Evolution

Shay is still with Xander in an isolated Scottish location, but her ultimate goal is to find Callie. Callie went missing before the epidemic and now that 95% of infected people have died, there are fewer survivors in the world. But these survivors seem to have powers that can be good or evil, and those who were never infected have more to fear than just the virus. Will Shay discover why this epidemic started? Will Shay be able to find Callie?

Evolution is the third and final book in the Dark Matter trilogy. Even though it had been some time since I finished the second book, I quickly remembered the key events to fully immerse myself in this story. There is an adventure and some double-dealings as Shay sets out to discover the truth. Readers will have most if not all of their questions answered as the chapters come to an end. Evolution was a good conclusion and should be read by everyone who finished the first two books.

I read these books as they came out and it is the first time I’ve read a series this way. I usually wait for a series to come out before reading them so that I don’t wind up forgetting what happens in between the books. I couldn’t wait for these though so as soon as the next book was available on Netgalley I would request it and luckily I was granted permission to read it.

I really enjoy the scientific aspects of this book. The physics explained in the book are interesting but I will have to do a re read to follow more. I was following along quite well when things were revealed in the second book but as time passed between that one and the third book it was hard for me to remember what had been said.

I like how the beginning scenes that people don’t know that this man starts this epidemic. I think its interesting to read in this time as a pandemic is happening and people are beginning to wonder if this is all a conspiracy. I thought as you read this book more it was interesting to see how things play out between the people who started the epidemic and the government.

Characters: I love each and every character that are introduced throughout this series. I really enjoy the side characters that Shay and Callie come across as well as all the people that Kai and Freja meet on their journey.

I really enjoyed watching Callie develop as a character throughout the first book and into this one. She has changed a lot through the course of this series and has become a completely different person.

I also really enjoyed watching the changing relationships between the four main characters and watching as those relationships change these people. I thought it was interesting to see how things developed for them and how things drastically changed from the first book.

Writing style: I like that this book includes multiple perspectives just as the other two before it did. It gives you Shay, Lara (Callie) , Kai, and Freja’s perspectives which allows you to be in more than one place at a time. It goes back and forth in parts at the start of the book to separate Shay and Lara who are in one location from Kai and Freja who are in a separate location.

Thank you to NetGalley, Teri Terry, and Charlesbridge Teen for the opportunity to read Evolution in exchange for an honest review.

Evolution is the third and final book in Teri Terry’s Dark Matter Trilogy.

Possible spoilers if you have not read the previous two books!

This book picks up directly where Deception leaves off. Shay, one of the first-person perspective characters, has left Kai behind, along with the ghost that was confirmed to not be his sister, Callie. So why do the memories of both Jenna and Callie hold so many similarities?

Shay has gone with her father, Xander, once referred to as Dr. 1. In this new community, literally called Community, Shay hopes to find her half-sister, Callie, Kai’s sister. Xander and one of the psychologists of the community, Cepta, seem to be hiding something about Callie, and Shay is determined to figure out just what it is. When she learn’s Callie’s mind has had blocks placed on it to keep her from remembering anything about her life before Community, Shay will do everything she can to remove those blocks.

Meanwhile, Kai (immune) and Freja (a survivor) seek Xander’s community, but have to face the realities that a group claiming to be a military faction is executing any survivors they find. Survivors of the epidemic have great psychic abilities and are said to be very dangerous. The news has warped the perception of survivors in such a way that people are even afraid of a kind young child.

The book wraps up the cause and reason for the epidemic: to evolve the human race into something greater (hence the title). Callie and Shay have alternate perspective chapters as they grow closer together as sisters and seek the truth behind the epidemic. Kai and Freja likewise have alternating perspective chapters in their sections of the books. Freja never tells Kai about Shay’s reason for leaving, and finds her own attractions to him. Of course one of the resolutions readers await throughout the whole book is the reunion of Kai and Shay, which is a bit lackluster.

The end of the book itself seemed to go into a large science dump for a few pages explaining the dark matter, the epidemic, immunity, and survivor traits. It was a bit much and a bit wild there at the end, but still interesting. While it took me out of the book’s reality for a few pages, it was still quite the enjoyable, easy read.

Great wrap-up to a fantastic series. I loved that this dystopian to a tired idea of an epidemic and spiced it up with physics. There was a lot of science behind this but not so much that the reader's head exploded. The romance was balanced as well with enough to satisfy, and the triangle was explained and believable. This series was well-balanced overall and I would feel comfortable recommending it to any of my dystopian loving middle schoolers.

This is an excellent addition to a very exciting YA series. It has been added to our library, We already have the the rest of the series and it is very popular.