The Palace of Impossible Dreams

Tide Lords #3

by Jennifer Fallon

Eternity is a long time to be watching over your shoulder... The Tide is turning, and the Immortals who have walked the world for eons are once again coming into their powers and stepping from obscure boltholes to take control once more. The very mortal lady Arkady knows of their plans but holds out little hope of being able to stop them. Branded and sold into slavery, Arkady fears all she knows and loves is lost—her husband, Stellan, was probably dead by now, hanged by the Immortal Jaxyn for his own nefarious purposes; and Declan Hawkes, the King of Glaeba’s Spymaster and her childhood friend — perhaps the only other human she knew who might risk everything to save her — doesn’t even know she’s in danger. She will turn to her new owner for help ... but learning the truth about him may cost them both their lives. And Stellan?  Well, it turns out he isn’t dead and Jaxyn's plans hit a snag when he realises that Stellan, the one man who can challenge him for the Glaeban throne, has sought asylum in neighbouring Caelum. Strangely enough, the Empress of the Five Realms (a Tide Lord in hiding no more), and the Tide Lords, Tryan and Elyssa, seem to be on Stellan's side ... Plots within plots.  Magic tinges the very air and the Tide will bring mayhem and madness to both mortal and Immortal alike.

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Audiobook, Epic, Science Fiction Fantasy

576 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 2008

About the author

Fallon is the author of 17 full-length bestselling novels and a number of published short stories in genres ranging from horror to science fiction.

In addition to 4 complete fantasy series - The Demon Child trilogy, The Hythrun Chronicles, the Second Sons Trilogy,The Tide Lords Quadrilogy and the Rift Runners series - Fallon has written both a tie-novel and short fiction for the TV series, Stargate SG1, an official Zorro story, a novella for the Legends of Australian Fantasy Anthology and has a superhero - The Violet Valet (CHICKS IN CAPES).

Fallon has a Masters Degree from the Creative Arts faculty of QUT. A computer trainer and application specialist, Fallon currently works in the IT industry and spends at least a month each year working at Scott Base in Antarctica.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

➽ And the moral of this reread is: Arkady Desean, you awaken the homicidal maniac in me.



And that is all.

👋 Until next time and stuff.

· Book 1: The Immortal Prince ★★★★
· Book 2: The Gods of Amyrantha ★★★★★
· Book 4: The Chaos Crystal ★★



[June 2018]

🗡Immortal Bastards R Us Buddy Read (IBRUBR™) with my fellow BB&B Falloniacs Emily, Choko, Robin and Elena (aka the MIA Immortal Wannabe™)🗡

Hmmmm, it sure looks like some copies of this book have been tampered with. I mean, some people of Despicable Book Taste apparently think that this instalment suffers from middle book syndrome. So either the Evil Russians™ are at it again, and have been deviously replacing all copies of The Palace of Impossible Dreams they could get their hands on with copies of this book, or the middle book syndrome people of the erroneous opinion:

a) Read the book wrong.
b) Didn’t read the book right.
c) Don’t know how to count. This being book book 3 in a four book series, I really don’t see how it could be called a “middle” book. I mean, I have no Fields medal or anything, but I am fairly sure that 3 is not, um, you know, the half of 4 and stuff. But I could be wrong.
d) Should consider seriously reducing their alcohol intake.
e) All of the above.

Because cross my black, withered heart, cut my pincers and hope to die, this is the best, most bloody fishing page-turning/exciting/titillating/exoskeleton-tingling instalment in the series so far. Ergo, a+b+c+d+e=



This book is all fast-paced everything, non-stop action, surprising twists, unexpected turns, stupidly stupid antics courtesy of a certain someone I shall not name out of the goodness of my little black heart (here’s looking at you, ARKADY) evil schemes⁶, cunning plots⁸, backstabbing⁴ galore and lots of other deliciously objectionable stuff. That’s the beauty of having immortal bastards and bitches as main characters, you see: not a single one of them has an ounce of decency to their name. How positively heart-warming! [insert happy sigh here] Okay, to be honest, some of them Amoral Mischief Makers of the Death-Defying Act (AMMotDDA™) are nearly almost quite nice and trustworthy. Nearly. Quite. Almost. Or so Jennifer Fallon will have us think, anyway. But the woman is as deviously wicked as her cast of characters, and fooling me she isn’t. There is only one Immortal Bastard I actually nearly almost quite trust, and if Fallon turns him into one of those cruel, ruthless, deranged, selfish, perverted, and abhorrently obnoxious (or is it obnoxiously arrogant? I forget) asses, there will be no other alternative for me than to unleash my murderous children on her. But hey, no pressure, Ms Fallon! I like you and stuff! For the moment, anyway.



This is a preemtively angry shrimp disguised as a preemtively angry cat. Just so you know.

