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Avena #3
Fearless
Ebony and Nathaneal were in love before they were even born.… Torn apart and kept in different worlds, will they finally reunite in this exquisite conclusion to Hidden and Broken?
Ebony was kept hidden on Earth for sixteen years, unaware that she was an angel. Unaware that her true soulmate, Nathaneal, was searching for her. Now ready to claim her rightful place with him, in a cruel twist of fate Ebony is captured and imprisoned in a version of hell.
Knowing that Nathaneal will come for her, Ebony is determined to fight against the evil that holds her prisoner. As long as she has Nathaneal’s love, Ebony has nothing to fear. Can Nathaneal break through the gates of hell? Will these long-lost lovers finally reunite and fulfil their destiny?
Ebony was kept hidden on Earth for sixteen years, unaware that she was an angel. Unaware that her true soulmate, Nathaneal, was searching for her. Now ready to claim her rightful place with him, in a cruel twist of fate Ebony is captured and imprisoned in a version of hell.
Knowing that Nathaneal will come for her, Ebony is determined to fight against the evil that holds her prisoner. As long as she has Nathaneal’s love, Ebony has nothing to fear. Can Nathaneal break through the gates of hell? Will these long-lost lovers finally reunite and fulfil their destiny?
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2015
12 people are currently reading
798 people want to read
About the author
Marianne Curley
26 books1,238 followersI loved reading from a young age and scoured my school libraries during my younger years, but I never thought I would become a writer. It was not until my mid-thirties, while teaching office studies and computers to adults at the Coffs Harbour Education Campus that I began to think seriously about writing. I took several courses and experimented with different styles and genres. With two teenage daughters at the time I fell into writing young adult paranormal and knew I'd found something I loved.
My first four novels, Old Magic, The Named, The Dark and The Key, were published by Bloomsbury Publishing in Australia, the UK, and the USA, with translations into more than a dozen foreign languages.
In 2004, just as The Key was being prepared for printing, I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone marrow cancer called Myelofibrosis. With only a short time to live, I was given a stem-cell bone marrow transplant using my sister’s stem cells, which saved my life. I have now been cancer free for more than twenty years and have written a total of ten books. The Avena Series - Hidden, Broken and Fearless were published in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
In March 2018, I was finally able to publish the long-awaited fourth book to the Guardians of Time Series, called The Shadow. To unite the series, I brought out a new edition of the entire series with matching fantasy covers tying the four books together.
Website: http://mariannecurley7.com
Email: marianne.curley7@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marianne.cur...
Facebook Author: https://www.facebook.com/MarianneCurl...
Insta: @marianne_curley
My first four novels, Old Magic, The Named, The Dark and The Key, were published by Bloomsbury Publishing in Australia, the UK, and the USA, with translations into more than a dozen foreign languages.
In 2004, just as The Key was being prepared for printing, I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of bone marrow cancer called Myelofibrosis. With only a short time to live, I was given a stem-cell bone marrow transplant using my sister’s stem cells, which saved my life. I have now been cancer free for more than twenty years and have written a total of ten books. The Avena Series - Hidden, Broken and Fearless were published in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
In March 2018, I was finally able to publish the long-awaited fourth book to the Guardians of Time Series, called The Shadow. To unite the series, I brought out a new edition of the entire series with matching fantasy covers tying the four books together.
Website: http://mariannecurley7.com
Email: marianne.curley7@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marianne.cur...
Facebook Author: https://www.facebook.com/MarianneCurl...
Insta: @marianne_curley
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 15, 2015
Hi everyone, I'm the author of The Avena Series - Hidden, Broken and Fearless, and I hope you don't mind that I've given Fearless a five-star rating. I am very proud of Fearless and I believe of the seven books I have written, it is my best book so far. I hope that once you have a chance to read it too, you will feel the same.
I also love the cover art and I thank the Bloomsbury Publishing design team for that. Saving the colourful version of Ebony for the finale was a great idea. Here is Ebony at last, fully evolved with her red hair and her inner strength shining through the direct look of her unique violet eyes. And it's just lovely that the same girl is on all three covers of Hidden, Broken and Fearless.
Ebony needs all her inner and physical strength for Fearless. I throw a myriad of struggles at her, and also at her soul-mate Nathaneal, and Jordan and Amber, with gut-wrenching, heart-breaking results, and an ending that will hopefully linger in our minds after the last page is turned.
Writing The Avena Series has been an amazing experience and I thank everyone who has let me know their thoughts on Hidden and Broken. And I look forward to reading your reviews on Fearless.
I also love the cover art and I thank the Bloomsbury Publishing design team for that. Saving the colourful version of Ebony for the finale was a great idea. Here is Ebony at last, fully evolved with her red hair and her inner strength shining through the direct look of her unique violet eyes. And it's just lovely that the same girl is on all three covers of Hidden, Broken and Fearless.
Ebony needs all her inner and physical strength for Fearless. I throw a myriad of struggles at her, and also at her soul-mate Nathaneal, and Jordan and Amber, with gut-wrenching, heart-breaking results, and an ending that will hopefully linger in our minds after the last page is turned.
Writing The Avena Series has been an amazing experience and I thank everyone who has let me know their thoughts on Hidden and Broken. And I look forward to reading your reviews on Fearless.
December 31, 2015
This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library
Before I start, I have to apologise to Bloomsbury Australia who kindly sent me a review copy of this book. I cleaned my house and promptly lost the book for about six months, so when I found it again I decided to review Book 1 Hidden and Book 2 Broken as well.
SUMMARY
Now that Ebony is the evil Prince Luca’s prisoner, Nathaniel and the other angels must do everything they can before Luca consummates the marriage and his plan for world domination is put into effect. But the impenetrable gates to Skade have been shut for one hundred years, and the consequences of forcing a breach are catastrophic.
WORLDBUILDING
I was pretty amused at this depiction of Skade – one with schools and prisons and agriculture. Luca took over a thousand or so years ago and really cleaned up the fire and brimstone aspects. I’m still trying to figure out if, in this twisted angel mythology where angels can fall in love, marry, and mate, if Luca/Lucian is meant to be a version of Lucifer. He’s even got a ‘beast’ form.
