Disappointing

 Children of Anguish and Anarchy  by Tomi Adeyemi 

I am so disappointed because I wanted to like this. Book 1 was amazing. Book 2 was a bit of a let down, but that happens. But this? First, it wasn't where I expected the story to go. Second, the emotional punch of the ending was lackluster and I didn't believe it; if there is another book I fully expect the ending to be undone. Zele and company have been captured. They are being held captive on a boat. The captain is killing hostages while he looks for some mystery person that can join with a medallion that is eventually going to turn him into a god. Surprise, it's Zele. They managed to counteract her powers but now, with the medallion she has new powers: storm powers. Her brother leads a rebellion and they all get off the ship and end up on an island somewhere. Zele is having visions of a girl she has to find and protect. They set sail for a different island and immediately get attacked by the locals. But, Zele is able to talk them out of killing them. And, the girl she was looking for is right there. Something happens and Zele dies but they bring her back to life. They make a plan to go attack the captors. It was a setup. Zele dies again but Inan exchanges his life for hers and she lives. They kill the captors. Zele and company, minus Inan who is dead (again), return home. I was expecting a story focused on uniting their people after the civil war. I was not expecting human trafficking and transatlantic slave conditions. This did not live up to book 1 and did not rebound from book 2.