There really is nothing I can tell you about the plot because spoiler spoiler spoiler, and also because spoiler spoiler spoiler. Besides, there would be more for me to tell if you weren’t as clueless as you are, and HAD PICKED UP THIS SERIES the second I firmly instructed you to as I most kindly recommended you did. But you didn’t, so I won’t. I mean, what would be the point in me telling you that Tiji the Mostest Awesomest Chameleon Scard Spy that Ever Was and Ever Will Be (TtMACSStEWaEWB™) is now spoiler spoiler spoiler? Or that Declan is YUM Oh My Bloody Shrimp! Or that Jaxyn is quite possibly one of the biggest, most vicious assholes ever? Or that Lukys is hmmmm? Or that Stellan is humph? Or that the idea that Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler (not the character’s real name) might soon be spoilered spoilered spoilered is “growing increasingly attractive?” Sorry, what was that? You get the idea? Oh, good for you!



I guess that means that there’s no point in me telling you about the not-mentioned above character whose name I didn’t reveal out of the goodness of my little black heart, either? You know, the one who is called ARKADY and whose stupidly stupid antics I found ever so slightly annoying? Okay, I promise not to tell you about her then. And I especially won’t tell you that this formerly awesome leading lady of ours has been losing grey cells at an alarming rate lately. (We originally thought it was because of the hot, humid climate of book 2, but apparently it was just because of the mysteriously ever-expanding void between her two little ears.) Nor will I tell you that her moronically harebrained thoughts and actions repeatedly made me feel like this:



This is a slightly exasperated shrimp disguised as a slightly exasperated chicken. Just so you know.

No, there is obviously no point in me telling you any of that ⤴, so I won’t. You are welcome and stuff!!!!!!!!

Okay, almost done here, so worry your little selves not. Just bear with me a moment more, I beg you, while the crap I expeditiously cut: this world is amazing, this world is fascinating, I want to move to this world and be a vile, immortal bastard when I grow up, this world is rich and creative and original, and I want to move to this world and have Tiji’s reptilian babies. Also, very few authors do ensemble casts and alternate POVs as well as Jennifer Fallon. Also also, Jennifer Fallon is one of the most underrated Fantasy authors I know. Goes to show how clueless Little Barnacles are indeed.

➽ And the moral of this Jennifer Fallon Kill Me Dead With Another Epilogue Like This and Retaliate Most Vehemently I Shall and Stuff Well If I’m Still Breathing that Is Crappy Non Review (JFKMDWAELTaRMVISaSWIISBtICNR™) is: never get immortalized with a bad haircut. NEVER. Trust me on that one. And if you don’t, just ask Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler (not the character’s real name) what his/her/their/muahahaha take on this is. He/she/they/muahahaha will gladly tell you all about it. Ha.

P.S. For deep thoughts about the ending, see below ↓↓



Bloody shrimping hell of the stinking fish! That epilogue!



➽ Full Oh Jennifer Fallon You Cunning Woman You Crappy Non Review (OJFYCWYCNR™) to come.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in a long time that I’ve been so emotionally invested in that I literally yelled at characters. I really wanted to scream at all of them to



Jennifer Fallon just knows how to keep me on the edge of my seat and I’m so completely invested in moments that when we finally get to them I’m an emotional basket case and teeter between



Or



Honestly there isn’t a single main character that I didn’t cheer for at some point and then curse at another. Why Jenny….WHY!!!

So in a nutshell all the immortals are self centered bastards that only care about themselves. It seems the longer you live the more you have no idea how to empathize with anyone else and so you pretty much are horrible to everyone. You would think with immortality would come so wisdom but I don’t think that was the case for any of the immortals except possibly Lukys and I’m pretty sure he is more dangerous than all the other immortal peeps running around

The puny humans are trying to figure out a way to kill an immortal because they are awful and always end up destroying humanity on accident every few thousand years or so when the tide is up. This is not really going well for them so far and I don’t see it getting any better soon but I’m crossing my fingers.

There is one couple that I’m really pulling for but just when I thought YES, finally they have acknowledged their feelings, finally they are going to figure it out, both do something so stupid that I throw my hands up and curse the tides that both Immortals and Humans can be so incredibly insecure and dumb.

Still the ending of this knocked me to my knees and I was so floored. I didn’t see that twist coming and I’m so worried for Arkady. She again finds herself in a very precarious position and it really didn’t go well for her the last few times. I don’t know if I can take another turn on that wheel.

At least I have Declan still and if there is a hero in this story it looks like it is going to have to be him. Cayal is totally out, I liked him in the first book but since then he has quickly proven to be the man who will always chose himself over everyone else.

