The Backstagers and the Final Blackout (Backstagers Book Three)

Author Andy Mientus (who is also an actor) concludes his trilogy of books based on The Backstagers comic by BOOM! Studios.  The first two books were a lot of fun, and this third book wraps up the adventures of these young backstagers as they try to prevent the theater artifacts from falling into the wrong hands.  It's always a joy for me to read books that combine more than just one of my loves - and in this instance, the combination of mystery, theater, and comic books pretty much cinches the fact that I'm going to love it!

The Backstagers and the Final Blackout brings our intrepid group of theater students face-to-face with the evil Thiasos Organization in a final battle over the theater artifacts.  Beckett and his merry band have safely stored the four artifacts they have recovered in a place that Thiasos can never find - or so they thought!  So, what happens when a masked stranger not only finds them, but manages to break through the defenses in place and steal all four of them, with the help of his own two artifacts that he has in hand?  The backstagers quickly realize that means there is only one artifact left the Thiasos Organization does now have: the Show Bible!  It then becomes a race against time to find the Show Bible before the enemy does, because if they don't, life as they know it will be changed forever!

Of course, Mientus does not make it easy on our heroes - Beckett is struggling to balance his work with the backstagers with his time with Bailey (his girlfriend), who has no idea the secrets he is keeping.  Meanwhile, Jamie and Timothy are preparing to graduate, which means final exams, choosing the right college, and passing the torch.  Sasha is growing more confused about his Genius and what it means for him and how to understand what it can tell him, and Hunter is beginning to question whether fighting for all of these artifacts is truly worth the cost.  Despite these personal dramas, though, they manage to follow the clues to locate the Show Bible (which includes a fun-tastic trip through a number of show-themed tests that really put our heroes through the ringer and force them to embrace the talents they all possess!) - but just as they think they have it, the Thiasos Organization shows up and takes it out from under them!

Anyone that has ever been in the theater knows - there is always way more drama going on behind the scenes than there actually is on the stage!  And Mientus definitely captures the truth of that statement in this final part of the Backstagers' battle for the theater artifacts.  The climactic battle with the Thiasos Organization reveals a dark plan that not even the members of the organization realize the full extent to which it will change reality as they know it, but it also reveals a traitor from the backstagers' own school!  Ultimately, one of the backstagers makes a huge sacrifice to save everyone, and it requires all of the skill, knowledge, and quick-thinking on the part of Beckett and his friends to save their own being possessed by a theater god for all eternity!

When I first saw Mientus as the Pied Piper on CW's The Flash, I did not know at the time that he had a background in theater and that, years later, I'd be reading and enjoying books that he wrote.  Mientus is a multi-talented man who has shared his love of the theater and writing with fans like me, and for that, I thank him profusely!  And because of these books, I'm on my way to check out The Backstagers comic from BOOM! Studios (which, by the way, happens to be drawn by Rian Sygh, the very same person who provided the art in all three of Mientus' books!).

With this trilogy concluded, I'm left wondering - just what will Mientus surprise us with next?

RATING:  9 trails of candy out of 10 for providing an all-ages story that combines theater, supernatural, mystery, drama, and romance in a tale that is fun and engaging and can be enjoyed by everyone!