Book Review: Crystal Crowned by Elise Kova

Not gonna lie, after the fourth book, I was getting a little exhausted from this series, but I really wanted to get through it and see how everything ends for Vhalla and Aldrik!

This one had a bit of a slow start. There were a lot of logistical things to work through. I read this the week I was down with the flu, though, so I was able to wade my way through it.

When you reach the finale of a long series, especially one where there are wars and magic, sometimes, it can get overwhelming with how much goes into them. That wasn't the case here. I didn't find the prose to weigh down the plot of the story. The battles didn't drag on like in some other books.

But, to be honest, by the time I got here, I was a little tired of the series. I think it's a personal thing because I really love tension between the love interests, but Vhalla and Aldrik found their HEA in the last book, and this one was more about resolving the outstanding world issues.

All in all, there wasn't a ton in this book that really stuck out to me, but I was already so invested in the series that I finished it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't earth shattering either.

There is a sequel series focused around their child, and I will one day pick it up, but not for a while.

Thanks,

Abbie

Book Review: Water's Wrath by Elise Kova

Soooo... Earth's End... The war is over, but so are Vhalla and Aldrik.

Or are they?

To be honest, I was sort of looking forward to Vhalla and Aldrik being separated. One thing I really love about romance is the *tension* and when a couple is happy and in love, there's not much tension at all.

This book starts out with Vhalla at the Crossroads--a marketplace at the heart of the continent and the place where her friend Laurel died in book two. It's been a couple of months since she fled the north, after having her heart broken by the prince. The war is over. What else is next for the Windwalker?

Well, there's some awkwardness when she finally sees her friends again. Some of the golden guard, Prince Baldair's soldiers, find her, and then subsequently she's captured by these Knights of Jadar briefly mentioned in the prior three books. But! Nothing can stop our windwalker. While she is kidnapped, she subsequently escapes and returns to the capitol because that's where Aldrik is (oh and she's wanted for murder).

Out of the entire series, this book felt the most like a filler. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it. Mainly that there wasn't a lot of action going on.

The saddest thing really was the death in this one. Sigh. RIP.

As far as Aldrik and Vhalla being separated.... yeah that didn't last long. I would have liked a little more pining, forbidden touches, etc., but Vhalla and Aldrik are far too honorable for that sort of thing. Damn.

In the end of this one, our hero is betrayed and a new kind of hell breaks loose. Keep an eye out for my last review in this series: Crystal Crowned!

Abbie

Book Review: Tide & Tempest by Lindsey Pogue

Alright, y'all, I'm back with the third and final book in Lindsey Pogue's Forgotten Lands series. After Dust and Shadow and Earth and Ember, I was pumped to get into this one!

While the first two novels were closely linked together, even going so far as seeing characters from the first novel to the second, this third novel was almost completely separate. There was a nod to the ending of Earth and Ember at the beginning, but for all intents and purposes, this was a completely unrelated story that takes place well after the events of the first two novels. While I found this slightly jarring, it wasn't unwelcome. Though, a part of me did want to see Jo & Clayton or Kaia & Luke with little ones running around while they explored.

That being said, this novel felt like an almost different world, but not in a bad way. What I liked most was seeing just how different this society was from Sagebrush in the prior two books.

What I also really liked here was that I had no idea who the love interest was.

At the beginning, we meet Samara and her best friend Link. Here I am thinking, cool, friends to lovers! Then, we meet Erik. Samara's sworn enemy. CUE ENEMIES TO LOVERS! But wait! There's more: a new man who works at the main character's father's right hand side, Rafael.

WHICH ONE WILL IT BE?

I can usually predict how romance arcs are going to happen, and I enjoy that, but I really enjoyed having no idea what the hell was going to happen in this novel!

Samara's father left after raiders attacked their village, leaving behind many without parents and friends. Her father, a cold a distant man to begin with, leaves his daughter to go in search of the raiders who stole his wife and unborn child. Samara even permanently marks herself as a way to get his attention, and it doesn't work.

Fast forward six years. Samara is now an adult. She's been ostracized by most of the people in the village, though she is quite formidable with an axe and always lends a hand to anyone who needs her--even her enemies.

The story picks up when she finds raiders outside of the city on a scavenging trip. From there, she flees back to the city only to discover--her father has returned. While on his travels, he destroyed the man who killed Samara's mother, took over his empire, and has been working to keep the seas raider free. He's returned for Samara who, understandably, wants nothing to do with this joker. With him, he brings his "wife" and her son Rafael as a way to show Samara about life outside of her village.

This was probably my favorite of the three stories, even though it was the most different. I thoroughly enjoyed figuring out just who Samara's love interest was and to see her struggle with her father's return. Pogue does a wonderful job exploring familial trauma in this novel. It was definitely a great read, and I highly recommend it!

Abbie