Gregor and the Code of Claw  by Suzanne Collins

Well, I’m afraid this review will probably be fairly short and sweet as I don’t want to give anything away and there are quite a few things to be given away here. It was as good an ending as I could have hoped for – very bittersweet, which was to be expected, but I think I’m satisfied. And I certainly can’t think of a better way to have ended it – the happy ending would never have been believable, so I think this was the closest Collins could have come.

As for the series as a whole, I would definitely recommend it, although maybe only for the older-ish kids. There is quite a bit of violence and, like I said, Collins is not scared to kill anybody off, which could be fairly upsetting for young kids. But I really liked it. Very well done.

The biggest thing I think Collins has going for her is that she creates amazing characters, but the standouts are, of course, Gregor and Ripred. Frankly, I think this series should have been named for Ripred – he definitely steals the show and in this book he just about broke my heart, when some more about his past and his plans are revealed and when…something else happens. If he weren’t a rat, I would definitely be adding him to my list of literary crushes. Luxa is still a little under-developed, but she and Gregor are just so darn cute that I’ll let it slide.

My rating: A (that goes for this book and the series as a whole)