Harley Merlin 17: Finch Merlin and the Legend of the Luminary

Harley Merlin #17

by Bella Forrest

An invisible city rises from the depths, led by a new savior…

Prepare to expect the unexpected.

Pre-order now.

*Beware of spoilers in the reviews below that are without spoiler alerts.*

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Magic, Paranormal, Young Adult, Fiction, Mystery

hardcover

First published April 12, 2020

About the author

UPDATE MARCH 11, 2024:

BELLA IS BACK!

*** New, updated online store at https://BellaForrest.com

*** New books coming soon

*** Possible Film/TV series coming soon

*** Stay up to date by joining our e-mail list at https://BellaForrest.com/join

###

Bella Forrest is a lover of fantasy, romance, action, and mystery infused stories with twists you don’t see coming. She has sold over fifteen million books since her first novel was published in 2012.

Check out her website for a full list of her books: https://BellaForrest.com

Official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BellaForrest...

Here's a list of some of Bella's books:

DARKLIGHT

Darklight (Book 1)
Darkthirst (Book 2)
Darkworld (Book 3)
Darkblood (Book 4)
Darktide (Book 5)
Darkbirth (Book 6)
Darkfall (Book 7)
Darkwilds (Book 8)
Darkhunt (Book 9)

A LOVE THAT ENDURES (Trilogy)
A Love that Endures 1
A Love that Endures 2
A Love that Endures 3

HARLEY MERLIN AND THE SECRET COVEN

Harley Merlin and the Secret Coven (Book 1)
Harley Merlin and the Mystery Twins (Book 2)
Harley Merlin and the Stolen Magicals (Book 3)
Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Book 4)
Harley Merlin and the Broken Spell (Book 5)
Harley Merlin and the Cult of Eris (Book 6)
Harley Merlin and the Detector Fix (Book 7)
Harley Merlin and the Challenge of Chaos (Book 8)
Harley Merlin and the Mortal Pact (Book 9)
Finch Merlin and the Fount of Youth (Book 10)
Finch Merlin and the Lost Map (Book 11)
Finch Merlin and the Djinn's Curse (Book 12)
Finch Merlin and the Locked Gateway (Book 13)
Finch Merlin and the Forgotten Kingdom (Book 14)
Finch Merlin and the Everlasting Vow (Book 15)
Finch Merlin and the Blood Tie (Book 16)
Finch Merlin and the Legend of the Luminary
Persie Merlin and Leviathan's Gift (Book 18)
Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere (Book 19)
Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters (Book 20)
Persie Merlin and the Dying Song (Book 21)

THE CHILD THIEF

The Child Thief (Book 1)
Deep Shadows (Book 2)
Thin Lines (Book 3)
Little Lies (Book 4)
Ghost Towns (Book 5)
Zero Hour (Book 6)

HOTBLOODS

Hotbloods (Book 1)
Hotbloods (Book 2): Coldbloods
Hotbloods (Book 3): Renegades
Hotbloods (Book 4): Venturers
Hotbloods (Book 5): Traitors
Hotbloods (Book 6): Allies
Hotbloods (Book 7): Invaders
Hotbloods (Book 8): Stargazers

THE GENDER GAME

The Gender Game (Book 1)
The Gender Secret (Book 2)
The Gender Lie (Book 3)
The Gender War (Book 4)
The Gender Fall (Book 5)
The Gender Plan (Book 6)
The Gender End (Book 7)

THE GIRL WHO DARED TO THINK

The Girl Who Dared to Think (Book 1)
The Girl Who Dared to Stand (Book 2)
The Girl Who Dared to Descend (Book 3)
The Girl Who Dared to Rise (Book 4)
The Girl Who Dared to Lead (Book 5)
The Girl Who Dared to Endure (Book 6
The Girl Who Dared to Fight (Book 7)

A SHADE OF VAMPIRE

Season 1: Derek & Sofia’s story

Books 1 to 7

Season 2: Rose & Caleb’s story

Books 8 to 16

Season 3: The Shade continues with a new hero...

Books 17 to 24

Season 4: A Clan of Novaks

Books 25 to 32

Season 5: A Dawn of Guardians

Books 33 to 41

Season 6: A Gift of Three

Books 42 to 50

Season 7: A Call of Vampires

Books 51 to 59

Season 8: A Voyage of Founders

Books 60 to 68

Season 9: A Birth of Fire

Books 69 to 77

Season 10: An Origin of Vampires
An Origin of Vampires (Book 78)
A Game of Death (Book 79)
A Veil of Dark (Book 80)
A Bringer of Night (Book 81)
A Circle of Nine (Book 82)
A Bender of Spirit (Book 83)
A Memory of Time (Book 84)
A Shard of Soul (Book 85)
A Break of Seals (Book 86)

Season 11: A Shade of Mystery
A Shade of Mystery (Book 87)
An Isle of Mirrors (Book 88)
A Sanctuary of Foes (Book 89)
A Ruler of Clones (Book 90)
A Gate of Light (Book 91)
A Dawn of Worlds (Book 92) ➜ Coming soon!

Reviews

[Amina Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was fantastic! It was so good to read chapters split between Harley and Finch again! I love the bond that has festered between them since their mission on Eris Island and which has only grown stronger as we've gone on through the books, even when the two of them weren't always together.

I love their humour which had me laughing out loud at times. Whilst I love them and their motley crew, the same can't be said about that humongous pain in the ass Davin! Honestly as a HP fan I didn't think there'd ever be a character I hated more than Umbridge, but Davin definitely gives her a run for her money! I honestly felt myself sharing Finch's fury at how often that asswipe, as Finch would call him, managed to get the better of them!

This book was very well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it (even though at times I wanted to reach through the pages and give Davin a slap!).

I look forward to reading the next book which is about Harley and Wade's daughter, Persie and her adventures. Genie and her (together atleast) sound to be as troublesome as Harley and Finch lol. Will be interesting to see what kind of trouble she gets into!

[Marcia Haskell · Rating 5 out of 5]

After deciding that this would be the last, in the series, that I wanted to read, this book came along. I loved it. There was everything: villains, new characters, love, hatred, the ridiculous and the horrifying. But mostly, there were all the wonderful characters I have loved from the beginning, Harley, Ward, Finch at his best, Ryanne, and all the rest. All fighting for their world and magic and their coven. In one sense this is the last of the series, but the next book in the series seems to be about the next generation- so, of course, I’ll have to see what they are up to.

If you enjoyed the beginning of this series, you’ll love this book which ties the endings together so well.

[Andie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a journey! What a rollercoaster of emotions, of ups and downs ins and out and rooting for the good guys!

The narrative switches between Finch and Harley and as I’m sure the Author intended we can draw similarities from them yet they still remain to have their own voice.

Atlantis has been raised. David is King, Kay’s is under more than your average love spell and the Muppet Babies , both teams, need to work to try and save the day!

You get everything you could possibly want from this book, perfect escapism, fantasy, action, romance. It’s hard to put down at all!

I would recommend reading this series in order as it’ll make more sense plus you’ll have more books to read!

Definitely top notch!!

[Gemma Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had suspected that this would be the end of this iteration of the Merlin anthology... But also not the end of the Merlin saga. I suspected this would be an open-ended conclusion to Finch's story and I'm so glad it was.

Finishing off a series that's been going for so many editions is not simple, but this brought both Harley and Finch's main adventures to a very satisfying conclusion. It felt like a natural end for their tales as protagonists. It brought a very hearty, yet thorough conclusion to a story that could have had a loooot of loose ends.

Both siblings got to show the talents we love them for separately whilst executing a very Old Finch-esque plan, with Harley-influences. I really enjoyed a cross-over with them both to finish off this iteration of this insane family's drama... for now...

Regardless, I can't wait to see what becomes of the Muppet Babies, the New Muppet Babies, the Next Generation, lovely Tobe, the SDC, Finchs' curious and elusive Purge Beast and all those things I can't mention because of spoilers.

I also can't believe I'm waiting for book 18 of a series that last August my mother suggested to me as a holiday read because she thought it was a trilogy...

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

And so we end Finch's section of the Merlin family journey. It felt more like a whimper than a bang. Most of the reason for that, though, is going into spoiler territory, so be warned. The short version, is it seems like more effort was put into setting up Persie's story than ending Finch's. Maybe I wouldn't have had this feeling if it weren't for the final chapter in this book, but Bella Forrest put it there, so I'm judging the series on it.


Like, what's the deal with Finch's purge gremlin? Does the fact that it at one point has the same appearance as the hallucination!gremlin mean that the lack of Purge was hurting Finch's mental health? I don't know. Also, Ryann developing some latent Chaos abilities is only briefly mentioned at the end. And it's more in a wrap up on a joke sense than actual answers about what she can now do.

Speaking of Ryann, she and Lux do almost all the work in actually stopping Davin. I guess it'd be too much to assume that a plan that involves trusting Apollo would work well, but Lux really bails the group out of just about everything because she decided to adopt mindfulness and forgiveness as her policy. Maybe I should have noticed that Ryann being so blasé about repeatedly passing out was a sign something was up. Maybe having the one regular human in the group (at least, the one who was like that for most of the series) save the day is supposed to be inspiring to all the regular humans that read these books, but being completely blindsided by how the heroes outwit a scheming villain isn't that satisfying.

Also, is it bad that I found the ending too happy? Maybe after everything Erebus and Kaya put our main characters through I was hoping they'd end up being a tragic couple, instead of a happy couple in exile in Italy.

So, Finch and Harley are the POV characters, and a few times I struggled to tell them apart. These are the two characters Forrest has used as POV characters the most during the 17 book adventure that is the Harley Merlin series up to this point. This should not be happening.

[Adriana Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is bitter sweet... we all prob went through the same with Fitch we hated him at the beginning of Harley but BOY LET ME TELL YOU HE REALLY GROWS ON YOU..!!! I love the story it was magnificent!! Can’t wait for the next serie!!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept my attention. I never wanted to put it down.

[Carol Janet Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a rollercoaster this book was . I Loved this series and so looking forward to reading Persie Merlin. I did notice a bit of an error and being a huge Stargate geek I had to point it out. The 'Stargate. Kurt Russell' Finch referred to should have been spelt with one L
(O'NEIL), the one in the book spelt with two L's (O'NEILL) refers to the character in the Stargate SG1 series played by Richard Dean Anderson.....

[lynn mcelhinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the Harley Merlin books but I love the Finch Merlin books even more. It's just my type of humour.

[Tracy Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Finch Merlin books are a great series - magic, mystery, believable foes... Finch is a character that wont ever stay down for long. A rollercoaster ride & this last installment is no different. I wont write spoilers, so my review ends here... But I'm very much looking forward to Persie Merlin as I'm sure it will be just as good.

[Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always she did a great job of the up and down of the characters. And I never knew what was coming next. I loved this one as always. Great end to the Finch Merlin arc.

[Katie Santa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg! so amazing! I’m sad this is the last book in Finchs arc but I’m super excited to dive into the new arc! don’t want to give too much away. if you haven’t read this series make sure you put them on top of your to be read list! so amazing!!!!!

[Emily L-P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing

I’m disappointed in the ending of the Finch series. As much as I knew what the last chapter would give I’m disappointed that it was from Harley’s prospective. It felt like Finch’s story didn’t get closure. Only a couple more books to finish this series. I’m ready.

[Bronwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, what a ride!
I loved the ups and downs, and the book kept my attention. I couldn't tell what was going to happen next! I loved Finch and thought that this was an amazing book to finish the series. This author is amazing!
The POVs work well.
I liked the arcs of all the characters. Finch's as how he was hated in the first book and now is my favourite character. How he grew! Erebus as how he was seen as something scary and on the list of do-not-summon to a sort of friend.
I loved the quirks of the characters, Melody with her rainbow magic, Santana with Slinky, Tobe and his hugs, and of course Harley & Finch glowing!
I loved Ryann, maybe she became a close and joined second with Santana. Still hate Wade.
I really hope that in the new series Finch and Harley's children will be looking after each other in what they get up to! And I wonder whether Saskia got added to the disgraced list same as her sister...
Finch's series was my favourite out of the two. Will read again.
Was suprised that the next series wasn't going to focus on Saskia and Jacob. When I saw the two year time-skip at the begginning of the last chapter I don't know why I immediately thought of them.
Will be having a little time apart from this series since I've been binge-reading it for weeks now. I think I need to distance myself from it for a while before diving in on the new series, if I decide to read it, so I can seperate them in my head and so I won't have as many expectations. Time-skips of more than a year can go so wrong. I think it would be better if I view it as a completely different series altogether. Curious about it, though.
I have loved this series so much both Harley's and especially Finch's. WOW. Amazing reads!


Now, my original review from earlier today, I wrote straight after reading. I was very emotional:
Original review: I didn't read the last chapter. I checked whether there was a book after this one and found that it was about Persie. I am furious. I was put into a sense of security that there was a book after this one and if it was the last then I wouldn't read it. It turns out this one is the last. And I'm hugely upset. I loved this series and all series' must come to an end but I can't believe I accidently read the last book when I never ever read/watch the last season (if TV show) or book. I felt sure that the next book was a start of a new mini series but I thought it would be about Harley & Finch in a new adventure NOT a massive time skip. I hate timeskips of more than a year. I absolutely hate them. And of more than eighteen years - I am furious. I get to miss Ryann & Finch's relationship evolve and I hate it. I was hoping for more Harley & Finch as main characters. I wanted to watch them find new extents to their power. The end of the book seemed to be gearing for a near-in-time series like Finch's from Harley's. Particularly loved Finch's series.
As for the book itself. I loved it. At the beginning I didn't like Harley's point of view and then the book really got going. An annoying thing, though, was the minor plot-holes I'd been ignoring them so far but I couldn't any more. The one plot-hole that I'm glad for is the humans seeing monsters. In the first book humans couldn't see the monsters and I'm glad that the author changed that.
Now. I'm going to cry angry tears that the author did this.

[Kat Starwolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Book in this Series*

So far, this book was the absolute BEST of the books Forrest has written in the Harley Merlin/Finch Merlin series. It keeps you hooked in through all the twists and turns (and there are a LOT of those!) and doesn’t leave one hanging at the end. For me, anyway. Someone else might have a different experience.

The question – or rather the QUESTIONS, plural, are: Does Finch remain shackled to a woman he doesn’t love? And: Do Finch and his Magical Posse finally make it off Atlantis and in one piece?

*While Amazon, et al, shows that there are 21 books in this series, I was only able to located 20. Apparently – based on an email between another reader and the author of this series – there will be no more books in this series. However, since this is coming from a source other than the author herself, I think it apropos that we allow the author to address this issue herself, which hasn’t happened yet to my knowledge. There are, however, several other series(es? Lol) available from this author, as can be attested by her Amazon author page. In fact, after the last three in this series (Books 18, 19 and 20), I will be investigating THE SECRET OF SPELLSHADOW MANOR. There appear to be only 6 books in this series, according to Amazon, however, as many as 9 were listed when the name of the book was pulled up in the search bar. I haven’t found those yet. As for her other series, I think I’ll pass.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave my rating based on the series, not necessarily this book standing alone. This book was different. For some reason, perhaps it was me but I felt the timing was off with this book. Some parts were dragged out and boring then it sped up and major things happened so fast I literally almost missed them. The ending definitely felt rushed like she needed to wrap this up with a bow and end it.

All that being said, I am glad I own these books and I will listen to the whole series again and I would recommend it. It’s perfect for YA but I’m 43 and I loved it. No sex and no cussing in the whole series. I can’t wait to read about Persie’s adventures. Oh and I listened to them all on audiobooks and I have to say the narrator did a fantastic job. Seriously, so many characters, so many voices, and she was great. I loved this. But boy am I ever glad that I read these 17 books when they were already released (I didn’t have to wait for the next book to be released). That would have been awful. I am looking forward to trying other books written by this author

[Emily Skermer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book glad we finally killed Davin kind of by trapping him in the centre of the Earth where he belongs.

Kind of sad Erebus gave up his powers as we probably won't be seeing much of him from now on or Lux and I was really starting to like them both them seemed to have really grown on me.

Ryann coming to save everyone was not what I thought would happen and dealing with Davin happened a little too quickly but this book was exciting.

I will miss Finch as a narrator much prefer him to Harley and his parts seem to fly by while hers drag on a bit. I'm glad he got a happy ending with Ryann though especially now she seems to have some sort of magical ability.

Liked this part of the series hopefully it will continue being good with Persie Merlin but not sure as I tend not to like younger narrators I kind of wish it had branched off to Erebus and Kaya and left the SDC behind because there are so many characters there now it will be hard to keep up.

[King Kimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just what I needed in the midst of #DatRona! I was unable to predict anything about this this book, except that Davin was going to foil Finch, but Finch would end up the victor. However, the author surprised me throughout and even though I tried to not finish so quickly, I couldn’t put it down! I can’t wait for the next book, a start of something new with Persephone Merlin-Crowley. Only criticism I have of the series is that I would like more BIPOC characters. The world is diverse! Especially in the American cities used in this series. These cities are not lily white.

[Anne Absalom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Team Is Back Together

Another page turner by Bella Forrest. My books are piling up since every time I finish a Book from this series, the next pops up. I look at my books waiting for me, then I give in to the impulse to escape back into a Bella Forrest story. These stories are addictive.

[Lee Ann Stamm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice ending to the Finch adventure. However, all the new characters and the old are joined with the coven. The ending also brought a new beginning. This series keeps my attention, but I’m also able to read single novels between some of the Harley Merlin chapters. It is easy to come back to the series - like meeting g old friends again.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Atlantis

Great ending to the Finch saga...amazing twists and surprising ending that worked out for all...loved the story! Can't wait to continue with Persie's story and finally find out the power in her name.

[Cilicia A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this so much. Great wrap up for the big adventure.
Enjoyable series with engaging characters. On the lighter side which is exactly what I needed right now. Exciting battles and some quirky humor. A good time series for sure.

[Christiana Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The finishing of so many stories

For a minute there I thought this would be the last book! Bella seemed to be finishing out so many stories, but it seems she just made room for more.

[Jemma B Sinclaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very grateful for this series! It has helped keep my mind occupied at this rather strange time in our country. Funny how many parallels I see between these stories and current events! Thanks, Bella Forrest for your amazing imagination and prolific stories. Many blessings your way.

[Danny Gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Finch's story. I love the character and find him so funny and down to earth. I know Bella always keeps characters making appearances- I just hope he has a decent role in Percy's books. His sense of humor is very much needed in this crazy year of 2020.

[Sandra DeRosso]

Good Story

I chose dying because I love the way Bella Tells a story and all of the twists and turns involved. I really enjoyed the ending. I would recommend theses books to s anyone who enjoys fantasy stories.

[Elizabeth Berry]

Happy ending?

After all the ups and downs its great to see Davin put in his place. Lux for the win. I hope we get to find out more with fluffball and Finch. Harley is in for the time of her life.

[Amy S (bookish.contentment) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favourite of the series if I’m honest. The plot felt predictable and there was too much emotional, romantic monologue clogging up the plot. It was good to see Harley and Finch back together again but Harley’s chapters were so dull. Time to move away from this series for me.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waiting for #18 and the next generation of magicals!

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are great characters that I don't want to see go away! Can't wait to see what happens next!