One thing I could never understand – with the gates of Skade closed for one hundred years, where exactly were the souls meant to go for judgement? And what of everyone trapped outside who was meant to be inside? And what of the person who was supposed to take over Skade after Luca’s demise? How exactly are they supposed to get in?
CHARACTERS + RELATIONSHIPS
I think I really started to feel for Ebony in this book. She’d finally accepted that she was an angel and she was separated from the one she loved and forced into this sham of a relationship with Luca, who used lies, manipulation, and even physical abuse to control her. It was really sad and really, really creepy that Ebony was only sixteen yet Luca was planning on raping and impregnating her anyway – not like her turning eighteen would have made a difference, but apparently that was the magical number where angels are allowed to start mating, or something.
Although Ebony had this awful habit to not realising when she was screaming – like in most paranormal romances, the ‘being unaware my body is doing something’ like breathing or crying or apparently screaming is supposed to be dramatic but when used to excess it starts making a good drinking game – she actually grew as a character. I was actually looking forward to her being forcefully married to Luca and being rescued in the nick of time and that way, she would still be Queen of Skade and have responsibilities towards the damned souls but that wasn’t the direction in which the story took place. Ebony had learned to accept herself, but I still found it frustrating that this super-powerful being was little more than a tough-talking damsel in distress. She didn’t plan an escape, she didn’t save herself, she didn’t contribute to the downfall of the bad guy, and based purely on her genetics, she was rewarded with a life of perfect happiness.
I totally didn’t buy Jordan and Amber’s romance. Not only did Jordan basically think that anything with a skirt was sexy, I was still convinced Amber thought he was an idiot.
As for the other angels, well, I can’t remember who was married to whom. Everyone seemed to kind of blur into one character except for Michael and Gabriel and that’s probably because I recognise their angelic names from the Bible.
WHAT WORKED/DIDN’T WORK
One of the things that did worked but unfortunately I did see coming from a long way off was the revelation of the traitor and how the traitor had helped the bad guys in the earlier books. While I was annoyed that the monastery was supposed to be impenetrable by the bad guys and lo and behold, oh no they broke through, it was actually the traitor who let them in. So that plot hole wrapped up nicely.
The other thing that bothered me SO MUCH was the horrible attitude of all of the angels (except Nathaniel) that once Luca had forcefully, against Ebony’s will, married her, and forcefully, against her will, raped her and impregnated her, that all would be lost and Nathaniel would no longer want Ebony, nor care for her, or desire her. I can’t even begin to describe how totally awful that attitude is – to victims of abusive relationships, to women who have children with one man and then remarry, to rape victims. It was such a horrible assumption and I was so glad than Nathaniel never bought into it. Although it did seem really odd that they seemed to be in this ‘race against time’ because the longer Ebony was in Skade the more likely it would be that she would end up pregnant. I mean, that was basically the motivation to rescue her, not because she was being held prisoner or against her will or being forced to live with Luca, but because she might get pregnant, and that was Phase I Don’t Even Know The Number of Luca’s evil plan to fill the world with his and Ebony’s offspring, Soul Readers who would mark possible Skade candidates for processing in the bid to take over Earth. It was like, if the angels got to Skade and heaven forbid, Ebony was pregnant, they were just going to give up and go home. Not only does it make Ebony seem like simply an object of lust and less than a person, but it put the value of her on her womb. Thankfully, Nathaniel never thought like this, but I was disgusted that the other angels did.
BONUS
This book is set in Australia, so I dreamed up some Australian casting! Check it out on the blog.
OVERALL
As far as the whole trilogy goes, I think this book was the best. I had to keep reminding myself that it was written for a teen audience in mind and imagining myself as the kind of teenage girl who likes to pretend she’s the main character in a book. Although there were a few glaring plotholes, the inconsistent writing of the previous two books seemed to have dropped off a bit. If you've read the previous two books, it's definitely worth tracking down this one to get the final story.
Before I start, I have to apologise to Bloomsbury Australia who kindly sent me a review copy of this book. I cleaned my house and promptly lost the book for about six months, so when I found it again I decided to review Book 1 Hidden and Book 2 Broken as well.
SUMMARY
Now that Ebony is the evil Prince Luca’s prisoner, Nathaniel and the other angels must do everything they can before Luca consummates the marriage and his plan for world domination is put into effect. But the impenetrable gates to Skade have been shut for one hundred years, and the consequences of forcing a breach are catastrophic.
WORLDBUILDING
I was pretty amused at this depiction of Skade – one with schools and prisons and agriculture. Luca took over a thousand or so years ago and really cleaned up the fire and brimstone aspects. I’m still trying to figure out if, in this twisted angel mythology where angels can fall in love, marry, and mate, if Luca/Lucian is meant to be a version of Lucifer. He’s even got a ‘beast’ form.
One thing I could never understand – with the gates of Skade closed for one hundred years, where exactly were the souls meant to go for judgement? And what of everyone trapped outside who was meant to be inside? And what of the person who was supposed to take over Skade after Luca’s demise? How exactly are they supposed to get in?
CHARACTERS + RELATIONSHIPS
I think I really started to feel for Ebony in this book. She’d finally accepted that she was an angel and she was separated from the one she loved and forced into this sham of a relationship with Luca, who used lies, manipulation, and even physical abuse to control her. It was really sad and really, really creepy that Ebony was only sixteen yet Luca was planning on raping and impregnating her anyway – not like her turning eighteen would have made a difference, but apparently that was the magical number where angels are allowed to start mating, or something.
Although Ebony had this awful habit to not realising when she was screaming – like in most paranormal romances, the ‘being unaware my body is doing something’ like breathing or crying or apparently screaming is supposed to be dramatic but when used to excess it starts making a good drinking game – she actually grew as a character. I was actually looking forward to her being forcefully married to Luca and being rescued in the nick of time and that way, she would still be Queen of Skade and have responsibilities towards the damned souls but that wasn’t the direction in which the story took place. Ebony had learned to accept herself, but I still found it frustrating that this super-powerful being was little more than a tough-talking damsel in distress. She didn’t plan an escape, she didn’t save herself, she didn’t contribute to the downfall of the bad guy, and based purely on her genetics, she was rewarded with a life of perfect happiness.
