4.5 stars 
 I was so, so glad that I re-read this series before the last one came out (and thanks to all of you who came along). This is hands down my favorite of the three, I even think that this cover is the best of the three as well. I've mentioned before that Justine "gets on my nerves" - this is one of those series where the lead character has a lot of growing to do. Book 1 to some extent, but especially book 2 showcased a streak of the self-righteous attitude (especially in the case of one Otto Sanchez). I get where it came from, her whole life has been abnormal, with a family history of mental illness, her own hypochondria, and so on. She craves a "normal life" so bad that she can't always see what's really there. And the POV is in first person, so even if as a reader you are not convinced that Justine is "right" you are along for the ride in her head. In Head Rush, though, you really see how Crane's choice of POV (1st, present tense) is the only way to really tell the story, and I thought it was masterfully done. 
 Many times in 1st person tales, you get the truth that the main character "knows" that is then negated or twisted in someway by the "real story." This book is different, given the ending of book 2, in that the reader knows more than the main character, and we're seeing everything through her eyes, leading to some definite, gut-churning, holy crap moments. Chapter one was disturbing - as it should be. The level of betrayal here is high (and that's an understatement). 
 I am not going to go into specifics, but I will say that I was very happy with Justine's character arc. Fear has been her nemesis her whole life. It's more of a danger to her than any other character, revisionist, sleepwalking cannibal, or criminal. I also really liked that we got to see Justine's dad - I really loved those scenes. Of course, Simon and Shelby, my two favorite Disillusionists were there too (looking forward to that Simon novella). 
 This is an Urban Fantasy that is also high on the romance spectrum (but doesn't necessarily follow all of the "romance rules"). 
 [I received an Advance Review Copy of this book.]