Outcasts (Ferryman Trilogy)

OUTCASTS by Claire McFall is the third book in the Ferryman trilogy, a YA urban fantasy of sorts that straddles present-day Scotland and the afterlife. Tristan, Dylan, Susanna, and Jack have received their sentencing from the Inquisitor, but it’s not over. Weird occurrences are happening in both the real world and the Wasteland, all fallout from their previous actions. If the Inquisitor gets involved again, their chances at happily-ever-after may be over, but the choice of whether to fight for it or accept their fates is harder than they could have imagined.

Firstly, this book’s construction is pure quality. As someone who enjoys holding a physical book, I found this to be exceptional. The page size, layout, font, cover design, and paper choice all add something special. More importantly than that though, the story on the pages is the best of the series! I especially loved getting to spend time with Susanna and Jack, and seeing how their relationship evolved since the last book. Now, there's more vulnerability and openness between the two, which leads to a lot of raw and charged moments that help propel the story forward. I also like how McFall weaves their plot back in with Tristan and Dylan’s, playing with themes of predeterminism and free will.

Honestly, my main criticism is that there won’t be a fourth book! While I appreciate the end of OUTCASTS, I still have a lot of questions, particularly about the status of the Wasteland, if there have been more issues in the real world, what life looks like for the main characters now, and more. The ending felt a bit abrupt, considering what we’d already gone through with the characters. I genuinely believe there’s more story here, especially since the book leaves off with a potential new mission and purpose for the characters.

Overall, OUTCASTS is what made me fall in love with the series. I’d recommend this trilogy to anyone who is intrigued by the afterlife, romance, and harrowing adventures.

This trilogy hit its stride with this book. I enjoyed every character as they explored new depths and the stakes became higher. In a flip from the last book, my favorite focus was when Susanna and Jack’s torturous and tumultuous fight across the wasteland with no protections was featured.
I continued to enjoy the father, James. He was supportive, protective, loving, and strong at all the right times. He was a balm to the chaotic events to which he and Joan were subjected. Joan was more loving in this book and I liked her better than before.
The wraiths never set right with me in the books. The fact that innocent souls such as the very young, old, or handicapped are more likely to fall prey to them and be transformed because their mental limits affected their physical capabilities in the wasteland was so tragic. This seemed an imbalance that good souls might not make it to a peaceful afterlife. I like that this book set up a way to change that and to save the souls that had been corrupted.
I admire Tristan’s unwavering love for Dylan. Her decisions had real implications for his upcoming eternal existence that looked bleak. Yet, even with the knowledge of upcoming suffering he supported her.
Overall, this was a satisfying ending to the trilogy. It redeemed characters that I had not previously liked. There were several twists in the plot that left the wasteland and afterlife a better place than it began in the first book. This is a series worth giving a chance and following to its full conclusion.