User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
This was very anticlimactic. I feel awful giving it a 2 star rating but that's all it gets.
I have been waiting since book one to know more about Wild and why she's wanted, why her brother was killed. I thought this book would answer those questions but it didn't. Instead we are told who had been stealing the kids when that was not even the main plot line initially. I thought it was a secondary arc but apparently not.
So I still don't know who the shadowkiller is, I don't know why he is after her, why her brother was killed. It just seems a waste of time stringing us along for three books and still not having everything resolved. There is a possibility that there might be another book but quite frankly I am no longer interested.
Rating: really liked it
Book 3 and it is a Harry Potter on an acid trip at the Universal Studio ride.
This is the end of The Culling Trial but not Shadowspell Academy, I hope, because while we finally see Wild and the gang bond and each of them grows into their magical ability we still don't have much clue about Wild's parents and other mysterious stuff especially the Sandman and the Shadowkiller.
I think these motley crew underdogs are entertaining, love their chemistry and their bonding. I just hope the next part will be solid in character development, bits, and clue, politic, and romance, maybe?
just not another roller coaster ride of kidnap and assassin....too much and it'll get boring, ya know.
Rating: really liked it
I hope this isn’t the end of Wild’s story.
Rating: really liked it
Pages: 186
My rating (stars): 5
MC: Wild
SC: Billy, Sam (twins, brother and sister of Wild), Rory (Wild’s best friend), Tommy (Thomas the older brother), Drexia nickname: Wally, Pete nickname Freckles, Sandman = Sideburns = Sunshine = Rufus, Gregory Goblin nickname Biebs, Orin, Ethan Helix
The Culling Trials end in this book. And I really loved this series and hope there will be a follow up, because I am sure the story just began. So since I don’t want to spoil anything this is only a short review. I got this book today and starting reading it today and finished it in not even half a day. I could not put it down. And today the next book is released but Breene skiped out of the series and Meyers is the only author for the next parts.
Summery of the contend of the book. Loads of spoilers are included, so don't read it, if you are reading the book for the first time. But if you want a reminder what happened and have read the book, you will get a detailed summery here.
(view spoiler)
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Again the book starts where the other ended with Rory finding Wild and Colt kissing. He starts a fight with Colt and Colt is out cold fast. Rory tells Wild that she has to keep herself save but she replies a group of two is a group. Wild is annoyed because Rory is overprotective.
When she gets back to her dorm room the others are their after they interviewed people who know the missing kids. The all found out, what Wild and Colt uncovered already: each of them were mediocre in their skills. And each of them where offered an easy out of the trials and into the academy.
That night Orin and Wild plan to break into the office of Director Frost. Before Wild has strange nightmares, where the person, who is after her, is part of the dream. When Orin wakes her up they sneak out of the room only to run into their roommates. They all want to come along. On the way to the office they hear people roaming the mansion. Wild fells a Vampire and because they are talking she knows the Sandman and Rory are the persons there. Rory wants to check on Wild. They leave but the Vampire Jared does not follow them. The question is who is following whom? Ethan breaks into the office with the help of magic. The only find a red file and when they open it, it’s a file about Wild with stamp that Wild is missing.
Day 5 of the Trials: Somebody wakes up Wild because it is 9 am and everything is still dark, the moon shining. Jared comes into the room and tells them that today is the trial of the House of Night. They get ready and board a bus. But somehow they end up alone on the bus. The driver is talkative. Turns out he is related to Gregory and he and Gregroy’s family don’t know that Gregory is missing. Wild is reminded of Tommy because they do know that he is dead but know nothing about the reason how and why he died.
Ethan found his cheat sheets and tells the group that they will be up against Necromancers first, then Ghostwalkers and finally Vampires. Wally tells them that the Necromancers will send Zombies after them, and they can only be bested (lay back to rest) if they disable the Necromancer.
They enter the trial and nobody is following them because it is the only bus which went to this entrance. Wild get her warning of danger. They find “a pastoral scene straight out of some fairy tails villein’s playbook”. They also are in the cemetery where only people who passed the culling trials are buried safe from being raised. Because a Zombi is a strong in death as it was in life.
