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Trinity #3
Destiny
The spellbinding final installment of Trinity.The Paladin are reunited in the Heartwood and the Trinity is revealed at last. But what is the key to the secret which will unlock their power?Tor and Alyssa are surrounded by danger. Their old enemy, Goth, is free to cause pain and suffering wherever he goes, whilst Alyssa's nemesis, Xantia, returns to haunt her. Meanwhile, the god Orlac has installed himself on the throne of Cipres and turns his attention to hunting down Tor, determined to kill him and those he loves.The battle lines are drawn for the final confrontation between the two most powerful sentients ever to walk the Land.
Paperback
First published April 1, 2010
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551 people want to read
About the author
Fiona McIntosh
70 books1,988 followersFiona writes best selling historical adventure-romance alongside the heroic-romantic, often brutal, fantasy she built her career upon. She lives in Australia but frequently roams the world meticulously researching the locations and gathering material for her historical novels that have international settings. Her books are published worldwide and in various languages.
Her most recent historical fiction has gathered such a following that she is now hosting a tour in 2014 to Paris and Provence so eager readers can walk in the footsteps of her characters.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Her most recent historical fiction has gathered such a following that she is now hosting a tour in 2014 to Paris and Provence so eager readers can walk in the footsteps of her characters.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 7, 2014
wow wow wow and wow again.A must read
April 4, 2016
I couldn't put it down and tears were shed.
September 29, 2022
Nu ik dan EIN-DE-LiJK dit laatste deel uit heb geluisterd (audio-boek) moet ik heel eerlijk zeggen dat ik nog steeds niet begrijp waar dit hele verhaal om draaide. Misschien dat het kwam omdat de verteller van het audioboek het niet echt prettig vertelde; misschien omdat het een Vlaamse verteller was. Laat me duidelijk zijn, ik vind Vlaams een mooie taal, maar het kwam op momenten over alsof ze het boek niet eerder had gelezen en daardoor onnatuurlijk vertelde. Dit zelfde geldt trouwens ook voor de eerdere twee delen uit deze trilogy.
Ik lees op GR veel positieve reacties op het verhaal, dus misschien moet ik het nog eens proberen als een e-book om tot een hogere score te komen. Tot dan blijven deze twee sterren staan.
Ik lees op GR veel positieve reacties op het verhaal, dus misschien moet ik het nog eens proberen als een e-book om tot een hogere score te komen. Tot dan blijven deze twee sterren staan.
January 11, 2023
book one and two of trinity were quite alright! but when we got to book three, for me everything went downhill. like it’s fine but not amazing and felt really boring. especially tor’s character, for me it was the same thing, the same excuses time and time again. hence why this book ended up being a major let down for me unfortunately.
October 12, 2012
I'm not sure if I liked this book or not. But I will try to work through it in this review. There are plot spoilers, but if you've already ready the first two you're probably in the clear.
The Positives: It was a really great story. McIntosh really likes to pull at your heart strings with love and desires and how duty often outweighs the heart. Her stories are often bitter sweet, but I liked the plot idea.
Her characters are very well developed, although sometimes their motives are unclear. I mean taking jealously to the point where you kidnap someone's daughter and help them be violated is a bit much, especially since the animosity is never really explored other than to say one girl was jealous of the other because of one incident.
Their were some surprises in the novel. I like when the writer holds a little bit back, just one small piece of knowledge they don't let the reader in on until close to the end. It doesn't even have to be something talked about through the entire novel either. Just something dropped in casually from time to time, ie. Tor's and Alyssa's parentage.
I loved that Alyssa found happiness in an orphan boy who she raised as her own. She deserved happiness, though it was bitterly unfair how Tor betrayed her in the very first book, not telling her she had children. But conflict is often what drives a story, and it did so in this one as well.
I love the Paladin. I love the idea of them and I loved most of them individually too. They were truly great characters.
The Negatives: I was very frustrated that Goth kept escaping, I mean really, he escaped so many times it was almost comical, and he really had no bearing on the main plot of the book, he was just there to make Alyssa uncomfortable. I feel he could have died in the first book, he didn't really further the plot along, I mean anyone could have had reasons to kill Sylven, it didn't have to be Goth trying to kill Tor.
I found there was a lot of sexual violence in this trilogy, it was unsettling. While there were only ever two cases of rape, they were vicious and talked about frequently.
