This book contains:

• Sabotage and espionage
• Planned murder (not committed)
• False allegations
• Attempted kidnapping.

We follow on from where Liz and Seth left us at the end of Initiatum, with a slew of other characters becoming more involved, including Liz’s brother Jackson. With the story growing and expanding beyond just our main characters from Initiatum we find ourselves following some new and previously introduced characters in order to get the full breadth of the story.

With Green Grow 3 hurtling through space, they’re forced into negotiations with Liz’s brother in an attempt to be ready and prepared for their return to Earth. Except their plans for negotiations are spoiled by their own in-fighting and the unexpected arrival of a few guests who completely change the path that Liz and Seth end up taking.

I don’t know if I’d forgotten that this series is written in third person (it has been like 8-9 months since I read Initiatum) or if this one suddenly switched writing styles, but I really do find it kinda childlike.

It kinda works given how many different character’s point of view we move between, but I’m just not a fan of that style of writing. I’d almost rather be super confused like when I first read The Golden Key when I was 11 as I try to figure out who I’m following now when there are no names or locations. But at the same time, I get that this is pitched more at the NA maybe a little into YA market and therefore it makes sense.

While almost all of the story is well paced, well set up etc, the final couple of chapters feel like it ended a little abruptly. Not from a “things weren’t wrapped up” perspective, more that a few little details could have done with a little bit more fleshing out to match the rest of the book. Instead, it felt a little rushed and it was a weird sort of anti-climatic ending that I didn’t think the book deserved.

Basically, I really enjoyed the book. Smashed it out in a pretty much one sitting. But I feel like Liz and Seth deserve more for their ending. And while it sounds like it’s being set up to have a third book, it’s not obvious about it so I’m not sure if there will be a third book or not yet.