The Towering Sky is the third and final instalment of futuristic teen series ‘The Thousandth Floor’. Following in the same vein as the previous books, we see our privileged and beautiful narrators as they navigate the fall out of various secrets finally coming to light, mixed in with a little teen angst and drama.

This instalment is really all about Avery and her relationship with adopted brother Atlas, as well as being the ‘darling’ of the New York scene and the travails this incurs. I like Avery. She’s described as a genetically designed perfect individual, but she never sees herself as this. In fact, she’s deeply insecure, constantly comparing herself to her friends while remaining deeply loyal to the end. She comes across as a genuinely good character, who exudes a warmth while remaining charismatic and interesting. This can be hard to do in novels like this, where most characters appear vapid with little substance to them. Avery is more complex than this, and I would say she’s well developed.

Leda is another well developed character, troubled by her unpredictable nature and struggling with her past actions. It was nice to see her interactions with Avery and Watt, although I did find the conclusion to her storyline a little too ‘neat’. I would have liked to have seen her interact with the other narrators a bit more too. Especially Rylin, who she shares a lot in common with.

The weakest character was Calliope. I found her storyline unnecessary, and because of the nature of her storyline she’s more of an enigma. We don’t know much about her history, and I found myself not really caring. Her story also isn’t linked in anyway to the main plot, and aside from a brief interaction with Avery she doesn’t communicate with any of the other characters making her a little redundant. I could have down without her to be honest, and felt that as a whole her character had an air of ‘missed opportunity’ about it. She could have been very handy to have around as Avery’s world decends into chaos. I also found Rylin a bit of an accessory, and her storyline was rather bland and predictable.

I found this very similar in tone to the other novels in the series. It’s a total guilty pleasure that is very easy to read, and flows reasonably well. It’s nevr going to win literary awards for the writing style. It’s simplistic, and very ‘young’ in tone - but this suits the overall feel of the novel. I will say that I was disappointed in certain plot points that petered out and didn’t conclude to my satisfaction - such as the murder mystery element that started well, and then was sort of forgotten about only to be hurriedly concluded. I also found certain reveals of secrets that have been built up over the course of the three novels to fall rather flat, which was disappointing. I wanted to see more the fallout, rather than the rushed ending that I got. I wanted more of the trauma, and less of the fairy tale.

That said, this was entertaining and a rather enjoyable light read after some heavy nonfiction. Would recommend.

The Towering Sky is the third and final book in Katherine McGee's completely addictive Thousandth Floor trilogy. Set in a futuristic New York, it follows a group of teens from different backgrounds who live in a skyscraper with (you guessed it) a thousand floors. For me this series is very YA soap opera in the best possible way, reminding me of the OC or Revenge (it's also compared to Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars but I haven't seen or read either). There are secrets, lies, forbidden love, a rags to riches story, drug addiction, blackmail, kidnapping, murder, celebrity and even a bit of politics this time around (ya know all the good stuff). It is definitely not a trilogy you can just jump into anywhere (well maybe but why would you).

Like the first two books in the series this one kicks off with a hell of a hook, Avery, one of our MC's is standing on the roof of the tower (where one of her best friends fell to her death) preparing to give up on her life. She may have been genetically engineered to be perfect but she's no longer willing to play the part. The big question is whether she'll really go through with it and just what has driven her to such an extreme act and well.... you'll have to read the book (which then flashes back to a few weeks previously) to find out. As you can guess it's pretty addictive reading.

I absolutely loved being back in the world that McGee has created, it truly is something special, and the amount of detail around the technology of the future is incredible. What I loved even more however was being back with the characters, who despite a rather shaky start in the first book have really grown on me. It's told from multiple pov's, Avery, Leda, Watt, Rylin and newish character Calliope so I feel like I've really gotten to know and understand them and have somehow become invested in them (well most of them - more on this later).

The story picks up a few months after the dramatic conclusion of the previous book with the characters seemingly moving forward with their lives. Avery is in a new relationship, Leda is recovering from her drug addiction, Watt is okay-ish, Rylin is back with ex boyfriend Hiral and Calliope is settled in New York. Needless to say this progress is all put in jeopardy when the police begin investigating Mariel's death and find links between Mariel and the others which could result in all of their secrets being revealed. There's also the big question of who did kill Mariel and why.... and I think I'll leave it there before I give anything away.

There's a lot going on this book and the author contends with some big questions and issues, handling everything from teen drug use, our dependence on technology, the dangers of unregulated or illegal technological advances, the pressures of celebrity and the role of the press and also politics and image with great skill. It was only when I thought back over it that I realized just how much the author had snuck in there without me realizing (as I was too caught up in the story).

I do have to admit however that this is not a book without flaws, as there were a few things around that niggled at me. Firstly, this book is badly in need of a previously section or at least some character descriptions. Around the first 15% of the book is taken up with trying to fill in the backstory and there is so much to catch up on that it feels a tad forced and unnatural. It would have been far better in my opinion to have a few pages before the prologue to remind the reader, then the story could have focused on the now.

I also felt that this book was missing a lot of the mystery and the tension of the previous books. What I loved the most about the second book in particular was that it was packed full of shocking twists and turns and kept you guessing till literally the very last page. Not sure if it's just that I guessed most of the ending pretty early on but there weren't the shocks or surprises I expected.

And finally, Calliope. I'm sorry but I've never really understood her inclusion as an MC, particularly in this story. I don't like her and other than a minor interaction with one of the others (which okay is important) her storyline never really crosses the others. I could accept her role in the second book but nope, she should have left early on.

