Youngbloods

by Scott Westerfeld

[Quirky Cat]

It's here! It's finally here! (Okay, I'm pretty late to this party, but shhh!). The fourth novel in Scott Westerfeld's Impostors series is here. Youngbloods is a book many fans have been counting down for, myself included. All thanks to that cliffhanger hint at the end of the last book.

For most of Frey's life, she was a shadow. As the body-double and guard to her sister, the world didn't know she existed. And then, for a brief moment, she was known. Then her sister stole everything, including her name.

Free from her past and free to finally make her own decisions, Frey has fallen into the Youngbloods. The very organization that Tally began and still runs. Now she's part of the revolution she's always dreamed of.

"Freedom has a way of destroying things."

It is always fascinating to see how a series can change over the years. If you had asked me a decade ago if this is how I thought Tally's story would continue, I would have blinked at you with confusion. But here and now? It makes total sense.

Youngbloods is the fourth (and I believe final) novel in the Impostors series. It's also the eighth novel in a world that feels so familiar to fans, even as it is once again torn apart by rebellion, dictators, and war. It felt like coming home in so many ways. So arguably, I was pretty sad to get this book started, as it meant another goodbye was in my future.

The thing I have always loved about this series is the (sometimes) subtle commentary that is worked into the narrative. As always, this felt very...pointed and timely. Perhaps even more so now, come to think of it.

Seeing Frey and Tally work together was a delight, though it felt like I was constantly holding my breath. I never quite knew where they stood with each other, so it was impossible to predict what would happen from one moment to the next.

As usual, Scott Westerfeld delivered a complex tale that is surprisingly compact, given the page count. In these pages, we see many character arcs come full circle, including Frey's, her sister's, and a few others (that I do not wish to spoil).

So, was Youngbloods the second conclusion that fans deserved? I think so, yeah. It may not have been what we would have asked for (what long-awaited sequel ever turns out as fans had imagined?!), but it is undoubtedly the ending that fans and characters deserved. And that makes it worth it.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks