Reckoning by Barry Jonsberg... A Worthy Finale!

May contain spoilers. Check out my review for Book One and Book Two

Reckoning Pandora Jones Book Three
Written by Barry Jonsberg
Apocalyptic, Australian
Published April 2015
336 Pages
Thank you to Allen & Unwin
★★★★
Pandora Jones's problems appear insurmountable. She must convince her team that nothing is as it seems and that they must escape and expose The School to save the world from the plague she unwittingly inflicted on it. The only thing Pan has on her side is her gift of intuition, and her belief in the people she cares about.

But with the clock ticking, can she find a way to stop the plague, and should she do it at any cost?

Pan and her friends face off against the might of The School as the final pieces fall into place in the hugely compelling Pandora Jones series.
Yet again, Pandora finds herself back at The School, her adventure with Jen coming to an abrupt halt when the duo were recaptured... But not before confirmation that their world is a lie. But the vision The School holds will come to fruition in less than three months, a man made virus released into society and sure to kill their families and loved ones. But before she can gather the support of her team, Pandora must again convince Jen of the world outside the walls, The School imbedding new memories into her mind of the destruction and devastation that is yet to exist.
But with her ability to manipulate memories, Pandora shares her visions of their escape with her team. With their new found knowledge, the team gather to take on The School, angry at their plan to not only eradicate life from the world but taking the teens from their families and manipulating them to do their bidding. The School have trained and honed their skills, now the group of teens must use it against those who have kept them captive.

It's a suicide mission. Not everyone will make it out alive, but will the teens make it back to their families and stop the spread of the virus before it's too late?

Kelly's Thoughts

The Pandora Jones series has been yet another example why Australian young adult is leading the charge into a new era of reading. Barry Jonsberg has crafted a series that puts romance on the back burner, features an intelligent heroine in Pandora and is supported by a brilliant cast of secondary characters, all incredible in their own right. There's no messy romance or love triangles, it's characters are diverse and it breaks the mould of what we've come to expect in young adult, with no excess drama or angst.

Teens were pulled from the streets during an epidemic, which the population of Australia had fallen victim to. The flu like symptoms were said to have killed entire communities, including the families of the teens now housed behind the vast walls of The School. But where the newly formed compound seemed to obey without question, it was Pandora who's intuition screamed The School wasn't the safe haven they claimed to be, and she was right. She questioned authority and used what The School has instilled in the students, against them. I adored her character and in Reckoning in particular, Pandora morphs into an incredibly tough and determined young woman. I cheered her on and championed her cause, using her abilities against those who manipulated her and leaving me feeling like a proud parent.

The final Verdict

It's one of the first character based apocalyptic series I've read, and it was incredible. It allowed me to connect with the characters foremost, before exploring their wonderfully constructed world around them. A brilliant finale that had me completely hooked, with one exception. To sedate my inner need for complete conclusion, it needed an epilogue. I'm hoping it may be leaving room for a novella or fourth book in the near future.

34 comments

  1. Kelly i can feel your passion for this series in your review alone. I love that you had a great time with both this series and this stunning conclusion! Brilliant review :)

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    1. Thanks Lily. I've loved it. While it started off a bit rocky, it was book two that really cemented my love for the series through the incredible character development.

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  2. This series sounds fantastic. Tough to find YA nowadays that doesn't have romance and teen drama, for that matter. Let's hope you'll get another book - or a novella at least! :) Wonderful review, Kelly!

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    1. I hope so too Joy. It felt a little incomplete and I'm a stickler for rounded endings. I don't need puppies and rainbows, but more so closure. It's a fantastic series!

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  3. Yet another series that I must start! I've been seeing this one around for awhile and hearing good things about them. I'm not usually that interested in this genre, but from what I can tell, he does them well. And plus it's Aussie fiction so of course I'm going to have to read them eventually. ;)

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    1. Yes! It's actually a surprisingly brilliant series, well written and with a bunch of incredible secondary characters as well. I'm a big fan and hopefully you can grab a copy soon!

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  4. A character-driven post-apocalyptic?? OMG, I want that so much!! :(( Kelly, reading this review made me hurt inside because I desperately want to read it!! If I have a seizure, you'll be the one at fault ;)

    Faye at The Social Potato

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    1. I'll take the blame for any medical induced emergencies, but all hospital bills should be forwarded onto the author. I need my spare change for books. The world building is good, but it's the characters that drive this one. The lies and secrets surrounding The School and their need for answers. Awesome example of diversity within the secondary characters as well.

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  5. Ohh, I skimmed your review for this one once I saw the spoilers xD I love the sound of this novel though especially that it is a more character driven than actual plot-driven. I enjoyed reading some parts of your review though, glad you found it wonderful! <3 Benish | Feminist Reflections

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    1. Thanks Benish. It's a wonderful series with such well thought out and rounded characters and really sad to see it come to an end. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for that novella.

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  6. I haven't heard of this series before, but man does it sound awesome. You Aussies are bringing out more and more fantastic books. ;D I love the sound of the intelligent heroine, and characters who are easy to relate to. :) Fantastic review, Kelly!

    Aimee @ Deadly Darlings

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    1. Aussie young adult just keeps getting better and better and this series is just awesome Aimee. A smart heroine that doesn't stop in the middle of a crisis to swoon, it's a breath of fresh air.