And the Zombies start coming at them and there are so much, that they can’t fight them. They can’t figure out if they are have to prove that they can rise to the challenge or if the higher ups want them to fail. And the group thinks that Wild will go missing during the trials and they will be victims because they have to witness this.
As the Zombies come at them they decide to climb a Mausoleum. But Wild gets a warning while she is the last person on the ground. And the cruel necromancer sends Zombie Tommy after Wild. He attacks her but she can’t fight against her brother, until she sees that the eyes are not Tommys eyes. But he is stronger than Wild and it is hard to fight him. But suddenly Rory is there and help her onto the mausoleum, while he disappears into the masses of Zombies. Wild is devoted because she think that Rory will die defending her. But she gets a grip on herself and then she decides that they have to move to the necromancer. She tells Ethan and Pete to stay and try to help to clear a path. Orin throws Wild so she gets a head start. But the aim is off and her head hits a gravestone. Orin and Wally follow her. While they get through to the Necromancer Wally is not reacting well. The Necromancer takes Orin and he tries to fight is, but it is hard. Then the Necromancer taunts her that she is not strong enough to fight him. But her friends tell her that she can do it because she is defending her family. While Orin and Wild fight the Zombies, and Wild is taken by too many Zombies who bite her, try to tear her apart and so on, Ethan and Pete join the group. Wally rises to the challenge and disables the Necromancer. They decide to take the Necromancer as a present for the Vampires. Before they leave the cemetery Wild sees Tommy, with the eyes she remembers. He tells her to keep on fighting.
Because of the Zombie bite Wild has a bad infection and high fever. She is struggling and Orin picks her up and carries her to the next challenge, the ghostwalkers. There she meets her mum, who gives her a boost of energy and tells her that she has to fight and survive. Pete is at her side and tries to get her up, because she has to cross the bridge on her own. Because of the energy boost she does that.
And then they are facing the last Challenge, the Vampires. There are four doors and they have to choose which one to enter. But Wild gets a warning. But before she can come up with another plan four Vampires come out of the doors and taunt the group. But they tell the Vampires that they brought a the necromancer for them. The Vampires are not impressed, even after the group tells them, that the necromancer took Orin. They laugh and say that taking over Vampires is a myth. But Wally demonstrates it with one of the Vampires and tells them she learned it by observing the necromancer.
Suddenly the Sandman, Director Frost and other burst through the four doors and rescue the group. The lead them out of the trial and the group brings Wild to the healer. The healer tells them that they came in time other wise Wild would have been turned into a Zombie. After a painful healing the group caries Wild to the bus and later into their room. When Wild wakes up she hears that her secret is out and she is not kicked out of the school. Orin tells Wild that she ties the group together in a way that is not normal. He thinks that the ties can't be broken easily and that as a Vampire he should be bothered by this, because Vampires are loners. But he is not bothers. Wild tells him that he feels friendship and that it is normal to want to protect your friends.
Wild went into the shower and she takes time to grieve, because she knows that after the shower, there will be no time to grieve before the trials are over. Again she gets a warning and when she enters her room she finds Colt, who is copying Ethans cheat sheets. He thinks that this is payback, because Ethan left him in the first trial.
Day 6 of the trials:
Brainstorming about the situation:
Wild thinks that they should have been killed last night.
Orin thinks that Gregory would not have taken the easy way out.
They decide to investigate where Adam the Directors assistants is. They think about where Adam is. And talk about Jared. Turns out that Jared wants to be Director. Colt tells them that he saw Adam and they decide to go after him. They split up: Orin, Wally and Pete go after Jared. Wild, Ethan and Colt follow Adam.
When Wild and here group go to the after Adam they pass thee portables. Colt tells them that Ethel is the next kid, who get the offer to skip out of the trials. So they want to check out her portable but they find Adam around.Again they have to split. Colt goes to Ethals portable and Wild and Ethan go after Adam. They get caught by Adam. He warns Wild to watch out for herself or even leave the trials running and hiding. But Wild tells him that this is not her style. Adam also confesses, that he is looking into the kidnapping. There is nothing he can do about the other things happening, it's beyond him now.
