The Towering Sky by Katharine McGee | Rating: ★★★★★

“That was what she loved about New York. That feeling of utter aliveness, a rush and flow of ruthless, furious energy. That New York belief that this was the center of the world, and god help you if you were anywhere else.”

Katharine McGee, you just slay. You actually destroyed me. In a fun, glamorous way that I would totally allow at least a thousand more times. First of all: WOW. I cannot believe the series is... over. I adored it! It was so very fun and nostalgic; reminding me of that simple time as a pre-teen/teenager where I spent a great deal of the year in anticipation for Gossip Girl and The A-List to have new installments published. The Towering Sky was just as thrilling and seductive as the previous two installments and probably one of the funnest releases this year.

While so many series lose their dazzling factor long before it ends, The Thousandth Floor has never lost its. This is entirely due to Katharine McGee's hypnotic prose, fascinating worldbuilding and ability to write teenagers who struggle with their lives, even in all that decadent privilege. No matter how futuristic The Towering Sky, and its predecessors, is--the dramatic comings and goings of elite teenagers is just the same as they've ever been.




The beginning of the end! If you're a fan of the series, you'll remember the devastating way that The Thousandth Floor began. When you first dive into the conclusion, you'll immediately see just how reminiscent the first few pages of this final installment are to the beginning. I love this.

There was a bit of a time jump between The Dazzling Heights and The Towering Sky, but McGee wastes no time in filling in the gaps for us readers. And boy, is there a lot that has happened or changed sine we last saw our beloved characters.

As usual, the drama is fiery and everything could change in a seconds.

I think my favourite part of this concluding novel is that it doesn't end the way I expected. Not entirely, anyways. McGee really leads readers into one way of thinking, only to lead us in the opposite direction moments later. She takes familiar tropes and makes them her own.

Which is what makes The Thousandth Floor both refreshing and familiar as a series.

That being said, McGee is an excellent writer. She adds extra dimension to her characters and created such a cool world. This was New York City as I'd never seen it--and I can't stress how fun it is. You can see a huge improvement in her prose as well, when compared to the first of the series. Which is a really big compliment, considering it was already fabulous.

I really enjoyed the way she wrapped up all the prior plots. We get a lot of closure and answers on all of the central plots--what does the future hold for Watt and his illegal activities, including Nadia, and what are the odds of him and Leda getting together for good, can Avery move past Atlas and live a happy life with her new boyfriend, what happened to Mariel, will Rylin and Cord ever move past their differences?

Overall, there have been so many questions left lingering in the trilogy and Katharine McGee works her a*s off to make sure they all are wrapped up. I won't spoil the ending but I will say--I loved it, I couldn't believe it was over yet I felt very satisfied, and her longtime readers will be happy with the final chapters.

Get ready for heartbreak, love, growing up, and a whole lot of drama and luxury!