this lower-than-five-stars rating is probably my fault. i had to put the book down because of life (stupid life) so there was a whole day there where i didn't get to read a single word of this, and i may have simply lost my momentum as a result. 
 this book is still fantastic. 
 it is a slower-paced, more meditative book than the other two. before, it was all breakneck excitement and every time the characters seemed to be able to pause for breath - blammo! another effing tragedy! which strangely, did not come across as gratuitous. ness is such a strong writer that he never let the story become "expected" or tedious - there was always a healthy ratio of character-building to adrenaline rushes, so it never seemed that he was just putting explosions and death in the way to make sure you were still paying attention. 
 because obviously we are paying attention. 
 this one had a more philosophical cast to it than the first two. that is not to say there is no action - there are battles and smaller skirmishes and many innocent characters have terrible things happen to them, so it is very similar in that way to the first two books, with more politics-of-war and musings on the nature and meaning of humanity. everything is cast in shades of gray, where good guys have bad days and bad guys occasionally do the right thing. ness is always about three steps ahead of the reader's expectayshuns (also, much less of that in this final book), and it is nearly impossible to predict what is about to happen. 
 however, and i am probably going to get slapped all over the internet about this, i really wasn't into the voice of the return/land/sky. while i understand intellectually that it is necessary to include that perspective and it gives a depth to the story that is important and that the book could not have reached a satisfying conclusion without including it, emotionally, i found it dry and less heart-shredding than viola and todd's story. 
 i know. 
 but it's true. whenever i came to that font, i was like "nooo - gimmie more viola!!" it's not my fault that those two characters are so close to my heart, while the land is interesting but not all up in my emotional grill. 
 this really was an excellent conclusion to one of the finest trilogies i have ever read. both todd and viola grow so much as characters, it is a phenomenal series for that part alone. and the rest - ahhhh. i can't say enough good about this series. 
 having just experienced a bug-holocaust and still reeling from toxic fumes, it is probably best to end here, so i can escape to clearer air. effing bugs. i would like to band them and see how they like it...