I actually found the story line between Orlac and Lauryn to be somewhat pointless. Orlac already loved the Paladin and was weakened by this, he didn't need to develop feelings for a woman too. I think his bond with the Paladin was enough, and Lauryn's ordeal didn't need to happen. The event that took place between the brothers could have happened without Lauryn's involvement with Orlac (and Dorgyl).
I'm still disappointed that Sallamentro was barely talked about. He made such a strong impression in the prologue, and then he barely spoke a single word after that. His character was made to seem important and then shoved to the background. I felt like I knew Themesius better and he was the last one to show up. Severely disappointed with how Sallamentro's character was handled.
I did like the end of the book, though I feel badly that Tor won't remember anything, it's hardly fair. And it's a little strange that Alyssa is now in love with a baby...
So, overall I enjoyed the books, but there was a lot to be desired. I find Ms. McIntosh's more recent works to be better written, though some of them have violent sexual encounters also.
I feel as though Ms McIntosh loved the idea of her first novel so much that she re vamped it and re worked it and wrote it again. I found a staggering number of similarities between Betrayal/Revenge/Destiny as I did to Odalisque/Emissary/Goddess, and I have to say (possibly because I read it first) I liked Odalisque much more overall.
The tale of Tor and Alyssa is an interesting one however, and I think any fan of Ms McIntosh would still enjoy it.
The Positives: It was a really great story. McIntosh really likes to pull at your heart strings with love and desires and how duty often outweighs the heart. Her stories are often bitter sweet, but I liked the plot idea.
Her characters are very well developed, although sometimes their motives are unclear. I mean taking jealously to the point where you kidnap someone's daughter and help them be violated is a bit much, especially since the animosity is never really explored other than to say one girl was jealous of the other because of one incident.
Their were some surprises in the novel. I like when the writer holds a little bit back, just one small piece of knowledge they don't let the reader in on until close to the end. It doesn't even have to be something talked about through the entire novel either. Just something dropped in casually from time to time, ie. Tor's and Alyssa's parentage.
I loved that Alyssa found happiness in an orphan boy who she raised as her own. She deserved happiness, though it was bitterly unfair how Tor betrayed her in the very first book, not telling her she had children. But conflict is often what drives a story, and it did so in this one as well.
I love the Paladin. I love the idea of them and I loved most of them individually too. They were truly great characters.
The Negatives: I was very frustrated that Goth kept escaping, I mean really, he escaped so many times it was almost comical, and he really had no bearing on the main plot of the book, he was just there to make Alyssa uncomfortable. I feel he could have died in the first book, he didn't really further the plot along, I mean anyone could have had reasons to kill Sylven, it didn't have to be Goth trying to kill Tor.
I found there was a lot of sexual violence in this trilogy, it was unsettling. While there were only ever two cases of rape, they were vicious and talked about frequently.
I actually found the story line between Orlac and Lauryn to be somewhat pointless. Orlac already loved the Paladin and was weakened by this, he didn't need to develop feelings for a woman too. I think his bond with the Paladin was enough, and Lauryn's ordeal didn't need to happen. The event that took place between the brothers could have happened without Lauryn's involvement with Orlac (and Dorgyl).
I'm still disappointed that Sallamentro was barely talked about. He made such a strong impression in the prologue, and then he barely spoke a single word after that. His character was made to seem important and then shoved to the background. I felt like I knew Themesius better and he was the last one to show up. Severely disappointed with how Sallamentro's character was handled.
I did like the end of the book, though I feel badly that Tor won't remember anything, it's hardly fair. And it's a little strange that Alyssa is now in love with a baby...
So, overall I enjoyed the books, but there was a lot to be desired. I find Ms. McIntosh's more recent works to be better written, though some of them have violent sexual encounters also.
I feel as though Ms McIntosh loved the idea of her first novel so much that she re vamped it and re worked it and wrote it again. I found a staggering number of similarities between Betrayal/Revenge/Destiny as I did to Odalisque/Emissary/Goddess, and I have to say (possibly because I read it first) I liked Odalisque much more overall.
The tale of Tor and Alyssa is an interesting one however, and I think any fan of Ms McIntosh would still enjoy it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2021
This is a review of the series as a whole.
The series started of strong with some good mystery, interesting characters, decent love story and some dark elements to balance it out.