I totally didn’t buy Jordan and Amber’s romance. Not only did Jordan basically think that anything with a skirt was sexy, I was still convinced Amber thought he was an idiot.
As for the other angels, well, I can’t remember who was married to whom. Everyone seemed to kind of blur into one character except for Michael and Gabriel and that’s probably because I recognise their angelic names from the Bible.
WHAT WORKED/DIDN’T WORK
One of the things that did worked but unfortunately I did see coming from a long way off was the revelation of the traitor and how the traitor had helped the bad guys in the earlier books. While I was annoyed that the monastery was supposed to be impenetrable by the bad guys and lo and behold, oh no they broke through, it was actually the traitor who let them in. So that plot hole wrapped up nicely.
The other thing that bothered me SO MUCH was the horrible attitude of all of the angels (except Nathaniel) that once Luca had forcefully, against Ebony’s will, married her, and forcefully, against her will, raped her and impregnated her, that all would be lost and Nathaniel would no longer want Ebony, nor care for her, or desire her. I can’t even begin to describe how totally awful that attitude is – to victims of abusive relationships, to women who have children with one man and then remarry, to rape victims. It was such a horrible assumption and I was so glad than Nathaniel never bought into it. Although it did seem really odd that they seemed to be in this ‘race against time’ because the longer Ebony was in Skade the more likely it would be that she would end up pregnant. I mean, that was basically the motivation to rescue her, not because she was being held prisoner or against her will or being forced to live with Luca, but because she might get pregnant, and that was Phase I Don’t Even Know The Number of Luca’s evil plan to fill the world with his and Ebony’s offspring, Soul Readers who would mark possible Skade candidates for processing in the bid to take over Earth. It was like, if the angels got to Skade and heaven forbid, Ebony was pregnant, they were just going to give up and go home. Not only does it make Ebony seem like simply an object of lust and less than a person, but it put the value of her on her womb. Thankfully, Nathaniel never thought like this, but I was disgusted that the other angels did.
BONUS
This book is set in Australia, so I dreamed up some Australian casting! Check it out on the blog.
OVERALL
As far as the whole trilogy goes, I think this book was the best. I had to keep reminding myself that it was written for a teen audience in mind and imagining myself as the kind of teenage girl who likes to pretend she’s the main character in a book. Although there were a few glaring plotholes, the inconsistent writing of the previous two books seemed to have dropped off a bit. If you've read the previous two books, it's definitely worth tracking down this one to get the final story.
May 7, 2024
Having enjoyed the first book in this series many years ago, I've been searching for the two follow up books ever since. I finally found the third at a local library, the last two had been withdrawn from Kindle for some reason. The fact that I missed the second book altogether may have affected my enjoyment of this one, lots of obvious holes. But where the entire first book was on discovery and Ebony finding out she was actually an angel living on earth as a human.
I wanted to like it, but it just did not work for me. Powerful good angels trying to find a way to rescue Ebony from the evil dark angel king, Luca. Bit too much like greek and roman gods for me. DNF at 40%. 2 stars.
I wanted to like it, but it just did not work for me. Powerful good angels trying to find a way to rescue Ebony from the evil dark angel king, Luca. Bit too much like greek and roman gods for me. DNF at 40%. 2 stars.
August 7, 2015
Ebony and Nathaneal have overcome so much to be together but their happily ever after will have to wait. The Dark Prince and ruler of Skade has taken Ebony and imprisoned her in his realm. With all entries and exits to Skade sealed for a century, it seems Ebony and Thane's love story is at an end. Not willing to lose her after just finding her again, Thane is willing to do whatever it takes to have Ebony in his arms again. And Ebony isn't going to be an angelic damsel in distress - she will take on the devil himself to find her way back to Thane and the home she was taken from.
The Avena series by Marianne Curley has been a pleasure to read. Fearless, the third and final book in the trilogy, delivers all the drama and excitement of the previous two novels and so much more. Ebony has grown so much since we first met her in Hidden. She's overcome learning her heavenly history as well as her long complicated and romantic history with Thane. She isn't going to let being held captive by a dark Prince defeat her. One of the things I liked best about Ebony was her attitude. She is a fighter yet she is not infallible. The direness of her situation isn't lost on her and despite her best efforts to stay positive, Ebony is aware of the worst case scenario. New character Mela was a great addition to the story as was her connections to the overall plot.
As with the previous two books, the settings are great. Seeing Skade through Ebony's eyes was fantastic. There's enough detail to bring the place to life and I loved how vivid it was. Thane's part of the story was as captivating as Ebony's with his pain at being torn apart from her being palpable. Trying to balance his role as an Angel at the same time as planning a rescue mission weighed on him and it was nice to see his struggle and the human emotions it brought out in him. Jordan, Amber as well as a cast of angels all help bring this story to a climax. This is definitely one of those books which takes a little while to get going. The first half of this book is a little slow but the details and story is necessary for the action to really get ramped up in the second half.
Fearless is a brilliant conclusion to the series. There's drama and romance, heroes and villains, all tied together in a thrilling story. Beautifully written with vivid descriptions and interesting characters, Fearless is a must for fans of YA paranormal romance. After reading the Avena series - Marianne Curley has a fan for life in me and I can't wait to see what she writes next.
The Avena series by Marianne Curley has been a pleasure to read. Fearless, the third and final book in the trilogy, delivers all the drama and excitement of the previous two novels and so much more. Ebony has grown so much since we first met her in Hidden. She's overcome learning her heavenly history as well as her long complicated and romantic history with Thane. She isn't going to let being held captive by a dark Prince defeat her. One of the things I liked best about Ebony was her attitude. She is a fighter yet she is not infallible. The direness of her situation isn't lost on her and despite her best efforts to stay positive, Ebony is aware of the worst case scenario. New character Mela was a great addition to the story as was her connections to the overall plot.
As with the previous two books, the settings are great. Seeing Skade through Ebony's eyes was fantastic. There's enough detail to bring the place to life and I loved how vivid it was. Thane's part of the story was as captivating as Ebony's with his pain at being torn apart from her being palpable. Trying to balance his role as an Angel at the same time as planning a rescue mission weighed on him and it was nice to see his struggle and the human emotions it brought out in him. Jordan, Amber as well as a cast of angels all help bring this story to a climax. This is definitely one of those books which takes a little while to get going. The first half of this book is a little slow but the details and story is necessary for the action to really get ramped up in the second half.