I need the last book like today because not knowing how it is all going to end is making me crazy.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Palace of Impossible Dreams by Jennifer Fallon
*****4.5*****

Where do I even begin with this book? I think it was my favorite installment so far to be honest. There were so many great individual moments.

“Among out kind, such a relationship would be considered, well, more than a little unnatural. Perhaps it would be wise not to mention, to others, your…attraction…to this male of another species.”
“I’m not attracted to him.”
“You claim to love him.”
“I love seafood too, but that doesn’t mean I want to settle down with a lobster.”

As well as some real movement forward on the plot line (imo). We finally get a glimpse of what it is that Elyssa and Co. and Maralyce (among others) are looking for. We get a little bit more insight to some of the Immortals and we get to learn about how the Tide works and how it affects them through the eyes of a brand new Immortal into their ranks (something none of them thought was possible -- except perhaps one character who may have orchestrated the whole thing).

We got to see a part of why the Scards hate the Immortals so much, and the revelation is dealt with humour in a very trying time in the book.

"You don't understand. Immortals smell...off...to the Scards. Like something rotten. You learn to recognize the small and associate it with danger." She looked up at him apologetically. "You smell like danger."
"So we're friends, only if I stay downwind?"

We meet a whole new bunch of Immortals and get pulled along into their schemes, and we see the building tensions between Caelum and Glaeba mount to a breaking point with two different factions of Immortals at their head.

There are very few of the flashback sequences in this book that were fairly prevalent in the previous two installments (particularly book one), so perhaps less insights into the immortals pasts and more movement forward on the current story worked better for me.

I guess my biggest issue with this book--and why I docked half a star--is once again our leading lady Arkady Desean. The woman has no sense when it comes to avoiding danger. And just when you think she's gotten some of her brain cells working again she makes stupid decision after stupid decision and gets herself into all sorts of peril (for the good of the story of course, but it doesn't make it any less annoying). I just can't bring myself to love her as a character. And as for her life up until now, I'm a bit uncomfortable with the amount of times she has to use her body as a way to save herself/someone she loves. As a matter of fact, a lot of the characters in this book make questionable or stupid decisions, but again most of it is of course to move the plot forward. I just can't seem to forgive Arkady for it.

Otherwise, I cannot get over that ending and am chomping at the bit to read the next book. For the sake of my GR buddy reads friends I must refrain for twelve whole days. I can't express how much this book moved the plot forward for me and the humour was inserted in all the right places. I am however dreading the end of the next book which gets bad reviews (and from my own memory was less than satisfactory). Hopefully the second run through I'll like the ending better.

Highly recommended read.

[Kitty G Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this one a fairly solid 3.5*s as it feels like the most 'filler' of all the books in the series so far. Although we do have a lot of things that happen, it feels as though most of them are a means to an end rather than fully-fledged events in the the story of this world.

What I did like about this one was seeing the way that the Tide Lords, despite being hugely scary and intimidating because of just how old they are and how much has happened in their lifetime, feel relatable and compelling. Even though you know as a reader each of them has done truly terrible things to survive and defeat their enemies, you also can't help but to sympathise as so many of their woes come from seeing so many they care for die and seeing the world fall apart and grow back so many times. I even think that our newest immortal Declan is quite a good character to follow because his new perspective offers us the chance to really get close to the immortals and be more on their level. We get to see how meeting someone like them, but new to the mix, can really shake them up, and we learn a lot more about some of the plans they are brewing...

I do feel a bit disappointed in Arkady's storyline as by this point I thought she would be a kick ass character, and she's kind of remained a bit of a Mary Sue throughout, constantly needing rescuing and meeting tricky situations. I do wish she could have become the character I thought had so much potential, and yet I think she's being used more as a plaything than anything else.

There is political change on the horizon in this book as the war between the two nations is set to take place soon and Jaxon and Alyssa prepare to face off. They also have a new member of the Royal family who knows about them , Stellen, but they don't know he knows and this also offers us the chance to follow their schemes.

We also have the chance to meet some much-discussed but rarely seen characters in this book and Lukas and others were pretty old-school. They seem more sinister than some of the other Tide Lords due to their exceptionally long lived lives, and yet we learn little by little that they intend to keep on having more lives even at the risk to the planet itself.

In the end I think there were a few good twists and some fun introductions, but some of this just took a grisly turn and with slavery and abuse becoming a more prevalent part of the story and predictable Mary Sue moments taking over I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the previous two.

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This third instalment in the Tide Lords series was a tiny bit darker than the previous two books but no less enjoyable. This whole series has been a compelling read and very consistent in its overall quality from book to book.

With multiple shocks to end the second instalment this third book saw most of our main POV cast trying to adjust and survive the circumstances they all found themselves in! Arkady, Declan, Stellan, and Warlock all had interesting story arcs and as always it was fun to get a few POV's from the Tide Lords!