As the series advances though, it get's a little bit more bland and certain events seem to random. A certain villain gets overused so much it gets annoying. While other characters are underdeveloped when they are so important (looking at you trinity) and some just feel obsolete (Xanthia, that's you). The fact that everyone loves everybody at first sight also get's a bit boring after a while.
The magic gets more vague as the story develops (This beam of magic or i called the colors to do A or B). This is especially the case during the final battle. While I did like the concept she created a little more definition would have been nice and give substance to the story.
So it was a strong start but went downhill from there to end up mediocre overall.
The series started of strong with some good mystery, interesting characters, decent love story and some dark elements to balance it out.
As the series advances though, it get's a little bit more bland and certain events seem to random. A certain villain gets overused so much it gets annoying. While other characters are underdeveloped when they are so important (looking at you trinity) and some just feel obsolete (Xanthia, that's you). The fact that everyone loves everybody at first sight also get's a bit boring after a while.
The magic gets more vague as the story develops (This beam of magic or i called the colors to do A or B). This is especially the case during the final battle. While I did like the concept she created a little more definition would have been nice and give substance to the story.
So it was a strong start but went downhill from there to end up mediocre overall.
August 6, 2011
Really enjoyed this.
March 15, 2013
Loved the series
Read
October 16, 2021I read this series years ago, and always remembered I loved it.
But... I forgot how completely screwed up the timing and continuity is. Alyssa is 14 a the start when Tor was supposed to propose, but disappeared instead. She spent less than a year on the road before she ended up in Caremboche(?). Then several years there. Enter the great escape for less than a year. Followed by 6 years post escape at Tal. The book states she’s 24 when she marries Lorys, and she had a birthday a week or so before Tor returned and Lorys died. But Tor is often talking like only 6 years have passed since the first.
I’m sure there’s a part where she mentions ‘the years she was queen’. She was queen for months. There’s something about how the old queen was gone and another about the year she’s been gone... but she was dead less than 6 mths by the time everything fell apart. The whole Cipres/Tor saga seemed to last for less than a month or so, but he received notice of the old queens death on arrival, and that his love had married the old king not long after, but they said they waited for a couple of months. The list on all these little out of times is huge and all over the place.
And that doesn’t take into account of the conveniently screwed up travel timing. Occasionally it is properly explained by magical interference, but it often just doesn’t add up when people are wanted elsewhere and what would normally be a few days trip, is no one. And no, I’m not talking about the trees, the suped up horses or the magical wind. I’m talking about the nobles being able to get to the capital by dawn the next morning, when most places are up to a weeks travel. Some of them might have lived in town, but really! And then international travelers managed to get there inside a week, when the invitations had to get to them first!
But... I forgot how completely screwed up the timing and continuity is. Alyssa is 14 a the start when Tor was supposed to propose, but disappeared instead. She spent less than a year on the road before she ended up in Caremboche(?). Then several years there. Enter the great escape for less than a year. Followed by 6 years post escape at Tal. The book states she’s 24 when she marries Lorys, and she had a birthday a week or so before Tor returned and Lorys died. But Tor is often talking like only 6 years have passed since the first.
I’m sure there’s a part where she mentions ‘the years she was queen’. She was queen for months. There’s something about how the old queen was gone and another about the year she’s been gone... but she was dead less than 6 mths by the time everything fell apart. The whole Cipres/Tor saga seemed to last for less than a month or so, but he received notice of the old queens death on arrival, and that his love had married the old king not long after, but they said they waited for a couple of months. The list on all these little out of times is huge and all over the place.
And that doesn’t take into account of the conveniently screwed up travel timing. Occasionally it is properly explained by magical interference, but it often just doesn’t add up when people are wanted elsewhere and what would normally be a few days trip, is no one. And no, I’m not talking about the trees, the suped up horses or the magical wind. I’m talking about the nobles being able to get to the capital by dawn the next morning, when most places are up to a weeks travel. Some of them might have lived in town, but really! And then international travelers managed to get there inside a week, when the invitations had to get to them first!
April 20, 2025
Co ja przeczytałem...
Naprawdę lubię stare fantasy. Nie przeszkadzam mi,że bywa sztampowe, proste czy motywy w niej użyte są powtarzalne. Wszystko ma jednak swoje granice.
Po serie sięgnąłem w sumie tylko dlatego, bo na okładce pojawiła się zachętą od mojej ulubionej pisarki - Robin Hobb.
I chyba czuje się trochę oszukany/wprowadzony w błąd.