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  7. I only read your first paragraph in fear of spoilers for the first instalments and I really want to start this series now! It sounds pretty darn amazing and whoo for diversity!

    Lovely review, Kels <33

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    1. You have several different nationalities and it's a great representation of our own diversity in Australia. I loved it! I hope you can pick up a copy of book one soon, I'd love to see what you think of it poppet.

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  8. Glad this final book didn't disappoint Kelly! I love that this is set in Australia and the premise sounds awesome and The School sounds mysterious and scary. I haven't read a post-apocalyptic world in awhile and Pandora sounds like an awesome heroine...no wonder you connected with her so well! Lovely review and I wish you do get your epilogue soon! I'm going to put this series on my wishlist :)

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    1. I hope so too Amir. I'm nosy like that, I need to know what happened. What kind of world are the characters living in now? I may need to start a petition.

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  9. Ooooh I so love that cover. And I just skimmed because might check it out so no spoilers for me. It's great that the series is still a hit till the very end :D

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    1. It just seemed to get better with each passing book in the series. I think you'll really enjoy this one Paula.

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  10. Oooh Kelly this is the first I'm hearing bout this series - and it's already finished??? I'm sold. Thanks for a brilliant review. It's so nice to be following brilliant Australian bloggers like you to hear about books I would have never heard about here in the US... at least not for awhile. Adding the first book to my TBR. I love flu epidemics in apocalyptic thrillers. :D

    One Curvy Blogger

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    1. That's the great thing about having it completed, then you can dive into all three books one after the other now. Australian young adult has absolutely exploded in the last few years, so many new and exciting authors producing awesome books that the world will no doubt fall in love with.

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  11. Great review Kelly! I'm going to read this one soon and can't wait to finally get some ANSWERS on everything that's been alluded to in the past two books. It's good to hear that you enjoyed it :)

    Eugenia @ Genie In A Book

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    1. It really is an awesome finale Eugenia, some surprises in there too. If you liked Pandora before, she's absolutely kick ass in this one. One scene where she turns on the trainer had me hissing yes, and on the verge of a fist pump. I loved it!

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  12. I seriously need to take a dive into the Austrian young adult novels like, real soon. I’ve heard of so many great ones: Saving Francesca, The Book Thief, Halo, Eon (to name a few). Seeing that this is the final book in its series though, I would have to go back to the previous ones first. I am keen with the idea that romance takes a back seat though!. I personally cannot bear to read any sort of instant romance/love triangle theatrics (bleh), and who doesn’t esteem an intelligent heroine!?

    I’ve been in an intense mood reading as of late with dystopia and just bleak tones in general ha ha!
    I’m heading over to Goodreads to check this one out! Wonderful review Kelly <3

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    1. You may have already read one by an Aussie author and have not realised even. Some authors I didn't realise were Australian until I looked up their profiles on Goodreads. But if you love dystopians and young adult that isn't filled with horrid romance and excess drama, then you'll love this series. That's one great point about Aussie young adult, it's always straight up and doesn't buy into the regular tropes we find in the genre.

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  13. Oooh I wasn't expecting this series to be so cool, the cover doesn't exactly scream read me. BUT, I love character driven stories, and this reminds me of The Walking Dead...just without zombies hehe. It sounds absolutely amazing -- and it has an awesome and smart girl protagonist to boot? Sign me up!

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    1. The covers are pretty underwhelming really, looking more middle grade. It kind of is, but with teens and it's a cross between dystopian, apocalyptic and suspense. But you'll find out why when you read it. I loved Pandora. She started off as a meek shy girl, but in Reckoning... Absolutely kick ass. Hopefully you can grab a copy soon, you won't be disappointed.

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  14. I have not heard of this author before but this definitely sounds like an interesting series, so I think I'll have to add it to my list! Great review Kelly, you've certainly piqued my curiosity!

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    1. Thanks Wattle. It's an awesome series and being set in Australia takes it to a new level as well. The character development in Pandora is incredible. I'd love to see what you think of it.

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  15. Your blog looks sooo gorgeous now! I loved the design before as well but there's just something amazing about grid designs, your new header looks stunning as well, great job on setting it up x Benish| Feminist Reflections

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    1. Thanks Benish. It was coded by the incredible Mango Blogs and I couldn't be happier. I love grid designs too, they always look so fresh.

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  16. I'm glad the character evolved here and made her question the School and everything she's been told, and the abilities make for a great piece of action in the book. But oh noo, sounds like there was an open ending somewhat? Anyhow, I hope to be reading my copy soon!

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    1. Me too Jeann. I think you'll like Pandora more in this one, she really steps up and realises that she needs to take charge because the fate of the world may just rest upon her.

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  17. Hi Kelly,
    thank you so much for your excellent review of Reckoning. It's always a bit of a white knuckle job when a book comes out - as a writer you never know if what you've done works. I'm thrilled you think it does [novella? Hmmm. My publishers might have something to say about that ...].
    Watch out for my next novel, Game Theory, which is out in about a year.

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    1. Hi Barry and you're more than welcome. I can only imagine, but with the series you'd have nothing to fear. It's incredible and so many Aussie bloggers and readers alike have loved sharing Pandora's journey.

      Looking forward to Game Theory, such a long wait though. Hopefully you can post a few snippets for us on your blog long before then.

      Thanks for stopping by and good luck with Game Theory!

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