After a middle volume that was too... middle-volumey, the Lynburn Legacy series comes back swinging with the climactic battle between the forces of good and evil. 
 And after the disastrous climax of the second book, things aren't looking too good for the heroes in "Unmade" -- author Sarah Rees Brennan heaps one disaster and setback on our scrappy, ragtag band of struggling sorcerers and snarky mundanes. And as usual, there's plenty of English-cottage prettiness, flashy magic and a haunting cloud of menace that lurks over every scene. 
 A few weeks after the battle, things are not going well for Kami Glass and her cohorts. Jared is missing, presumed dead. Sorcerers still control Sorry-in-the-Vale like magical stormtroopers. And Rob finally gets his first human sacrifice -- plus, he's demanding another one at the spring equinox. 
 Then things start to look up when Kami learns that Jared is alive, drugged and trapped in the walls of Aurimere -- and she and her friends must invade the house and figure out where he's being imprisoned. But wresting Jared back doesn't end their problems. More ones crop up when a ritual with Ash accidentally cripples both of their magic, leaving only Holly, Kami and the icy Lillian to protect the group. 
 And as the spring solstice approaches, Rob attacks them from all sides, targeting Kami's family with fire, stone and his loyal sorcerers. Then Kami discovers the long-lost secret of the Lynburn family -- a spell that will grant her, Ash and Jared unimaginable power that could destroy Rob... and it might also destroy them in the process. But if they don't do it, the entire town may die. 
 After the rather weak, wheel-spinning "Untold," it's nice to see that "Unmade" is a return to the tighter, faster form of the first book. Everything in this book slowly puts the pieces together for the final stand against Rob Lynburn, and Brennan sprinkles the story with terrifying setbacks -- the early sacrifice of a "willing victim" signals that Sorry-in-the-Vale has gone past the point of no return. 
 And despite the occasional lighter moment, a dark cloud settles over the story, growing thicker and more frightening with every passing atrocity. Brennan's writing shines during these darker moments ("I hate as lesser men could never dream of hating, with fire that will burn when the sun is ashes in the sky"), and the final chapters of the book are painfully powerful (Kami's letter to the town), more dreamlike and haunting. 
 The biggest problem is perhaps Brennan's trademark snarky, jokey dialogue, which works well most of the time. But in the darker, more tragic parts of the book, it just undercuts the importance of what the characters do. Fortunately, it diminishes strongly after the final sacrifice. 
 Kami also grows up to some degree -- she has to deal with the terrible after-effects of the group's actions, and of her own curiosity. There's not quite enough guilt or self-recrimination, but you get the feeling that Kami has become a more steadfast, capable person by the end. Similarly, Jared works past the last of the self-loathing he's always had, finding strength in his brotherhood with Ash and his obvious feelings for Kami. And there is strong development -- for good or ill -- in most of the supporting characters, such as Lillian, Claire, Angela, Rusty, and even Rob himself. 
 "Unmade" brings the Lynburn Legacy series to a strong, solid conclusion, which can be a bit too flippant at times, but knows how to handle the darker side of cottage fantasy.