Review of Guardians by Susan Kim & Laurence Klavan

Advance Review of Wasteland: Guardians by Susan Kim & Laurence Klavan

Release Date: March 24th, 2015

Synopsis as found on GoodReads.com:

This heart-pounding final book in the Wasteland trilogy is filled with dramatic twists and turns!

No one dares leave the District—the towering structure of glass and steel that is their protection against the unruly bands of Outsiders that roam Mundreel and the deadly rain that carries the disease that kills all over the age of nineteen.

This skyscraper stands amid the urban devastation, the city rumored to have once been called “Montreal.” Esther and her allies have created a haven on the rooftop, a garden that flourishes, and a home for her new baby, hidden from all but the very few who know her secret.

But as Gideon’s power grows and factions form, an unlikely leader learns to control every action of the District’s people. As the ultimate darkness is born from greed, Esther must find a way to save the citizens from themselves.

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When I was choosing what ARC to read next, it was a no-brainer to choose this book, because I am a huge fan of the first 2 in this series. I believe that Susan Kim & Laurence Klavan have woven an intricate & breathtakingly sad future in this breakout dystopian series. What I wasn't expecting was the sadness that would follow reading the final book in the Wasteland Trilogy. My sadness has come from not only the finality in which it ended, but also in the series of events that heads up that ending for Esther & her friends.

At some points in the story, I was confused as to why Kim & Klavan were rushing the story along. The central antagonist, Gideon, is trying to take over the district without Esther finding out his plans. He wants absolute power & will stop at nothing to get what he wants... even by killing off Esther's loved ones. She has lost Caleb (he was killed off in Wanderers), is pregnant with his child, & is taking care of the child from Caleb's prior partnering, Kai. Even though they have a roof over their heads, food to eat, & water to drink, not all of their hopes & dreams have been answered.

I felt a little the same way in the second book (Wanderers) that I do in this book... Esther seems to rush back into relationships very quickly. She lost Caleb in book 2, but within weeks of his death, she had already started dating Aras (the blind guide that the citizens of Prim hired to help them get to Mundreel). In a realistic story, it should have taken her much longer to get over losing her first love.

There is also a second Antagonist that comes into this book halfway through named Saith. Esther finds this 8 year old girl among a group of people sick with the killing disease. When she is brought back to the district with her infant younger brother, it is Esther who nurtures the girl back to health, as well as holds the baby even though no one else is willing to touch someone who is sick with the disease that has been killing off everyone over the age of 20. So when Saith becomes one of Esther's biggest nemesis', I was a little taken aback at how an 8 year old could be so vindictive. I can understand temper tantrums from someone that age, but the things she does are a little far fetched.

Even though I was unhappy with some choices that the authors made for their characters & plot, I am happy to have been taken on this journey. Seeing as how Dystopian books are becoming passé, it is nice to have seen Esther's life & story unfold into the ending she deserved.

Check back for my next review on Amy Christine Parker's Astray. I have already begun reading it & am excited to continue. Thank You for following me!