This griping probably makes it sound like I didn't enjoy this book but that's truly not the case as I did find it to be yet another engaging and addictive read and I had to find out how it all would end. When it does come the ending is pretty much spot on. Rylin and Calliope's stories are perhaps a little rushed but Watt, Leda and Avery's are wrapped up nicely. I even found myself becoming a tiny bit emotional, something that never happened in the previous installments. I am a little devastated it's all over and would not be averse to another book set in this world.

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars. This is the third and final instalment in The Thousandth Floor trilogy.

Set in the futuristic thousand-floor skyscraper that dominates the Manhattan skyline, this follows all of the drama that comes with the territory of being one of the building's wealthy 'highliers'. The multiple perspectives means an array of stories are continually revolving around the central plot-line and they all converge in a drama-filled and explosive fashion!

Just like the former series instalments, I found this to be such a fun and enjoyable read, which provided an almost voyeuristic insight into the life of the rich, young and fabulous. I did, however, find this to be the most romantically-inclined and angst-heavy of the three and found myself yearning for the seeming simplicity of the others.

The sci-fi setting has always been light on details, which I did not mind, but I found this to have the most contemporary feel of them all, which was perhaps fuelled by the ending. Some characters seemed to have their stories too neatly concluded and it felt a little inauthentic: many relationships were created or re-converged in the final quarter, meaning almost every character was coupled off. Others had little details provided, and these were my favourites, were I could envisage their lives continuing on after I had turned the final page.

In all, this still maintains the fun, escapist vibe the series previously had and, although not my favourite of the three, concluded a series I would love to see stretched and a world I would love to re-immerse myself in, in the future.

This has been a bit hit and miss for me as a trilogy. On the whole I come down on the side of really liking it and I suspect the parts that I was less taken with have more to do with me falling outside the target audience somewhat. I thought this was a fitting and satisfying conclusion to the series. It was enjoyable and occasionally bizarre, but I recommend it for actual YA readers.

"Wasn't this city full of people from nowhere, people who remade themselves the moment they arrived?"

* * * 
3 / 5

The Towering Sky, like the rest of the Thousandth Floor trilogy, was definitely a guilty pleasure sort of read. It was gossipy, it was dramatic, it had forbidden (and disturbing love), and was generally full of love, lust, and lies. And I loved it for it. However, The Towering Sky felt pretty much the same as The Dazzling Heights - it almost felt like I was reading the same book. 

"Leda had learned the hard way what happened when you went digging for secrets you were never meant to learn"

One of the things I love the most about this series is how complicated it is, yet how easy it is to slip back into. These characters are crazy. You need a little diagram to keep track of all the relationships between them, how they all know each other, what their secrets are and who knows them. Yet it was so simple to pick up The Towering Sky and fall back into the story, the author gently reminding you of all the previous book's events as you go. 

The book opens with the suspicious death of Mariel, Eris' girlfriend, who drowned in a river. Avery, Watt, Leda, and Rylin are drawn back together by a police investigation that is slowly putting together the pieces that connect Mariel's death to Eris' and with it the nasty secrets of these four young people. I think the plot is why this book feels so much like the last one: Watt is after Leda but is worried that people will find out about Nadia; Rylin is after Cord but is concerned about her drug-dealing past; Leda is suffering with addiction and her actions in The Thousandth Floor; and Avery is trying to get over her one true incestuous love for Atlas. It's all so very familiar.

"Rylin was getting pretty sick of the boys in her life making decisions without bothering to consult her"

Like in The Dazzling Heights, I think my favourite character was still Calliope: she of the changing lives and the con artist lifestyle. Calliope and her mother have decided to stay in New York and actually go through with this marriage, but Calliope's new sister-in-law has it out for her and she's finding it terribly difficult to adhere to the image of a straight-laced bohemian do-gooder. What I also liked was the ending. The culmination of all the secrets, all the lies, coming to a boiling point and the outburst of drama. McGee knows how to write a good ending. 

The Towering Sky is perhaps the weakest book in the trilogy. But that doesn't stop it being an enjoyable, drama-filled page-turner. 

My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of The Towering Sky.

The story follows on from where The Dazzling Heights left off, with our characters dealing with the aftermath of what happened.

I love Katharine McGee's writing style it is so easy to follow, especially when the chapters cover different points of view. Reading this was like coming back to old friends, these characters are just so well written and you just can't, not love them. McGee shows these characters warts and all and does not sugarcoat them.

With these characters it is so hard to choose a favourite, I love Leda and Watt I think they work so well together. Leda is able to be herself with Watt and doesn't have to hide who she really is from him.

I loved this story so much but I was so sad to say goodbye to these characters, I found myself devouring this in two days as it was just that good and just flew by so quickly.

With all these books the first chapter just knocks you in the gut and you need to carry on to find out how the character got to that point. We also follow the mystery surrounding Mariel's death and who committed this (I was quite surprised by this as I honestly never saw that one coming).

I found that I loved the ending and felt the character deserved what she had in the epilogue, and I just hope they manage to find each other.

Overall a great ending to the trilogy, and I am sad to see this end as I will always want more of these characters. If you haven't read the trilogy start, you won't be disappointed.

I read the first book in this series a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it however never got around to reading the next book until i saw this one on Netgalley.
Thank goodness i did because i was instantly swept up by this unique (yet somehow relatable) world all over again.
This book is the third in the series and wrapped it all up really nicely, i cant wait to see what the author does next.