Tigerpetal Press : Book Review: March

Conspiracy 365 Book 3: March by Gabrielle Lord

I liked it

Book 3 of 12! Ends in another cliffhanger, I bet. Not my thing, but I can see it being a great series for preteen and young teen boys.

Read: December 9 – December 10, 2023

Genre: Action/Adventure
Audience: Teen, Young Adult
Book contains: conspiracy, on the run, gruesome injury, snakes, venom

Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca

How Could Things Possibly Get Worse for Cal?

Fifteen-year-old Callum (Cal) Ormond has been on the run for two full months now as he enters March with a train bearing down on him. After another miraculous escape, he meets new friends—and foes—and once again must find a way to avoid police, the criminal lawyer Oriana de la Force, and Vulkan Sligo’s criminal gang.

I’m seeing a pattern in these books—they all end in a massive cliffhanger that’s meant to make you wonder “How is he possibly going to survive?” At the beginning of this book, I even wondered if there was some sort of supernatural/paranormal thing going on, but so far it’s been nothing but reality (albeit unbelievable reality). Cal is always getting himself into the craziest kind of trouble—sharks, gangs, lions, trains—and yet he keeps surviving. He’s determined to figure out the secret his father left behind for him, and also must figure out his mysterious doppelgänger that keeps appearing.

I was a bit busier this weekend, so I didn’t have as much time to read. I nearly didn’t finish the book before Monday, but luckily, Sunday evening was slow. Same old method of reading.

Once again, we’re hearing the story from Cal’s perspective in first person. It’s also set in past tense, which subtly tells you that he must survive by the end, seeing as he’s theoretically able to continue recording the story. It’s a narrative trick to set the book in present tense to heighten suspense, seeing as there’s no guarantee that the narrating character will survive past the end of the story.

We continue following Cal. He has Boges, of course, but after Winter’s apparent betrayal at the end of book 2, he’s more wary of her. He meets a new ally in the aftermath of the train incident, and I’m excited to see where that goes. Jennifer Smith also makes a return, but after Cal misses their last two meetings, can he still expect her help?

I’m seeing a few more hints of romance later on in the story, but for the most part, Cal is making strong friendships and strong rivalries(?) with the people around him. Red Singlet, who’s been chasing him throughout the past few books, finally gets a name in this one, because he’s single-mindedly determined. Another one-scene character from back in book 1 gets to make a reappearance, which is exciting and peculiar; I’d love to see how the story unfolds.

The actions scenes continue to be stupendous; the target audience of this series would love reading disaster after disaster. For me, it’s getting a tiny bit repetitive. Yes, each incident is different, and they need to continue for the sake of the story, but some of the incidents seem so contrived. I suppose you could say that a fifteen-year-old wouldn’t have enough foresight to resolve most of these, but looking at it in hindsight is sometimes incredibly frustrating. Otherwise, the writing is good and the web of mysteries that Lord weaves continues to baffle (in an enticing way).

Preteen and young teen boys should definitely give this series a shot. Action lovers and thrill seekers would love it—but don’t try this at home, folks! Cal makes miraculous escapes and survives impossible situations using his plot armour and a little bit of outrageous luck. I’m sure regular people wouldn’t survive these stunts.

Conspiracy 365 Book 3: March by Gabrielle Lord

How Could Things Possibly Get Worse for Cal?

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