Review: Surrender by Lee Nichols

Surrender (Haunting Emma #3) by Lee Nichols

Release date: 6th December 2011

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Rating: 3/5

Goodreads description:

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.

My thoughts:

I thoroughly enjoyed the first 2 instalments of the Haunting Emma trilogy and so had high hopes for the final book, Surrender. Unfortunately, I was left feeling underwhelmed and a little dissatisfied.

The characters that I loved so much seemed to be missing their spark slightly, Emma wasn't as easy to relate to, her friends were less funny than I remember and the friendly ghosts weren't as present as I would've liked.I can't help but feel the introduction of so many parents muted the appeal of the book slightly. It's weird, because in a lot of YA books the absence of adults is unrealistic, but with this book the presence of them felt the same way.

I also grew tired of Bennett and Emma's relationship. It was so creepy and unfounded. It was definitely my least favourite part of the book and I found myself hoping something awful might happen to one of them, just to stop it. There was a lot of personal drama in this book, from all sides, which detracted from the main plot.

The ending was pretty inevitable, it couldn't have ended any other way which definitely added to my disappointment. Despite my moanings though, I did still enjoy this, just not as much as I enjoyed the previous two books in the series which I think lead to me looking upon it so unfavourably.

This is definitely a series worth reading, you connect so easily to the characters who are a diverse and well rounded bunch. The principle is really intriguing and well explored. It's just slightly let down by the final novel.

To read my glowing reviews of  Deception and Betrayal, go here and here