The Release
The Release by Tom Isbell
(The Prey, Book 3)
SYNOPSIS
The Release is the thrilling YA conclusion to Tom Isbell’s suspenseful post-apocalyptic Prey series, perfect for fans of The Maze Runner. Two months have passed since Book, Cat, Hope, and the others rescued the remaining Less Thans from Liberty, but they aren’t safe yet, and soon they’ll have to risk everything in order to defeat their enemies.
The group must leave the camp for good and escape the wolves, the Brown Shirts, and the Hunters. Most important, they need to stop Chancellor Maddox before she executes her Final Solution and grows even more powerful.
While the others are seeking freedom, for Hope, the battle has become personal. She wants revenge, no matter what the cost—and she’s willing to sacrifice anything standing in her way. The group may still be weak, but they don’t have time to wait. They must overthrow the Chancellor, even if it means joining forces with those who once betrayed them.
REVIEW
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆ ☆
Equal parts cringe and closure. 😬😌
This final installment in The Prey trilogy starts off on the right foot, carrying the same energy and intensity as the first two books. For a while, it feels like it’s building toward a strong conclusion. The tension is there, the stakes are clear, and it seems like Isbell knows exactly where he’s going with this.
But as the story moves into its final act, things start to veer into seriously cheesy territory. I’m talking action scenes straight out of an old-school B-movie: “a chop to the neck, and they’re out cold.” Instead of heightening the drama, scenes that should feel intense come off as unintentionally silly.
And then comes the epilogue, with our heroes holding hands and running toward the rising sun, pausing just long enough to confess their love for each other. It dials the cheese factor up so high that Kraft might want to issue a cease and desist.
That said, if you can push through the gooey cheddar coating, there’s still a satisfying core to the story. Beneath the campy execution, it does manage to wrap up the trilogy in a way that feels complete and true to the characters.
It’s a rocky but respectable finale, with equal parts cringe and closure.
