"It's never wrong to hope, Byx. Unless the truth says otherwise."
A fantasy series by Katherine Applegate, Endling stars Byx, member of a bipedal canine race called dairnes. After the rest of her pack is killed by human poachers, she fears she is the endling of her species. Byx sets out to investigate legends of more dairnes.
The first book, Endling: The Last, was published in 2018. The second book, Endling: The First, continues Byx's search for dairnes with her companions Khara, Renzo, Gambler, and Tobble. The third and final book, Endling: The Only, was published in 2021.
The Endling series contains examples of:
- Action Girl: Khara is skilled with a sword or a bow. She teaches Byx a few moves with a sword, who then uses them effectively in battle, making her one too.
- Back for the Dead: Luca appears in the second book after being Put on a Bus, only to die soon after.
- Badass Adorable: Tobble is a small, fluffy wobbyk, but he repeatedly tells the others that they don't want to see an angry wobbyk. When he finally gets in a fight, he's easily capable of defeating humans much larger than him.
- Cats Hate Water: Gambler the felivet can swim, but he doesn't enjoy it.
- Creator In-Joke: Applegate also wrote Animorphs and someone who's read both series can pick up on how she writes birds of prey and big cats in rather similar ways. A red-tailed hawk guard appears. Tigers in Endling sing prayers to the moon and stars before going to their deaths, which they prefer to captivity - very like the rituals Andalites perform in similar circumstances.
- I Am Not Weasel: Byx resembles a bipedal dog, but she hates being called one. She's not a dog, she is a dairne.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: The Knight of the Fire is tricked into falling in a pit trap with long spikes at the bottom.
- Last of His Kind: After the rest of her pack is killed by poachers, Byx fears she is the last dairne and goes on a journey to find more.
- Living Lie Detector: Dairnes have the ability to tell if someone is lying.
- Molotov Truck: Tobble destroys a Marsonian ship by crashing a flaming boat into it.
- Sixth Ranger Traitor: Luca joins the group, but later betrays them to the Murdano.
- Sticky Fingers: Renzo is a skilled thief, and tends to loot as the group travels, to Khara's displeasure.
- Two Girls to a Team: Khara and Byx are the females in the team.
