The Dark and Hollow Places - Carrie Ryan
Yes, that's right, four stars! Trust me, no one is more surprised than I am. The first two books caused me epic rage. I'm talking a couple of notches off Twilight Saga rage. I was really torn on even giving this book a chance, but I was so confused by the summary I figured I'd read it just to see what happens. The writing was so much better in this book. Ryan's prose was lovely and has matured from the first two. There were a few times where the story got bogged down in very slow scenes where the point dragged on or where Annah spent a lot of time contemplating something that was resolved for the readers in Book Two.Annah was so much better than Gabry and Mary. The latter two were just awful, but I really felt a lot for Annah. Even though I had a hard time reminding myself she was only five when she so harshly left her sister in the forest (which I think comes from the fact that her and Elias's actions seemed far more mature than a seven and five-year-old should have been capable of – I really wish there was a better back story to their separation), she still ended up being a very sympathetic character. I was really able to identify with her at a lot of points. She wasn't without her moments of stupidity, but they never rose to the level of Mary and Gabry's general stupidity. I was definitely not a fan of Elias after this book. He's obtuse, completely unreliable, and I'm left wondering how much of the truth he told in Book Two. However, Catcher fully redeemed himself after he pulled an Edward Cullen in Book Two. He's amazing in this book and I may or may not have swooned at certain points.There were great nail-biting moments of suspense. Even when I clearly knew what was coming, the writing still kept me on edge.Overall, this was a good read. I just wish there was a way for people to skip over the first two books and only read this one.