Cover illustration, chapter headers and beetles by Elisabet Portabella

Interior illustrations by Karl James Mountford

The final instalment of M.G. Leonard’s trilogy begins just eleven days after the devastating finale at the Film Awards…

Somewhere, deep in a rainforest and hidden from the world, Lucretia Cutter has put her plans for world domination into action. By unleashing her beetle swarms on the world’s crops, her attack on humanity has begun. With her daughter locked in the cells deep beneath the biome, and Darkus’ Dad at her side, she is ready to test the final stage of human pupation.

Back in London, Darkus is determined to find out where Lucretia has taken his Dad and prove to the world that the renowned entomologist is innocent of the crimes the world’s news outlets are accusing him of, and Bertolt, Virginia and their brave, brilliant beetles are ready to fight with him once again. But it’s not just his Dad he needs to save, it’s Novak too – and the rest of the world!

A fantastic finale to a tremendous trilogy, Battle Of The Beetles had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. The friendships are closer, the character’s emotions are heightened, and their adventure takes its most dangerous turn yet. From the elegant architecture of Prague, to the jaw dropping beauty of the Venezuelan rainforest, M.G. Leonard’s words bring her settings vividly to life. The tension that builds throughout is eased by Humphrey and Pickering’s bumbling attempts to finally collect their pay check and Karl James Mountford’s wonderful illustrations.

But that isn’t all. Entwined within the captivating story is a whole heap of science – about a wide ranging colony of beetles from egg through every stage of pupation, ecosystems, DNA and genetic modification, environmental issues and rewilding.

Budding entomologists can revel in the details provided in the glossary, and find out more from some of the same fascinating books and websites as M.G. Leonard, while researching the science facts required to make science fiction so utterly believable.

I have loved every single moment of this imaginative, heart felt, thrilling trilogy, and while I am sad that my journey with Darkus, his friends and the beetles is at an end, I know that their courage, determination, and unwavering friendship will spur them on to great things in their adventures to come.

As for Novak – who captured my heart in Beetle Boy, and built a permanent home in it in Beetle Queen – well, you’ll just have to read it for yourself…

Great for fans of Aubrey And The Terrible Ladybirds, A Series Of Unfortunate Events and James And The Giant Peach.