This conclusion to Lackey's dystopian trilogy (Hunter, Elite) finds Joy and her fellow Elite safe but exhausted following their last battle with the monstrous Othersiders. However, after learning of PsiCorps's wicked plan to rule Apex City, Joy and company find themselves anticipating help from their Othersiders enemies. Fans should be pulled into Lackey's world of magic, family, and the fight for humanity's survival.

In the third title in the Hunter series, Joy Charmand is now a tough and respected member of the Elite Hunter Command. With her eleven telepathic Hounds and her new partner, Cielle, Joy and the other members of her crack team are engaged in constant conflict against the monstrous Othersiders. Hordes of ogres, harpies, drakken, minotaurs, manticores, and other creatures of myth and legend slip through portals to terrorize Apex City and the surrounding areas. Battles against the creatures and their masters, the powerful folk lords, have exhausted the Elites, who now face a more insidious threat. The formidable PsiCorps and its ambitious, manipulative leader, Abigail Drift, are plotting to assume the Elites Command’s role as chief defenders of Apex City. Now enmeshed in a complex conspiracy, Joy must decide whom she trusts—her team, Josh (her Psimon ex-boyfriend), or Torcion, one of the cunning and treacherous folk lords. Strong, believable characters, endearing massive beasts, cinematic action sequences, and fine worldbuilding characterize this series. Joy, a determined fighter with a tender heart, is an appealing hero. The love and support between her and her pack of psychic Hounds, especially Bya, is one of the strongest parts of her story. Libraries holding the other titles will need to add this volume to their collection. This whole series should be recommended to young adult readers who like their dystopias with added magic.—Jamie Hansen.