This is the last book in the trilogy, I think (?), and we loved it! I mentioned to my college-age daughter that I was reading it, and it sparked her to re-read Leigh Bardugo's WW YA pass.
It picks up where book two left off, with Diana gripping the portal-infused metal and landing in a cage somewhere in Zumius' domain. She quickly figures out how the cage works, and despite it having two guards, breaks out and discovers…she's still not at the place where the missing kids are! This is a kind of way-station, a holding pen, while the kids are drugged and primed for Zumius to take their powers.
Pursued by a Xerx into the freezing cold, Diana makes it as far as a nearby forest, where she finds an unlikely and rather obvious (to her captors') ally, a gentle Targuni gardener, Inya. They cure Diana's frostbite and fill her in on her situation: she's on the planet Targs, 10 light years from Earth. They give Diana gold coins, and then Diana gives herself up to the Xerx. It's the only way to get to the missing children and make sure Inya is not hurt for helping Diana.
Her captors can't believe they've captured *the Diana,* and again overestimate their drugs and their ability to render Diana helpless. But by this point, she knows she's traveling through space, possibly very long distances, and so she waits until she lands…in Zumius' house. On Earth.
When she figures out Zumius and his cronies are just mortal Earthlings, and that they're still after Imani (who had her memory wiped and lives in Atlanta, remember?), she manages to escape, only to get ensnared by the God Squad, the last few remaining gods with powers who've been assigned to keep Diana and Imani safe.
Honestly, it takes them quite a while to figure out, the girls don't need them. Truly.
But for Imani to be of any help to Diana, Diana has to awaken Imani's memories… and that isn't going to be as easy as she thinks. Zeus, after all, is the one who enchanted Imani's memories away.
Once she does, it's just a matter of time before they find the other kids, strapped to a machine that saps their will to fight and transfers their powers to Zumius.
Will Diana succumb to hopelessness? Never!
I won't spoil how the story unfolds. Just know, this was a GREAT conclusion to Wonder Woman's middle grade adventures, and I'd love to read more!
Enjoy.
