At time of writing, this is the fourth and final book in the Tigers and Devils book series. I’ve reviewed the whole series over the past few weeks, so please check my reviews/the books out before reading on! I promise you won’t regret it.
At long last I hear some of you gasp! The last book in what seems like a never ending series (and book review!!). I realise I went away from doing these over consecutive days as life got in the way, but I’m here now! Enjoy!
The (at time of writing) final book of this series is another 3 month glimpse into the life of our favourite Melbourne citizens Simon and Dec, as they navigate the new world of becoming proper adults, with proper responsibilities and buying proper family homes! It’s decidedly a bit more easy to read, but you have to realise also that it’s been around 8 years since the first book in the series was published, so kudos to Sean Kennedy for refining his writing style during this time!
When I first sat down to jot down my thoughts about this book – the one thing that really stood out to me was the real lack of plot. As you know from my previous 3 reviews, I can write about these characters until the cows come home, but the plot is what really sells them well. Books 1 and 2 did that brilliantly in fleshing the characters out, but I feel like it’s hit a roadblock and hasn’t recovered almost from book #3. It’s still an enjoyable read don’t get me wrong, but some of the plot points go absolutely no where, and are just there to fill pages.
Take the weird old woman for instance, or the supposed “ghost” in the house – come the end of the book there’s absolutely no resolution to these story lines. There’s plenty of time to be able to at least provide some closure to these, but it’s never given. I’m not entirely sure why, but it just doesn’t sit right and nags as soon as you finish the book. Given there isn’t currently a 5th installment as well, you can’t forget about these (which I probably did regarding some plot points in books 1 and 2)
In contrast, some story lines are handled really well indeed. Much in the vein of the Fran and Roger story line trying to escape the societal roles in the previous book (albeit in a small plot strand); this book takes someone who’s sterile, and how this could impact their lives. In true Simon style, it’s really refreshing to see him deal with this in his humour, and I’m struggling in my reading to think of a time where something actually felt so “real” or like it could happen as much.
It’s difficult, because there isn’t much more to say. As I’ve said there’s a lack of plot, and the characters naturally develop through their lives as you’d kind of expect. As the title kind of gives away, it’s about Simon and Dec having a child, and all the other characters are still there in earnest. There’s nothing more than that, except I guess we go to New Zealand for a bit which is pretty cool?
To conclude this book, and this series, I want to say it really is lovely to read start to finish, to see everyone develop into the people they turn out to be. After 1000 pages, I genuinely have withdrawal symptoms every time I finish the series, and it usually makes me go into a bit of a reading frenzy! Definitely pick it up if you’re this far in already, but please don’t think that it’s a stand alone. My rating is DEFINITELY influenced by how I feel about the series as a whole, and not just this book, but go and check it out for yourself! Simon, Dec and the gang could always use another friend or two to explore Melbourne with! 🙂 Over and out, CFG.
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Chris Green Reads 