Gregor and the Code of Claw

Gregor and the Code of Claw (Book #5) by Suzanne Collins

(Summary taken from the inside book jacket) "Everyone has been trying to keep Gregor from seeing the final prophecy, The Prophecy of Time. It says something awful, but Gregor never imagined just how awful: It calls for the warrior's death. The warrior being Gregor, of course. Now, an army of rats is quickly approaching and Gregor's mom and his little sister, Boots, are still in Regalia. In spite of the terrifying prophecy, Gregor must gather up his courage to defend Regalia and get his family back home safely. The entire existence of the Underland is in Gregor's hands and time is running out. There is a code that must be cracked, a new princess to contend with, Gregor's burgeoning dark side, and a war designed to end all wars."

I liked this finale book. It wasn't my favorite of the series, but I liked it. Having read all of them right in a row I was kind of getting sick of them, but I did like it. It was a little darker and a little more violent, but still okay. I liked how it showed the relationship between Gregor and Luxa blossoming and how it showed Gregor growing up and deciding that he had to sacrifice himself to save everyone else.  I liked the addition of the code they needed to break. I really like Howard's character, and Mareth's character.

I didn't love the ending. I think Ms. Collins needed 50 more pages and a little more time. I thought it ended very abruptly and without closure for the characters involved (and me). I thought she killed off a character she shouldn't have and it just made it so sad. Books don't always need to have a happy ending (although it is nice), but this was just sad. I would still recommend the series because the rest of the series is really good.

Rating: PG+ (War violence, characters (even a main character) dying, fighting)

Recommendation: 3rd Grade and up. If you're child has read the first four then I'd recommend finishing it for sure. You may want to read it to judge if your child is ready.