The Map of Stars (York #3)

I was disappointed. Heavy spoilers to follow. DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO STAY SPOILER FREE. I teach middle school and found book 1 on our shelf. Read it and recommended it to a ton of my students. Surprised to find book 2 so soon after. Devoured it and was excited to see where things would lead. Still think the title is bad. Was Ava the ghost? Where did they say that? Pre-ordered book 3 and told my kids is get it during quarantine and let them read it when we got back to school. I don\’t know if I want to. Soooo many unresolved plots. A \”new\” villain introduced in an early chapter only to be seen in the finale. And that finale! What the heck? I mean really? I know I said heavy spoilers but how to complain about them without saying them? I can\’t, so here goes. You were warned. THIS IS WHERE THE SPOILERS REALLY START FOR REAL. How is Jaime the only one to see the alternate? 2/3 of your main characters don\’t go? Was he supposed to be the main character all along? Did I miss something? And how do you tease a time loop that we never see? I get it may not be time travel and be alternate reality, but you\’re telling me that in a dying world, Tess and Theo figure out how to go back in time AND a different dimension, make a better New York, set up the Shadow Cipher for themselves to follow, only for them to follow it so someone else can use it? What then happens to the New York we\’ve come to love for THREE WHOLE books? Sure, we see an amalgam of New Yorks with a happy three amigos and no Slant in a New York where Tess and Theo CLEARLY time/dimensioned to, but WHICH Tess and Theo? I was just unfulfilled. What was good? Why 3 stars? I liked the building of Ava\’s story. I like that we DID learn more about her. I liked that we saw how older Tess and Theo came to the decision of going back in time/dimension hopping. I just needed more. What I didn\’t need is a 3rd act full of random people from the last three books fighting around a giant shark monster in the river. This series could have done with one more book to flesh it out and a better ending. Use the infinite loop you teased with it being a different dimension each time. It works. I\’m sorry if you ignored my warning and spoiled yourself. But it had to be said.

Series Info/Source: This is the third and final book in the York series. Story (4/5): This was a well done conclusion to this series and wraps up all the loose ends. There is a lot of running around from building to building solving clues just like in the previous books. However, more history comes into play in this book and more time traveling. I thought things felt a bit rushed towards the end and some of the things that happened felt really contrived. I would say the first 75% of the story was five stars and I really enjoyed it; the last quarter of the book felt a bit off and I would have given it three stars. Characters (4/5): The characters are well done and intriguing. We learn more about what Tess and Theo will become in the future. We also learn a lot more about all of these characters\’ pasts. Many mysterious characters, such as Ava, are finally explained. Nine and the little robot are by far my favorite characters. I do enjoy the tight relationships that Tess, Theo, and Jaimie have with their families throughout the series. Setting (5/5): I absolutely love the setting of these books. This alternate reality where New York City was designed by the Morningstarrs into a kind of modern nostalgic sci-fi setting continues to be amazing and incredibly unique. Writing/Drawing Style (4/5): The book is well written and easy to read. It jumps between characters which does break up the story some, but works okay for this series. I did think the last 25% or so of the story felt really contrived and rushed. Once you get into all this weird time traveling stuff and jumping into the far past and far future it got a bit weird. It just didnt match the feel or pace of the rest of the series. My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a really unique series that I enjoyed and I would recommend to those who are interested in reads with a lot of steampunk-like puzzles and a futuristic yet nostalgic sci-fi feel to them. I really enjoyed the amazingly creative setting and world. The characters were also well done and the puzzles and mysteries that had to be unraveled were intriguing.

Worst book I\’ve read in awhile. Really wanted things to pick up and it was just a mess. Do yourself a favor and don\’t read this series

It\’s rare to have the final book in a trilogy perfectly wrap up a series, and this one did almost exactly that! Nearly all my questions were answered, and while the plot twisted and turned, the author did a great job in laying out the explanations in a way that even I could understand. This was such a great trilogy!

ThiS is such a great series, and this book did not disappoint! Great characters, exciting plot and puzzles to solve along the way. Recommended for middle graders who like history, action, and mystery.

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