Under a Blood Red Sky

Endure is the final book in Carrie Jones's pixie series, and it winds things up with a major bang. Zara and Co. are still fighting the evil pixies which are going to start the apocalypse, and they are in search of answers wherever they may be found. Betty, Zara's grandmother, has allowed her grief over the death of her best friend to keep her in weretiger form, more people are disappearing, and Nick is back from the dead, but is unable to deal with Zara's transformation into a pixie, which she only did for him. But what is this...is Zara developing feelings for pixie king Astley? And another trip to Iceland? All right, let's see how it well it plays out.

Actually, this final book does a very good job of tying up the story lines, with Zara discovering her true strength and coming to terms with her feelings. While I've always been a Nick fan, I have to say he let me down with his all too (semi) human response to Zara's sacrifice, understandable as it was. The characters are all well developed, and Zara's learning to rely on herself is refreshing and well written. Unfortunately, my belief was suspended--even for a YA paranormal--when the entire town of Bedford became involved. It just seemed too unrealistic, even if it was a way of possibly defeating the evil pixies. I also felt a sense of deja vu when there was yet another trip to Iceland in search of a place which may or may not exist (even if I loved Hel herself). Impressive as the use of Norse mythology was, I felt like the story was getting away from Zara and her band of friends, and that was a bit of a letdown for me.

Overall, Endure was indeed a good read, and a fitting ending to the series, even with the problems I've stated. Ms. Jones has fashioned a fascinating look at a different sort of paranormal character, and the strong family ties only add to the reality. Definitely a recommended series!

~taminator40