Review: The Three

The Three
Author: Sarah Lotz

Publication Date: May 22nd 2014        

~An advanced readers copy was provided by Hodder and Stoughton in exchange for an honest review~

 

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Black Thursday. The day that will never be forgotten. The day that four passenger planes crash, at almost exactly the same moment, at four different points around the globe.

There are only four survivors. Three are children, who emerge from the wreckage seemingly unhurt. But they are not unchanged.

And the fourth is Pamela May Donald, who lives just long enough to record a voice message on her phone.

A message that will change the world.

The message is a warning.

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I didn't know what to expect from The Three, contemporary mixed in with horror? Paranormal? It's what was great about going into it, the synopsis is pretty vague and no way is it an open book. That being said, It's inevitable that when it comes to Armageddon, The Four Horsemen and the end of the world, we are, at some point, going to point straight to Religion. However, I just didn't expect The Three to rest heavily on it. And it did. For most of it.  

The story of the Three has already happened, the events have taken place the outcomes of actions over the months in different platforms. We have emails, IM conversations, interviews, letters, medical reports, addressing different people and main players to build up to the events that took place. We're reading from accounts of after whatever has taken place. So, I'm not going to lie. It's confusing at first, and it did take me a while to actually get into it. It's all very technical and professional in places it needs to be. We have a huge cast all with different voices that can be distinguished once you get into it, but again, it's confusing because there's so many different ones it's hard to keep track of the story. 

The Three has a slow build up, there's meaning to all of it, and once it comes together there's just this click because of the way the build up was going you thought it's gone in a different direction  because of the religious aspect, but then only to twist it right at the last possible second and then poof. Mind. Blown.

The religious aspect is a major player woven into the story that kind of feels like preaching for most of the time and I did find myself skipping those bits because it just seemed to be repeating itself over again and it was long and a little drawn out. But, I do get why it was there, and you'll see that too, because though is maybe a little annoying and I'm not that religious but it raises a million questions as it spirals out of control, because when it comes down to it, we all know religion is a major player in this world. It causes war. It causes disruption. But for some people it's a safe ground. It's a way of life, and though that's not my choice, it is others. That being said, The Three shows perfectly how that very thing can be twisted by importance and cause destruction. Religion doesn't discriminate or cause anything, people do.

I still don't know how I feel about it, once I got to the end because where I thought it was  going, this whole metaphor, that twist brings it right back at you and everything's just oh.

While for the most of it The Three is confusing and a little dull, it's addicting and how everything unfolded was quite brilliant.  

Rating: 3.5-4/5