The gateways linking the great libraries of the world don't require a library card, but they do harbor incredible dangers.
And it's not your normal bump-in-the- night kind. The threats Gia Kearns faces are the kind with sharp teeth and knifelike claws. The kind that include an evil wizard hell-bent on taking her down.
Gia can end his devious plan, but only if she recovers seven keys hidden throughout the world's most beautiful libraries. And then figures out exactly what to do with them.
The last thing she needs is a distraction in the form of falling in love. But when an impossible evil is unleashed, love might be the only thing left to help Gia save the world.
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Pages: 403
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Genre(s): Young adult, romance, fantasy, magic, action, adventure, revenge, family.
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Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In no way has the author or the publisher influenced my review or my opinions. This review contains spoilers and shouldn’t be read if you haven’t read the book.
This was definitely the best book of the series. It had much better pacing than the other two, it kept you on the edge of your seat wondering what was going to happen next. While there were some parts that to me didn’t seem necessary to the plot, it all came together in the end to create a satisfying ending to the series.
I loved the fact that Gia did end up with Bastien and didn’t get back with Arik. I was wondering if it was going to happen when they escaped without Bastien but I am glad that it didn’t happen. Gia stuck to her guns and was smart enough, had enough common sense to realize their romantic relationship was damaged beyond repair and even if she wanted to go back that she couldn’t. I’m also very happy that she realized what a good man and relationship she had with Bastien. I love so much that he only has eyes for her and never looks at another woman.
Arik really bothered me the entire time in this book. He has such a high and mighty demeanour and I was really angry when even though he knew it was wrong, he still arrested Gia and put her in the Gallows to be tortured. He refused to disobey orders even when it could save lives. In the exact opposite way Bastien only grew on me more and more. He wasn’t afraid to do what was right, even if it meant becoming an enemy of the Wizard court and possibly giving up his title. I also loved that he was willing to go into the Somnium with Gia because his love for her was so strong that he wouldn’t leave her to face it herself. While being arrogant and conceited, he is also noble with good intentions. He really cares about the people and I can understand why they wanted to make him head of the new government at the end of the book.
One storyline I really would’ve liked to have seen expanded was the one with Nick. I thought we were going to this epic fight of him and his father and him fighting against the darkness rising within him brought on by his father but it never happened. He just ended up being controlled by another wizard, and eventually Bastien. I would’ve loved to have seen his inner musings and fighter against the wizard who controlled him in a POV chapter once in awhile. We get to see a glimpse of it when he is in his fight to the death with Gia, but I wish we had gotten to see more of it.
I also felt like Carrig was another character who could’ve been utilized more often and I expected him to be a big part, especially of the last battle. But he ended up being in a coma for most of this book and when he finally woke up was bedridden for the final battle. It was kind of disappointing to be honest. I was happy to see that The Red got more of a central role in this book though. He is such a unique and interesting character, and to find that he was trying to help and not Evil was great.
I was really sad to see Sinead die in this book, she was like a mother to Gia and a female role model when she had none. Also, could the way she died be any sadder? Gia had to sacrifice Sinead to save Carrig. Royston had such a sad ending too, sacrificing himself to take down the Tetrad. His character really got the short end of the stick; he got married, had a child (by the age of around 20), got stuck in a Somnium for hundreds of years, escaped, only to have to drink a poisonous potion to destroy the Tetrad and save the human and Mystik worlds. I felt like he has such a meaningful life but he didn’t really get to live one much. Also, he and Deidre just got ripped apart by his death. And poor Deidre lost her love and her mother in this book.
I’m glad that Uncle Phillip didn’t turn out to be evil but I am so angry that he got killed off! He was my favourite character next to Bastien in this series and although he died for a good cause, saving Gia it was still really sad and I was upset. I felt like it was the exact same thing that Gian had done for her in the previous book, and I didn’t want to see the same thing happen again.
One other thing that bothered me in this book was the ending. I understand that Gia has been through a lot but I can’t believe she isn’t helping out in the Mystik world at all and is basically hiding out in the human world. Heroes and heroines aren’t just magnificent during the battle, but also in the aftermath, helping to rebuild the world that was almost destroyed, I just kind of felt like Gia was hiding and wanting her life to go back to what it was before she became a Sentinel. It kind of disappointed me because I expected her to be with Bastien, helping to rebuild the Mystik world.
The final battle was interesting and didn’t really go the way I thought it would at all. After the false start in Esterill and having to rush back to home base, I wasn’t really expecting the death match between Nick and Gia. At that moment Conemar definitely had the upper hand and when reinforcements arrived, then it started to look like what I expected the battle to be. We lost many characters in this battle and while I knew that was probably coming, it didn’t make it any less sad.
Overall this was a great ending to the series I think although I would love to see an epilogue with all of our favourite characters maybe 5-10 years down the line just to see where they all are. It would be a dream come true to see Gia and Bastien married, maybe with a kid, and being the rulers of the Mystik world with her Sentinel friends by her side. Maybe this is just a pipe dream but a girl can hope, right? I loved the sound of this series right from the beginning and although I didn’t love the first book I’m really glad that I read through them all to the end.
Great review Christine. Fantasy is one of my favourite genres and this book sounds excellent.
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