All in all another fantastic read. I'll dive right onto the final instalment!

Rating: An easy 5 stars.

Audio Note: As always John Telfer does a fantastic job with the audio of this series.

[Aleshanee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was für eine geniale Fortsetzung! So viele Verstrickungen in so eine spannende Handlung gesetzt, da ist es echt schade, dass es mit dem nächsten Band dann schon vorbei ist!

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review originally at Fantasy Book Critic

FORMAT/CLASSIFICATION: "The Palace of Impossible Dreams" (US hc edition) stands at about 460 pages while the Australian mmpb edition, both Liviu and myself have read stands at about 580 pages. As with the previous installments there is a prologue set in the past and featuring some Tide Lords' nefarious doings and the ordinary mortals who tried to resist them, as well as an epilogue that presages the stunning tetralogy ending The Chaos Crystal. There are two superb maps of each of Amyrantha's hemispheres.

The chapters are all from the third person perspective and feature as POV's: Stellan, Cayal, Arkady, Declan, Tiji, Warlock, Jaxyn, Lukys, while the story picks up immediately after the events at the end of "The Gods of Amyrantha".

Arkady is aboard a ship towards Senestra though not of her own accord. She is trying hard to survive being a pawn in the long-going dispute between the self-righteous Brynden and her lover Cayal.

Declan Hawkes is stunned at his recent elevation and now has to figure what he's going to do with all the power at his disposal. Stellan Desean, who became Declan's unexpected companion, has a royal personage with him and wants to survive politically and turn the tables on his former lover Jaxyn.

Tiji who thought she had been kidnapped finds out that her captivity is not factual and also learns more about her own kind, while Cayal finally meets with Pellys and Lukys and then hatches a plan to get his desired wish that propelled a lot of the action in the first volume.

ANALYSIS: "The Palace of Impossible Dreams" begins with quite a few plots going. Jennifer Fallon has to be commended as she has a rather acute sense of how to keep the reader tense and wary for the littlest clue. She constantly switches the POVs in her chapters and has the reader guessing as to where the plot is turning. Now after two books the reader will have a semblance of what is actually going on and what all the immortals are actually after. In this case it is an object known as the Chaos Crystal which apparently is the root of immortality and the power of the Tide Lords.

"The Immortal Prince" was in many ways a Cayal and Arkady novel and "The Gods of Amyrantha" started the Tide Lords full re-apparition, but here the plot thickens and we get the first glimmers of where the series is truly going. While the old favorites Arkady and Cayal still have powerful roles, this book is truly an ensemble effort as the cast goes, while geographically the series extends to cover more and more of Amyrantha.

The pace of the book is unrelenting and you *have* to turn the pages to see what happens, while the continual switching of pov's is superbly handled, so you never feel a lack of balance. The twists and turns keep coming, alliances are formed and broken, power jostling is ongoing and the Tide is still going higher since as the uber-immortal Lukys notes, after such a long low tide, there usually comes the ultimate one in a million years "king-tide". As with the previous novels, some of the most poignant moments are given by the past stories of the immortals.

The series proceeds seemingly naturally from one scene to another, however looking back from the beginning of the first volume, the change in focus and the expansion of the storyline is quite visible and on every reread of the books I am still amazed how well the author pulls it off so looked from a distance "The Palace of Impossible Dreams" could be said to belong to a different series - though again it just flows from the previous volumes.

The only niggle about the novel is that it truly begs the next volume since the tension is raised so much and the plot-lines are ready to "explode" that not having Chaos Crystal to read asap can lead to frustration. "The Palace of Impossible Dreams" is epic fantasy of the highest level.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best fantasy series I have read. Fallon is very much an underrated talent. And I recommend reading her if you haven't already. This is a "middle" book that builds on what has already happened and sets up a finale. I enjoyed the slow pace although I know others did not. I liked the characters even though it was a little too Twilightesque drama. Hopefully the last book swings things back up. I recommend this series to fans of Robin Hobb, of mythology, and any romance readers who don't mind alot of fantasy.

[Katharine (Ventureadlaxre) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. Love love love love love.

And the ending! Makes me want to read the next straight away ^^

[Nazurka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gezeitenstern-Saga 03. Der Palast der verlorenen Träume - Jennifer Fallon
Eine weitere Leiter zum Höhepunkt der Königsflut!

Der Palast der verlorenen Träume

Klappentext:

"Die magischen Gezeiten nähern sich ihrem Höhepunkt und mit ihnen wachsen die Kräfte der Unsterblichen. In vielen Reichen strecken die Gezeitenfürsten die Hand nach dem Thron aus. Declan Hawkes, der tot geglaubte Meisterspion, ist auf der Suche nach seiner großen Liebe Arkady Desean, die in ein fernes Land verschleppt wurde. Declan hütet ein Geheimnis, das ihn in den Augen aller, die gegen die Gezeitenfürsten kämpfen, zum Verräter macht, und das ihn für immer von Arkady entzweien könnte... "

Zum Autor:

Jennifer Fallon wurde 1959 in Carlton/Melbourne, Australien, geboren und ist eine Fantasy-Autorin.