Fearless is a brilliant conclusion to the series. There's drama and romance, heroes and villains, all tied together in a thrilling story. Beautifully written with vivid descriptions and interesting characters, Fearless is a must for fans of YA paranormal romance. After reading the Avena series - Marianne Curley has a fan for life in me and I can't wait to see what she writes next.
Read
July 17, 2017She needs to bring out another book.
July 19, 2015
This one was definitely better than the second book but the exciting stuff only begun 3/4 into the novel.
Throughout the majority of the novel, Ebony is captured by Prince Luca in Skade. And honestly, she was pretty comfy for a prisoner.
She talks a lot about hating Luca and wanting escape and return into Nathaneal's arms. But she does little to achieve it. Yes, there were reasons for that but in my eyes, there were many opportunities for her to find ways to escape and plan some sort of bad-ass stuff.
At the same time, we also read more of Nathaneal's POV. He has always been a pretty bland love-interest for me. Sure, he's hot beyond measure but he, himself isn't that much interesting. He dedicates a lot to his love for Ebony but for once I wanted him to do something for himself; for him to become an independent character who was sure in himself. Each character in this novel lacked this. Too much of what made them them was too much of their reliance on the people around them.
About 3/4 into the book, things finally gets interesting and the droll pace begins to pick up. YAY.
Nathaneal and his gang of ultra-strong and out-of-this-world angels begin their rescue mission. And from here on, exciting and heart-stuttering action occurs and some swoony-worthy happy times.
In conclusion, a very satisfying and happy ending to a very conventional paranormal romance.
December 3, 2019
This book is no doubt the best of the Avena series and with the best pacing - except for the end as the book should have been much shorter. Ironically it took me a month to pick it up again after I started it.
Again the weakest part is the actual romance between Thane and Ebony. Which is bad because it's still the main focus of the series. But they're not together for most of the book so that helps as much as it did in Broken. And while we had a bunch of interesting characters in Broken (Jordan, Zavier, Luca, Skinner and Jezelle), most of these, including Jordan, get little to no space in this book, Luca being the exception. But we don't really learn much about him anyway, except that he really is a bad guy and he's creepy because he has trouble keeping it in his pants. But then again so does Thane... So Marianne gives him a beast form that he seems to be ashamed of, but it's super powerful and super hideous, letting us know that he really is the bad guy because it would be hard to tell otherwise. And, in the end, it's no use for him at all.
Mela, Jordan's mother, is however a new character that many people will care for. And she shows a great strenght, basically greater than most of the angels there could even dream of. She helps us see what could be if Ebony ever became the queen of Skade - and makes us regret that it never happens because it would make for a much better book. There is a problem with Mela though - her character arch can be seen from miles away. The moment you know that she's actually alive and that the gates to Skade can be sealed again only with human sacrifice, you know how it's going to end. And it's frustrating because while Ebony ends up getting literally everything, there is no end to Jordan's suffering if you don't count his relationship with Amber. Which I don't buy and which does not work and which came completely out of the blue.
The ending is very anticlimatic and it drags on forever; and sometimes it even makes no sense at all, especially the passages with the High King that should have never made it into the book.
There are parts that have a great potential that was, sadly, left laid to waste. So Fearless has a happy ending, but at what cost?
Again the weakest part is the actual romance between Thane and Ebony. Which is bad because it's still the main focus of the series. But they're not together for most of the book so that helps as much as it did in Broken. And while we had a bunch of interesting characters in Broken (Jordan, Zavier, Luca, Skinner and Jezelle), most of these, including Jordan, get little to no space in this book, Luca being the exception. But we don't really learn much about him anyway, except that he really is a bad guy and he's creepy because he has trouble keeping it in his pants. But then again so does Thane... So Marianne gives him a beast form that he seems to be ashamed of, but it's super powerful and super hideous, letting us know that he really is the bad guy because it would be hard to tell otherwise. And, in the end, it's no use for him at all.
Mela, Jordan's mother, is however a new character that many people will care for. And she shows a great strenght, basically greater than most of the angels there could even dream of. She helps us see what could be if Ebony ever became the queen of Skade - and makes us regret that it never happens because it would make for a much better book. There is a problem with Mela though - her character arch can be seen from miles away. The moment you know that she's actually alive and that the gates to Skade can be sealed again only with human sacrifice, you know how it's going to end. And it's frustrating because while Ebony ends up getting literally everything, there is no end to Jordan's suffering if you don't count his relationship with Amber. Which I don't buy and which does not work and which came completely out of the blue.
The ending is very anticlimatic and it drags on forever; and sometimes it even makes no sense at all, especially the passages with the High King that should have never made it into the book.
There are parts that have a great potential that was, sadly, left laid to waste. So Fearless has a happy ending, but at what cost?
July 29, 2015
Fearless, the last instalment in the Avena series, concludes Ebony and Nathaneal's story admirably, and I enjoyed every moment of it immensely. I've loved this series since I read Hidden, and am sad to let these characters and their world go.
Ebony is abducted by Prince Luca, trapped on the wrong side of the impregnable gates that no one, not even the Dark Prince, can open for a hundred years. She shines, using every bit of strength she can muster up to survive the emotional and psychological torment that Luca heaps on her. It's heart-breaking to read about sometimes, but Ebony is one tough cookie! Throughout it all, her trust in Nathaneal and love for him doesn't falter. It's great to see how far Ebony has come, from not knowing who she is to fully embracing her angelic nature and the powers that come with it.
On the other side of the gates, Nathaneal musters up a team of angels to break Ebony out of her prison, alongside Jordan and Amber. His desperation to get the love of his life back is tangible. I liked Jordan and Amber's story more than Nathaneal's for most of the book, it was super cute seeing them come together. I also loved the secondary cast in this book, especially Mela, Elijah, Lhiam, and Shae.
In my opinion, Nathaneal became more interesting once the rescue mission actually began. In fact, the rescue mission changes the pace of the entire novel - the second half is much more satisfying than the first. Long buried secrets come to light and many mysteries are solved - Curley ties up everything neatly but realistically.
