My girl Never is back! Yippee! But it's bitter sweet, I'm drooling in anticipation except, it's the final book in the series! 😭 There was so much I needed to know, I HAD to know and glory be, did Ms Reames deliver!
Never is a persona (she's WAY more than just a character!) who brought out the fiercest most protective juices within me when I first met her, what she went through, what she had to endure, holy macaroly! One would think that she would be a jibbering mess, but not MY Never! No, she the toughest most resilient person "I know", she's resourceful and a tad impulsive, ok, a lot impulsive. But she's honed her impulsiveness, to a degree, when she opened herself up to feel, when she finds she suddenly has something she lacked for most of her life, a family. The most beautiful found family EVER! Her evolvement in this series is superb, her growth is magnificent, not only her inner voice that is quieted, her magic, what she is, what she becomes, THAT'S ALL spectacular! But hang on, I need to give credit where credit is due, and that goes 100% to this outstanding author! SHE brought them into existence, SHE shaped them, SHE crafted a story that consumed me.
These characters are fun, they're gutsy, they're gritty, they feel like "my family" Heck, I'VE gone through so much with them, I'VE experienced their pain, I'VE felt every iota of their pain, no wonder they feel like family! And they're so darn likeable too, whether it's Never herself, the hunky Nahum, who makes my heart go "pitta patter" especially when, as a dragon and hoarder of books tells Never "I love you more than any of my books. More than all of them combined " There's also Aggie, Chrys, Nadia, Elios, Calypso, Hugh, Jackal, Calder, or the enigmatic Bone Collector, who's transformation warmed my heart, it just made my urge to get into their psychi all that more encompassing. Even the Fates, who, I seriously couldn't see their motive for their deeds until I could. So many awesome characters, so many incredible events, so many hidden facts, and Never tries to unravel it all. Almost an impossibility, almost.... everything is a challenge, everything is just so complicated, as she says, "When is someone going to toss something simple onto our plates?" The final hurdle Never and her friends face, is THE battle. Riziks who would subjugate everyone and everything can't be allowed to succeed and the only way to have even a smidge of hope at defeating them, Never needs allies, which, typically, she's hard pressed to convince. And when the battle begins, what unfolds, the sacrifice, my lordie, I had to forcefully shove my tongue back in my mouth, it just hung there, limp and unable to retract. Awesome awesome awesome scenes! Scary as shoot too!
One would think with the army Never has ammased, the allies who are with her, with BR on her side, the outcome is a a foregone conclusion. But it's not. Ms Reames takes everything I THINK will happen, throws it into the mud and squishes it until it's unrecognisable. I was kept guessing, I was kept on my toes, I was kept surprised. Tension? Drama? Holy moly, this book has it in spades! Desperate times call for desperate deeds, but even I was cringing and writhing at what poor Feral went through. And the characters are impossible NOT to like! Silas takes every character and gives them their own unique characteristics and even redemption! Like Damian, I'd never have thought I'd actually start liking him, but there you go....Danger had a lot to do with his "mellowing" out too. She's so cool, she gives Chrys a run for her money on exuberance!
Although less dark than the previous books, it's still as gritty, it's still as intense, it's still a potent read, and the humour is unexpectedly brilliant, in fact, it's another can't put down read, a signature of this author, like a packet of biscuits, one CAN'T stop until you've eaten them all! The ending was awesome, the conclusion everything I thought it would be and more, I got to see Never go through challenges and battles and come out the other side, much changed, but one thing is still the same, Never will always have a place in my heart, she's MY found family!