There's a difference between a good book and a good series. With Alex Rider, I loved all the books so much but I loved them as individuals. As a whole series, I think it could have improved. When I read the last book in a series, I always expect a big finale. With most series there's a common threat or antagonist throughout all the books. So when the big battle does happen and the series concludes, it has more meaning. In Alex Rider the most reoccurring bad guys were Scorpia, so it makes sense to include them in the last book. While Scorpia Rising was an amazing book, I just expected something bigger and a finale with more of a bang. (view spoiler)[ Come on, using the scorpion poison to escape compared to the escape in Snakehead? I did appreciate how Jack's death affected Alex though, I thought Alex's gunfight was the perfect ending, and I did like the irony of using the scorpion to bring down Scorpia. (hide spoiler)] As an individual book: 8 out of 10.