This finalé of the Jenna Fox Chronicles trilogy completes Locke's story, the focus of the second book, The Fox Inheritance. Because of his genetically engineered BioPerfect body, the Network has chosen Locke to execute a "Favor." They need their missing leader Karden and hidden funds in order to reunite a now-fractured United States, in which those who didn't choose sides are marginalized and denied rights.
Locke must ingratiate himself with the Secretary of Security's daughter, Raine. For Locke, whose consciousness was imprisoned for 260 years before being restored in his BioPerfect body, Raine is a kindred spirit. She, too, is a prisoner--constrained by her father's position in the government. "You looked so alone and lonely," Raine tells Locke. "I thought maybe I should be that someone who comes so you wouldn't feel all alone." Locke struggles to execute his Favor while also completing his personal mission of self-realization: "I need to live the life that Jenna wants me to live.... Can I ever catch up to Jenna?"
Pearson brings her Jenna Fox trilogy to a satisfying and emotional close, surpassing the excitement and tension of the first two books. The series as a whole deserves to be elevated above most dystopian fiction; its well-developed plot lines, poignant relationships and emotional truths will hit readers in both mind and heart. As Locke says, "It wasn't easy, but I guess things of worth rarely are." A wrenching read. --Jessica Bushore, former public librarian and freelance writer