Earlier this afternoon, I finished reading the long-awaited final book of Lili St. Crow's YA dark fantasy series, Strange Angels.  I read the first book perhaps a little over a year ago, and I've been hooked on the series ever since.

The fifth and final book, Reckoning packs one heck of a punch -- believe me, sparks fly at the climax, or should I say grenades?  I'd been waiting through four previous books to see how the chips would fall, and I have to say I was surprised and pleased at how some of the loose ends were tied up -- or left to dangle, as the case may be.

For instance, take the romance aspect of the series, and the question of which guy Dru would end up with.  (Spoiler alert -- if you want to read it and not know the ending, stop reading NOW!)

Throughout the series, Dru had two very different male love interests: Goth Boy, who was bitten by a werewolf because he'd helped her, unknowingly getting involved in her fight against the creatures of the Real World.  And then there was the half-vampire Christophe, whom she is always half-suspecting of betraying her, despite his apparent loyalty and infatuation with her.

The end isn't what you would expect, at least love interest-wise.  Rather than ending up with one or the other, and having to choose between two very different but very loyal boys, Dru doesn't end up with either -- one leaves for his own reasons, but with a promise to return, and she tells the other that she's not ready to make a decision -- but doesn't say no, either.

The lack of a happily-ever-after surprised me, but I loved it for a few reasons.  One, I thought it was most true to Dru's character -- she is tough and independent, but honestly torn between the two guys.  I also respected the fact that the author was probably avoiding having to choose between two very different, but equally compelling characters.  I leaned more toward Christophe, but I'm sure other fans were rooting for Goth Boy, so it was nice that the author left it open and avoided disappointing either "Team Christophe" or "Team Goth Boy."

But finally, I loved the fact that the author was more or less breaking out of the mold, and avoiding the temptation of a subscribed "happily ever after" at the end of her YA series.  Dru doesn't have to be with someone to be strong -- she is that all by herself -- even though we are left with the promise of a future romance (though with whom, we don't know).  What a nice change from the usual fairy tale ending on both YA and adult romances these days!