Ethan and Wild leave Adam after Ethan slipped into the role of the entitled guy. Wild calls him out and he confesses that he always plays a part. They found out that the object Adam carries around is a memory ball, kind of a magical photo album, which records images feelings, sounds and smells - basically the whole memory. The ball has to be opened with a matching Retina.
Wild suggests, that the kids are kept close to the campus. The go back to the place where gregory was taken and follow footprints and other tracks. Ethan sees a stone and Wild joggs around a the tree to get there. On the way she falls into a hole, which was glammored. Ethan gets her up and they both decend a staircase into a cavern. On the stairs they are sucked into a unnatural noisecancelling darkness. The fall and are free of the magical darkness. They go to investigate but are found by the Sandman and an adverary, who fights with the Sandman. Meanwhile Ethan and Wild move on and find the missing kids in cells. But they cannt take them out of their jails. The Sandman fights against Wild and knocks her out. He also wipes here memory. She wakes up the next morning and can't remember what happened after their run in with Adam.
Seventh day of the trials.
They are going to the final trial which is hosted by the House of Wonder. When they enter the trial they are in a bare. Their task is it to withstand a magical spell. Orin goes for a portion and is knocked out. Wild sits at a poker tabls getting warnings. But she gets hit by a spell but manages to counteract. Ethan, Wally, Pete and Wild passed the first challenge. So the have to face the next trial, where they are hit by several hits and have to hit the marge with three spells. Ethan decides to go to the second hardest person. He gets out all right. Wild gets out and owns the ward of her instuctor. But after the challenge Pete and Wally is missing.
In the next trial they have to fight a T-Rex. Ethan gets his head meet a wall, so he tells her some spells and she is able to injure the T-Rex. But at the final show down, the T-Rex bites Ethan quite bad and he has to get to a healer. Luckily Wally and Pete and also Orin find their way back to the group. The help with saving Ethan by telling Wild how to shatter the illusion. They are finally free but the healer cannot save Ethan because he is to far gone. Wild tells her crew, that she has to rescue Ethan. Wally manages it with her necromancer powers.
At that evening they have a ball, where the placement of the persons. Wild finds out that Rory is living and leaves the main hall. Jared comes after her, telling her that Sam has been taken where the other kids are too and she has to come with him. They go back to the dungeons and Adam attacks Jared. But Director Frost comes there too. They tell Wild to free the kids and sent the kids out on an alternative root, but Wild just send them out, the same way she came in. When Jared and Director Frost come back, Director Frost slits Adams throat leaving him to die. Jared starts to take Wild the way they wanted the kids to go. And Director Frost tells wild that there are people with more than one ability. Colt has two but rarely they have five. The Shadowkiller is related to Wild and wants her dead. At the end of the tunnel the Director finds out that Wild send the kids the other way. She tells Wild that she drinks from the kids to rejuvenate herself. And that she and Wild are Chameleons, people who wield more than one skill. Wild tries to fight against Jared ans the Director. But the Director sucks the life out of her. But then Rory and the Sandman come to her rescue as well as her crew. Rory and the Sandman go after the Director and Jared but they get out of the situation and go after Wild. Wild kills Jared which distracts Director Frost and she is taken. That night Wild and Wally have to sleep in a girls room. In the middle of the night they go back to their old room, sleeping with the guys, the whole crew in contact with each other.
The next day the crew and the missing kids have to go to the cauldron ceremony which they missed. They are sorted into the houses. Colt gets two tokens back, one of the house of wonders and the house of shade. The others get sorted as expected. But when it is Wilds turn Rufus the new Director (and Sandman) sends the other out of the room, so they do not witness how many tokens she gets back. She gets all Tokens back and the Sandman tells her to go to the house of shade and that he will watch her and if she behafes like the other Chameleons then he would kill her.
The crew members are sad, because they have to split now that they have to leave for their houses. When Wild arrives at the bus which will take her to the house of shades, she finds out that Rory will be her mentor. In true Wild fashon she ask him how they settle things, when someone wronged her and Rory tells her that she has to challenge the person. And so she challenges Rory. Their friendship seems to heal a bit. They leave for the house of shade and the next adventure.
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Rating: really liked it
I’m on a 4.5 / 5 cusp.... something felt like it was missing and ending to quickly. There has to be another book to this storyline!
