The events of Fox Forever follow closely on the heels of The Fox Inheritance. Having accepted a Favor from the Network, the resistance group working to combat the corruption and rights infringements in the future world Locke has found himself in, Locke must now return the Favor – and it won’t be one of his choosing.

The Network sends him undercover into the home of a high-ranking government official, a man who has ties to a long-missing, presumed dead member of the Network (and not the pleasant, friendly kind of ties). His means of entry: the official’s seventeen year old daughter Raine. As Locke befriends Raine, and then begins to romance her, he discovers a web of secrets, lies, and conspiracies. 

This is my kind of book (I’m sure this surprises no one). Pearson has continued her series begun with The Adoration of Jenna Fox admirably, and this is a worthy conclusion. She’s succeeded partly because she’s kept Jenna’s story in the background for the sequels, allowing Locke’s story to be informed, but not ruled, by it. I find that this technique is successful for many authors (Marissa Meyer is a good example); it keeps the stories fresh while still giving the reader something of the familiar.

All of the elements that made the previous books so good are here too: fast pace, interesting world-building, complex thematic ideas about humanity and morality. But this is actually a much larger story than Inheritance, which mainly focused on Kara’s and Locke’s struggles to come to terms with their long imprisonment, subsequent release, and possible non-humanness. The final volume tackles these ideas, but it’s much more focused on the incipient revolution, which was ancillary in the second book. And the events that occur have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences for many, many people.

Some years ago, I had a conversation with someone who told me they rarely, if ever, read epilogues. I was so shocked at learning this, and even more shocked when I learned it was hardly a rare condition (and yes, not reading epilogues is a condition). Let me tell you all now, if you read this book, you must read its epilogue. Yes, the main events of the book are resolved without it, but the epilogue brings all three books together and provides a proper ending, a fitting and moving one. This may be a complete book without the epilogue, but the series is not a complete series without it.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Fox Forever will be published March 19.