Champion

A peace treaty between the Republic and the Colonies is close to being signed when a deadly plague breaks out in the Colonies, and the Colonies blame the Republic. As war threatens again, the Republic's scientists believe that Day's younger brother, who survived earlier experiments, may hold the key to a cure. Day, who has already lost so much of his family, must decide whether to let his brother be tested again.

June travels to seek help from a powerful foreign nation while battles rage in the cities, and both she and Day are torn between their duty to the Republic and their feelings for each other. The chapters alternate between their voices, as in the earlier books. The novel deals with loss, sacrifice and illness, and some battle scenes are intense, but nothing is graphic. The ending is bittersweet, with an epilogue that many readers find deeply moving.

Gripping, emotional and satisfying, a strong conclusion to the trilogy. Readers who have followed Day and June from the beginning will find the final chapters especially powerful, and the story stays with many of them long afterwards. About 416 pages in the Speak paperback.