Rating: really liked it
I'll bump up the star rating if this isn't the last book in the series. Because it can't be!
Not because I loved this series so much that I don't want it to end. No, it's because book 3 ends with so many things left unexplained. Everyone knows the Wild is Wild (AKA
not her brother Billy) but how do they react? They don't. Unless you count putting her in a room with Wally. Which I don't.
There was all this fuss about Billy. (specifically him) coming to the academy. They sent a letter where they threatened his family if he didn't come and gave him lots of money and a time limit. And yet nobody gives the slightest hint that they care about the fact that Billy didn't come to the academy. WHAT?
Then there's Wild and her crew going around, trying to solve these disappearances. Where's the higher authority, the people in charge? They're supposed to be the ones looking into this not Wild.
Help police, there's a couple of kids (fine, teenagers) getting injured and and almost murderered!That's how I feel. Wally herself says that the Culling Trials are different this year, more people are getting injured. Well, since there's clearly a society of people with magic, there has to be someone in charge. Where's the parents demanding to know why their kids are missing? Where, where, where? It's all a mess.
At this point you can probably see the point I'm trying to make. So, obviously it's no surprise that it's Wild who finds and saves the missing kids. Of course. And after when she and her crew are in an epic battle and she actually
kills someone? What happens? You guessed it, nothing. There's no investigation or anything because as I said it before
there's no one in charge! The next day they have their ceremony thing (I forgot what's its called) where a magaical cauldron ("sorting hat") decides what house they get into (Harry Potter, anyone?). Wild is left alone with Mr. Sunshine (forgot his name) because he says it's better no one knows about her being a chameleon (power of all five houses) but it's OK for him to know? Maybe he's the one in charge? (who knows?)
Wild tells him that she'd rather be chameleon than a null (having no magic).
WHAT THE **** IS WRONG WITH HER?
In the first trial she mocks people for actually wanting to be a part of the magic world when it's so dangerous. But here she is, five extremely dangerous trials later saying that she wants to a part of it. What about her family? Her drunk father? Her fifteen year old sister who's running the ranch/farm/whatever they have? Wild didn't want to leave her family and with good reason but after nearly dying so many times, she bought into the "nulls are losers" mindset and now
wants to be a part of it.
Which is why I'm glad that I'm done with the series for the moment. If the authors write another book, then yeah I'll read it because there's so much left unexplained but for now, I want a break from
The Culling Trials.
Rating: really liked it
How Breene and Mayer have managed to keep this series as exciting and fresh as Book 1 I can't work out. But they keep on delivering.
If could use one quote to sum up the whole series it would be
"And just like that we went from the frying pan into the fire."and also
"Something else was at work here. I could feel it. Something...not right."With only 2 house trials left the anti is being upped. Wilds internal warning system is going on
red alert every single page. Everything that can go wrong, will.
They are facing the toughest houses and it will make or break the crew. There is a reason why I'm using Potter gifs, the wands are out in full force. We even have a
he who can't be named thing going on. The missing kids, Wild's magic, it's all coming to a head.
It continues to be clever, exciting, funny and also fast paced. But it's
anything but over, even when it appear we’ve come to the end of this trilogy.
Rating: really liked it
Oh man, I guess I'm going to be the party pooper.
I've been on this ride of emotions, keeping me in the story and unable to put the book down. WHICH is usually how many books I fall into go but, how this story ended has really dampered my mood.
Why? Cause I feel like it didn't tie up anything, if not more than anything make more questions.
Like, who is this mysterious "shadowkiller"?
How did the fight between her and Rory go?
WHO does she pick, because lets face it, Rory, Colt and Ethan like her and with her liking them back as well.
What happens to her family? Do they try to get her siblings to come as well?
What happens in the school cause I'm sure it not just like that after the trials it done.
Does she see her friends again and how? Cause I feel like she would fight hell and back just to hang out with them.
Now from what I understand that this is the last book of the series but if there is going to be another series that answers everything, then this book deserves so much more. Don't get me wrong, I still love the characters and everything in it, I just feel like it ended way to soon without the ties it much needed.
Rating: really liked it
omg, omg, omg, book 3 is here yay...
