Review – Shadow of the War Machine (The Secret Order, Book 3) by Kristin Bailey (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: February 3, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1442468054
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Secret Order
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the third and final book in the Secret Order series by Bailey. This book did a fantastic job of wrapping up this series. I really enjoyed both the series and the conclusion a lot. This has been a wonderful YA steampunk series.

Meg is still training to be an Amusementist and still being hunted by the man with the clockwork face. However she is sick of running. She wants to find her grandfather and solve the mystery behind the man with the clockwork face once and for all. Then Will shows up for one of Oliver’s invention unveilings and he offers his help. Meg is so happy to be able to spend time with Will and they end up on the adventure of a lifetime as they follows clues that lead both to the man with the clockwork face and to Meg’s long lost grandfather.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. There are so many awesome steampunk inventions in these books and they are so interesting.

I also really love the characters. Meg is an awesome heroine; she is still a lady but she is also tough and determined and smart. I really enjoy reading about her as a character. This is a good book for her; she goes through a lot but she has the support of friends to back her up.

Will is in this book a lot more and he has grown a lot as a character. I think him and Meg are great together. I also really respect how they love each other, but have both realized they need to grow up and be stable in their own professions and lives before making a life together. They are smart and make good decisions and are great role models.

The plot is very well done with some interesting twists and turns and the story is wrapped up nicely. There is an Epilogue where you see where all the characters are later in life which I really enjoyed.

Overall a spectacular conclusion to this amazing YA steampunk series. I really enjoyed this series and this book a lot. This book wraps up the story nicely and is full of wonderful steampunk contraptions, engaging characters, adventure, invention, mystery, and some romance. I would highly recommend this whole series to all the steampunk fans out there!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge
– Pick Your Genre (Steampunk) Reading Challenge