Postacie są nijakie, główny bohater to taki Gary Stu. Nieciekawy, ale wszystko zawsze mu się udaje. Panny za nim latają, a on za pomocą pstryknięcia palcami rozwiązuje największe problemy. Wątki miłosne są w tej serii płaskie niczym deska, nie ma żadnej głębi (postać A widzi postać B - wymieniają dwa zdania = wielką miłość).
Postacie poboczne? Są tylko po to by pchać fabułę. Niektóre pojawiają się tylko na kilku stronach, a niby są ważne. Część wątków nie została wyjaśniona, zakończenie jest mdłe, a główni przeciwnicy komiczni.
Jedna z tych serii, których nie chce mi się nawet trzymać w biblioteczce... Nie polecam - chyba że zaczynasz drogę z fantasy i jesteś młodą osobą.
Naprawdę lubię stare fantasy. Nie przeszkadzam mi,że bywa sztampowe, proste czy motywy w niej użyte są powtarzalne. Wszystko ma jednak swoje granice.
Po serie sięgnąłem w sumie tylko dlatego, bo na okładce pojawiła się zachętą od mojej ulubionej pisarki - Robin Hobb.
I chyba czuje się trochę oszukany/wprowadzony w błąd.
Postacie są nijakie, główny bohater to taki Gary Stu. Nieciekawy, ale wszystko zawsze mu się udaje. Panny za nim latają, a on za pomocą pstryknięcia palcami rozwiązuje największe problemy. Wątki miłosne są w tej serii płaskie niczym deska, nie ma żadnej głębi (postać A widzi postać B - wymieniają dwa zdania = wielką miłość).
Postacie poboczne? Są tylko po to by pchać fabułę. Niektóre pojawiają się tylko na kilku stronach, a niby są ważne. Część wątków nie została wyjaśniona, zakończenie jest mdłe, a główni przeciwnicy komiczni.
Jedna z tych serii, których nie chce mi się nawet trzymać w biblioteczce... Nie polecam - chyba że zaczynasz drogę z fantasy i jesteś młodą osobą.
June 23, 2018
I was sad to reach the end of this wonderful fantasy trilogy. The characters had become so familiar to me, as had the settings and the saga so beautifully crafted by the author. I've given all my detailed praise in previous reviews, so I'll just say that this is a must read trilogy for fantasy fans. I loved it. Destiny wrapped up all the loose ends in a totally believable and acceptable conclusion: a fitting end for a great story.
March 18, 2025
Good ending, nicely told.
This was a re-read for me, and although this trilogy felt a little naive,(debut series after all) it still has great characters ,nicely woven plot, and a rewarding ending. All you need from a high fantasy telling. You can see grimdark elements emerging from this series, and McIntosh is as brutal as GRR Martin at times. I remember tweeting her first time round saying how similar in shock effect certain scenes were in this series, similar to the Red Wedding. Go and have a read.
This was a re-read for me, and although this trilogy felt a little naive,(debut series after all) it still has great characters ,nicely woven plot, and a rewarding ending. All you need from a high fantasy telling. You can see grimdark elements emerging from this series, and McIntosh is as brutal as GRR Martin at times. I remember tweeting her first time round saying how similar in shock effect certain scenes were in this series, similar to the Red Wedding. Go and have a read.
May 10, 2019
Thoroughly love Fiona McIntosh's writing, especially her fantasy trilogies. Great read.
October 6, 2022
Loved it! The only part I didn't like is, this is the last in the trilogy. I wish Fiona had written more in the series, or another trilogy. I always miss the characters when it ends.
January 10, 2023
Alot of lead up and hype for a rather mediocre ending
October 23, 2023
DNF for now, because I haven’t read anything the past month or so and I don’t feel like picking this one up again. Another time maybe…
January 28, 2024
Felt rushed at the end and some obvious mistakes in text.
July 16, 2024
4.5 stars
November 5, 2014
Deel 1 en deel 2 heb ik inmiddels gelezen. In een trilogie is dan het logische vervolg dat je dan ook deel 3 nog even leest. Ook deel 3 in deze reeks is een ontzettend spannende aanrader. Alles komt hierin op zijn pootjes terecht. De palladijnen hebben zich verbonden met hun mensen en de triniteit is compleet. Dan kunnen Tor en consorten op weg om de god Orlac te vernietigen. Deze is alvast begonnen met zijn opmars richting Tallinor. Daarnaast hebben ze ook nog steeds last van Goth. Daar moeten ze zich ook nog van ontdoen. En als dat nog niet genoeg is, hebben we ook nog Xantia de vijand van Alyssa die roet in het eten komt strooien.