(Aus: wikipedia.de, 21. November 2010, 12.09 Uhr)

Zum Roman:
Während Declan Hawkes, der erste Spion des Königs, sich auf die Suche nach seiner Liebe Arkady Desean macht, die von einem Gezeitenfürsten in die Sklaverei verkauft wurde, steigt die Flut der Gezeiten immer weiter. Dringender denn je sucht die Bruderschaft nach einem Weg, die Gezeitenfürsten zu stürzen, doch sie werden immer stärker. Und auch Declan Hawkes Bürde ist schwer, denn er muss sein Geheimnis, nun ebenfalls ein Unsterblicher und dazu noch ein Gezeitenfürst zu sein, vor seinen Freunden und der Bruderschaft geheim halten...

Fazit:

Während man noch die Geschehnisse des zweiten Teils um die Gezeitenstern-Saga, "Die Götter von Amyrantha" im Kopf hat, schließt sich dieser Teil nahtlos an die vorherigen Geschehnisse an, nach einem Prolog nämlich bei Arkadys Verschleppung in die Sklaverei. Auch im dritten Teil wird der Leser wieder direkt in die Handlung reinkatapultiert und kann sich des Humors, der spritzigen Dialoge und den unterschiedlichsten Charakteren erfreuen.

Und nicht nur die Handlung zieht immer weiter, denn Arkady Desean wird immer mehr zu einer Art Schlüsselfigur, es werden nun auch weiterhin die restlichen Gezeitenfürsten, die sich quer auf der Welt verteilt haben und machtpolitische Ränke schmieden, vorgestellt. Und auch unter den Gezeitenfürsten herrscht reichlich Aufregung und List, denn jeder versucht, sich selbst vor alle anderen zu stellen. Mit Außnahme von Cayal, der immernoch an seinem Todeswunsch festhält.

Insgesamt bietet auch der dritte Teil der Gezeitenstern-Saga beste Unterhaltung auf hohem sprachlichem Niveau mit der nötigen Portion Humor, die die drastischen Ereignisse um einiges leichter verdaulich machen. Wir sind gespannt auf das Finale, Mrs. Fallon!

5 Sterne für diese tolle Leistung und auch für das schöne Cover, welches einen nur so anlächelt, sodass man gar nicht drum rum kommt, dass Buch in die Hand zu nehmen und in einem Rutsch durchzulesen!
Dramatisch, fesselnd, spannend: Definitiv ein Muss für jeden Fantasyfan!

Gesamte Reihe in einem Überblick:

01. Der unsterbliche Prinz
02. Die Götter von Amyrantha

03. Der Palast der verlorenen Träume

04. Der Kristall des Chaos

Autor: Jennifer Fallon
Tetralogie
Verlag: LYX-Egmont; Broschiert
Genrè: Fantasy, Roman
Preis: 14,95 €

[Zara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Klappentext:

Die magischen Gezeiten nähern sich ihrem Höhepunkt und mit ihnen wachsen die Kräfte der Unsterblichen. In vielen Reichen strecken die Gezeitenfürsten die Hand nach dem Thron aus. Declan Hawkes, der tot geglaubte Meisterspion, ist auf der Suche nach seiner großen Liebe Arkady Desean, die in ein fernes Land verschleppt wurde. Declan hütet ein Geheimnis, das ihn in den Augen aller, die gegen die Gezeitenfürsten kämpfen, zum Verräter macht, und das ihn für immer von Arkady entzweien könnte ...


Meine Meinung:

Die Aufmachung des Buches ist wie bei den beiden vorherigen Bänden wunderschön. Vorne und hinten im Buch befindet sich die Weltkarte. Ich muss sagen, ich bin kein Weltkarten-Anseher und habe sie beim Lesen eigentlich gar nicht angeschaut.
Ich habe etwas gebraucht, um wieder in die Geschichte reinzukommen, denn der zweite Teil lag bei mir etwas zurück. Ich hatte aber keine Lust auf ein Reread. Ich bin aber recht gut wieder reingekommen.

Die Spannung wird immer weiter aufgebaut. In jedem Kapitel erfährt man etwas über einen der Menschen, Gezeitenfürsten, Unsterblichen und Crasii. Ich hatte immer das Gefühl, noch schneller lesen zu müssen, damit ich wieder irgendwo anschließen kann, um dann festzustellen, dass alles noch verstrickter wird, noch mysteriöser und noch viel spannender wird.

