Darkest Hour (Battle Ground #3)

Back into a slightly more traditional format of interspersed character chapters, this is a wonderful continuation of the story.

Bex and her friends have been sheltered by another group of rebels, when Bex learns that her dad's illness has progressed to a poor diagnosis. She's very much aware it's almost certainly a trap by the government forces but concocts a plan to visit her parents anyway. In contrast to all of the rest of the book, and especially Bex's feelings, it does come across as a very YA plan without subtlety, relying too much on coincidental timings to be properly satisfying to the reader. Bex's friends respond to the new stresses in very believably different ways. Ketty by contrast has been coming under increased pressure show more from two competing senior brass to capture the terrorists she allowed to slip through her fingers. Her immediate boss is no help at all, and only the presence of another corporal helps relieve some fo the stress, but doesn't manage to distract her from her injured comrade who's also struggling in hospital.

I feel it's much more of a Bex book than Ketty even though they share similar page counts as protagonists. Bex comes across as much sympathetic, and some of the empathy we had for Ketty, struggling to make her own way in a hard world, is lost in the early stages when she seems to whole heartily embrace her position, and anything goes to catch those pesky kids. Bex by contrast is unfairly pursued, and even those 'on her side' want to take advantage of her and her friends' grief. THere's some great counterpoints between the situations Bex is put in, and those that Ketty finds herself in. I was particularly impressed with how the author keep she focus on Bex's feelings without overdoing it and drifting into 'emo teen' (Cf Harry potter 6), or as is very frequently the case completely minimizing them and having the dashing hero rush off into the next adventure with barely a backward thought. It's a tough balance to strike and Rachel manages it perfectly, again contrasting it well with Ketty, who has different concerns, but still hasn't forgotten why she's where she is.

Mid-series books can always be a bit tricky, but this is a great example of how to do it, ramping up the tensions and consequences whilst not getting too carried away and keeping the characters true to themselves. There is still no resolution to the bigger problem, which is kept in sight, but immediate difficulties must also be overcome and survived as best as possible. show less

With the first two books in this series, Churcher told the same series of events from the points of view of the antagonists. Our hero Bex got the first book and her nemesis Ketty got the second. Now we get the continuation of the story with each taking charge of alternating chapters. The tension is greater (and it wasn't low in the first two books) and the motivations more interesting. Ketty isn't any more likable than she was in the earlier books, but she's becoming a much deeper character. And the relationship between this tale and the headlines just gets tighter.

**I received an advance copy from the publisher in return for an open review.