This trilogy has been compellingly amazing... and now we are at the end of the Culling Trials I seriously can't wait to see what happens when they are all at the academy, if this team could find so much trouble during the Culling Trials I pity their teachers...lol
Wild, Wally, Peter, Orin, and Ethan are a team whether they want to be or not, they are a seriously magical bunch of misfits who make each other better when they work together...
The Culling Trials have been much more than mere trials for this team but each and every time they have prevailed, somehow...lol most of the time its sheer stubbornness on Wild's part I do seriously love her never give up attitude.
My favorite scene in the book has to be when Wild laughed in Ethan's father's face I mean seriously that was just priceless...
The story is beyond intriguing, the magical loop-holes throughout the plot bring the story more to life and have me jumping out of my seat with wonder as I never know which way the authors will go.
For Urban Fantasy fans this is a serious must read series and I can't wait for more, I can definitely see it becoming an absolute favorite for me.
Rating: really liked it
As Wild and her team continue the trials the danger is greater than ever before and the challenge for the House of Night even sees them facing off against supernatural zombies! The team is still down one member as Gregory and the other missing students still haven't been found so not only is Wild trying to get her group through the last few trials in one piece but she's also determined to find out who is behind the disappearances.
This has been such a fun series to read, lots of fun magic, great characters and plenty of action. We finally start getting some answers about Wild's abilities here and we also see Wally coming into her own as she faces off against another necromancer. I've really enjoyed seeing how the team has come together and that they always have each other's backs, even Ethan makes some positive improvements here although I'm still not sure he can be completely trusted.
The latest instalment has lots of twists and we finally get to see who survives the trials and which houses they get placed in. I'm really hoping the authors decide to continue the series so we can see how the gang get on inside the Shadowspell Academy.
Rating: really liked it
The Culling Trials 3 begins where the second one ended. Right in the middle of the Trials.
Personally I felt this part was the weakest of all the three books published so far. A lot of things were resolved very fast without any fuzz. Other things were dragged on and on, but didn’t do anything for the story itself.
The lack of world building really is a huge disadvantage for this book. I felt left out a lot of times and had the feeling I couldn’t get the whole picture because I was missing so much background info.
It also felt like Wild wasn’t herself in this book, her character was shallow and flat. There was some unnecessary romance in this book as well, which came out of nowhere. (But to be fair, there was some unnecessary romance in the second book as well). Everything in this one was missing substance.
With The Culling Trials 3 ends the first half of this series and we get a real ending, with resolved things and a prospect for the next book in this series.
Rating: really liked it
“Sometimes you’re a good guy, Ethan, and sometimes I want to bitch slap you.”
Looks like its over for now. A great trilogy, this one filled with danger around every corner, secrets revealed and a slight touch of romance. Poor GG is still missing and the standard trials have been thrown out the window. The family team has their work cut out for them.
Favourite parts were Orin throw, sleepover and last message. Favourite character still Pete. Honey badger for the win. Could've been longer but that's my only complaint. Loved it. More please.
Rating: really liked it
I hope this isn't the end!Everything was tied up nicely with the Culling Trials, but I have so many questions! More mysteries unanswered. This can't be the end for Shadowspell Academy! Seriously, I want to see what happens immediately after that ending! Jeez! Please, keeps writing these books!
Rating: really liked it
The series isn't disappointing so far, the trials are over and finally the academy life will begin next book onwards. Can't wait to read them! Btw if you liked reading about Nevermoor, plz give this series a try! It's similar, more mature and more magical+ supernatural.
Rating: really liked it
Book 3 was a lot better than the first 2 books. I give this one 3 to 3.5 stars. This book didn't bore me like the other two and the writing was better.
I didn't like the ending. It ended without giving the reader any real closure for what happens with these characters that we have gotten to know and like. Even a brief epilogue would have been appreciated.
I do not recommend this series. The only reason I kept reading is because I liked the characters and was curious what would happen with them. I didn't care for the writing or the storytelling.
This book felt very anticlimactic and we are left with multiple unresolved plot points and questions that were never answered.
Based on the ratings, I'm clearly in the minority so you might love these books. I just won't be the one to suggest you read them.
