So, it's come to this: after 11 novels following the story of James Adams, Robert Muchamore's epic CHERUB saga has come to an end (of sorts). Is it the perfect send-off, taking that particular tie from Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows and Lord of the Rings? Will it be a colossal fan-pleaser as it brings James' story to a climax? The answers to those nail-biting questions fans have been waiting to hear since the announcement of the finale in 2009's Brigands MC (3.5/5) are no and yes respectively. Though there is undeniably a sense of closure to the tale in the last 20 pages and references aplenty are given to James moving on as the book opens, the mission itself is a bitter disappointment, basically consisting of tying the loose ends of last year's novel, then flashing back to a previously-unseen venture by Kyle Blueman (which could just have easily been another World Book Day novel like Dark Sun with some cameos from popular CHERUB icons), then to London for the titular mission, then finally back to CHERUB campus to round things off, with a couple of nostalgic locations thrown in for good measure as the book closes off. Despite this, there's a lot to be liked about Shadow Wave: the trademark humour Muchamore is known for is retained throughout, the plot is solid if uneventful, and the climax should at the least let James' fans know what happened to the main character after leaving CHERUB. The main detraction from the ending is the revelation that three more modern-CHERUB books will be released in 2011-13 with appearances from Lauren Adams, Zara and Amy Collins once more, so it doesn't feel like the true end, but perhaps that's what fans have been longing for with Shadow Wave anyway!
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