The Good:
Found out more about Tony
Willow's character progression and realizations
Original villain returns
Found out more about their powers and the shelter
Funny, light moments amid the trauma and drama
Twists & turns while being suspenseful and mysterious

The Bad & The Other:
Cliffhanger
Love (tri-)angle with Willow and Tony's side being instalove
Absentee parents
I'd completely forgotten about her photographic memory from the first book, which conveniently rears its head again

It's great getting back into the over-arching plot. Of course, the full truth and resolution won't come until the last book.
But the blurb is SO wrong about it being gritty. It's still clean with goody-two shoe teens. There's some violence but it's happy and hopeful. It's not harsh at all. It's get a PG rating at worse.
It's a fun, sweet escapist adventure following Willow, who gets all the powers, the boy(s) she wants, leads people and saves the day with a loyal group of friends.
Willow is a special snowflake and could be called a Mary-Sue. TBH, I can't think of any flaws or permanent setbacks she faces. Things pop up but they are handled and come out on top.
So, if that's going to irritate you, steer clear. I'm usually more cynical but I really got into this series when I read it 2 years ago. I do wish Claire or someone gave her the what-for once in a while.



Romance
This was the fucking worst aspect. It's angst-y love angle drama took focus with macho men pissing contests.
But never fear, Willow saves the day. She makes her men shakes hands and it's **Kumbaya**! It was just so perfect, in a long line of perfect, it just feels so fake. Usually I'd love the maturity but I couldn't buy into with Willow walking in Mary Sue's footsteps at the moment.
I'm so done with the sensitive vs. strong partner, especially when it comes to men. Toss in a meant-to-be microwavable romance with cheese and a jealous first to complete a disaster recipe for me.

The Good:
+Everything wraps up
+Interesting new character
+Picks up where Surviving ELE leaves off
+Quick with funny, light hearted moments
+Fitting happy ending...

The Bad & The Other:
-Plot hole and logic issues pop up
-Anti-climatic
-Continues their convenient lucky streak
-...perhaps TOO happy and perfect

It's exactly what you'd expect from the series. I don't know if it's me or if it was finally too much. My expectations might have been off as well. Everyone who's tagging it as a dystopian is wrong.

Previously I sped through these books but here I stopped halfway and left it for several days before continuing. It wraps up nice and neat, but it's very convenient and easy.

Which in part cause the climatic flop. Most of it is just how it resolves so there's no way to avoid it faceplanting. It was an option I listed either so it wasn't out of left field and just left me with “That's it?” disappointment.

It also doesn't help that there was no doubt it'd end happy. Everyone's together, paired off in couples and lived happily ever after. And Willow's ability to see the future....*sigh*. Mary Sue after all.

It's not bad but it feels like a bigger letdown due to how I loved the earlier installments. I'm glad I saw it to the end no matter what.

The Good:
Willow failing and learning
Same as previous entries
Found out what Zac wants with Willow

The Bad & The Other:
Felt more disconnect with Willow with her repeated use of the term “man card”
Candy's just around for showdown moments and is “fixed” by getting a boyfriend
Didn't feel like it's own story, but a filler
Waiting for the bigger story is getting to me



After 4 books and around 600 some pages, I don’t have much to say. It’s much the same as previous installments but the love triangle is resolved, which leads to its own set of trouble. We’re finally getting into the government side of things, which is what I’ve been dying for.

Surviving ELE feels more like filler or an appetizer than a satisfying novel that can stand on its own. It does finish the save Tony storyline but it doesn’t feel like enough. Maybe because I was jumpy throughout to get somewhere with the larger plot that I get a sampling of but didn’t sate my appetite.

Some moments I wanted to smack Willow for thinking slowly. She continues her character progression at least. Though background characters get shafted. Like shrugging off Candy because she’s got a boyfriend now, which makes everything okay. (And what is with YA making sure everyone gets perfectly paired off!?!)

We finally figure out what Zac wants with Willow but that’s only the beginning. Everyone knew there was a bigger story with a puppeteer behind the curtain – the only questions left are who and why?

The Good:
+Typical characters grow
+well-done world building
+Lots of teen drama and fun
+No instalove or (tri)angles

The Bad & The Other:
-Cliffhanger
-Saw plot points coming
-Absentee parents

When first reviewed, they had a blonde on the cover and I found a homophone mix up. Both have been fixed.

World Building:

I like how it's up front and takes in consideration some very real implications.