Die Unsterblichen verstricken sich immer weiter in Intrigen und die Gezeiten steuern unaufhaltsam ihrem Höhepunkt entgegen. Die Geschichte von den Crasii bzw. Arks Tiji, Boots, Warlock und wie sie alle heißen wird ebenfalls fortgeführt.

Arcady ist in Gefangenschaft geraten und kämpft mit allen Mitteln, um zu überleben. Ich fühle richtig mit ihr, denn es ist schon grausam, was ihr alles widerfährt. Ihr Kampfgeist ist jedoch ungebrochen. Sie ist einfach eine starke Frau!

Declan Hawkes, der erste Spion, denkt ständig an Arcady, seine große Liebe. Doch er muss noch einiges Erledigen, bevor er sich endlich auf die Suche nach ihr machen kann. Hoffentlich kommt er nicht zu spät! Zudem trägt er mittlerweile ein dunkles Geheimnis mit sich herum. Seine Zugehörigkeit zur Bruderschaft des Tarot wirkt geradezu lächerlich, doch zum Glück ist noch niemand hinter sein dunkles Geheimnis gekommen. Doch was passiert, wenn er es nicht mehr für sich behalten kann?

Immer mehr Unsterbliche tauchen aus ihren Löchern auf. Ich war schon fast dabei, den Überblick zu verlieren, aber zum Glück spinnt Fallon hier ein richtig gutes Geschichtengebilde, das sich gut ergänzt und einen nicht verwirrt. Das Buch endet mit einer Offenbarung, bei der mir der Mund offen stehen blieb. Und das gemeine bei mehrteiligen Bänden: Man kann den nächsten Teil gar nicht erwarten. Jennifer Fallon schafft es, dass ich nicht um den nächsten und auch letzten Band herumkomme. Ich fiebere ihm schon entgegen, damit sich die letzten Verstrickungen nun endlich auflösen.

[Anja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid third book, really enjoyed it, not as good as the second, tho.

[Kanani · Rating 1 out of 5]

This series is terrible! I was sucked in for the first two books by reviews that lauded the merits of the series, only to be disappointed each time. By that point, I felt I had already spent enough time in the story to warrant finishing it, and so here I find myself at the end of book 3. I purchased the first 3 as ebooks, but decided I would not spend another dime on the Tide Lords and borrowed The Chaos Crystal from my public library instead.

My beef with The Palace of Impossible Dreams is the same as the other two books: no real conflict and flimsy characters. I don't care, for example, for either Declan or Cayal and wonder what the attraction is for Arkady. She suddenly realizes in this book that she has loved Declan since they were children, but the development of the plot doesn't actually support this. That is to say that at no point in time before this revelation did I ever believe she was interested at all in Declan.

The only character I still have some esteem for is Warlock. And maybe Stellan.

[Alisa Kester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this book is definitely the middle child of this trilogy. Except for moving along a few plot points that needed to be set up for the finale, not a great deal happens. Still enjoyable though, and the author actually managed to totally blind-side me with a plot twist right at the very end - the first time that's happened in this series! She had better be able to properly carry this twist through in the finale, though, because it completely changes everything about a major character, and how I must feel about him. Intriguing.

[Coral · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm seeing this series in a completely different way from when I first read it when I was much much younger. I can't wait to finish the series.

[Elly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meandery, but an okay read. Many twists and cliff hangers. Its a bit ridiculous how kady takes everything in her stride, rather than having the traumatic shocked reaction any emotionally healthy person would have, particularly when an experience, you’d expect, is so triggering. The immortals are still a bit ridiculous, which I enjoy. The palace of impossible dreams, indeed. That’s fun. Looking forward to having this series wrapped up!

(Minus one star again, because wtf why put the first book on KU and not the others? I read this copy in the format of an actual book! I read way too many books for that to be convenient. Shame on the philistine who only put the first one up. Shaaaame!)

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4/5

I'm still enjoying the story and this book felt a bit darker than the previous but I also feel like there's much more romance and it's pushing the main story back to the forth book. Arcady at this point is not the strong female character that she was at the beginning. Now she's just the romantic element to other more powerful characters. And the fact that her stupid ass decided to put her safety at risk AGAIN after coming out of slavery just for an argument with the current lover made no sense and was just a stupid twist to get her into trouble again and need saving from her strong male lover AGAIN in the next book.

[elie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was honestly not bad, but I really don’t like the direction of Arkady’s character. I LOVED her in book one and two, but I feel like she’s a totally different person, and not in a good way. I liked that her humor stayed the same but her intelligence, defiance, and self-respect were just not there. Her relationships with Declan and Cayal are difficult and conflicting, yes, but she navigates and cultivates them so poorly. For such a smart and self-assured woman?? And it has nothing to do with her trauma (which would be valid), it’s off of spontaneous, overly-impulsive feelings that don’t align with past events. It makes me so disappointed because I really enjoyed following her at the beginning of this series and her fun, charming, understandable relationship with Cayal. I might have to plant my mind in the first book and keep it there.

