Title: Gregor and the Marks of Secret
Author: Suzanne Collins
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 343
Rating: 3.5/5
This book continues the middle grade portal fantasy series by Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins with another adventure based on another prophecy, and that’s about all there is to say about this one.
So far, I’ve read four of the five books in this series, and this one was probably the weakest. It’s not that nothing happens, but rather that it feels like a repeat of the stories that have already been told. The only real differences are that a few of the major characters are written off.
I did quite like the idea of the Marks of Secret, though, and I also enjoyed meeting the new characters who were added to the story. There are also some pretty brutal scenes, especially when we learn how the rats have been killing the mice, essentially by using chemical weapons. There are definite parallels to how the Germans killed the Jews in the Second World War.
And I can’t be too mad about how the series takes a little bit of a dip with this one, because it’s pretty clear by the ending that the whole point of it is to set up the fifth and final book in the series. A big showdown is brewing, and it seems as though Gregor has finally accepted his role as a legendary warrior. Despite the fact that he’s a 12-year-old kid.
Given that I haven’t yet read the last book in the series, I can’t tell you whether I’d recommend continuing to read to this point. It certainly seems as though Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods is a high point in the series, but I’m also pretty impressed with how everything’s come together for the final book.
One way or another, the series has to end with this final book because Gregor and his folks are moving away from New York City. I hope it’s not anti-climactic.