Messenger by Lois Lowry

“Six years earlier Matty had come to Village as a scrappy and devious little boy. Back then, he liked to call himself “the fiercest of the fierce,” but since that time, Matty had grown almost into a man under the care of Seer, a blind man whose special sight had earned him the name. Now Matty homes that he will soon be given his true name, and he hopes it will be Messenger. But strange changes are taking place in Village. Once a utopian community that prided itself on its welcome to newcomers, Village will soon be closed to all outsiders. As one of the only people to safely travel through the dangerous Forest, Matty must deliver the message of Village’s closing and try to convince Seer’s daughter, Kira, to return with him before its too late. But Forest has grown hostile to Matty too, and he must risk everything to fight his way through it, armed only with an emerging power he cannot yet explain or understand.”

I was glad to see that Matt (from Gathering Blue) was the main character of this book. He has grown up a lot since the last time we saw him and is now living in the Village with Kira's father (the Seer). The Village is a place where people can come as a refuge from their previous homes. It is there that we are reunited with Jonas (from The Giver), who has become their Leader. I was happy to finally have some resolution on what happened with Jonas, and even to find out all the improvements that have taken place with Kira. For all three books I was just filled with frustration as I read. I appreciate the concept and what the author was going for, but in each case I felt the story ended too soon. Each had a hint of closure and the hope that everything will work out, but I was again left wanting more. It was frustrating to think that so much time and creativity had gone into each story and the endings just didn’t do it justice.

Book One: The Giver
Book Two: Gathering Blue
Book Three: Messenger