Reading the Avena series has been amazing, I've enjoyed my time with Ebony, Nathaneal, Jordan, and the rest of the gang. I'm eagerly awaiting Curley's next venture, I've definitely found a new favourite author!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.
You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic .
Ebony is abducted by Prince Luca, trapped on the wrong side of the impregnable gates that no one, not even the Dark Prince, can open for a hundred years. She shines, using every bit of strength she can muster up to survive the emotional and psychological torment that Luca heaps on her. It's heart-breaking to read about sometimes, but Ebony is one tough cookie! Throughout it all, her trust in Nathaneal and love for him doesn't falter. It's great to see how far Ebony has come, from not knowing who she is to fully embracing her angelic nature and the powers that come with it.
On the other side of the gates, Nathaneal musters up a team of angels to break Ebony out of her prison, alongside Jordan and Amber. His desperation to get the love of his life back is tangible. I liked Jordan and Amber's story more than Nathaneal's for most of the book, it was super cute seeing them come together. I also loved the secondary cast in this book, especially Mela, Elijah, Lhiam, and Shae.
In my opinion, Nathaneal became more interesting once the rescue mission actually began. In fact, the rescue mission changes the pace of the entire novel - the second half is much more satisfying than the first. Long buried secrets come to light and many mysteries are solved - Curley ties up everything neatly but realistically.
Reading the Avena series has been amazing, I've enjoyed my time with Ebony, Nathaneal, Jordan, and the rest of the gang. I'm eagerly awaiting Curley's next venture, I've definitely found a new favourite author!
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.
You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic .
June 19, 2015
I loved Hidden and Broken but Marianne Curley saved the best book for last. I could not put fearless down it is the best book that Marianne Curley has written so far. I highly recommend Fearless to young Adults and not so young like myself. Can't wait for your next book Marianne.
August 26, 2015
Fearless was the perfect ending to an amazing series. Everything was tied up in a nice little bow and I was glad Ebony got a happy ending - with her horse! That part made me cry! I recommend the Avena series to everyone.
April 19, 2024
I was really sad to finish this book series because it is so good! I think the author finished this book series really well. I would definitely read it again.
October 18, 2015
This is a fun plot with angels, fallen angels and even a cameo by God, and, I must say, even a cynic like me thought the story managed to weave it all together pretty well. As always I had favourite characters and not so favourite ones, but that only adds to the the pleasure of reading the story much like watching a reality show with the good characters as well as the irritating one keeping you coming back for more.
So, the story revolves around Ebony and Nathaneal, who were born to love each other, literally. However, they were separated by angles with other plans for them and Ebony took birth on earth and lived there for quite some time before Nathaneal found her again. At the beginning of this book, Ebony has just been captured by the evil Luca who plans to make her his queen and who actually engineered the hiding on earth scheme in the first place. While Nat and his fellow angels try everything in their power to free Ebony, they realize that they must make some pretty big sacrifices for achieving that - code of angels wise.
It actually seemed very likely at one point that Ebony would succumb to Luca in a very tried and tested M&B style if she did not escape fast enough, which was thankfully achieved by some very determined and brave people in record time. Luca seemed incredibly persuasive and Ebony incredibly ill-equipped to deal with it. Nat's struggles with his conscience when weighed against his love for Ebony seemed entirely justified, but those of Ebony's teenage friend, Jordan, seemed unbearably tedious and juvenile. But then he is after all been portrayed as a teenager so that should be forgivable behaviour.
The author portrays angels as more like normal human beings but with a better grasp on their emotions and pretty catastrophic consequences when they loose it. From all we have usually read or seen of angels in fantasy writing they are either stone cold do-gooders or have completely gone over to the dark side, with occasional lapses into mundane things like a troubled conscience and even pity. This made a nice change from all else angel behaviour we have previously been made privy to.
Yes, it a sweet book where love triumphs over all, with some truly heartbreaking scenes like the one with Jordan's mum and a lovely read for those Sunday afternoons.
So, the story revolves around Ebony and Nathaneal, who were born to love each other, literally. However, they were separated by angles with other plans for them and Ebony took birth on earth and lived there for quite some time before Nathaneal found her again. At the beginning of this book, Ebony has just been captured by the evil Luca who plans to make her his queen and who actually engineered the hiding on earth scheme in the first place. While Nat and his fellow angels try everything in their power to free Ebony, they realize that they must make some pretty big sacrifices for achieving that - code of angels wise.
It actually seemed very likely at one point that Ebony would succumb to Luca in a very tried and tested M&B style if she did not escape fast enough, which was thankfully achieved by some very determined and brave people in record time. Luca seemed incredibly persuasive and Ebony incredibly ill-equipped to deal with it. Nat's struggles with his conscience when weighed against his love for Ebony seemed entirely justified, but those of Ebony's teenage friend, Jordan, seemed unbearably tedious and juvenile. But then he is after all been portrayed as a teenager so that should be forgivable behaviour.
The author portrays angels as more like normal human beings but with a better grasp on their emotions and pretty catastrophic consequences when they loose it. From all we have usually read or seen of angels in fantasy writing they are either stone cold do-gooders or have completely gone over to the dark side, with occasional lapses into mundane things like a troubled conscience and even pity. This made a nice change from all else angel behaviour we have previously been made privy to.
Yes, it a sweet book where love triumphs over all, with some truly heartbreaking scenes like the one with Jordan's mum and a lovely read for those Sunday afternoons.
November 7, 2015
Ebony was kidnapped and held a prisoner in hell at the end of the previous book in the series. With all ways to and from Skade closed and sealed, Nathaneal has very little chance of getting to Ebony to save her. However, he is not willing to give up. On the other hand Ebony is set on freeing herself from both hell and its prince. Will the two lovers be able to overcome all the hurdles put in their way and finally reunite? Or will the Dark Prince and his plans prevail?
Ebony finally redeemed herself to me. Oh she does whine here and there, but her fighting spirit finally shines through. I still feel that she could have ‘done’ more if she really tried. It seems that she finally accepted the truth about who she is and has become her own person. Prince Luca, the dark prince, has his charms on and he almost made me believe in him – though I do not know if it was his persuasive nature or my wish for some twist in the tale! Jordan was Jordan and I will not comment on him at all. Nathaneal felt somewhat real to me among all the characters.
