I started this series nine years ago. The author broke my heart so many times. The characters went through so many ups and downs. In the Company of Killers is one of the most original series I have read. I connected to these imperfectly perfect villains/anti-heroes. When JA Redmerski announced that The Darkest Half would be the final book, I just stopped breathing and felt so many different emotions. First I was happy that book #8 was finally releasing because the previous book was published four years ago (2018). But I was also sad because I was expecting another book or two extra in this series and I just didn't want to say goodbye to the characters. You never know which direction the author will take so I was prepared for the worst.

First and foremost, I was pretty disappointed when I saw the length of this book. I personally was expecting the book to be extra long, but it was about the same length as all the previous books (307 pages). There were twists and turns but I kind of figured some of them out, and the biggest twists felt a bit cliché if I am honest. Some of the characters didn't deserve how their story ended and others had a somewhat of a fitting ending. This book was rushed. There were just too many characters who needed their story concluded and it was impossible to fit it all in one book. I know that Victor and Izabel are the main characters, but the rest of the gang were just as important to me. There were things that I liked and thought the author cleverly included in the story.

It just breaks my heart to rate this book less than five stars but the author has spoiled me with the previous seven books and set the standard very high. I felt empty when I finished this book. The first thing I thought was: Is this it? Is this how one of my all-time favorite series ends? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. With the huge gap between the last release and this one, I wonder if the author was just done with this series but didn't want to leave the readers hanging. Am I happy that JA Redmerski at least finished this series? YES! But I was hoping we would finish with a huge bang. I really hope you enjoy this book more than I did. Jessica is still one of my favorite authors and I look forward to her new projects.