The Virus is a genre stable but it's different how they're handling it. (At least from what I've read.) In Willow's world, they' installed panels to repair the ozone and cope with Climate Change.

Not going to lie, first reading that, it sounded weird and made me think of a giant dome. At least they bring up the mind boggling amount of energy it's taking to do so.

Even after finishing the series, I don't know if it's literal panels or a simplified explanation like how most people understand the Big Bang or Evolution. Either way, I'm okay with it and if it's too much for you it's all of 5 pages in so you bail without loss. (Or just not pick it up after reading this, lol)

This matters because to cope with The Virus, they're taking down the panels to heat the Earth's surface and kill it. Catastrophic for every other living thing? Yep, but I wouldn't put it past humans. And you just know not everyone is making it in leaving them to fend for themselves AKA die during Global Warming pt. 2: Quick & Intentional.

From there, the story revolves around their new shelter life. The way it's structured rings so true, especially as they discover more along their adventure.

There's of course the predictable bad guys but again, those bros exist and I was fine just riding through and hating them too.

But I HATE the mid-leap cliffhanger.



Willow:

I love how she goes from completely sheltered to broken and crowded. That sounds sadistic on my part, but it's as awkward and sweet and fun as you would expect.

She's understandably naive and young for 15 but I found it endearing though I'm usually hitting the darker, mature YA. Her perspective won me over.

I was so wrapped up in Willow and fun, I'd forgotten about the powers until they showed up around halfway through. Oh! What a welcome surprise that'd otherwise I'd be waiting for as it's mentioned in the blurb. LOL.

Romance:

Thank fuck they avoided the love (tri-)angle. It's not instalove though they crush immediately and begin dating shortly after. There's no throwing the “love” word around or acting like their the end all be all soul mates type shit.

Plus, Willow has some honest ponderings, like worrying about little things and wondering if she's just feeling this way because it's her first.

"Sometimes, I feel as if loving you is the single greatest and scariest thing I've ever done.” ~Tony (Ending ELE)

The government took her people and now they are looking for her too. Running seems to be all that Willow and her friends do these days. Not only must Willow stay out of the reach of the soldiers who took her friends, but now she finds herself hunted by a more sinister threat. An evil group of men that are looking to finish what Hastings' had started. 

This time Willow's friends won't let her run off to be the sacrificial hero, especially not the man who loves her. Will Willow and her friends find a way to save her people and take down the bad guys once and for all? And in the end, can Willow and Tony find their happily ever after in a post Project ELE world? 

From the authors of Project ELE comes ENDING ELE. The fifth book in an all-new apocalyptic series with a paranormal twist: The ELE Series.

Review 6******

This is the fifth and final book in this YA Romance/post-apocalyptic/dystopian series. I LOVED IT!

Willow Mosby is a fantastic character! She has had to deal with a lot in her short life. She is only sixteen (turning 17), but she has grown up quite quickly and is madly in love with Tony. I really like her tenacious and stubborn attitude. She is one of the bravest kick ass heroines I have come across in literature. She could probably give Katniss and Tris a run for their money!

This is a fantastic conclusion to the series! I have been looking forward to reading this book for some time. But I had mixed feelings about it too, because I felt sad that the adventure was coming to an end. Once I started reading though, I couldn't put the book down! Again, I was swept back into Willow's world full of danger from the Reapers, and the men wanting to extract her blood to figure out how she was able to absorb other's powers without becoming a Reaper herself and losing her soul. The story has a few twists that kept me guessing and intrigued. There are also a couple of new characters with intriguing powers that get introduced into the mix. However, Sebastian (Sabby for short and Willow's brother) stole my heart from the first book and has it still! He may only be three (turning four), but he just had me melting with his sheer cuteness! He reminded me of my nephews' at that age. The action was intense, and very descriptive; I felt like I was really in the midst of the scenes! There are also a few emotional scenes that were very touching, especially the one near the end, and I had to dry a few tears - keep a few tissues handy! However, I wouldn't have missed this emotional roller coaster ride of a series for anything! I am very grateful to a friend for recommending it to me!

The writing partnership between Rebecca Gober and Courtney Nuckels is fantastic! Their combined writing styles compliment each other beautifully. They have written a fast paced series that flows seamlessly from one book to the next. They have also created a world that is believable (which is somewhat a terrifying thought!), and characters that are extremely memorable. I am looking forward to reading more books from these authors in the future.

I highly recommend this book (and series!) if you love YA Paranormal Romance, Post-Apocalyptic or Dystopian novels. - Lynn Worton