.............
........................
....................................
Sigh.
I can't believe it's over. The Matt Archer series is really over. Done. Finished. Completed. Gone. After over a year of being completely in love with these books, the end has finally come. I think I may go into mourning!
In all seriousness, this has been an incredible journey since I started Monster Hunter not so long ago. I've come to love so many of these characters and the world that they're in, and I can't thank Mrs. Highley enough for bringing their stories to life. It's been quite a ride, and while I'm very sad that it's over, none of that compares to how happy I am that I was even a part of it in the first place.
If you're just now discovering this series, you can learn more about it here (books 1-3) and here (book 4). I also did a cover reveal for Redemption a few weeks ago, and that post contains an excerpt from the first chapter if you want to go on over and check it out.
And now, back to Matt!
BEWARE OF THIS SYNOPSIS FOR SPOILERS FOR THE PREVIOUS BOOKS ARE CONTAINED WITHIN.
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Matt Archer: Redemption by Kendra C. Highley
“There’s more to me than you know…”
When Matt Archer’s sister, Mamie, said those words to him three years ago, he had no idea how prophetic they were, or what this would mean for his family.
Now, he knows. And it changes everything, bringing the war right to Matt’s doorstep.
In the epic conclusion to the Matt Archer series, the endgame is near. Betrayed by an enemy, the wielders have been called off the hunt by their own government, despite increasing reports of paranormal activity—and deaths—worldwide. Matt is forced to sit on the sidelines, knowing that proving monsters exist means revealing who—and what—he is. Soon the world will know his name…which will only make his job harder.
Matt’s only hope resides with a man he barely knows—his father. If Erik Archer can put together the final puzzle before the monsters do, maybe they’ll have a chance. Maybe.
Mystery, tragedy and the power of family combine as Matt races to win the war and save the people he loves. There’s just one thing he’s afraid of…
It might already be too late.
Amazon B&N Kobo
Kendra C. Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She also serves as staff to two self-important and high-powered cats. This, according to the cats, is her most critical job. She believes chocolate is a basic human right, running a 10k is harder than it sounds, and that everyone should learn to drive a stick-shift. She loves monsters, vacations, baking and listening to bad electronica.
Website Facebook Twitter Blog
Everything has been leading up to this. When Matt saw the vision of his team riding through the sand dunes to face an unspeakable, oncoming evil, that day was always far off somewhere in the future. But now that day is here, and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. The darkness is tired of waiting, and it's coming for the Archers.
And can I just say, will somebody PLEASE make a movie out of these books? From the very beginning, they've had that big screen, action movie quality to them, coupled with Kendra C. Highley's beautifully clear writing that just makes the story jump right off of the page. These books are GORGEOUS, people! Somebody please give them the glory they deserve!
Anyway, in case you haven't noticed, I really liked this one. I can't exactly say it was my favorite of the series (but to be fair, it's got some pretty stiff competition), but it was without a doubt a very worthy conclusion to such an incredible series.
Oh, but it was sad. So very sad. Without saying too much, I can only mention that there are a lot of deaths in this one, a few very close to Matt. Kendra C. Highley does a very good job of putting me in Matt's mind during the battle scenes, so, just like him, I don't feel like there's any time to be sad until it's all over. But once it is.... man, it hits hard. Have you ever had those moments when you read something, and then seconds later have to put the book down and just breathe because you can't take it anymore?
That doesn't happen here.
You see, the thing with these books is that I can't put them down. Ever. Even if I want to, I'm so completely stuck with Matt through it all that all I can do mourn with him and keep on pulling through. And sadly, that happens a lot in this book.
It's not all sadness, though. There are still so many wonderful moments of happiness and life in a book where the world should be coming to an end. As Mamie put it, "None of us know how this is going to turn out. If the end is coming, if the darkness wins, I want to feel the sun on my face while I can. I want to eat cookies for dinner and ice cream for breakfast. I want to enjoy life, not hide. And I want the same for you, too."
Matt's all grown up now, and from where I see it, it does seem like it's all coming to an end. Horrible sacrifices were made, so many lives were taken too soon, and through it all, I have to keep reminding myself that it's just a book. That's the thing about the Matt Archer series, though: I believe in it. I believe in the talking knife spirits, and the mutant monsters, and the fact that a seventeen-year-old boy is being tasked with saving the world from darkness. It shouldn't make any sense; I should laugh at the whole thing, but I don't. Because sometimes you find a book with something behind all of the magic, something real that you can believe in. You find the story of a boy, who became a man, who became a hero. And you see the stories of everyone else around him: the soldiers who fight against a threat that shouldn't be real, the friends who never give up when you need them there at your side, and the family who will give everything to protect what they love. Yes, the Matt Archer series does throw a few things out there that seem a little ridiculous, but through all of that, the story remains as one that will pull you in and never let you go. And to that, all I can say is hang on and enjoy the ride.
My Rating:
Thank you, Taylor, for being such a big champion of the Matt Archer series. I'm kind of sad it's over too, but grateful so many people have enjoyed it!!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome, Kendra! I've loved reading every single one of your books, so thank you very much for writing them!
DeleteTaylor