Fantastic ending
Phew. This book. This series. I loved it and loved it and loved it some more. It grabbed me from the first page and kept me mesmerized and hooked until the last syllable. I was equally desperate to read it all at once and also to savor it and make it last. The story weaves together all the best things - exhilarating adventure, palpable tension, unexpected twists, dangerous moments, deep emotions, and swoony romance. Expect a twisty windy roller coaster of a story from the first page to the last because instead of a slow ratcheting up of the danger and suspense, the story starts with intensity and just never lets up. It picks up exactly where the last book ended - Tamara is bitten by the Alpha wolf Thane and to prevent her death from the werewolf virus, she is infected by the vampire virus by her lover/boyfriend, master vampire Costin. Tamara is from an ancient magical lineage but she was simply mortal which made her vulnerable until she is transformed into a wolf/vampire/magic hybrid making her unstable. In this story, she continues to be portrayed as a real, relatable, complicated and likeable heroine who has flaws and scars, but is really just trying to do her best as a messy being in very messy supernatural situations. Despite Tamara’s best efforts to live a boring life throughout the series, she is drawn into ever more dangerous plots and the evil machinations of the supernatural world and its players. Hers is the story of a damaged and bruised but not broken being who finds her way by owning her choices, recognizing her scars, embracing all of her parts, and deciding to make her own path. It’s a story about the power of choice and Tamara ultimately finds her place and her true self in the journey. The flow of the entire story was so well done and managed to keep my attention completely on the story - danger and suspense followed by brief periods of romance and emotional drama before the cycle starts again. This final book beautifully wraps up all the storylines from the first three books and resolves all the evil plotting of the bad guys. I simply loved Tamara’s gradual transformation as the series progressed. And I have loved this series and am sorry that it is finished - time for a re-read.
Note - while this can be read as a standalone as there is enough back story woven into the book that you will not be lost, do yourself a favor and read the books in order starting with book one. It will add richness and greater dimension to the storyline and the books are fantastic.