#Review - End of the Lie by Diana Rodriguez Wallach #YALit #Thrillers

Series: Anastasia Phoenix #3
Format: E-Book, 253 pages
Release Date: March 4, 2019
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller

With her harrowing tale of espionage and near death experiences finally out in the open, Anastasia Phoenix thought things would be better. That she and her friends had outsmarted Department D, the criminal empire her parents helped create.

She thought wrong.

Former friends have turned to enemies, causing more innocent lives to get swept up into the dangerous world her parents created. Now it’s up to Anastasia to stop the damage before anyone else gets hurt—or worse. She embarks on a treacherous trail from Poland to Prague, and old rivals emerge at every turn. But when the final confrontation occurs, will she be too late to protect the ones she loves... or even herself?

 

End of the Lie is the third and final chapter in the Anastasia Phoenix trilogy by author Diana Rodriquez Wallach. This story continues where Lies That Bind left off. Everything has changed for 17-year old Anastasia Phoenix. It started 4 years ago when her parents were presumed to be dead and her older sister Keira was forced into raising her alone. Then she was too was thought to be dead in a highly suspenseful first installment called Proof of Lies which sent Anastasia on a globe trotting adventure to discover some blistering truths about her family.

Since finding Kiera, AP and her allies found out some deep dark secrets about her parents, their role in a mysterious agency called Department D, as well as Anastasia's own apparent biological father, things have gone even further into bizzaroland. The events from the previous two chapters have led us to this point in the series. AP has a few allies which include her sister Keira, her best friend Charlotte Conner, as well as Julien Stone who was once a target of AP's parents.  Charlotte is the brains behind the operation, while Julien is the cash cab.

I should also add Marcus Rey, another Dresden kid, as the author is calling them, who has been tied at the hip with AP since the first installment. He is a character who actually caused my review to be lower than what I had previously determined. I had some bad vibes towards Marcus several times in this story. I know that AP and Marcus are just trying to survive in a world where things are more grey, than they are black and white. But, at times, it felt as though Marcus forgot that AP is a human being who has feelings.

As the story opens, another layer is added to the mystery. AP's former best friend Regina, whose boyfriend was killed to send a message to Anastasia's parents, chooses to go on the warpath against Anastasia's family. She has no idea that she is about ready to kick over a very angry bunch of characters who have no moral code when it comes to shutting people up who cause problems. As AP tries to calm her former BF down, Regina's entire persona seems to change which leads her down a perilous road.

Like the other installments, the author takes AP on a globe trotting adventure from London, to Boston, to Poland, and to Prague, in the Czech Republic. Readers who have read this series from the beginning will get the answers that they have been looking for. The story wraps up the major story lines and brings closure to the story and characters. The romance aspects of this series are put on the back burner which didn't hurt by feelings since I already discussed why I had issues with Marcus. 

It's fair to say that I am satisfied with the ending of this story, and the series itself. I don't believe that there is any predictability in the story which is always nice. The book provides enough closure and development for its characters and it leaves the reader satisfied.

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