Spoilers! The Spider Thief Chapters 35 - 44

source: laurencemacnaughton.com

It's the end! But first, what this is all about: here

Ash gets an assist from Prez to evade the feds, cheat death, and then make a clean break from it all. He chooses to stay and fight for his friends and family. Andres tells Mauricio the story of how they found the Spider and became enchanted by her power, until the brothers' dad took it to stop the madness. Cleo is at her wits end, preparing to go on an all-out assault on Andres, when Ash shows up with one final scheme.  Together, they go to make the trade: Mauricio for the statue--but with an ace up the sleeve. The final showdown ensues and it does not disappoint. Of course the plan goes sideways. Of course there's a muscle car in the action.  It's a hair-raising struggle to defeat a crazed and empowered Andres, and it turns out some forces are beyond control.

First, I would like to get one thing off my chest:  What am I supposed to make of Ash calling a guy Kung Fu Noodle Man just because he's Asian and eats noodles? It just isn't creative or funny, so it does nothing for me. The man has a name. It's the Sweeper.

Anyways! There's a final twist about the Spider that I quite enjoyed, because it finally brought the Spooky. When the science-y stuff about the Spider's origins dropped, I was like "That's it?" It felt like known information and Ash was late to the party. It also felt like a letdown for a supernatural thriller. Then the twist happened and I was like, "Yessss!" Well played, Author. I didn't see that one coming.

The final action scene was riveting, of course, underpinned with Andres's madness, the Spooky, and near-death predicaments. It definitely had a cinematic feel to it.

Everyone wound up pretty much where I thought they would. Even Prez didn't fare too badly.

Aside from my previous exceptions, I'm fairly satisfied with the book and enjoyed the read. Again, I'd recommend the story primarily for the fast-paced plot, the cool action scenes, the engaging narrative, and some of the characters. Not every story is perfect on all points and sometimes you just have to roll with it. If you're like me and this isn't your usual genre, The Spider Thief is a nice change of pace and a good gateway book into supernatural thrillers. You won't be underwhelmed or overwhelmed, but you may be pleasantly surprised.

Have you read The Spider Thief, yet? What did you think?