Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books 
 Chimera is the final book in the Parasitology Trilogy by Mira Grant. Having reviewed the first two books, Parasite and Symbiont, I felt obligated to read and review the conclusion. 
 Technically, this review is a DNF because I read the first 70 pages, threw a fit, and then skipped around to get the feel of the rest of the book. I read large chunks of the middle as well as the last eighty pages, but I never read the entire book cover to cover. This book was such a disappointment, not just because it was bad, but also because Mira Grant's other writing has been so, so good - seriously, please read the Newsflesh Trilogy and leave the Parasitology Trilogy alone. 
 This book is destroyed by its relentless use of filler. Writers fill their books with extra stuff all the time for excellent reasons. Maybe the character has a thought digression or an experience because it reveals something about the character. Maybe there's background because we need to know what's happening with the setting and the story. But Chimera is the conclusion to the series. If Sal's characters, and the place and story concept, are not clear, then we are in real trouble. This book is full of digressions and passages of over-explaining that tell the reader absolutely nothing new. 
 The Parasite Trilogy was weird because it feels like a first-time book. If a new author wrote this, I'd say, "Well, this was loaded with horrible problems but there's also some great stuff so this is an up and coming writer to watch." But Grant isn't a first time writer. I don't want all her books to be the same (I'm not looking for a new version of Newsflesh) but I do feel like Grant set a high bar for herself, and this series falls way, way, way, way short. 
 It's always hard to follow a big success. While the Parasitology Trilogy lacks the economy and compelling characters that made the Newsflesh trilogy so good, it has interesting ideas. Mira Grant remains an auto-buy for me, but with caution. 
 - Carrie S.