Review by Booklist Review
Taking off where second entry Shatter City (2019) left off, this trilogy ender finds Frey and Col, once betrothed to marry under the watchful eye of Frey's warlord father, on a daring rescue mission. Col and Frey have changed their faces and even their DNA, so as not to be discovered by the surveillance in the city of Shreve, where Frey's father is always watching. As they try to find and free their friend and coconspirator Boss X, Frey hears about the world below the tower she grew up in and forges a tentative alliance with her twin sister, Rafi. Resistors in cliques and clans are suspicious of the twins, and wearing a different face allows Frey to see her old world from a new perspective. The free cities play sister against sister in a final battle against their father, with the fate of millions--as well as their own--resting on their shoulders. This is a suspenseful adventure story set in a shiny sci-fi world, and readers eagerly awaiting the series' end won't be disappointed. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Westerfeld's immersive sci-fi series--and signature cliff-hangers--have earned him boatloads of loyal fans, and plenty of them will be waiting for this series ender.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Frey infiltrates Shreve to rescue a friend and discovers more than she bargained for in this sequel to Shatter City (2019). She and Col have undergone camo-surge, a full-body operation to hide their identities from the surveillance dust. Even though her twin sister, Rafi, is against the mission, Frey is determined to rescue her friend Boss X because she killed Seanan, who happened to be both his lover and the twins' brother. Now Frey navigates Shreve at the street level, uncovering secrets: A privateer gives her eyeglasses that reveal thousands of hidden messages covering every surface in the city. Used by smugglers and treasonous citizens, they offer her a glimpse into Shreve's underbelly. She digs deeper and soon uncovers new horrors her father has committed along with his plans to maintain control. As the action escalates, Frey is locked in a silent struggle with her sister--who isn't aware of the free cities' plans for Frey to eventually rule Shreve--while battling her own identity dysmorphia. To take down their father, Frey and Rafi must decide who they really are, no matter the cost. Frey's time in Shreve reveals a richer, more fully realized world than before. Each meticulously choreographed action sequence sings, building to a crescendo when Frey is thrust into a shocking new reality. The book is set in an alternate future North America with a cast that is cued as multiethnic. An immersive, dazzling installment that journeys to new heights. (Science fiction. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