I am kind of glad that this is the final book in the series. The premise and the setting was really good and the author has done a good job of describing certain settings and situation. But the plot and the characters were somewhat disappointing. Even Nathaneal, the character that I think was the best in the series has failed to make an impression on me. I love flawed characters but they should have some redeeming qualities. None of the characters in the books felt remotely ‘real’ and I failed to connect with them completely. The plot felt too simple and very predictable. There wasn’t even a single twist.
For the world setting, this series is okay for a one time read.
Ebony finally redeemed herself to me. Oh she does whine here and there, but her fighting spirit finally shines through. I still feel that she could have ‘done’ more if she really tried. It seems that she finally accepted the truth about who she is and has become her own person. Prince Luca, the dark prince, has his charms on and he almost made me believe in him – though I do not know if it was his persuasive nature or my wish for some twist in the tale! Jordan was Jordan and I will not comment on him at all. Nathaneal felt somewhat real to me among all the characters.
I am kind of glad that this is the final book in the series. The premise and the setting was really good and the author has done a good job of describing certain settings and situation. But the plot and the characters were somewhat disappointing. Even Nathaneal, the character that I think was the best in the series has failed to make an impression on me. I love flawed characters but they should have some redeeming qualities. None of the characters in the books felt remotely ‘real’ and I failed to connect with them completely. The plot felt too simple and very predictable. There wasn’t even a single twist.
For the world setting, this series is okay for a one time read.
July 31, 2015
Best Ending Ever!!!
The love story between Ebony and Nathaneal is beyond anything I have read before. Two amazing characters who go through heaven and hell to be together, and who not only love each other but love their families too, and their loyalties to their friends makes this book shine. Characters like Solomon, Michael, Uriel, Gabriel, Jezelle and Shae are still in my thoughts. But the humans are too. From the flawed Jordan, who I now understand his obsession with Ebony, to best friend Amber, a friend everyone should have in their lives. Their sub-plot romance added to the depth of this book.
With nothing left hanging, Fearless was a thoroughly satisfying ending to a thrilling fantasy series.
I am going to have to re-read this series from the beginning of Hidden through Broken and then Fearless now that I can read them without having to wait a year in between.
The love story between Ebony and Nathaneal is beyond anything I have read before. Two amazing characters who go through heaven and hell to be together, and who not only love each other but love their families too, and their loyalties to their friends makes this book shine. Characters like Solomon, Michael, Uriel, Gabriel, Jezelle and Shae are still in my thoughts. But the humans are too. From the flawed Jordan, who I now understand his obsession with Ebony, to best friend Amber, a friend everyone should have in their lives. Their sub-plot romance added to the depth of this book.
With nothing left hanging, Fearless was a thoroughly satisfying ending to a thrilling fantasy series.
I am going to have to re-read this series from the beginning of Hidden through Broken and then Fearless now that I can read them without having to wait a year in between.
February 2, 2016
4.5 stars. Fantastic ending for the Avena trilogy! This last book truly convinced me of the love story that existed throughout the first two novels, (and even almost made me sympathize for Luca) and it made for a heart pumping finale that makes the whole series well worth reading. Marianne does not disappoint.
July 11, 2015
I love Marianne Curley. This book is so beautiful. What a great conclusion of another brilliant series. Best of luck with your next adventure that I will be sure to read.
February 9, 2017
perfectly awesome end
November 17, 2018
My sister wrote a genius fanfiction for this series on a German platform and her version of Ebony was just so much more interesting than that one-dimensional 100% lawful good broad I got in the original version. I just do not like that black and white, good vs evil thing, good book characters are multilayered and very rarely completely good or evil.
world building Ebony's perspective now starts out in Skade, which got described quite well. I just think it is a bit coincidental that all four planets she visits have a very similar gravitation... which means all four planets are conveniently roughly Earth-sized. But, however, now she is on that planet with a sky that is covered with smoke and dust, so the sun has issues shining through, right? How does photosynthesis work, then? Plants need sunlight to make oxygen... and there were fruits as well in Skade, like that one that smelled bad but tasted good (kind of reminded me of my first Durian experience, smelled like a rotten onion and tasted like a mixture of coconut and onion) and was sweet, right? But for plants to be able to store sugar in fruits, they need sunlight. And a world with a volcano problem and a mostly covered sky is very, very cold. Ebony would have frozen her booty off running around at night. Then there was Avena, which only got described very shortly and left me kind of disappointed, I mean you get the chance to create a complete world that is inhibited by angels, I kind of want a fourth volume playing in Avena, haha.
Characters: I really damn had my issues with Ebony's loud and direct way to "resist" against the king of hell... mostly because I would have seduced him, slept with him so he lets his guard down and the moment he is distracted with my body I would have tried to kill him and cut his head off, which is very important so I can flee without him leading the hunt against me. I would have taken his head inside of a backpack and jumped from the balcony or taken the secret passage from Mela, which I probably wouldn't have taken earlier (because that seemed so weirdly risky to me to sneak out and return later on... if you sneak out then stay away forever, I guess). Since the king of hell is very hard to kill he probably still would have been conscious, so I could use his knowledge to flee... or to declare war on the kingdom of Skade and make my own, autonomous empire. Now THAT would have been interesting to read, but she preferred to be a passive Damsel in distress relying on her prince to save her. Or she could have run away with Mela and the door guards, and the rest of the book would be their story of moving through the kingdom undercover, that also would have been a very funny story. And it would have given so much opportunity to create an amazing world.
Jordan's point of view was very boring, his personality just was so bland and didn't have any special quirks around it, I actually skipped some of his parts and reread them after I finished the book. I hated how he got that romance with Amber, just why does every character need to have a partner? Thanes point of view was a bit better than in the second novel because he now had a real goal to follow.
