mother is stable, healthy, and loving. She has real, genuine friends. Before she knows it, Amanda finds herself in an impossible predicament—stay and live the life she's always wanted, or return to her own timeline to give Abe the life he deserves?
In this gripping conclusion to the Annum Guard series, playing with time can have deadly consequences.
Desperate to set things right, Amanda is forced to go on the defensive. She must play a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with her own father as she navigates an unfamiliar Annum Guard in order to save Abe. But the further in she gets, the more she realizes that nothing is as it seems. Her father isn’t quite the monster she’d always assumed. Her mother is stable, healthy, and loving. She has real, genuine friends. Before she knows it, Amanda finds herself in an impossible predicament—stay and live the life she's always wanted, or return to her own timeline to give Abe the life he deserves?
In this gripping conclusion to the Annum Guard series, playing with time can have deadly consequences.
258 pages, Paperback
First published December 5, 2017
19 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Meredith McCardle
3 books117 followersMeredith McCardle is a recovered lawyer who lives in South Florida with her husband and two young daughters. Like her main character in the Annum Guard series, she has a fondness for strong coffee, comfortable pants, and jumping to the wrong conclusions. Unlike her main character, she cannot travel through time. Sadly. She is the author of THE EIGHTH GUARDIAN and BLACKOUT.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 2, 2020
Seems like an afterthought....it wasn't given that it was set up in Blackout, but it seems like it. I definitely enjoyed Blackout the most of the trilogy. I can appreciate a strong, stubborn teenage character. I can also appreciate whiny teenage angst. This character in this novel is a super annoying blend of both. She was the former in the first two novels, but in this last installment of the trilogy the whining takes over to the point that it is no longer enjoyable to read at times.
I started this series to support a fellow UF grad. I'm glad I did. The other two books were easy, enjoyable reads, and I intend to check out future projects from McCardle if any surface.
I started this series to support a fellow UF grad. I'm glad I did. The other two books were easy, enjoyable reads, and I intend to check out future projects from McCardle if any surface.
February 27, 2018
This was a hard book to compare to the others in the series. For one thing, it has none of the core characters other than Iris, because everyone else is from the parallel universe. The pacing is weird, too, or maybe it's just because it wasn't holding my interest and I kept forgetting to read it so the first 2/3 dragged and then I got stubborn and decided to hurry up and finish it. I think, even without that, it would have still been a long slow build and then a too-quick end. It's just a strange book. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure it holds up as a finale to the series.
December 28, 2017
Love the Annum Guard series!!! Reading this book was bitter sweet for me, because I'm pretty sure this is the last book in the series!!
July 29, 2023
The 3rd and final book in the Annum Guard series is different from the first two. Amanda/Iris is in a parallel world where Abe doesn't exist, her father is alive, her mom healthy, and a lot of other differences that make it hard for her to decide if she should stay or try to fix her mistake to get back to her original world (or at least a closer to the original parallel world, I'm not sure how that works exactly.) Overall it was a good book, it was a little weird having to relearn characters in the new world and how they fit into it but Amanda was having to do that too without them speculating that she wasn't 'their Amanda' so she had it worse lol. The story was wrapped up nicely and I finished feeling mostly content with the outcome but also slightly conflicted due to the internal struggle Amanda had to deal with throughout the story. Choosing between two very different lives would be hard and I'm not sure if there is one right answer.
July 20, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! i was totally stuck to this book my eyes could not leave it as hard as i tried the plot was never slow the world was so good as always and i feel like even though Amanda is not my favorite character ever i finally connected to her in this book and i felt her struggle she was smart and skillful and i loved reading about how she got herself out of sticky situations i absolutely loved the time travel plot mixed with the parallel dimension aspect it was well done and tied together seamlessly the ending wrapped up a little too fast but it was a good ending to the trilogy I'm glad i read it this was my favorite book in the trilogy very well done!!
May 14, 2020
So this was the last book of this series and I had enjoyed the first two quite a bit. This one however, felt like it was written just to end the series. I didn't feel that the story was nearly as interesting as in the other two. Though there are parts of the story that were going to be difficult to actually continue to write about or fix, but there were other ways to go than this. I hope that she writes some other books that are of the quality of the first couple of books.
January 8, 2022
I enjoyed Parallel, but not quite as much as I enjoyed the first two.
I feel like this book was a bit chewy and focused too much on Amanda in the parallel universe and the action was way too rushed at the end.
But I still enjoyed the book and loved that Amanda got the ending she deserved.
I feel like this book was a bit chewy and focused too much on Amanda in the parallel universe and the action was way too rushed at the end.
But I still enjoyed the book and loved that Amanda got the ending she deserved.
October 18, 2023
Wow
Actually ended up being a good ending to a time travel series. They're all based similar, that any major changes to history ruins everything or it will happen anyway Ina roundabout way.
But thank you for finally making an effort to thank your readers, by the third book....
Actually ended up being a good ending to a time travel series. They're all based similar, that any major changes to history ruins everything or it will happen anyway Ina roundabout way.
But thank you for finally making an effort to thank your readers, by the third book....
January 8, 2018
Really loved how this was wrapped up. Full review to come.
July 30, 2025
Satisfying wrap up for the series.
October 9, 2018
Oh what a wonderful adventure this series took me on! These books made me smile, laugh, cry, gasp, and everything in between! They made me feel all kinds of emotions and it was absolutely amazing! This book, much like the first two, had non-stop action and so many twist and turns that it had me sitting on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. As much as I wanted to finish and see how the story ended, I was just as tempted to hold off finishing it so I didn’t have to say goodbye to these characters and this world. But alas, I continued on and all the loose ends were neatly and satisfyingly tied up and I said goodbye to these wonderful books.
