There is no satisfactory closure and no real answers to the dozens of mysteries raised in the story. I am a long-time sci-fi fan well-accustomed to double-digit series, but this is unfinished even by that standard. The big problem with the book is the fact that it ends, but doesn't FINISH. Most of this though happens off camera and is alluded to indirectly. Probably the most disturbing element is the inhumane treatment of the children at the hands of the scientists who have genetically engineered them and raised them as experimental animals rather than as people. There is death too, but it happens to bad guys and is also not "gratuitous"- it is treated somberly and with appropriate angst. However, I did not find it gratuitous or unduly gory.
Mostly fist-fight kind of stuff, but there is some gunplay as well. There IS violence- the bird-children protagonists are hunted by mutant dog-people and have several bloody fights. From a parent's perspective, I would feel comfortable giving it to my 8-year-old, and it wouldn't bother me if my 5-year-old listened as well (though I don't think it would hold his interest). Were it not for the huge flaw of the incomplete ending, I would happily give it 5 stars. It is marketed for teens, but I found it well-suited for a wide age range, including adults. Without the hindrance of these preconceived notions, I quite enjoyed the story. This is apparently an advantage- people who read "When the Wind Blows" and "The Lake House" seem to feel cheated, because this is a re-worked version of the story in those books but does not match up with them. I've never read any other James Patterson books.
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