Inexpressible Island: Star-Crossed Lovers' Heartbreaking War Against Fate and Time

End of Forever #3

by Paullina Simons

The third and final novel in Paullina Simons’ unforgettable End of Forever saga concludes Julian and Josephine’s heartbreaking love story that has spanned lifetimes.

They were ready for anything…except the end.

Julian has lost everything he ever loved and is almost out of time. His life and death struggle against fate offers him one last chance to do the impossible and save the woman to whom he is inextricably bound.

Together, Julian and Josephine wage war against a relentless dark force that threatens to destroy them. The fight will take everything they are and everything they have, as they try once more to give each other back their unfinished lives.

As time runs out for the star-crossed lovers, Julian learns that fate has one cruel trick in store for them—and even a man who has lost everything…

…still has something left to lose.

 

 

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Time Travel, Audiobook, Contemporary, Historical

448 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2019

About the author

Paullina Simons was born in Leningrad, USSR, in 1963. At the age of ten her family immigrated to the United States. Growing up in Russia Paullina dreamt of someday becoming a writer. Her dream was put on hold as she learned English and overcame the shock of a new culture.

After graduating from university and after various jobs including working as a financial journalist and as a translator Paullina wrote her first novel Tully. Through word of mouth that book was welcomed by readers all over the world.

She continued with more novels, including Red Leaves, Eleven Hours, The Bronze Horseman, The Bridge to Holy Cross (also known as Tatiana and Alexander), The Summer Garden and The Girl in Times Square (also known as Lily). Many of Paullina's novels have reached international bestseller lists.

Apart from her novels, Paullina has also written a cookbook, Tatiana's Table, which is a collection of recipes, short stories and recollections from her best selling trilogy of novels, The Bronze Horseman, The Bridge to Holy Cross, (also known as Tatiana and Alexander) and The Summer Garden.

Reviews

[SReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot tell you much of what happened in this book because EVERYTHING is a plot twist and you have to read it and experience it yourself, but what I can tell you is I have never read anything like this, and I am quite certain I will never read anything remotely as perfect as this trilogy ever again. What Paullina has given us is an epic adventure that goes beyond universe and time. What she has given us is her best to date. Everything that has happened in this series blows my mind. I often wonder how did she even come up with a story like this? How how how? But she did it. She did it beautifully and gracefully. And I thank her for giving us so much and so much more.
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I don’t know how best to describe what I am feeling right now. I am at loss of words or shall I say words are not adequate or enough in this occasion to say how much I love this series. Epic, dramatic, romantic, mystical, heart-wrenching, year-jerking, humorous, life-changing, etc. What are words in this occasion? How can I tell you how much I love it? It is a romance, but it is so much more than a romance. It is love, it is friendship, it is family, it is fate, it is destiny, it is making choices, it is making the right choice and it is making the wrong choice, it is life.
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I feel quite overwhelmed with my emotions today as you can tell. Paullina’ books do this to me every single time. I am just so overwhelmed!
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Books give life to everything and I thank you Paullina for letting me live so many different lives through your books.
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Words are not adequate in this occasion. I will leave it here. Thank you Paullina for giving us Julian. What a story, WHAT A STORY!

[Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
‘Together they walked through fire. Together they walked through ice. The whole world and all that was in it was their Inexpressible Island.’

Nothing can quite prepare you for the End of Forever Saga, penned by master storyteller Paullina Simons. Inexpressible Island is the third and last book in the series, which allows Paullina Simons to draw the final curtain on this intrepid trilogy. A story of heartbreak, commitment, endurance, friendship, connections and the eternal flame of love, this tale will touch your soul.

Inexpressible Island begins with a few lead in questions. Where will all this lead us? Where will this end? These are the vital questions that form the very backbone of the End of Forever Saga, which now enters its third and final stage, with the release of Inexpressible Island. For the hero of this tale, Julian, he is sure that he still loves Josephine more than ever. However, Julian is now a broken man both physically and mentally. Julian knows that time is ticking away for him. He continues to battle against time, fate and life itself. Despite this, Julian thinks he has just one more lifeline, a chance to get back to Josephine and claim the love of a woman he cannot forget. Inexpressible Island sees Julian thrust into a world of war, battles, danger and dark forces. It is a fight that Julian must complete if he is ever to life a life with his dear love. These ill-fated lovers must compete against the terrible hands of fate that continually deal them with blow after blow. But Julian is prepared to give everything up and all he has for the chance to be with his love.

What an explosive end to such a phenomenal saga! Inexpressible Island seems to go that one step further than the previous novels. It was gratifying from the open to close.

It was heartbreaking to see poor Julian, a character I have come to know and love from the previous two books, so broken and destroyed. However, I had my faith in Julian and I knew he was such an extraordinarily protagonist, that he would be able to find just one last ounce of energy to leap forth again to reach his forever love. Inexpressible Island further reiterated the power of this love connection, but also of Julian’s personal strength. Simons extends further upon her characters in this last issue. She cements their personalities and achievements once and for all. What I also appreciated were the truly deep friendships that are further entrenched in this last installment. It was a bonus extra to this ongoing love story.

There is no doubt that Paullina Simons is a writer made for grand and unforgettable love stories. She again demonstrates her prowess in this department and I was unable to criticise her work in romance stakes here. I don’t think I have encountered such passion, or a sheer commitment to love before this series. Inexpressible Island cements the ground work of the previous two issues and takes the power of this love that one step further. It really does lift your spirits high. Oh, if only we all had a Julian in our lives!

What carried this particular issue in the series to great heights for me was the historical landscapes conjured up by Simons. I feel I am unable to go into too much detail in this area, for fear of venturing into spoiler territory. However, I loved the insertion of the Blitz in London. The detail and period information, as well as the scene specific world building was quite spectacular. Informed clearly by the author’s commitment to research, it definitely took this novel over the line.

Simons makes a full revolution to the starting point by the time Inexpressible Island reaches its inevitable conclusion. By the time you close this book after a surprising but worthy ending, you will be shocked by everything that has been thrown at you. From worlds afar, unclaimed lands, dangerous time periods, friends, enemies, expeditions into the unknown, sacrifice and above all pure love, it is an unforgettable experience. Add Inexpressible Island, along the previous two exceptional novels to your reading list, if you are open to panoramic love stories, with a difference.


*I wish to thank Harper Collins Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.

[✦ Ellen’s Reviews ✦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How does a man live, when he must live without the thing he can't live without?"

What a perfect conclusion to this epic series! Once again the narrator Jeremy Arthur was outstanding.

I am going to say right up front that I am shocked this series has not received more attention. This epic saga is well worth the three-book commitment and each audio book was simply fabulous! I am saddened that the publisher does not even have the proper editions listed on Goodreads. (Where is the audio book? There are only Audio CD's listed.) Each book is well worth an Audible credit and the series as a whole was just phenomenal.

In this final book in the series, Julian travels back in time once again to search for Josephine. He is physically and spiritually exhausted but cannot live without the love of his life. The author is a meticulous researcher and it shows in her depiction of WWII London during the blitz. The details are amazing and the listener is placed right into the middle of the horrors of war.

Not only a beautiful and (literally) timeless love story, this saga is also about the unbreakable bonds of friendship and loyalty. Julian's best friend Ashton is a major part of this series and his character added depth, humor and wit to the story. I loved Ashton and his family and how the author tied all of the characters together throughout the different time periods. Pay attention to all the details, no matter how trivial, because everything is related in the end.

"Your heart searches all its days for something it cannot name."

My heart!! Julian's longing for Josephine is what drives this amazing story. Although I felt the first part of this third book dragged a tiny little bit, as a whole the book is a fantastic and epic love story that is set among many different and colorful backgrounds. I devoured the last part of this book and felt like I said goodbye to old friends by the end.

I adore this trilogy and will remember Julian and Josephine for a long time to come. Fans of epic romance should give this series a try. It is truly epic.

[Theresa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paullina Simons brings new meaning to deja-vu and six degrees of separation. I can’t even begin to fully describe these novels for fear of spoiling them for you, and believe me when I say, you do not want them spoiled. If you see any reviews that say, ‘this contains spoilers’, keep scrolling because if you ever intend to read these books, don’t go into them knowing what’s going to happen. Even though this review is for Inexpressible Island, much of the discussion will be referring to the series as a whole. When gathering my thoughts on this novel, I found it really difficult to separate it from its two predecessors.