Meredith McCardle did an amazing job writing these books, her characters were very likable (or unlikable if they were meant to be) and I commend her for being able to write such a complicated story line while keeping the readers from getting confused. What I mean by that is, there is so much that happens and with the time traveling and going from one place to another and back and forth constantly, we as the reader, are able to keep track of everything that’s happening and not get lost along the way.
The only issue I had with this book is that there were a lot of typos throughout the book which I did not notice at all in the first two, so for me that was a little bit distracting, but not nearly enough to hinder my reading experience. My only other complaints (spoiler alert!!)....
Are that I wish we got to see the the moment Abe and Amanda reunited, I was really hoping to see that but unfortunately it didn’t happen, but I guess that was left to be an intimate moment between the two of them. Also, I would have loved to see Indigo again at the end of the book, he was such a fun and lovable character and I really missed him after he was blacked out and was hoping to see more of him before the series ended, but I was just as happy knowing he was alive and well and would be reunited with his sister and father! Those are very minor complaints in my opinion, I still loved these books so much and I know I’ll revisit them again someday in the future and I know I’ll love them just as much if not even more when that time comes and I dive back into the world of Iris and her time in Annum Guard!
Meredith McCardle did an amazing job writing these books, her characters were very likable (or unlikable if they were meant to be) and I commend her for being able to write such a complicated story line while keeping the readers from getting confused. What I mean by that is, there is so much that happens and with the time traveling and going from one place to another and back and forth constantly, we as the reader, are able to keep track of everything that’s happening and not get lost along the way.
The only issue I had with this book is that there were a lot of typos throughout the book which I did not notice at all in the first two, so for me that was a little bit distracting, but not nearly enough to hinder my reading experience. My only other complaints (spoiler alert!!)....
Are that I wish we got to see the the moment Abe and Amanda reunited, I was really hoping to see that but unfortunately it didn’t happen, but I guess that was left to be an intimate moment between the two of them. Also, I would have loved to see Indigo again at the end of the book, he was such a fun and lovable character and I really missed him after he was blacked out and was hoping to see more of him before the series ended, but I was just as happy knowing he was alive and well and would be reunited with his sister and father! Those are very minor complaints in my opinion, I still loved these books so much and I know I’ll revisit them again someday in the future and I know I’ll love them just as much if not even more when that time comes and I dive back into the world of Iris and her time in Annum Guard!
May 2, 2018
I always get nervous if I have to wait forever for the next part in a series. I really, really, really enjoyed the Annum Guard series so far. But then the second book ended with such a dramatic cliffhanger and we had to wait for years, and years, and years until the third book is released! (maybe it also felt a lot longer and I'm just being overdramatic)
Anyways, I was very nervous when I started the book. Will I still like it? And can I even remember the story of the pervious books?
So I went into the book partly over hyped and partly having super low expactations.
Aaaand I really liked it! It is not up to the same level as the secon book and yes it is super short. But it gives this story a well deserved ending. The plot is pretty much straight forward trying to resolve the problems created by the end of book 2, whithout straying too much from it. So yes it's short and of course I would have liked it to be longer, but it still didn't feel absolutely rushed.
It's as the previous parts very easy to read. So it is one of those books that you can devour in one or two sittings. And sometimes that is exactly what we need.
The story in book 2 is extremly important for book 3 so I kind of regret not rereading book 2 before diving in into this one, because admittedly I was sometimes slightly lost with all the characters and how they relate to the story.
In summary, I think it was a fitting ending to the series. Not as long and great as we might have hoped from the first two books. But if you like me enjoyed the books and can't deal with a series wihtout ending you should absolutely read it!!!!!! The book nicely ties up all characters and gives the series a deserved ending (no great series should remain unfinished!!!!)
The writing and the story line wasn't as great as the first two parts, so I sadly can#t give 5 stars. But waaaaayyy more people should read this series and that's why I don't hesitate giving 4 stars! And goooo read it!!!!
Anyways, I was very nervous when I started the book. Will I still like it? And can I even remember the story of the pervious books?
So I went into the book partly over hyped and partly having super low expactations.
Aaaand I really liked it! It is not up to the same level as the secon book and yes it is super short. But it gives this story a well deserved ending. The plot is pretty much straight forward trying to resolve the problems created by the end of book 2, whithout straying too much from it. So yes it's short and of course I would have liked it to be longer, but it still didn't feel absolutely rushed.
It's as the previous parts very easy to read. So it is one of those books that you can devour in one or two sittings. And sometimes that is exactly what we need.
The story in book 2 is extremly important for book 3 so I kind of regret not rereading book 2 before diving in into this one, because admittedly I was sometimes slightly lost with all the characters and how they relate to the story.
In summary, I think it was a fitting ending to the series. Not as long and great as we might have hoped from the first two books. But if you like me enjoyed the books and can't deal with a series wihtout ending you should absolutely read it!!!!!! The book nicely ties up all characters and gives the series a deserved ending (no great series should remain unfinished!!!!)
The writing and the story line wasn't as great as the first two parts, so I sadly can#t give 5 stars. But waaaaayyy more people should read this series and that's why I don't hesitate giving 4 stars! And goooo read it!!!!
August 8, 2019
The book was amazing, such a rollercoaster of feelings. I don't think I have ever cried as much as while reading this book.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews