Book Review - 39 Castles: The White Castle

Synopsis
In the third novel of this exciting adventure series, the mysteries of Eleanor’s country are finally revealed . . . After the fall of the kingdom, everyone in England has divided into thirty-nine communities, each based within a castle. This is the way that people live now – in a future that seems like the past. Eleanor, one of a secret elite charged with taking on missions for the Clearheart Castle community, has survived adventure and betrayal. But after returning to the castle, she and Mary soon grow bored of waiting for a new mission. When a familiar figure from Eleanor’s past re-enters her life, it’s the beginning of their biggest and most dangerous expedition yet. Through her discovery of the White Castle, Eleanor discovers what has become of England and is forced to reevalue everything she has learned . . . 


My Review
Like the first two books, the cover is beautiful and the story is short, but i struggled with this book the most. It is supposed to be an exciting adventure, but i found my attention drifting and my concentration slipping. When the group are told of a place where treasures lay from the 'old world' before it became the castle communities, they decide to travel there to collect the lost knowledge and treasure before it falls in the hands of the bad guys. The Castle holding the knowledge is written as The Tower of London, now in the future and abandoned, the group go back to find out about the monarchy and even collect some jewels, all the while trying to prove themselves as a useful part of the community.
This book frustrated me more than anything, for the fact that it doesn't have a proper ending. You sit through the whole book wondering if they will claim the treasure only to have it snatched from under their noses, and then come up with ideas to get it back. then the book just ends. In fact the last sentence is something like "Eleanor knew for certain this was not the end" Well it is, because Matt Thorne hasn't written anything since. I know not every book can end with a happy ending, but it was more of a case of the bad guy has it, we need to do something, and the bad guy saying i have now i will do something with it. Then the book ends. No resolution grrr.
The story settings however are good, but i would like to know which Castles the ones in the story represents as i think they are meant to be based on real Castles. As i said the one featured in this one is The Tower of London, and i think one is Warwick Castle. but i would like to know what the others are.


My Rating
I would give this book 3/10 very disappointing and frustrating. wouldn't read again.