Released
The Eternal Balance #3
Jus Accardo
Publication Date: March 28, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural

Jax Flynn’s life just went from bad to worse. He was already sharing his body with a demon named Azirak, but after killing its mate… Well, shit got real. Now the demon has taken control of Jax’s body and everything he cares for is at stake, including Samantha, the girl he loves. Yeah, that’s not going to happen. It’s time Jax showed everyone what he was really made of.

Where do I even begin… When I first finished this book I was a bit surprised. At first glance I felt like the ending was anti-climactic. But the more I thought about it and reflected on the series as a whol, the more I liked it and applauded Jus on her choice. I expected an explosion of something different and what I got was the best ending possible. There is a high level of tension all throughout this book. Jax and Azi are struggling to co-exist and Azi has basically taken over, something that spells bad news for Jax. I was anxious about this whole development, knowing that the outcome could go any number of ways.

My favorite part of this book was the fact that Sam becomes the hero. Throughout the series, we see her strength (she is never a weak and helpless character) but Jax/Azi is always the one saving the day. In this story, we begin to see Sam embrace her destiny and fight for what she wants and needs to exist. Her determination is one of the best parts of this book. She embodies human resilience and pure love, something that is lacking in a world of backstabbing and demons.

Once again, this book shares the story in dual POVs. This is very important. It allows the reader to understand Sam’s determination. Yet it is most important so that we can understand what is happening with Jax and Azi. The tables have turned and seeing the internal dialogue and struggle allows the reader to understand what is happening. It is incredible how much emotion leaps of the page from both POVs, something that enhances the story, not weigh it down. There is a fair amount of despair and agony, something that could easily make the story into something different. But Jus is able to balance the emotions we read and use the personality and situations to create a story that continually pushes the reader to hope, even when hope seems to be lost.

Released shares the strength of humanity and the resilience of hope in an exciting supernatural story. After taking a moment to process what I had read, I found that this was the best ending for everyone, one that justifies the series. It was satisfying and to get to it, the characters had to endure everything. The suffering, emotion, and struggles they endured allowed them to be who they were in order for the outcome to be. The balance was spot on and the battle of good and evil played out beautifully. The war might not be over, but the battle was definitely won.