Dit is helaas het derde deel van de trilogie en daarmee is de trilogie 'De Beproeving' afgelopen. Alle losse eindjes zijn aan elkaar geknopt. Dit is ook echt een pluspunt voor de schrijfster. Ook alle losse eindjes die in deel 1 zijn begonnen zijn allemaal bij elkaar gekomen. Je blijft niet met vragen zitten. Deze hele trilogie is een absolute aanrader.
Dit is helaas het derde deel van de trilogie en daarmee is de trilogie 'De Beproeving' afgelopen. Alle losse eindjes zijn aan elkaar geknopt. Dit is ook echt een pluspunt voor de schrijfster. Ook alle losse eindjes die in deel 1 zijn begonnen zijn allemaal bij elkaar gekomen. Je blijft niet met vragen zitten. Deze hele trilogie is een absolute aanrader.
April 18, 2016
I feel so confused about this series as a whole. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and felt that for the most part the characters were well fleshed out and interesting but there were so many little mistakes it began to niggle at me. Without spoilers but when a character is introduced they have grey eyes and then later on have green eyes. Or a character with twin daughters that then become an elder daughter and a younger daughter. Silly atuff like that, that should probably have been caught in editing and pulled me from the story a bit. The other thing I suppose was that there seemed to be some inconsistencies about the magic in the series. How much power each character possessed seemed to vary on what the story needed at that moment. The ending was solid and quite bittersweet. So all in all I would recommend this series.
February 26, 2016
This is the third and last volume in the Trinity trilogy (after Betrayal and Revenge).
Well I’m not sure how to summarize this book. So many things happen to our Mary Sue, Gary Stu and their magical children and friends: numerous comings and goings from the Heartwood to all four corners of Tallinor and Cipres, catching Goth and losing him (again!), trying to outwit the evil god Orlac (who turns out to be not so bad in the end – but don’t fret, there’s someone even eviller to takes his place as great villain).
Still, the characters are likeable, even though they’re totally improbable (like Tor’s blue eyes, which are… incredible). But the story in interminable and yet it left me in the lurch. I don’t know, I have mixed feeling about this series.
Well I’m not sure how to summarize this book. So many things happen to our Mary Sue, Gary Stu and their magical children and friends: numerous comings and goings from the Heartwood to all four corners of Tallinor and Cipres, catching Goth and losing him (again!), trying to outwit the evil god Orlac (who turns out to be not so bad in the end – but don’t fret, there’s someone even eviller to takes his place as great villain).
Still, the characters are likeable, even though they’re totally improbable (like Tor’s blue eyes, which are… incredible). But the story in interminable and yet it left me in the lurch. I don’t know, I have mixed feeling about this series.
April 17, 2012
This was a re-read and I'm damned glad I did re-read the trilogy when I did. In spite of the head-hopping I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy again and some of the scenes gave me a good kick up the backside with regard to my own WIP - thanks Fiona!
March 16, 2012
The ending to the Trinity Trilogy wasn't as captivating as the other two books. I felt there was too much of a sense of finality, and while I feel the ending seemed nice, I would have preferred one where we got introduced to the reborn characters properly.
All in all, a wonderful trilogy.
All in all, a wonderful trilogy.
May 4, 2016
I would recommend these books to anyone, unless they were hardcore twilight fans. Maybe Smeyer read these books first.
All in all I didn't hate them, but I'm thankfull I got them for nary a penny in a second hand bookshop. I doubt I'll ever read them again..
All in all I didn't hate them, but I'm thankfull I got them for nary a penny in a second hand bookshop. I doubt I'll ever read them again..
January 20, 2012
It was a flat ending to a flat series. I did find the world sucking me in and I only wished the writing and the stories would've been more intriguing.
March 26, 2012
good book let down by its ending very short and predictable final few chapters
June 21, 2014
The end of another enjoyable story by Fiona McIntosh. Looking forward to the next.
November 17, 2014
Loved the ending! Amazingly well written. and now starts my hunt to find Fiona's other books! :)
May 27, 2013
Once I have started a series it has to be pretty bad for me not to finish it. This isn't that bad, but it isn't the best!
April 16, 2015
This trilogy had a great ending, I really enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews