Spoiler alert!!! Do not read this review unless you have read the book, as it gives away a lot about the ending!!!!!

An excellent end to an excellent series. The book opens with Dervish's last breath, leaving our three teenage heroes (Grubbs, Kernel and Bec) alone together – and it's not going well. Betrayal, desertion and reckless abandonment threatens the cohesion needed to work the Kah-Gash. Can Grubbs, Kernel and Bec learn to work together for the greater good, or will their differences divide them and lead the entire universe to destruction? And who is their unlikely ally?

With such an unusual series I really wasn't sure how it would end, but Darren Shan appears to be a bit of a traditionalist and the story actually has a very satisfactory ending. The Kah-Gash rebuilds the universe from the very beginning changing nothing but the level of power of the Demonata – so that none of the bad stuff ever happened. The book ends with the trio deciding where to stop rebuilding and let nature take its course, implying they will stop where the series started and everyone they love is still alive. This is a fantastic series - albeit VERY bloodthirsty and filled with VERY gruesome deaths.

Darren Shan is a skilled author who can mix action, pace (most of the time), believably flawed yet lovable characters, gripping plot and heart-felt emotional depth, with grace and style. Highly recommended, especially for reluctant 'boy' readers who can handle the gore. 12yr+