Review: Matt Archer: Redemption by Kendra C. Highley (Chrissy’s review)

Matt Archer: Redemption (Matt Archer #5)
written by Kendra C. Highley
published by Kendra C. Highley

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Smashwords, Goodreads

Did I enjoy this book: How do I say this without fangirling too much? I absolutely LOVED this book. Wow. Good. Great. Fantastic. Exciting. Sad. Satisfying. I’m feeling that excited/shaky/giddy rush from finishing a great series.

How’s that? I know. I fangirled. I’m not sorry. Not even a little bit.

Seriously, this was a great end to a great series. I was expecting a slower start, but Ms. Highley jumped right in and got the party started. I was hooked from the first page until the very end. I didn’t want to put it down, but I didn’t want it to end. You know what I mean. This is the last book of the Matt Archer series. I couldn’t wait to see how it ended, but I didn’t want to say good-bye.

Redemption lived up to my high expectations. I wanted it to be great, and it did not disappoint. (I know I keep gushing about this book, but it was just so good.) There was a lot of action. I really enjoyed reading the battle scenes. Ms. Highley does a great job describing the action without overdoing it. I felt like I was watching the battles. I could see the moves, the monsters, the kills, everything. There were a few monster hunts that were not described. We only found out the outcome. I would have loved to have read about the gargoyles. I’ll bet that was a great fight.

The characters grew over the course of the series. It’s hard for me to believe that this Matt is the same Matt I met during Monster Hunter. His character grew from a scared boy to a man who carried the fate of the world on his shoulders. He was a leader, a fighter, a good man. I adore Will. I was so glad that he became a wielder. I wish we would have had a few more battle scenes with him. And a few more hunts where he and Matt worked together. Axe anyone? The other wielders did their job amazingly. One wielder surprised me, but in a very good way. Let’s just say that that wielder lived up to a nickname that wielder earned early on in the series. I loved it! Brent changed a lot, but I think he struggled with everything and his role. Mamie. Oh Mamie. Mamie. I can’t say much more. Read the book; you’ll understand.

This is a fantastic series. I loved every book. And it is definitely a series I will reread in the near future. In fact, I am going to purchase the series in paperback so I have it on my bookshelves. And I know that in my reviews of the first few books I said I would not reread it, but I was wrong. After finishing this series, I am certain that I will reread it many times.

Thank you, Ms. Highley, for writing one of my all-time favorite series–I’m talking up there just behind Harry Potter. That’s how much I have enjoyed reading the Matt Archer series. And I’m kind of hoping that Ms. Highley will release a book of “extras” from the stories she wrote on her Monsters and Mayhem blog. That would be awesome. Just saying.

Would I recommend it: Absolutely!!! Here are links to my reviews of the other books in the series: Matt Archer: Monster Hunter (Matt Archer #1), Matt Archer: Monster Summer (Matt Archer #1.5), Matt Archer: Blade’s Edge (Matt Archer #2), Matt Archer: Legend (Matt Archer #3), and Matt Archer: Bloodlines (Matt Archer #4).

About the book: “There’s more to me than you know…”

When Matt Archer’s sister, Mamie, said those words to him three years ago, he had no idea how prophetic they were, or what this would mean for his family.

Now, he knows. And it changes everything, bringing the war right to Matt’s doorstep.

In the epic conclusion to the Matt Archer series, the endgame is near. Betrayed by an enemy, the wielders have been called off the hunt by their own government, despite increasing reports of paranormal activity—and deaths—worldwide. Matt is forced to sit on the sidelines, knowing that proving monsters exist means revealing who—and what—he is. Soon the world will know his name…which will only make his job harder.

Matt’s only hope resides with a man he barely knows—his father. If Erik Archer can put together the final puzzle before the monsters do, maybe they’ll have a chance. Maybe.

Mystery, tragedy and the power of family combine as Matt races to win the war and save the people he loves. There’s just one thing he’s afraid of…

It might already be too late.