Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsDefinitely a bridging book
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 12, 2021
I read this series after finishing the Blood and Ash series (which I loved), and was disappointed that the main character Trinity seems a poor-copy of Poppy (the main character of Blood and Ash). Except Poppy seemed to have more depth and growth. I covered that in my review of the first book of the Harbinger series, but there is my bias.
So on to this book. First, based on the end to Storm and Fury, I was expecting the plotline of the "bond" to play a much larger role in this book and the next. Instead, it seemed more like a placeholder. Which is my main criticism of most of this books - it feels like a way to bridge the beginning of the story with the end rather than deepening and developing aspects that play important roles in the first and last books. As a placeholder, it seems to be more about cantankerous interactions, emotional teens, and odd character/relationship plot threads that are "sort" of resolved to allow the third book to go forward, but not in any complex or meaningful way.
Spoilers below, but my main criticisms.
The Trinity-Zayne dynamic seems toxic at times. Trinity is emotional and, at times, obnoxious. But she also seems lost in the world, and there is no recognition by the book that she's in a totally unfamiliar place, without any friends or family, grieving and traumatized. Her entire purpose is that which is being given by her daddy/clan. This is a key part of who she is in the book, but it doesn't seem she ever actually becomes her own person. It's just more of her reacting and serving.
As for Zayne, he really isn't developed on his own. Maybe he was in the original Elementals books as a lot of stuff is referenced from there, but I haven't read those books so I can only go off what happens in the Harbingers series. With Zayne, you know he has gone through a lot and is recovering, but he reveals little in terms of emotions. He's "stone cold" and unavailable in a lot of ways. Zayne goes above and beyond to be the perfect host/partner, which seems largely unacknowledged by Trinity. They're both "just there." Training. Eating breakfast. Patrolling. Bickering.
Stacey comes across as a total catty b**ch in her interactions with Trinity, and thus her and Zayne's relationship just made me think Zayne has some serious flaws in his choice of friends.
And then there is a super random explosive fight between Zayne and Trinity... which is never really addressed? They just move on from it? When I finished the book, I had to pause and wonder if I somehow missed a chapter, or 5, where they actually tackled that fight and the horrible things Stacey and Zayne said. Maybe I'll re-read it and somehow find those lost chapters. But for now, I was just left with the impression that the characters were like "oops, said some mean stuff. Teehee!" and then they kiss.
So why three stars? Because for its genre, I'd definitely rate it as average. I don't regret reading it, and I will probably re-read it (I actually listened to the audiobooks) just as a popcorn time-killer. But I wouldn't recommend it in the same way as I would Blood and Ash series.
For the audiobook - the reader is fantastic.
