TGB review
Okay, I finished reading tgb , and I actually liked it...? Honestly, the critics made it sound so much worse than it actually was. But truth be told, tgg series was never on par with the og tig series; not in terms of writing, not in terms of suspense. It gave exactly what we knew it would give: a spin-off series, a sense of closure, and an ending.
That being said, I loved savannah and rohan's dynamic. I also loved lyra and grayson's progression throughout the book (and all the lyrason moments throughout the series, honestly). I kind of liked jameson's pov (javery is love <3), and I also like Toby(I genuinely don't get the amount of hate both of them receive)
I do wish we had gotten to know more about the crucible, gigi and slater's dynamic, and max and xander as a couple. The book felt much more focused on couple dynamics and interpersonal relationships than on the actual storytelling, mystery, and world-building. jlb really could have milked the mercy and the blade's backstory, history, and the generations of women who shaped it, rather than making it revolve almost entirely around alice and tobias hawthorne.
The entire scene with emily was honestly quite pathetic and unnecessary. I also wish we'd learned more about the cult. It almost felt like jlb was trying to recreate the cult angle from the naturals, even baiting us into thinking hannah might be involved the way cassie's mom was. Unfortunately, the second time wasn't exactly the charm.
But still, I liked the book. It wasn't a masterpiece, but it was consistent with the other two books in tgg trilogy.
I also understand many of the complaints other readers have. I think the book succeeds as the ending of tgg series, but struggles under the expectations attached to the broader tig universe.
The biggest problem is that it was marketed as a standalone. New readers are going to be completely lost, wondering why toby, hannah, the old man, and emily even matter. At the same time, longtime tig readers are going to feel like they're getting a lighter version of what they originally loved. jlb tried to serve everyone and, in the process, ended up fully serving nobody.
Truth be told, emily contributes very little to the actual plot. Her appearance exists almost entirely for a brief moment of shock value, which makes the reveal feel unnecessary. I think that's one of the reasons so many people are disappointed. The expectations were incredibly high, and while I don't think the book is bad, I also don't think it reaches the level of quality many readers were hoping for.
