Loved the first 2 books in the series, but I really wasn't keen on this instalment.
I wouldn't go so far as one of the other reviewers, however I must agree that the protagonist's constant need to defend himself and his character is really starting to grate on me, especially when it comes to those who are already in his party and who know him well at this stage.
The new settlement and it's new characters didn't really gel with me either, I found pretty much all of them unlikable. Additionally, the protagonists decision making skills have seemingly taken a major knock; like trading away all of their hard-earned equipment and most of their guns just to enter an unknown, failing, destroyed, unsecure settlement, directly putting himself and his group at risk, but it's ok because "it's for the greater good". I understand MC wants to help and that's his goal in life, but I can't believe that someone who had survived 2 years in the apocalypse would be so foolish, and is a far cry from the protagonist in the previous books.
Finally, it sounds like the entire group is crashing and burning, with none of them really willing to stand by him in the end, despite everything they've been through together, undermining their shared experiences in the previous books and all the times he's saved their collective lives. Despite the MC being the one constant in their survival, and has gone to such extremes to keep them safe, the first time the group sees any semblance of an "out" they all leap on it, regardless of the fact that the settlement has a proven track record of insecurity and destruction and in part, poor leadership. Whilst their split was always on the cards, it did seem it was going to go the other way, but no, unfortunately any sense of comradeship, companionship, loyalty or "love" is eroded.