Plot The most annoying part was the way too long and completely over the top ending. I actually laughed into my tea and got a coughing attack because of that flying horse at the end. That completely killed me. And why was Ebony still so fixated to stay longer in that stupid ass valley in the human world? I would have asked Thane to take me directly to Avena without that shortcut... she could even befriend Ambers guardian angel (in my sisters fanfiction that Guardian angel was closely related to the king of hell but had none of his personality... still, her green eyes and the exact same smell freaked Ebony out), so she wouldn't miss her too hard.. or is my INTJ booty just cold as ice?
world building Ebony's perspective now starts out in Skade, which got described quite well. I just think it is a bit coincidental that all four planets she visits have a very similar gravitation... which means all four planets are conveniently roughly Earth-sized. But, however, now she is on that planet with a sky that is covered with smoke and dust, so the sun has issues shining through, right? How does photosynthesis work, then? Plants need sunlight to make oxygen... and there were fruits as well in Skade, like that one that smelled bad but tasted good (kind of reminded me of my first Durian experience, smelled like a rotten onion and tasted like a mixture of coconut and onion) and was sweet, right? But for plants to be able to store sugar in fruits, they need sunlight. And a world with a volcano problem and a mostly covered sky is very, very cold. Ebony would have frozen her booty off running around at night. Then there was Avena, which only got described very shortly and left me kind of disappointed, I mean you get the chance to create a complete world that is inhibited by angels, I kind of want a fourth volume playing in Avena, haha.
Characters: I really damn had my issues with Ebony's loud and direct way to "resist" against the king of hell... mostly because I would have seduced him, slept with him so he lets his guard down and the moment he is distracted with my body I would have tried to kill him and cut his head off, which is very important so I can flee without him leading the hunt against me. I would have taken his head inside of a backpack and jumped from the balcony or taken the secret passage from Mela, which I probably wouldn't have taken earlier (because that seemed so weirdly risky to me to sneak out and return later on... if you sneak out then stay away forever, I guess). Since the king of hell is very hard to kill he probably still would have been conscious, so I could use his knowledge to flee... or to declare war on the kingdom of Skade and make my own, autonomous empire. Now THAT would have been interesting to read, but she preferred to be a passive Damsel in distress relying on her prince to save her. Or she could have run away with Mela and the door guards, and the rest of the book would be their story of moving through the kingdom undercover, that also would have been a very funny story. And it would have given so much opportunity to create an amazing world.
Jordan's point of view was very boring, his personality just was so bland and didn't have any special quirks around it, I actually skipped some of his parts and reread them after I finished the book. I hated how he got that romance with Amber, just why does every character need to have a partner? Thanes point of view was a bit better than in the second novel because he now had a real goal to follow.
Plot The most annoying part was the way too long and completely over the top ending. I actually laughed into my tea and got a coughing attack because of that flying horse at the end. That completely killed me. And why was Ebony still so fixated to stay longer in that stupid ass valley in the human world? I would have asked Thane to take me directly to Avena without that shortcut... she could even befriend Ambers guardian angel (in my sisters fanfiction that Guardian angel was closely related to the king of hell but had none of his personality... still, her green eyes and the exact same smell freaked Ebony out), so she wouldn't miss her too hard.. or is my INTJ booty just cold as ice?
October 26, 2017
Reading the first part of the book, I actually thought I might give this one three stars, because it seemed better and less stupid than the second one. However, I really, really got ahead of myself, because the stupidity was only coming. And not just that, but the ending felt just way too idylic (and idiotic). The writing also wasn't doing wonders for the story. So all in all, it started as a disappointment, and that is the way it ended, too.
December 20, 2016
It was a good book but.... I gave it two stars because it was over 2/3's of the way through but she kept writing chapter after chapter...and I feel like maybe she took stories from the Bible and twisted them to work in her book. Love the first book could have lived without the other two.
March 28, 2019
3.5 stars
Good ending although drawn out and I'm really sick of the "omg you're so hot and every time you touch me I'm on fire with desire" trope. So glad it's off my shelves so I can read more intriguing and complex novels meant for older teens instead of naive middle schoolers
Good ending although drawn out and I'm really sick of the "omg you're so hot and every time you touch me I'm on fire with desire" trope. So glad it's off my shelves so I can read more intriguing and complex novels meant for older teens instead of naive middle schoolers
March 23, 2018
At the end it really dragged on which was not really that necessary. Marianne could maybe do a end chapter telling the recap what happen to the characters.
October 30, 2021
Also favorite
February 1, 2025
the ending I wanted
March 25, 2022
That was a really good book. I wish she would write other book telling us about the wedding, the characters ect...
February 5, 2017
I’ve managed to finish yet another series!! It’s a great feeling of accomplishment I tell you! It’s been wayyy too long since I last read Marianne Curley’s Avena trilogy and I pretty much just dove into Fearless without having any memory of the past two books. Although, I found I wasn’t struggling so much. It almost felt natural just to be back in this world and reading. Granted, I had trouble with remembering the characters, but I quickly caught up to speed with the key points!
So things pick up where they left off…which was slightly problematic for me, but basically Ebony, an angel who has yet to come into her powers or regain her memory from her time as an angel (and yeah things get a little sticky in that area, but naturally I was just rolling with it) has been kidnapped by Prince Luca, the bad guy. Luca is the king of Skade and he intends to make her his queen, and to ensure this he has sealed the gates so that no one can come in or go out. And the lock is sealed for 100 years. But Nathaneal is not going to let that stop him from rescuing his one true love.
Luca is one seriously skeevy guy. Not to mention evil, but he’s pretty much mapped out Ebony’s life for her. And he wants her to bear his children as well, so that essentially, after going through a few hoops, he will rule the world! But Ebony isn’t so easy to break and bend to his will, which I give her mad props for that. But yet, I found myself getting a tad annoyed that she wasn’t fighting back more. It’s more of a personal thing. I have an attitude one could say, lol. And if someone was telling me that he was basically going to force me to have his children in just a few short years…you can bet there would be profanity involve…possibly even violence. I would be more defiant and likely suffer the consequences later. While Ebony does have some bite to her, I just wished she would’ve had just a little bit more edge to it.
In the meantime we have Thane (Nathaneal) working hard to come up with a plan that will save Ebony and bring her home. He gets a magical object that can easily open a hole in the gates, the problem is closing it. The only sure fire way of closing that hole so none of the evils can get out, is basically a human sacrifice. Thane wants to use the magical object as it’s the only way of getting INTO Skade, but he needs to find a different solution to closing said hole.