[Shauna Pollard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Utter nonsense in which the most important or relevant event was the protagonist being sold into slavery; but still managing to make the best of it.
This whole story could have been written in one book. There is so much recount of past events just so one canmake sense of it it is as much a tale of that as the present events.

[Irenaeus · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first less-than-top-notch installment of this series, but who cares, this is super fun. The wetland arc (which takes up a good 60% of this) was pretty contrived, but I just love reading this world and characters. The banter in this one continues to be on point, I'm really engaged with most of the viewpoints and it continues to be pure fun. Looking forward to the last one! 7/10

[Ashleigh Motbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story that makes up book 3 of the Tide Lords. I definitely did not see the end coming and can't wait to start book 4 so it is all explained. Love the characters and the plots. Well done, Jennifer Fallon!

[Patricia Puckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an ending... Loved it!

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's see how this wraps up in the next volume.

[Hannah Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

As fun as this book was, it did feel a little like filler. Fun filler, but compared to the first two books, the plot is pretty much in the same place at the end that it was in the beginning.

[Michael H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally a fun story, but the constant stream of stupid decisions (particularly by Arkady) get annoying.

[Wordy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat clunky phrasing, but the plot thickens in a decent way.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very filler

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

ACHTUNG SPOILER! Wer Band 1 und 2 noch nicht gelesen hat, sollte besser nur das Fazit lesen.

Die Gezeiten steigen unaufhaltsam weiter und eine Königsflut steht bevor, doch noch bleiben die Unsterblichen in der Deckung. Die als Sklavin gebrandmarkte Arkady dient sich dem Schiffarzt als Hure und Gehilfin an, um weder allen Matrosen zu Willen sein zu müssen, noch später nicht in den sinestrischen Bergwerken zu landen. Declan hadert mit seinem Schicksal, macht sich aber schließlich auf dem Weg um Arkady zu finden. Doch wird Arkady ihn nach seinem Unfall noch haben wollen? Cayal arbeitet unterdessen an seinem Ziel zu sterben und muss dafür die Mithilfe weiterer Unsterblicher gewinnen …

Auch in diesem Band sind die Charaktere in alle Himmelsrichtungen verstreut: Stellan verschlägt es mit der Prinzessin zurück nach Caelum, wo er versucht, sie vor den Unsterblichen zu beschützen. Warlock spioniert ebendiese - allen voran Elyssa ��� aus und fürchtet dabei um Frau und Kinder. Auch die Unsterblichen in Glaeba sind nicht untätig, ersinnt Jaxyn doch jede Menge raffinierte Pläne, wobei ihm ein Zufall zur Hilfe eilt. Währenddessen ist Tiji zum ersten Mal unter ihresgleichen, doch bei ihrer Ankunft in den sinestrischen Sümpfen erwartet sie eine böse Überraschung …

Sicherlich gibt es interessante Aspekte wie das Tarot der heiligen Überlieferung sowie ihr Geheimnis oder der Lebensraum der Chamäleon-Crasii, aber letztlich ist dieses Buch merklich zum Übergang zum Finale gedacht: Es werden viele Fragen aufgeworfen, aber kaum welche beantwortet. Außerdem wird langsam der Kristall des Chaos eingeführt, welcher wohl im Abschlussband die entscheidende Rolle spielt. Viele Episoden hätten längst nicht so ausführlich dargestellt werden müssen und scheinen mir keine weitergehende Funktion zu haben, teilweise waren sie lediglich Wiederholung von längst bekannten. Was dem Buch jedoch Auftrieb verleiht, ist die Schilderung des Unterrichts für den frisch gebackenen Gezeitenstern-Fürst, welcher den Leser einen tieferen Einblick in die Materie bietet. Bis auf Declan Hawkes erfuhr aus meiner Sicht eigentlich kein Charakter eine Weiterentwicklung. Declan war mir fast durchgehend unsympathisch: Ganz offensichtlich kommt er mit seinen neusten Handicap nicht zurecht, ist ziemlich unausgeglichen, ständig am Fluchen und geht erst Stellan und später Cayal regelmäßig an. Die Gründe sind zwar durchaus verständlich, dennoch machte ihn diese Wesensänderung trotz phasenweisen Mitleids mir ziemlich zuwider. Arkady ist schlagfertig und besitzt weiterhin eine messerscharfe Logik - stolpert aber kontinuierlich von einem Unsterblichen zum Nächsten, was sich langsam doch etwas ermüdend auswirkt. Auch ansonsten bleiben nahezu alle Charaktere in ihren bekannten Verhaltensmustern, was der Geschichte trotz zahlreicher Überraschungen etwas den Pfiff fehlen lässt. Jedoch wurde Elyssa recht interessant, welche viel Raum einnimmt und einen eigenen Plan verfolgt. Das Ende lässt einen gespannt auf Teil 4 sein, sind doch viele vermeintliche Gewissheiten verschwunden und die große Frage gestellt: Was hat es mit dem Kristall des Chaos auf sich?