These three books that make up the End of Forever saga were released this year, with only a few months between each, but they took Paullina Simons five years to write and bring to publication. I felt right from the moment I began to read the second instalment that these books didn’t read like a normal series where one book ends and the next one begins. They read more like one long epic 1000+ page story that has after the fact been split at the most precisely timed perfect place for the greatest impact within the story. This goes in some way to explain the varying lengths of each book. If you consider most commercial series nowadays, they are very prescribed in terms of length, with each book being pretty much the same page count. The first book was reasonably long, the second was huge, and the third was probably the shortest, but each book covered exactly what it needed to. The effect of this on reader enjoyment of the overall saga cannot be overstated.

Now, onto this book, Inexpressible Island. It was almost like two stories within the one novel. The very first story was incredible, I loved this period of history that Julian travelled back to and for the first time, I genuinely liked the version of Mia that he met. I also adored ‘the gang’, each and every one of them. This was probably by far my favourite time jump and I was really sad to see its particular end, but then of course, the story moved into a whole new territory that I never even saw coming, so before I could mourn the loss (again) I got caught up in the next big ‘thing’. Paullina Simons is pretty much untouchable in terms of her imagination and the places she takes us within this saga. I know I keep saying it, but I really love the way she writes. It’s distinctly different, a style I’ve seen evidence of in her previous books. It’s no one thing, and it’s really hard to describe, unless you’ve read one of her books before and know exactly what I mean. I felt that the tone, wit, snappy dialogue, poetic narrative, and sharp plot turns within this series mimicked The Girl in Times Square. Totally different stories, but if you were given each with the author name removed, you’d be able to tell that they were written by the same person. Shades of brilliance and I feel like I’m raving, but this series (and author) deserves it.

‘You do what you can, even when you fear it’s hopeless. You will probably fail, yes, but you don’t give up. That’s what love is. That’s what faith is. You suffer to live, you struggle to help them. You never surrender. That’s the part I didn’t understand until now – that that was the only true thing I had to give her, from the very beginning. Nothing else. Just myself at her feet.’

If anyone reading this is a fan of Paullina Simons but has been reluctant to pick these books up because of the time travel aspect, reconsider! They are speculative fiction, but the speculative parts are done really well, you don’t need to be a fan of fantasy or science fiction per se to be able to get into them. I think that nowadays magical realism seems to be crossing over into other genres and I know myself, that I am more open to these themes now than I would have been ten years ago. I feel these books are very accessible to all sorts of readers, but you do have to really put some time and effort into reading them. You can’t skim them because Paullina weaves so many details into the fabric of each book, things that seem inconsequential until you realise its importance further down the track. You’ll find this especially in the third book, Inexpressible Island. There were things that happened in book one and two that all of a sudden made sense in the third. It’s those moments of serendipity that give so much back to the reader. When you’ve committed to reading a series, it’s that continuation of the story across all of the books that makes the time and effort so worthwhile. This whole idea of a series where books can be read as a standalone makes no sense to me. That’s not a series. A series should be something where the story is so connected that if you don’t read each book carefully you’re going to miss out and that’s what you get with the End of Forever saga. I read the first book several months ago, but I’ve read the second and third back to back. If you’re going to tackle these, I would say read all three one after the other. It’s just going to be like reading one massive novel and you’re going to love it all the more. It also means that you won’t forget some of those key moments that happen early on that you only get insight into later on. The whole thing will have a lot more impact. And you’ll appreciate the cleverness of this story all the more as well.

‘The tension had fled his body. While he had been doing his own thing, panicking, fretting, dreading the worst, the universe was doing its own thing, loading the dice, dealing the cards, breaking the crystal quartz. Relief flooded him, and joy.’

So as to the ending, which I’m obviously not going to spoil for you, but which I really loved. It was one of those endings that you can say is ‘unforgettable’, the way in which you see everything falling into place and everything at last making perfect sense. I can’t recommend this series highly enough. It’s summertime here in Australia, so some of you might have a bit of time off work, some time to kick back and devote yourself to reading something that you can really get into and lose yourself in. I would highly recommend this series as the perfect candidate for your holiday reading.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this series so much! I guess it's hard to plough through several hundred pages when you hate the heroine of the story. That said, as she was introduced throughout several of the "world's she became slightly more likeable. I really feel this story dragged on for far too long and honestly bar one or two of the variations of Josephine, i really hated her! All i kept thinking was why is Julian so stupid? Was the story beautifully described? Yes, and had it have been 1/3 of the actual length, i might have enjoyed it. But i was frustrated and felt nausious for a lot of this book. I was totally stumped by the Ashton character. I went from thinking he's a funny, likeable character, to a noble friend to a total shit of a person and then back to being a good person. I probably enjoyed the storyline of the two male besties far more than the love story and i am usually a sucker for a beautiful love story. I am glad i borrowed the last two books in this series from the library and didn't pay for it with my measly funds. I ended up skipping 200 whole pages because i just didnt give a toss what happened to the characters anymore, i just wanted a resolution. Did it end nice? Yes but kind of daft in itself how you endure so much angst, frustration, nausea only to be basically told at the end -it's all good and bla bla everybody happy! And again, i usually love a happy ending but i couldn't have cared less at the end. Its sort of like the feeling after you get off the rollercoaster, you're glad you are back on flat ground, but it doesn't help you feel better. Please please please let her next novel be decent. heartfelt and likeable. Hopefully we return to the glory days of gripping, beautiful and BELIEVABLE storytelling as was in TBH trilogy.

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This finished the trilogy very nicely. Not the usual fare from this author being a time travel novel but I really enjoyed it all the same

[AtenRa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gut wrenching but still beautiful, the last instalment in End of Forever had it all (well, almost).

This series might have been about two people's epic love story in the beginning but I think in the end, it was all about Julian and about his personal journey as a son, a friend, a partner. He is the main focus of Inexpressible Island and Mia just compliments his story.
I have to hand it to Simons, her storytelling is magnificent. All the twists and turns will have you sitting at the edge of your seat going "No way!" almost throughout. She knew where she was going with the story from the first page of the first book and it showed. The way the story came together was the most beautiful part of the book for me.
What made me drop one star, was the actual ending. Not that it was particularly bad, but after all this anticipation about what would happen on Julian's last journey, it was a bit anticlimactic imo. I personally don't think a HEA suited these two. I know Julian and Mia had been through so much and they deserved it, but a happy ending comes in many forms. It doesn't always mean a beautiful wife and a baby shoved in the last 10 pages. I didn't like that history was re-written to their advantage with no actual reasoning. Unless it was confirmed that Julian did that full circle "meet Mia-time travel-get lost in the caves-meet Mia" multiple times and the re-writing of history is finally him being lucky and living the best version out of 10 or 100 of tries. Then, yes. I accept the ending. But none of that was made certain. Maybe it was sort of implied, but I can't be sure.
Honestly, after Julian got rescued and he "started" his life again and met Mia, I had this sense of foreboding, emotionally preparing for her to die. But not only she didn't die, everything was changed on top of that and I thought "Oh, Ok. Was that it? Why didn't he do that from the beginning then if that's all it took...?" Also, at some point I thought that Mia is the one who time-travelled and came to find him for a change the way she was written, acting all obsessed with Julian from day one. But no, not even that. So even though I was very satisfied with how Julian's story turned out, I was disappointed in how Mia's story concluded. Then again, I was never fond of Mia :/

To readers starting this series now: if you get past the 1st half of book 1, then you are good to go. It only gets better from there.
Paullina Simons is a master when it comes to epic romances, end of story.
Remember: this is a deeply heartbreaking story, bordering on really depressing. Not for the faint of heart.

[CasNewby · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEAUTIFUL AND PROFOUND AND SURPRISING UNTIL THE END

I loved the first book in this series and then was surprised at how much deeper and even more compelling the story became with book 2—but nothing could have prepared me for this. I’m reluctant to discuss it in any detail because I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say that this book and series are instant classics and are very high on my list of all-time favorites.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paullina Simons is at her best in the backdrop of war. When you love one book/series from an author SO MUCH (The Bronze Horseman), it’s so hard to assess anything else without comparing.

But, the majority of this novel, the conclusion of the End of Forever trilogy, is set is WWII London. Of the various scenarios and historic periods covered in the series, this WWII jaunt was my favorite. The amount of research and attention to historic and cultural detail for each of Julian’s adventures was amazing! I am a huge history buff, so for me, that was the most interesting aspect of the series.

At no time could I connect with Mia. I never found anything about her to like. She treated Julian horribly most of the time, and the aspect of him sacrificing what he did for her again and again was a bit hard to comprehend. Most of the time, I simply felt sorry for Julian, occasionally referring to him as an idiot. (Enough already. Just move on!) Devi, however, I adored. He was a tremendous supporting character whom I envisioned as wise and quiet like “Mr. Miyagi” in Karate Kid.

I was preparing myself for a heartbreak of an ending, based on some of the author’s other novels. (Lonestar broke my heart!) I was very curious to see how the saga would finally end. I’m glad to say, that there was indeed a plot twist, thankfully not the depressing one I expected.

I guess we’d all like to be the recipient of a love that would sacrifice everything for us, over and over if necessary. That emotional connection to Julian and the fascinating historic detail bring me to 4 stars. I love Paullina Simons’ ability to tell a love story (saga.) She’s one of the best.

I was provided an ARC copy from the publisher through a GoodReads giveaway.

[Ardently_Adele · Rating 5 out of 5]

#inexpressibleisland is the last instalment in the #endofforever trilogy by the darling @paullinasimons . This lovely lady’s writing has, and always will have my heart ♥️
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I honestly don’t even know where to begin with a review for this one. The first two instalments had me on a rollercoaster of emotions but this...I was seriously not ready for this!
It had so many twists and turns and unexpected happenings, that I found myself having to put the book down regularly just to get my thoughts and emotions in order. But that didn’t stop me from diving straight back in as soon as I had a spare minute!
I can’t say to much of what happens in this book, because that would only spoil it for you. Just know that there are star-crossed lovers, adventure, beautiful friendships, heartbreak and a whole heap of plot twists.
But be warned...this unique trilogy will tear you apart...put you back together and make you laugh and cry in equal measures.
I don’t think I’ll read another love story like this for as long as I live!

[Dijana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah! I can't even... AH!

[Sue Gerhardt Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️s

[Kate Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a finish to this epic saga! Inexpressible Island completes the love story of Julian and Josephine. I was eagerly awaiting this book to find out how this story would end and the wait was totally worth it.

Julian travels back in time one last time to save Josephine. This time she is living in war torn London during the blitz. I think this was one of my most favourite timelines of the saga. Simons' paints such a vivid picture of the sights, sounds and smells of each period in time she uses as a setting, and fills the scene with such rounded characters.

While this saga is a love story of sacrifice, commitment and pure devotion, it's also a story about friendship. The friendship of Julian and Ashton was one of my most cherish parts of this trilogy and how Simons' tells their story had me in tears many times, and just as much as the romantic story told.

Simons' storytelling is so well crafted. How she brings the story full circle was so beautiful and left me completely satisfied as a reader. I think I held my breath for the last 100 pages of this book. I couldn't put it down and my heart was beating with anticipation and love right to the last page.

Love, love, love this trilogy. I finished Inexpressible Island a week ago and haven't stopped thinking about Julian and Josephine. Especially Julian, as I think he is a character that will stay with me, and in my heart, for a very long time.

[Sally Keys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring and heartbreaking

This book was not at all what I expected but it pulled me in and exceeded all my expectations. It was heartbreaking and at the same time inspirational. What you think is going to be a horrible ending turns out to be the best ever. It just proves that you never really know.

[Novel Grounds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. I have not read the first two novels in this series but with just reading some of the reviews on this one, I am diving into them now and will update once I have read them. From the looks of it  I am going to be hooked!
Has anyone read this series yet?

[Faith 09 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful ending to the series.

[Lauren Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to begin by saying that I gave this book 4 stars on a single reason - that I could not put it down. I did not like either of the main characters, nor anyone else really, and yet I was too intrigued to give up on finding out what was going to happen to them.

I have been trying to search what genre this book falls in, as I thought it could be fantasy, historical, romance, mystery - or all of the above, and finding out it's under the 'fiction' banner, is a little confusing, although broad, which is probably the main requirement. The love story, however many times I tried (didn’t it end up being 8 or 9 times in total?) wasn’t convincing. I kept trying to believe that the characters had a big multidimensional soulmate type of love, but I never believed their connection. Probably because it usually felt so one sided, but also as a reader, I found it hard to understand Julian’s love for Josephine. Or Mia. Or Mary. Because the Josephine characters are different more than they are similar - and mostly mean to the bone - Julian’s ‘love quest’ starts to feel pointless. It discredits him and discredits the whole idea of your soul and soulmates. Sometimes it feels like a massive trip and a lot of carry on to have sex a few times.

By the third book, I feel like the premise became implausible. I spent many a time rolling my eyes, and I guess that was because my main hope for reading this final book of the trilogy for there to be very clever aha! moments, that had me in awe of the story. There was ONLY ONE of these moments for me, and it really, really delivered. The scene were Jules meets with Ashton's Dad at the church and they are able to talk about Wilde and Swedish. That absolutely gave me CHILLS and I was hoping for there to be more of those moments. In my opinion, there were a lot of missed opportunities to make it goosebump-giving, in favour of wrapping it up in a big pretty (unconvincing) bow.

And I only say unconvincing because the final chapters felt like a different book entirely. And I know that was the point, I didn't miss that that was the author's entire point - but when we have spent three books full of hardship and turmoil and thinking 'what else could this man possibly deal with mentally and physically' to have it finish like a Disney film, felt rushed and yet full of 'this is too good to be true' angst. And although I feel as though I should thank the author for not putting us through anything else, I just can't bring myself to do that, probably because I didn't love the characters enough, and I was disappointed there weren't other surprising epiphanies toward the end.

[Kasey Hurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I begin a series, I have to end it- especially if it is a short one. I have read many of Paullina Simons other novels so kind of expected this series to be just as enjoyable....
Honestly, there were aspects of the concept and the somewhat historical aspects (I say somewhat because some of the horrible anachronisms -especially language) of the story that I enjoyed, but by the third chapter of the second book, I could not wait for it to be over- hoping that book three would be the best and tie this all up really well... hmmm

I hate insta-love especially with really unlikable characters! 1840 and 1940 seemed to bring out the best versions of our leading lady. Every other journey back in time, I found myself skim reading all the gratuitous pornographic scenes, looking forward to seeing how she would finally die -this time.
It became so predictable that I started to not feel for the characters at all.

I gave the series three stars over all because as a whole, this had so much potential.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Paullina Simons books, and whilst I was not expecting another Bronze Horseman trilogy I was extremely disappointed with this saga, I found both the main characters unlikeable and Mia/Josephine a little annoying at times. If it wasn’t written by Paullina I think I would have given up in the first book. Having said that I think this one was my favourite as I really enjoyed when Julian went back to war torn London and met Wild.

[Kate Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly an amazing end to an adorable trilogy. (Maybe I read too fast but there was a small bit i didn't get.) I've been reading Paullina since Red Leaves and I cannot believe how she keeps pumping out stories of such variety but consistently so good!

[Vesna Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series!!

[Sharon Rapa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was sad to read the end of this saga. I was absorbed in this book. The last chapter was one of the most suspenseful I've ever read. Can't say much more, you have to read this book without any hints or spoilers of where Julian's and Mia's journey will take you.

[Bec Begg]

Wouldn’t recommend this series. If I wasn’t listening to it I would have given up on the 1st book. Pretty poorly done in my opinion (what can you say when you mean poorly written??)

[ghost_writer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final book in this trilogy is definitely the best one. There are a lot of scenes in the first half of this book that will make Paullina Simons' fans nostalgic for The Bronze Horseman, especially since it is set in WWII as well. I think that's also one of its weaknesses though. To me, this series never really becomes its own thing, and the stuff I liked most about it was when it reminded me of other stories. The best part of the book to me was about halfway through when Julian and Josephine end up at her family house. That reminded me of the excellent 1986 British animated film "When The Wind Blows" about a couple's life during a nuclear disaster. That's when I felt the most emotionally connected to the main characters.

Readers will enjoy a better variety of supporting characters here as opposed to the first two books. I think I actually ended up liking characters from the Rescue Crew better than the main characters Julian and Josephine, so it could feel like a letdown at times to have to return to their story. However, Julian and Josephine at least get to hang out together and date more in this book, which at least allows the reader to emotionally connect to their characters more than in the first two books.

There is a minor love triangle in the first half of the book, which I didn't really like. I think that was supposed to parallel how Josephine originally was in Book 1, but it just made Josephine come across as weak-willed again since she starts out engaged to another guy, and she seems to string him along for a lot longer than she should have before she officially gets together with Julian. Her beau is conveniently hurt so that Julian and Josephine can be together.

We get the "nice" version of Josephine in this book, and she gets to be quippy and optimistic, but she never quite feels like a real person. Her characterization still feels weirdly flat throughout the whole series. The trilogy just didn't end up convincing me that Julian's struggle was worth it in the end. As some other reviewers commented, at times it feels like Julian is motivated more by guilt than love. The entire trilogy ends up wrapping around on itself, but it all feels just a little too neat. Just wasn't the trilogy for me.

[Justine Ingaliso · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Please feel free to help with my questions below, fellow readers...]

Oh Paullina continues to amaze me... I was so nervous reading this trilogy because how could she even go there again after TBH! But she did... and oh she did! I didn’t think I could love another male lead as much as I love Alexander but I think I do.. Oh Julian ... And oh Ashton! Their beautiful friendship alongside Julian and Mia’s love was just ... oh so incredible.

Spoilers ahead so stop reading if you haven’t finished...

The time travel threw me completely in book 1 - like WHAT even paullina?? But then I heard about why she did this - why not? And that’s right, why not! And she did it so so well... The way everything linked together was amazing. The fact I was able to guess some things whereas others shocked me was awesome. The coins... oh the coins! How he left them on her at the end - so beautiful. The beret! The bob Marley poster! The cafe he finally found! The crystal down the drain! Devi and Ava! Wild and Swedish... Oh wild and Swedish! Baby Michael! The desert! The dropping of the name Shae at the end. And Florence on set .. cause of the dress in chapter 18? Man...

But but but I am left so confused... how did they all get two LA lives? Was the last part julian’s second life? Does that mean he died in the desert in LA part 1 whilst hiking with Julian (as mentioned in books a and 2) and then came back to life in LA part 2 and therefore his life started again but only his? How did he go to New York and see Josephine in LA part 1 but then in LA part 2, mia wasn’t Josephine but mia mentioned seeing him there but he hadn’t been there... How come also in the first chapter of book 2 were Julian, Josephine (not Mia), Ashton and Z at Disneyland but they weren’t in LA Part 1? And it couldn’t have been alluding to LA part 2 cause mia wasn’t Josephine ...

Also why does Paullina call it the Julian and Josephine love story when really it was the iterations of Mia? Is it because he first fell in love with Josephine and that’s who he chased? But really her name wasn’t mentioned at all throughout the books..

And why Mirabelle in the end - in the great love? Is it just because we ALL obviously loved poor Mirabelle and that whole life and it was alluded to the fact that he loved her most cause she was tattooed in caps? But Mia in war torn London was so loveable too!

So. Many. Questions. So confused....

But oh I just l loved them!

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I would give the trilogy four stars, but this book three. I decided to average out my rating here. This review will discuss the series as a whole. Basically the premise of the trilogy is that Julian and Mia meet and fall in love. After it ends in tragedy the first time, Julian travels through time, finding Mia's soul in different incarnations in the hopes that this time things will be different.

Yes, in the first book, Julian and Mia do fall in instalove. Or at least, Julian does. That would have annoyed me more if we hadn't then seen them establish a relationship in different ways in six other time periods. I felt like we do have a chance to see that happen over the course of the series.

That said, if I could have really rooted for Julian and Mia my rating here would probably be higher. The big problem was that we get to know Mia in seven incarnations here. In all but two of them she was awful! I bought into Julian going to the ends of the earth for her for the sake of the story, but I think it would have been nice to be able to invest emotionally there. I was hoping that some kind of narrative reason for Mia's bad behavior in so many of her lives would emerge, but no such luck.

So why did I still give the trilogy four stars? Well I enjoyed watching Julian travelling through time. I liked seeing him set up a life in each time period, get a sense of the dangers, figure out who to trust, and approach his task from every angle imaginable. I liked that each time period was its own historical fiction narrative. I also invested in Julian's relationship with Devi (his time travel guru), Mia's mother, and his best friend Ashton. Even his relationships with Ashton's love interests were rich and interesting, which is why its so frustrating that the central romance didn't really do much.

I rated this book a little lower than the first two because I felt a little underwhelmed by the ending: perhaps because of my lack of investment with the Julian/Mia storyline. There wasn't anything wrong with the ending and I think if Mia had been a better character I would have been very on board for everything that happened. I really appreciated how Simons draw the threads introduced throughout the series together.

Overall I enjoyed my experience with this series. Despite its faults it kept me reading.

[hiaa123 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"But just try telling an imperfect story about ugly damaged people loving other ugly damaged people and see how far you get."

I'm glad to be done with this series. I think I was semi-satisfied by the end but it was painful to get there. We start this off with Julian's final leap back into the past into WWII London with Maria. I liked this storyline and this version of her better than all others, even Mirabelle.

Then we start getting into all the "plot twists" that didn't feel all that twisty. I had mixed feelings about the final role reversal life between Julian and Mia. On the one hand, I get the idea of how his love has changed her. Are they living in a loop of who loves who first? It sort of worked perfectly but I just never bought into the whole same soul developing over time. To me, it's just a bunch of different girls with a couple things in common. And I don't think Julian (and his violent streak) is all that romantic.

Also, I majorly don't like creepy twin lives Ashton and Julian live with their matching neighbour houses and the matching best friend romances. I'm happy it works out for them but it gives me the ick.

And while I didn't appreciate the dead end life of no babies in the previous book, by the end of this book, I have more of an appreciation for the new life vs death opposition.

Overall, didn't love it, didn't hate it by the end either though. I don't think Simons really follows the rules of time travel but I can suspend disbelief for the sake of creativity and storytelling. And I'm a sucker for happy ending. And I really did enjoy the final movie scene dream twist.

"After his eyes had sought the starry guide,
they turned again into the light.
'Tell me who you are,' he cried.
And thus I answered:
'A while ago the world possessed me.
Had my time been longer,
Much evil that would come,
Had never chanced upon me
Because you loved me so well, and had a good cause:
For had my sojourn
Been longer on this earth,
The love I bore you in return
Would've put forth
more than blossoms."

[Sarah Goodfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg! Omg! Omg! Brilliant book!
So it starts off with Julian so lost, not only had he lost her again, but near the end of part 2, he'd lost Ashton, his best friend! Julian is bereft. So he goes back to Devi, and tells him he wants to try and find the girl he loves again, even though devi warns him that it's the last time! She will not be reincarnated again. So, he goes back to the portal, this time it takes him to 1940! London in the blitz!
Maria is part of a team of rescuers. He works alongside them and they become his friends, especially Wild. He feels a special bond with the guy who lost his arm trying to save his brother.
But one by one, they all gradually get killed. And then he loses Maria.
Then he's back in the present time, after recuperating from his injuries, he meets with Devi again.
Devi tells him there is possibily another way!
He can go back to his own life when he was younger!
So he goes to the tunnel, and finds himself trapped under rocks! He manages to get out, and finds himself back to the time when he nearly died on a camping trip with Ashton when he was in his early 20s!
Although he doesn't remember much about his previous time travels, he keeps having de ja vu experiences.
And then he meets a girl in a coffee shop, called mirabelle!
I could go on and on! But there IS a happy ending!
An absolutely brilliant book, cleverly written with many things that seem to be linked. Take note of the part where 'swedish' gives wild the red beret to put on the baby's head! 😉

[Martinask · Rating 4 out of 5]

To ostatnia część nowej trylogii Paulliny Simons (autorki bestsellerowego Jeźdźca miedzianego; pierwsze dwie części to " Łowca Tygrysów", "Królestwo Nędzników")- nowa seria, nowa historia, z wątkami historycznymi ale przede wszystkim o wielkiej miłości, a jednocześnie zupełnie inna niż wszystkie dotychczasowe książki tej autorki. Główny bohater, Jules, zakochuje się bez pamięci w młodej aktorce, która ginie potrącona przez autobus. Pogrążony w żałobie poznaje Wietnamczyka, który uświadamia mu, że można podróżować w czasie, korzystając z korytarza który otwiera się podczas równonocy wiosennej dokładnie w południe na południku w Greenwich. Jules przenosi się w czasie za swoją ukochaną w różne okresy historii Anglii i próbuje uratować ją. W ostatniej części dokonuje ostatnich dwóch powrotów w przeszłość, próbując ocalić ukochaną m.in. w czasie nalotów niemieckich bombowców w czasie II wojny światowej w roku 1940. Czy mu się uda? Tego nie zdradzę, a chętnych zapraszam do lektury.

[Tez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inexpressible Island is the third novel in the end of forever saga and concluded the story of Julian and Josephine.

Julian travels back one last time to be with Josephine, where he finds himself in London during WWII. This time is no different from the rest; he must fight for their love and to keep her alive, however certain people and events cross his path this time that helps him connect the dots to present life.

Back in the present the pieces of the puzzle are slowly put together for the reader. In this final installment the story comes around in full circle and gives meaning to deja vu and six degrees of separation.

I liked the way this story ended, however this saga was not one of my favorites (as much as I hoped it would). I just didn’t feel the connection to Julian and Josephine.