Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsIt was good up to a point *SPOILER ALERT*
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 15, 2022
I enjoyed all the books in the series, including this one, until it got to about halfway through. At that point, the plot just dragged on far too long. There was too much detail and many chapters where there was little to no action, and I found myself skimming/skipping those parts to get to something good. Even the parts with "action" dragged on and became boring.
I also wanted to like the characters. I really did. Trynne became really annoying. She was supposed to be the king's "Silent Shield" and "champion", and this bad assed warrior, but she was so wishy-washy and childish. I got so tired of reading about all her insecurities. Yes, we get it. You have palsy on the left side of your mouth. Get over it already! Morwenna was supposed to be this super evil person who was hell bent on destroying all the kingdoms and killing everyone but... I didn't feel that from her. I felt like she was a petulant child. And Fallon... ok, so the author was trying to make the reader dislike him and believe he was the bad guy but... again, I didn't feel it.
*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
I felt that the erasure of the memories of the people who were integral to the plot was way too convenient. As was Fallon somehow knowing where Owen was, as well as having the means to go to another world and find him. It was also convenient that he drugged Morwenna and was able to get her to reveal her entire "diabolical" plan. And it was creepy how she changed herself so that she looked like Genny, her BROTHER'S wife in order to destroy him. My first thought when I read that was "So, he's going to be banging his sister then." I felt that was a lame plot device to turn the king and get him to wage a war on Trynne's people. Oh, and the way Trynne saved her lands from being flooded by the ocean? Yeah, Deus Ex Machina much??? Oh! And speaking of Deus Ex Machinas, when Sinia came back she had her son who was killed in a carriage accident with his grandparents. AND she knew exactly how to bring everyone's memories back? AND her "visions" don't always tell her exactly what's supposed to happen? She saw Trynne marrying Ghalentine, but didn't see everything else after that? What's the point of visions if they're going to be sketchy?
Finally, Ghalentine being poisoned by Morwenna. And not only that, but it was a poison that had no cure. How could that be possible when the Fountain Magic cures EVERYTHING? I mean, Trynne was stabbed by Morwenna with poisoned blades and pins, but she was healed by the Wizar? So why couldn't Ghalentine be healed? Oh right. Because it was yet another plot device to get Fallon and Trynne together and marry. I honestly saw zero point to the whole Ghalentine/Trynne relationship because it was non-existent. And she didn't even know him, basically forced herself to marry him, wasn't ever with him, but "cared for him because he's my husband!" and when she was with Fallon she "promised to not besmirch herself with him and come back to you pure!" Lame.
I felt there were too many conveniences in this book, and a lot of "filler" to make it long. The author could have taken out most of the bits where Fallon and Trynne were in the other world and wrapped things up a lot faster.
