This is the final installment in the trilogy and Jones wraps it up expertly - and I was expecting nothing less. I absolutely loved this new Jade, now back in Proofrock after 4 years in prison. She's older, wiser, and trying to keep to herself. There were so many full circle moments in this read which felt like Jones wrapping up loose ends that I didn't even know I wanted tied up. The town also was trying to go through its own healing journey as well since the first two books did not leave the town unscathed. Now, just like the first two books in the series, we do get some good slasher action so it isn't all soft and squishy feelings. I feel like Jade earned her ending to her story and it was such a great last ride to witness.
I've read each book in this series as an ARC so my reading was spaced out about 1 year apart. I didn't have that hard of a time between books 1 and 2 but it seemed like there were so many character name drops that were ringing faint bells but I couldn't completely place. I think for maximum impact and name recognition, I would recommend re-reading at least the first book if not both previous books before picking this one up. I could still follow the plot just fine, but there were times were it felt like knowing this character's name should automatically fill in some gaps.
The first two books in the series have very distinctive and different styles and I thought this third entry combined the best of both worlds. The first book, to me, read very much as literary horror. We were in Jade's head a lot and weren't sure if we were going to see any horror action on page. The second book was much more of a straight forward slasher read with Jade being our reluctant hero. This third book has more action than the first one did but I found it to have more of Jade's introspection than we got with the second book. This melding of styles helps the trilogy feel cohesive and whole instead of like three very different books with the same main character in common.
Plotwise, this was a little off the rails from pretty much the very beginning and only picked up steam from there. We waste no time getting into the newest threat to Proofrock and as much as Jade really wants to stay out of it this time, she just can't help being pulled in. There are a lot of moving pieces and a lot of characters so it feels a bit hectic at times and I could see some readers really getting lost in the weeds. This is where I think having better name recognition than I did may come in handy. However, Jones excels at making this tangled web of plot points and characters into something incredibly compelling and readable. There were so many great moments of tension where I was reading as fast as I could to see what would happen next. And whenever a horror book can make me cry, I know it is a winner.
Just as in the first two books - Jade is on point with her slasher lore and rules. We even get some newer references which were fun. I didn't feel like they were used as much as they were in the previous books which I think works to reflect Jade's personal development in the past few years. That being said, Jade does still lean on them in times of stress or confusion to make sense of the absolute bonkers things going on around her. I think there are so many layers that Jones works into Jade's character that re-reading this series down the line would be a very interesting undertaking.
Overall, this was a fantastic read and a great way of finishing up the trilogy. I got more of everything I like from this series - great characters, interesting twists, and some fantastic slasher moments.
Thanks to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for the ARC. Expected publication date is March 26, 2024
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