It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.
Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . . Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers. |
“She is a beautiful creature, but beauty doesn't equal good and it certainly doesn't equal sane.”
When you have an incredibly unique, strong, and ambitious series such as this, it deserves only a killer ending that keeps up the magic. Does this fourth book end the series with a grand enough finale?
Well, yes...but also no.
By this point what's at stake is clear - put aside entanglements of the heart and put saving the world first. Zara's thankfully adept at this too. There's genuine ouchness with Nick but she forces an emotional compartmentalization so that what she needs to get done, gets done. Each book has grown on a grander scale of story. If I go in expecting it on say, a large fantasy scale, it's acceptable. Or, if the series has more books to where such a large turnabout would be realistic maybe.
I have to gives kudos to Jones for imagination and stretching wings in the name of creative effort, but a small part of me disagrees that this strong foundation can convincingly stand.
Many areas work - I loved Hel (even if the idea of redeeming by it is playing things a little safe,) and I couldn't be more happy to see some returning faces. Again groovy, powerful fight scenes skirt across the pages, and the gang stands firm against every obstacle thrown at them.
The ending starts losing itself, however. Sure, I know Google is the encyclopedia for teens of the modern age, but good grief. And the lore kept growing and growing. I started finding it confusing, all over the place, and making little sense. In addition the very, very end was not how I could ever envision the pair settling down. Zara would want it this way but considering her new position, it seems unlikely she could keep living as normal and how would the new male lead be able to fit in there with a normal life and forgo other responsibilities?
Still not liking the mom much. The 'relationship' has been established once and for all, and the results what I and everyone else figured and knew. Thing is, is either man a prize in this book? I loved Nick before but anymore he's lacking many positive attributes. Astley made an impressive entrance in the second story, but to me he's now become too cliche as a nice, everyday guy who's predictable. Issie will forever be adored by me - she's bubbly, memorable, and outright fun.
Zara's still feisty and compassionate, but to me, as I thought with the third book, she's less special. She's supposed to play a role in the apocalypse now (albeit a flimsy one as it turns out), so that should make her SUPER special already, right? But to me her personality now blends together to stand out less. Even if I don't find her as cool as before, she's still cool though. =)
Jones has the ability to invent fascinating characters that stand out. I think as the stories grew larger than life, the characters lost a little of theirs.
This novel, while enjoyable on several respects, feels uneven at times and sometimes misses the climactic mark. Series fans should be pleased overall.
Book Quotes:
“That's what people who love you do: they hold you and lie. They tell you that you're worthy, that everything will be all right, and they do that even when you both know without a doubt that this is not true, that is it nowhere near the truth.”
“Occasionally her tongue darts out between her lips, which makes me think of a snake, or Jared Leto during a television interview.”
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