...Bookfanatic

That's a hell of a question when pondering this series. From start to finish I was drawn in, compelled to keep reading even when I felt like taking a break and reading something else, even just a short story before continuing on. There was always a nagging voice in the back of my brain saying 'no' so I kept reading.

The scariest part of this series was the setting. Set in a world that is post World War III. We are presented with a future that holds very real possibilities, very believable characters making choices that lead sometimes to unforeseen consequences.

Were there flaws in this series sure there were just like in life there are always flaws and sometimes it's the flaws that add to the perfection. In The Company of Shadows was a free read and the sad part of that is I have read books that I paid good, hard earned money for that did not provide me with the hours and hours of entertainment that this story did. Did not leave me feeling like my visit with so many dear friends was at an end, hopefully just for now (I still have the side & back stories to enjoy at the very least).

Fade was the culmination of the war between the agency & Janus, but it was also the resolution to so many other secondary storylines that were woven throughout.

The list of characters that I became attached to was probably the longest list of any series I have ever read. Of course Sin & Boyd top that list. The hell that they both endured especially Boyd. I found myself alternately ranting and sobbing endlessly over what they suffered both separately and together. Ryan is without a doubt the techno geek of my heart, I want to keep him. He is one of the most adorable and loveable characters I have ever encountered. Carhart and Emilio, while this pairing was not a surprise the way the dynamics between these two developed was incredibly well done. The strength and intensity of their relationship was so reflective of the strength and intensity of character they each possessed. Kassian broke my heart, he was broken & damaged and fought so hard to try and fix himself but I don't think he quite knew how. He is definitely a work in progress.  To varying degrees there were other characters that I enjoyed but this was the core group who garnered my affection and stole my attention without fail.

I've left Vivienne for the end. Why you might wonder? Because I liked her that much? Oh hell no! I hated Vivienne, wanted her destroyed. As a mother and a person she failed epically. But at the end when events were unfolding the authors presented her in a way that made me think, made me wonder. It was like dominoes if her childhood had been different, if her husband had lived, if she'd known certain things sooner, would she have behaved the way she did, would she have been a different person...a better person? These things remained unanswered and I like that, it leaves it for the reader to decide.

I gave Fade 5 stars because there weren't more than that to be given and while the previous books in this series were  5 star reads for me Fade was more so much more. I was left with a sense of completion to the story but at the same time I was left with things to consider to think about. My brain and my heart were engaged from start to finish and beyond. In my eyes that is the sign of an author's job being very well done and I can want nothing more.