Destroy the Day by Brigid Kemmerer

Rating: 4.5 stars

Age Recommendation: 14+

Series: #3 in the Defy the Night Trilogy

Ending a trilogy is not easy, but Brigid Kemmerer should be applauded. She not only resolved the complex mess her characters found themselves in at the end of Defend the Dawn, but she found a way to expand upon side characters and introduce new ones that didn't take away from the story that I've come to love.

Without spoiling the first two books, I wanted to speak a little to the main criticism I'm seeing for this final book in the series. Whenever romantically-paired characters are swept a part due to circumstance, it's understandable that you want them to find each other quickly. I get why people wanted a certain reunion to happen earlier in the book. But plot-wise, I thought it was perfect, especially since Kemmerer did what I love authors to do in sequels--she gave us another pairing to pine over. That doesn't take away from our main duo or the delicious tension that built while they are apart.

If I had to deduct any part of a star it would be because some of the underlying political machinations between and within the countries never felt resolved or fully explained. Perhaps it's because the characters themselves never themselves fully understood it, but I felt a bit perplexed at the end. Like I only knew maybe 60% of what caused all the dying, treachery and war. That said, Destroy the Day contained such strong character development that I still felt satisfied. I also felt wrecked at the end, but in a good way. It's hard to read when you have tears in your eyes.