Review: Surrender by Lee Nichols

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

An evil ghost threatens Emma in this shocking series conclusion

After a devastating battle at headquarters in New York, the ghostkeeping world is in shambles. When Emma and Bennett return home, they are determined to defeat the wraithmaster, Neos, forever. But it's not going to be easy. Bennett's parents kick him out when they realize he is still using drugs to enhance his powers. Emma is convinced her aunt has come back from the dead to warn her of a new threat. And worst of all, Neos is using wraiths to possess the students at Thatcher Academy. If the ghosts manage to take over the entire school, even Emma won't be strong enough to stop them. But if either she or Bennett sacrifice his or her powers, they might be able to save the ghostkeeping world once and for all-and break the "ghostkeepers lose their powers when they fall in love" curse. The question is: who will be the one to surrender all power?

Fast-paced and romantic, this conclusion to the Haunting Emma trilogy will thrill readers as it brings the ghostly mystery to a close.

Review:

After reading both Deception, the first in the Haunting Emma series, and Betrayal, the second, I’ve been dying to read Surrender, the third and final one. I couldn’t wait to see how everything would end. Would Emma and her friends and family finally beat Neos? Would Emma and Bennett find a way to salvage their relationship before it was too late? There were so many questions swirling around in my head, and thankfully, Surrender was able to provided satisfying conclusions to every one of them.

Surrender picks up a little while after Betrayal ended. Emma’s still trying to find a way to defeat Neos, and she’s still dealing with the qualms she feels over Bennett’s addiction to Asarum. However, things are a bit different this time. Simon has left along with Bennett for headquarters, and replacing them is no one other than Bennett’s stony and cold parents, ones who aren’t particularly pleased with Emma, and so begins the third book...Plot wise this book kicked butt! There wasn’t a time when I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, dying to know what would happen next. Would another twist come out of the woodwork and blow everything away again? What was Neo’s big plan? I had to know, and this lead to me finishing this book in record time.

One of the things I loved most about this addition particular, though, was how the characters continued to grow even though this was the last addition. Emma in particular learns a lot in this one not only in making her own choices but as well as being there for the ones she loves. Sara, Natalie, Lukas, Henry, and Coby also get their moments of glory in this one, and believe it or not, even become more lovable, which made me all the more sad to finish Surrender. Last but not least, Bennett…I’ve loved this guy and I’ve hated this guy over the course of this series, because while he is a good guy deep down, his decisions and choices aren’t always the best things out there...However, he did manage to redeem himself quite a bit in this one, even though it did take a while.

Lastly, Lee Nichols’ writing was great in this one. I’ve loved seeing her writing grow as the series progressed, and just like Surrender was the best of the series plot and character wise it was just the same with the writing. She did a fabulous job in evoking and bringing to life the emotions of the characters as well as me, the reader, and I especially loved the ending. It was everything I wanted, but it still contained a taste of bittersweet.

In all, Surrender is a satisfying and amazing conclusion to the Haunting Emma series. I can’t begin to explain how sad I am to see Emma and her friends go, but it’s been quite the ride to say the least, one that I surely won’t forget. :)

Grade: A+

Surrender (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads) will be released December 6, 2011!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley