Review: The Three Secret Cities

The Three Secret Cities by Matthew Reilly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**Re-read 09/20**

Basically it's all the global adventuring fun of the first three books with all the fangirling fun of the fourth book. STILL GOOD.

I still lost my mind over the best bits. It's just that epic.

Also, 2020 is here and although it's mostly been terrible the silver lining is quite clearly that we finally get the next book in this series. <3 Patience is a virtue, friends.


**Original Review 10/18**

OH MY GOD I CAN'T DEAL.

And you're telling me I have to wait til freaking 2020 for the next one?!!

I don't even know how to process this.

This book has been my most anticipated read of 2018, and it did not disappoint.

There's the trademark action involving vehicles and guns, chases, puzzles and some seriously evil villains. Once again, Jack has to save the world with assistance from his friends, solving riddles and brushing shoulders with death. It's super far-fetched, so if you're one of those people who needs realism, this is probably not the series for you. Me, I personally love how outrageous things get, and I'm more than happy to suspend disbelief.

It picks up where The Four Legendary Kingdoms left off, with the Minotaurs having to face what comes out of the coffins, while Jack is back home, recuperating. I had to flick through the last half of 4LK to refresh my memory and it was well worth it. This is a definite continuation of that story, but its own contained arc of it.

This is back to the global scale of the first few novels, meaning we've got more characters as well. I was so happy to have the twins pop up again! I also LOST MY MIND when one particular character showed up that I wasn't expecting. I still grin maniacally thinking about that grand entrance. SO BADASS. *swoon*

I love the way these characters interact with one another, so I was sad they were all so spread out! They kinda clump in groups of two or three, but it does allow for fast action in multiple locations so it works.

The locations themselves were a lot of fun to puzzle out, as with any Jack West Jr book. Reilly does some meticulous research, then plays around with history wherever there's a gap and it's always a good time reading about all these myths and legends that have been turned on their heads. The scale is always big and he uses familiar legends and historical figures so that you're easily drawn in.

There was a teaser recently from the author that warned he did something terrible in this book, and it was in my mind the whole time. I was constantly wondering which of our favourites was gonna die, and if he was in fact going to kill someone or just teasing. That little teaser had me believing anything is possible, so all those fatal situations became so much more real! Because suddenly there's no, 'oh he can't kill off a main character' moments and it amps up the intensity instantly. (Read it for yourself to discover the Mystery of the Teaser :P)

SO MUCH INTENSITY.

I loved it, but it gave me mild anxiety on repeated occasions.

Safe to say, I LOVED THIS BOOK. It had everything I've come to love from Reilly's books, and it's just such a fun ride to lean back and enjoy. There's never a dull moment, but it has its emotions, too, so that you can really invest in these characters.

The cover is gorgeous, too, and the inside cover is also gorgeous but totally intriguing and confusing. I could study the pictures and diagrams in this book for hours.

Highly enjoyable, totally worth the wait, and absolutely ridiculous fun.

Matthew Reilly fans should enjoy this one immensely, and for people who love treasure-hunt-type action, get onto the first book, Seven Ancient Wonders so you can enjoy the journey properly.

Copious thanks to Pan Macmillan Australia for my sneaky early copy.

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