We’re back to square one, sort of. Tally is once again brainwashed after surgery but this time she’s not another one of the bubblehead pretties but a special, a superhuman soldier with fangs, ultra-senses and titanium skeleton. Basically the world’s deadliest weapon and an enforcer of Dr. Cable to keep moore of the Smokies’ cure pills from getting out.

In this new mindset, Tally is fully devoted to the mission as her memories have been twisted to seeing Maddy’s cure pills as the reason for Zane’s shaky state and struggling motor skills. Additionally, being special gives Tally what she had wanted since the beginning of the trilogy. She’s not pretty but she feels like she’s part of a community that comes with being part of Shay’s Cutter Specials. she’s unstoppable and alive.

But Zane makes her confused-minded and leads Tally down the path of making trouble, changing society as everyone knows it.

In the previous book, I felt conflicted about the solution that Tally rewires her brain by herself as sort of a placebo of the pill. It felt to much of a “chosen one” trope and her being upgraded to a Special seemed to add to that.

But this book gives her a serious tear down from other characters who call out her selfish and self-absorbed nature, and seriously, always prioritizing whichever boyfriend she has is annoying. That combined with her breaking out of the brainwashing to realize the extent of her failures and making a true sacrifice elevates her character from a girl always being controlled by others to one finally taking responsibility and willing to stand against the crowd and the potentially disasterous future when human choices lead to self-destruction.

Really, it was fascinating to see Tally act as the villain of the piece, even questioning if she was one all along. Or at least, questioning if she is as good as she thinks she is. It goes to show the human mind, conditioning and free will to be more complex than one would think.

But as Tally grows, other characters are put to the side, and even have repetitive arcs (Shay and David in particular) but I am willing to forgive it considering how compelling the action is in exploring the inevitable evolution of society learning to embrace uniqueness and being able to think for onself instead of constant governmental control.

Plus I found the ending for Tally to be an interesting subversion for a YA heroine so I end this trilogy with 4 stars.