‘The Reckoning’ is the third book in the Altereds series by British-based author, Marisa Noelle. Silver Melody returns for the next chapter in this story of the planet’s struggle to rejuvenate itself. President Bear’s reign of terror has come to an end, the evil Earl has been neutralised on his mountain and Silver’s mother has been rescued.

There are fewer than three million survivors of the virus and Silver knows she has to play a large part in the successful rejuvenation of the planet in the absence of her father. The crops start to fail and Silver is wracked with anxiety. In addition, she is preoccupied with trying to coax her mother from her catatonic state and is plagued by haunting dreams; she hopes they’re nightmares but what if they’re premonitions?

Told in the present tense, we often see the action from the perspective of Silver in the first person. We also spend time with Eli, a survivor of Earl’s experiments, who struggles to fit in with his peers.

There are fewer action scenes in the first part of this story with more emphasis on soul-searching and moral panics, so the pace is arguably a little stodgy in places. We reconnect with many of the characters from the first two books and I suggest readers start at the beginning of the series to fully appreciate how the plot has developed.

As with many dystopian ideas, a pivotal aspect of the earlier stories is the presence of a virus unleashed onto an unsuspecting world. Inevitably this still plays a part with mutations, vaccines and antibodies all being mentioned. These nouns have become all too familiar over the last year and this may be a little too close to home for some readers.

The author makes very good use of foreshadowing as the momentum builds and the climax beckons. I was reminded of the march of the dead army in Game of Thrones and was intrigued to see how Silver et al would succeed in spite of overwhelming odds against this existential new threat. I was fully engaged with this struggle but confess to feeling a little deflated by the ending.

Whilst it’s always difficult to maintain momentum across several books, readers who have enjoyed the previous Altereds stories will no doubt appreciate this conclusion to the saga. I award four stars.