Debbie's Spurts

This reader's personal opinion, ©2015, all rights reserved, not to be quoted, clipped or used in any way by Google Play, amazon.com or other commercial booksellers* 

This is a hard one to review.  It was very easy to slip back into Yelena and Valek's world and be caught up in the story -- then the story itself caused mixed reactions.  I was hooked quickly and stayed hooked in the stay up all night reading way — Snyder can write.  I would have liked it much better if the main characters had been together more instead of just during the opening and ending chapters (almost as if Yelena and Valek had two short cameos in a book of separated and switching POVs).  

It's not a spoiler (right in book description) that Yelena was attacked and her magic is missing -- not pleasant.  There were more flashback reveals of Valek's past including the assassination of the King -- interesting.  Lots of returning characters -- nice to see again.  And some new characters (this book did not get around to explaining enough of their backstory although I'm sure I can guess) -- suspiciously easily accepted.  

While Snyder's writing caught me up in the story it became heavyhanded with some clues and too vague with others (yes, even an appearance by the vaguest of vagues, a storyteller).

I would not recommend this to anyone new to the series.  I'm connected to these characters and have grown to care what happens next to them -- but's that's from the first two series.  I'm not sure someone unfamiliar with Yelena and Varek would enjoy this book.

I'm still not sure what this story was.  Okay, Yelena and Valek in their respective countries but in a few spots together (and apparently way dumber and mellower), the usual mix of politics, suspicious villains out to get Yelena and more than one assassin after her, who is or isn't out to get her, smuggling of assorted contraband into Ixia that the Commander has Valek set to sniff out ... then an odd mix of heavy foreshadowing (including a few clunks over the head, druggings and magic use causing characters who "knew" to not "know"), Commander and Valek odd trust/untrust murk, then despite some bits sorted out (the ones already foreshadowed) -- basically it ended without a clear story arc or much sorted out at all.  Just muddy and murking, not even really a good exciting cliffhanger other than one last "shocking" line -- just lots left unresolved that no doubt in next books we'll get to read about.

*©2015. All rights reserved except permission is granted to author or publisher to reprint/quote in whole or in part. Copyrightholder may have posted on booklikes, BookRabbit, goodreads, Leafmarks, The Reading Room and may have cross-posted to other book sites. Posting on any site does not grant that site permission to share with any third parties.

Ratings scale used in absence of a booklikes suggested rating scale:

★★★★★ = All Time Favorite 
★★★★½ = Extraordinary Book. Really Loved It.
★★★★☆ = Loved It.
★★★½☆ = Really Liked.
★★★☆☆ = Liked.
★★½☆☆ = Liked parts; parts only okay. Would read more by author.
★★☆☆☆ = Average.   Okay. 
★½☆☆☆ = Disliked or meh? but kept me reading in hopes would get better.
★☆☆☆☆ = Loathed It. Possibly DNF and a torturous read.
½☆☆☆☆ = So vile was a DNF or should have been. Cannot imagine anyone liking.  (Might also be just an "uploaded" word spew or collection that should not be dignified by calling itself a "published book." If author is going batshit crazy in the blogosphere over reviews -- I now know why they are getting bad reviews.  Or maybe author should take remedial classes for language written in until basic concepts like using sentences sink in. Is author even old enough to sign a publishing contract or do they need a legal guardian to sign for them?)