Gregor and the Marks of Secret

A boy and his toddler sister return to a fantasy world at war.

2.5/4 (Okay).

It gets unreasonably dark for a book about talking animals, and then turns it up three or four notches darker. While the heavy stuff gave the previous book emotional depth, this is just Really F**king Dark. Meanwhile, there is no plot. The protagonists just fly around the Underland, watching things happen, getting where they need to be for the next book. ( )

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The penultimate book in the Underland Chronicles, Gregor and the Marks of Secret is a set up for the final book in the series. Great writing and all the feels. ( )

This review is for Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane, Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, and Gregor and the Marks of Secret (Underland Chronicles, #2-4).

I've really enjoyed reading this series to my kiddos! We're on the last book now (Gregor and the Code of Claw) and had stop due to uncontrollable crying (mine). I don't think I'll be able to keep reading this one to them before bed, because my tears make them think something is wrong with me. It's hard to explain that nothing is physically wrong, just Suzanne Collins shredding my heart. She has a knack for making you love characters, and then destroying you with them later on.

This series does have some darker aspects, so I've had to be selective about what I read out loud. They're still a little young to hear about mass murder and excessive violence. It's meant for middle grade readers, and I think it's perfect for that age, but there is a lot of death and sadness (feelings a five-year-old might not be ready to address).

I love everything about this series. The characters, the world, the individual prophesies -- all amazing, detailed, and expertly executed. I try to figure the prophesies out as I read, but nothing is clear until the very end (not for me or the characters). The giant bats, rats, and cockroaches are all very unique and interesting. Boots, Gregor, Luxa, Henry, Ares, Temp, Ripred, Twitchtip -- I really do love them all! Everyone brings something to the story, and this series wouldn't be the same without every single one of them. Collins has created a story that I will remember for the rest of my life, and one that I look forward to revisiting in the future.

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on March 23, 2019. ( )

In the fourth book in the Gregor the Overlander series, Gregor is once again battling rats to defend his friends. This time, it seems that something has been happening to the mice (called nibblers in the Underland). They all seem to be disappearing. Gregor agrees to help Luxa find out what has been happening to her friends, the mice. This book seems like it is mostly set up for the the fifth and final book in the series. The tension is built up without resolution, unlike the first three books that contained entire adventures themselves. Like the others in the series, this book deals with real world issues surrounding war. I was a little disappointed that the situation mirrored history more directly than the books have in the past. While in previous books the reader can apply the messages regarding warfare to several real world events, in this book it is very clearly a description of the holocaust. My son and I have already begun the final book in the series and are looking forward to how Collins ends Gregor's time in the Underland. ( )