Shusterman ends his provocative trilogy with a rock-solid adventure that manages to examine deep questions of faith and morality. At the end of Everwild (2009), Nick the Chocolate Ogre had dissolved into a mass of chocolate pudding, Mary Hightower was asleep in a glass coffin waiting to be reborn, Allie the Outcast was strapped to the front of a runaway train and Mikey McGill (formerly the monstrous McGill) was searching for a way to rescue her. The adventures continue, with Mexican Afterlight Jix joining the cast of characters as a furjacker, slipping into the bodies of giant cats as he spies on Mary's army for the Mayan King. The rules of Everlost are unique, catering to the children who go there upon death and wait until they are ready to go into the light. But even those rules can be overset with the introduction of Clarence, the scar wraith, whose touch can extinguish anyone out of existence—forever. Alliances form and melt as characters decide between their own self-interest and what is right; the shifting third-person perspective gives readers glimpses into everybody's souls. Rich in detail, with exceptional characterization and shot through with unexpected (and very necessary) humor, this is an engrossing and thoroughly satisfying ending to a unique saga of life after death. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

Shusterman wraps up his Skinjacker trilogy with a satisfying, if long, concluding volume. New characters add to the drama: there's the furjacking spy Jix, who skinjacks into large cats instead of humans, and Clarence, a scar wraith who is trapped between the real world and Everlost. The action resumes right where it left off in volume two, but the stakes are raised, as both worlds are threatened. The Alamo and other famous sites continue to play a part, but it's the characters and action that will have fans of the series eager to find out how it all ends.

As book three (Everlost; Everwild) opens, Allie the Outcast is tied to a train containing the sleeping body of evil Mary Hightower. Nick, meanwhile, has lost his memory, having reverted almost completely to a chocolate golem. This isn't a book to read on its own, but Shusterman's richly complex world building will intrigue initiates just as the main characters' fates will satisfy fans.

Shusterman ends his provocative trilogy with a rock-solid adventure that manages to examine deep questions of faith and morality. At the end of Everwild (2009), Nick the Chocolate Ogre had dissolved into a mass of chocolate pudding, Mary Hightower was asleep in a glass coffin waiting to be reborn, Allie the Outcast was strapped to the front of a runaway train and Mikey McGill (formerly the monstrous McGill) was searching for a way to rescue her. The adventures continue, with Mexican Afterlight Jix joining the cast of characters as a furjacker, slipping into the bodies of giant cats as he spies on Mary's army for the Mayan King. The rules of Everlost are unique, catering to the children who go there upon death and wait until they are ready to go into the light. But even those rules can be overset with the introduction of Clarence, the scar wraith, whose touch can extinguish anyone out of existence—forever. Alliances form and melt as characters decide between their own self-interest and what is right; the shifting third-person perspective gives readers glimpses into everybody's souls. Rich in detail, with exceptional characterization and shot through with unexpected (and very necessary) humor, this is an engrossing and thoroughly satisfying ending to a unique saga of life after death. (Science fiction. 12 & up)

Gr 8 Up-Shusterman closes his trilogy with this epic installment. As Mary Hightower lies in a deep sleep, her allies venture west in their ghost train, building an army of Afterlights (spirits of young people who have died but not yet "moved on"). One of the newcomers, Jix, keeps his loyalties and intentions hidden while moving up the ranks in Mary's inner circle. Meanwhile, Mikey (formerly the vicious monster "McGill") and Nick the Chocolate Ogre set off in search of Allie the Outlaw, meeting up with a mysterious and terrifying scar wraith whose touch can extinguish an Afterlight forever. Shusterman's conversational tone and skillfully written dialogue nicely counterbalance some intense action sequences. Everlost is an impressively built world with unique and likable characters. However, the author has a tendency to overexplain story elements at times, and while the plot hums along pretty well over the course of the book, inconsistent pacing causes it to drag in places. For fans of the series, these shortcomings shouldn't be too much of a bother, but leaving the world of Everlost behind may cause a great deal of distress. A handy and informative FAQ (narrated by Allie the Outlaw) helps integrate background material at the outset, but readers need to be familiar with the first two volumes in order to understand much of the background character development and several plot points. Sam Bloom, Groesbeck Branch Library, Cincinnati, OH