Das Cover ist sehr passend, deutet es doch auf das sinestrische Sumpfland. Ein kurzer Hinweis: Im Buch wird konsequent vom Palast der unmöglichen Träume gesprochen, wie es auch die wörtliche Übersetzung des englischen Originaltitels ist.

Ein Übergangsband, der letzte Vorbereitungen für den finalen vierten Teil trifft und bis auf tiefere Einblicke in die Gezeitenmagie wenig Neues zu erzählen weiß.

[Lina Al-Midfa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 3rd in the series, this definately feels like a middle book to me.
I didn't LOVE it as I did the 1st and 2nd, that's why I rated 4 stars, but the story and my love for some characters kept me going. With the only negative pointed out, here are the positives!

Get ready for some spoilers
So at the end of the 2nd, Arkady is no more 'Lady Arkady' as she was branded a slave, and Declan is no more a mere 'mortal'. Cayal still wants to die (no surprises there) and the immortals all over Glaeba and Caelum are planning to overthrow the real heirs to the respective thrones.

Arkady (my heart really went out to her in this one) pulls through with the fierceness of a caged animal. She never once gave up, although she does have suicidal thoughts (who wouldn't? after being bought and sold as a slave). Finally after going through hell and back, a love that was denied her as well as us readers emerges and appreciates her for who she really is.
Warlock and Boots, now known as Cecil and Tabitha Belle, are finally proud parents of three, but living everyday in fear as the Lady Alysa (better known as the Immortal Maiden Elyssa) keeps referring to their pups as 'my babies'. By naming them Despair, Torment and Misery (no pups or kittens deserve such atrocious names) Warlock and Boots have enough reason to question what Elyssa has in store for them.

Declan, is in turmoil. As he tries to come to terms with being a Tide Lord and hating what has befallen him, seems to be in awe of the power he has access to. The power of the Tide is explained through his eyes as a powerful Drug that one cannot bring themselves to stop using.

As you may have noticed, the characters I wrote about are obviously my favourites. Concerning some other characters in the book, like Stellan and Jaxyn, the Cabal of the Tarot, etc. you're going to have to read the book =)
There is also a surprise concerning a certain prisoner 282, in Lebec Prison. I myself was shocked, I didn't expect it, although I'm sure some people expected it. Not me, I literally screamed "WTF!" serious cliffhanger overload.
All in all, I very much enjoyed this book, and have already started the 4th and final installment, The Chaos Crystal.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say - this was my least favorite of the Tide Lords saga. The Palace of Impossible Dreams picks up immediately after of The Gods of Amyrantha & the events at the end. Each chapter is told from third person perspective and feature Stellan, Cayal, Arkady, Declan, Tiji, Warlock, Jaxyn, Lukys POVs.

The first two installments of this series were very well done, with interesting characters & an intriguing story line. For me, this is a fun series that brings up some interesting ideas about human nature and immortality but while there were plenty of twists and turns for various characters the story seems to work itself into a circle...

But I still love the Tide Lords. They are some seriously flawed characters & I love that. They are selfish and lack the ability to think about the consequences of their actions.. & even if they do think about it, they don't care.

Take Cayal for instance - he leaves Arkady to a fate worse than death - I mean Cayal pretty much left her to die! He sent Arkady to Brynden and got her trapped in the first place and then just leaves her!!! Fucken douche!

Also as this series continues to progress, I find myself liking Arkady less and less. I found myself indifferent to Arkady & her ongoing plight. She just really made me mad in this book. The girl made no sense! She gets mad at Declan for pretty much calling dibbs on her after he comes and saves her from death! Then she suddenly realizes that she has loved Declan since they were children, even though the development of the plot doesn't actually support this... Seriously, at no point in the time before this revelation did I ever believe she was interested in Declan at all! It just feels so fake to me!

I was surprised to find that Im really starting to think the Crasii's stories way more interesting. Though I still could do without the Crassi all together, I actually like Tiji. She is my favorite. But that's not to say Warlock isnt also very interesting. He has really grown on me since The Immortal Prince . He's just trying to keep his family alive & I respect that.

The series continues to build up to an epic climax that is sure to shake us. I enjoy this series so much. I can't wait to see how Fallon decides to end things!