I received a copy of THE FINAL HOUR by Andrew Klavan, from Thomas Nelson via Booksneeze. It is the fourth, and final, book in the young adult Homelanders series. I read the previous book, and liked this one better, but probably because it contained a satisfying conclusion. While this book had positive and negative aspects, overall I enjoyed it. In a short summary, the story is about Charlie West stopping a terrorist strike by regaining his memories.
I will start with the good. There is lots of action. The book is a true page-turner and kept me on the edge of my seat. From my education classes, I know that is a winning feature for children’s books. There is no time for the reader to become bored. My favorite character is Mike. He has a great sense of humor and is an all around good guy. I also love Beth, Charlie’s girlfriend. Although she has a minor role, she stuck with her man even when he was accused of heinous crimes. The descriptions are also great. On page 230, the author describes a needle going into Charlie’s arm. I literally cringed.
Now, for the bad. The story was a bit predictable. I knew that Rose would help Charlie in the end, and I knew Charlie would live. I also felt that the plot pushed Charlie along, rather than letting him choose his own course of action. When Charlie is in prison, I thought it would be a great chance for the author to show teens how horrible prison life is – but instead, he concentrated on how the government wouldn’t help Charlie get out because they were suspicious of him, and how a gang was sent by the terrorists to kill him.
Overall, this is a great action story for teens, and anyone else who seeks a fast-past adventure.
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