Isn't the point of reading a story to see how the characters survive some life changing ordeal and come out stronger for it? As in, things change? Someone obviously didn't mention that to L.J. Smith, because Jenny and her gang of misfits end up in the same place that they started, except now Julian isn't watching Jenny from the shadows. 
 Jenny and her friends go into the Shadow World to save Tom and Zach. Along the way, they find Summer, who I totally knew wasn't dead. The two guys that stole the Game at the end of The Hunter are, however. Jenny frees their souls from being tormented by the other Shadow Men, as well as the soul of her grandfather, because she's such a kind, special girl. Ugh. Of course, she wins the Game. Isn't that sort of obvious? 
 Jenny and her friends are still as flat and boring as paper. Supposedly they stand up to their insecurities or something, and are supposed to be stronger for it. Hah. All it accomplishes is that her friends act the same as they did before, but now a bit more proudly, I guess. Audrey is proud to be in love with Michael, who is short and pudgy, not tall and model-esque. Except, you know, she was already dating and in love with him. Dee is strong and fierce, except she was before, minus the drama-lapse she was given in this book so that her gaining it back would make sense. Michael and Summer, yeah, they're still the same as they were before they played the first Game, now they're just a bit more smug about it. 
 I knew Jenny wasn't going to dump Tom for Julian. She's completely deluded herself into thinking that her and Tom are so in looove that they're soulmates. Gag. Of course, that means that Julian can't stick around, because he has more of a lure, since he doesn't have the personality of a houseplant. So after Jenny supposedly redeems Julian with her special Main Character Powers, his existence is unmade by the other Shadow Men. Wow. Well, now he can't pine after Jenny any more. In addition, now Zach seems to have to hots for Summer, so he's not going to secretly perv on his cousin anymore. (Sorry, half-cousin. I don't even think that's really a thing.) 
 Basically, this book ends with everyone in Jenny's band paired up, destined to get married before they're twenty and have babies. AKA, they ended up back where they started before The Hunter. I would have settled for Jenny dumping Tom because she realizes that he has the makings of being a control freak and will keep her in the kitchen, but nope, they're totally going to be together forever. Seriously, what was the point of this series again?