The climax, the whole battle of good versus evil felt a little rushed as well. It seemed that within a blink of my eyes it was over before it really started. I mean, you expect the winners, obviously, but still to see it all just blip out like that was a little disheartening. Especially since there was still another 75 pages to go! And the majority of those pages were kind of drawn out. The climax has been reached and after a chapter or two of closure, you’d think it be over, but it wasn’t. The goodbyes were kind of getting drawn out, though we did see some more character growth in those last few chapters, I just felt like things should’ve been more rearranged so that there wasn’t so much happening after the big battle. Granted, I do see why none of the other things could happen before said battle, it makes sense. But from a reader standpoint I guess I just thought and felt like the story was done after those closing moments post-battle. Sorry if I’m rambling and not making sense! It sounds better in my head, honestly!
The romance in this one was both brief and touching. Although I’ve forgotten all the reasons why I should love Thane, I couldn’t help but not get as swept away by everything. Granted I did enjoy it, but I guess it’s my whole memory issue and probably why I should’ve re-read the first two books so I could remember why Thane was swoonworthy! LOL! There were other relationship developments too and oddly I was more than happy to get behind those with my little memory! LOL!
However minor my issues were with this book, I did find myself enjoying it a lot! It just reminded me of the magic that is Marianne Curley! She was one of the first time-traveling books I read and though this one doesn’t have that, it still has that same kind of magical touch to it that I fiercely enjoyed from before! Fearless was an extraordinary story, even if I couldn’t remember how I got to this point at the beginning, it was still a most enjoyable read!
Overall Rating 4/5 stars
So things pick up where they left off…which was slightly problematic for me, but basically Ebony, an angel who has yet to come into her powers or regain her memory from her time as an angel (and yeah things get a little sticky in that area, but naturally I was just rolling with it) has been kidnapped by Prince Luca, the bad guy. Luca is the king of Skade and he intends to make her his queen, and to ensure this he has sealed the gates so that no one can come in or go out. And the lock is sealed for 100 years. But Nathaneal is not going to let that stop him from rescuing his one true love.
Luca is one seriously skeevy guy. Not to mention evil, but he’s pretty much mapped out Ebony’s life for her. And he wants her to bear his children as well, so that essentially, after going through a few hoops, he will rule the world! But Ebony isn’t so easy to break and bend to his will, which I give her mad props for that. But yet, I found myself getting a tad annoyed that she wasn’t fighting back more. It’s more of a personal thing. I have an attitude one could say, lol. And if someone was telling me that he was basically going to force me to have his children in just a few short years…you can bet there would be profanity involve…possibly even violence. I would be more defiant and likely suffer the consequences later. While Ebony does have some bite to her, I just wished she would’ve had just a little bit more edge to it.
In the meantime we have Thane (Nathaneal) working hard to come up with a plan that will save Ebony and bring her home. He gets a magical object that can easily open a hole in the gates, the problem is closing it. The only sure fire way of closing that hole so none of the evils can get out, is basically a human sacrifice. Thane wants to use the magical object as it’s the only way of getting INTO Skade, but he needs to find a different solution to closing said hole.
The climax, the whole battle of good versus evil felt a little rushed as well. It seemed that within a blink of my eyes it was over before it really started. I mean, you expect the winners, obviously, but still to see it all just blip out like that was a little disheartening. Especially since there was still another 75 pages to go! And the majority of those pages were kind of drawn out. The climax has been reached and after a chapter or two of closure, you’d think it be over, but it wasn’t. The goodbyes were kind of getting drawn out, though we did see some more character growth in those last few chapters, I just felt like things should’ve been more rearranged so that there wasn’t so much happening after the big battle. Granted, I do see why none of the other things could happen before said battle, it makes sense. But from a reader standpoint I guess I just thought and felt like the story was done after those closing moments post-battle. Sorry if I’m rambling and not making sense! It sounds better in my head, honestly!
The romance in this one was both brief and touching. Although I’ve forgotten all the reasons why I should love Thane, I couldn’t help but not get as swept away by everything. Granted I did enjoy it, but I guess it’s my whole memory issue and probably why I should’ve re-read the first two books so I could remember why Thane was swoonworthy! LOL! There were other relationship developments too and oddly I was more than happy to get behind those with my little memory! LOL!
However minor my issues were with this book, I did find myself enjoying it a lot! It just reminded me of the magic that is Marianne Curley! She was one of the first time-traveling books I read and though this one doesn’t have that, it still has that same kind of magical touch to it that I fiercely enjoyed from before! Fearless was an extraordinary story, even if I couldn’t remember how I got to this point at the beginning, it was still a most enjoyable read!
Overall Rating 4/5 stars
March 1, 2021
I adored this serious, fell in love with the characters but was strangely disappointed with the ending.
February 12, 2016
'Sometimes there is no reason for the things we do, Jordan. We just do them because in our heart we know they're right.'
Fearless was an amazing ending to the Avena series. As much as I love books with killer cliffhangers that leave me breathless, I also love endings that leave me happy and extremely satisfied. Fearless has certainly left me with that really happy and content mood. I feel so giddy. I can now sleep peacefully and dream about Nathaniel and Ebony and... Michael. (I kinda have the hots for Michael too okay?! Don't judge!)
4/5 stars for being an AMAZING ending! Loved it :)
Fearless was an amazing ending to the Avena series. As much as I love books with killer cliffhangers that leave me breathless, I also love endings that leave me happy and extremely satisfied. Fearless has certainly left me with that really happy and content mood. I feel so giddy. I can now sleep peacefully and dream about Nathaniel and Ebony and... Michael. (I kinda have the hots for Michael too okay?! Don't judge!)
4/5 stars for being an AMAZING ending! Loved it :)
May 1, 2016
This book redeemed the first two with it's action-packed story. Writing style can still use some improvement as I feel like all the details were jam-packed and forced to close off in the end. Could have made use of the first 2 books to maximize the storyline and create a very intricate and coherent plot. Still, the idea is very unique and interesting.
May 1, 2016
Best book ever. A bit upset with sudden ending but still love it!!
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