Hunting Red, Part II

Crown of Stars #7

by Elizabeth D. Marie

"The wolves always come to the smell of blood."

Adven Grey fights to protect his charge from the realm of nightmares that have very real side effects, while Asteriae faces its greatest battle against dark forces, both seen and unseen.

But they do not face this battle alone. Their hope comes in a form they do not expect nor understand. Will it be enough to save them? Or is the end of the Kingdom of Stars upon them?

See the return of previous Crown of Stars characters in this series finale!

***This book is recommended for Teens and Adults. This is a clean read, but due to more mature themes it is not recommended for children.

Kindle Edition

Published July 9, 2021

About the author

ELIZABETH D. MARIE is the author of several fiction works, including her epic fairytale retellings series Crown of Stars. She has been writing and imagining worlds since she was a child - where stories like The Chronicles of Narnia helped shape her imagination and draw her closer to the Master Storyteller and Creator.

Her heart is to provide clean, epic fiction for teens and adults. She believes in the power of stories and the truths they are meant to remind us of: that there is an unseen battle taking place, and we are a part of that battle. We are meant to shine a light into the ever present darkness and hold fast in faith for the return of the Great Lion, when all things will be mended and made right again.

As always, she would like to remind readers to KEEP THE LANTERNS BURNING AGAINST THE NIGHT; HOLD THE DARKNESS AT BAY.

You can support her endeavors on Patreon!

Reviews

[K.E. Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mind-blowing, stress-inducing, and incredible end to an incredible series.

Elizabeth D. Marie's stories have a way of sweeping you up and carrying you along with them. Each of the previous books in this series have done that for me, and this two-part finale was no different!


This second part picks up immediately where part one left off, which I was glad for, because I wasn't sure how a time jump would work.

Since we didn’t get to revisit the Guarding Snow group in the Mirklands during the first Hunting Red, I was excited to do so in this one (as Guarding Snow is my second favorite book in this series), but the first scene in Lucan’s POV opened up with Ravyn being dead?!
I had to search ahead in the book to be assured that Ravyn came back somehow, because I knew she couldn't really be dead, but I was too nervous to keep reading to find out one way or the other. (After Orabelle was killed at the end of Part I, my emotions were already worn thin!)
Thankfully, I found that Ravyn was brought back a bit later and I was able to sit back and watch that portion of the story unfold.
The happenings going on and the scheme against Lucan and Ravyn turned out to be interesting but also heart-wrenching for those two characters. But their story wrapped up sweetly and I was so happy to see Lucan and Ravyn and their little girl reunited.

I also really enjoyed the way the Mirklands part of the story played out involving Galiena and Adven. I liked how Galiena and Lucan played off each other and how they became sympathetic to each other- Galiena because Lucan reminded her of her father, and Lucan because he saw Ravyn in Galiena.

I'll be honest, I ended up intentionally spoiling this book for myself three or four separate times because I was in too much suspense.
As I mentioned before, I had to search and make sure Ravyn came back. I also had to check and then double check to make sure Orabelle didn't stay dead, and then because of Leon, I was uncertain if Galiena and Adven would end up together, and I wanted them too, so I had to make sure.

I thought Galiena and Adven were great together. They turned out to be more alike than it first appears the more you get to know about them. They were both sort of wounded souls who didn't know who they were or where they belonged. Both fiercely protective, independent, and afraid to open up to each other, but they quickly became a great team.

It was so sad when Adven was killed. I knew he wasn't gone for good, but Galiena believing he was really dying made it sad, and how Adven used his final breaths to try to assure her that he couldn't die and he would return to her. But then he disappeared and they were separated and blaming themselves for that happening.

When Galiena and Garren were reunited, I began to get frustrated at her because I just wanted her to sit down and finally talk to her father instead of avoiding him, but that point didn't come until later, which I was happy when it finally did.

As the story progressed, it became more and more heavy and emotional. So many characters I loved kept dying! First Orabelle was killed in Part I, then we find out Ravyn had died, then Tarrent went to war and it was reported that he was killed. Then after Tarrent was reported dead, we find out he was still alive, and then Alaric went out and got himself killed. My emotions were so frayed at that point that I almost- ALMOST just said “Who cares at this point? Let him stay dead.” even though that wasn’t what I wanted!
It was all too much to take in such a short period of time. I ended up having to take multiple breaks to let my emotions rest and my brain process it all.

I liked Aldebrand, how he was introduced, and how he came into play in the second half. Aldebrand as a character overall was interesting to read and get to know as you slowly learn about his character and his role in the story. Honestly, at times I felt like I was watching the Narnia movies and Aldebrand was a human version of Alsan.

I was really happy that it turned out Kaster wasn't really dead as they had first believed, and that he fought on the good side. He was one of the recurring characters who intrigued me the most, so I was glad to see him redeemed and have a happy ending.

I also loved the scene when Garren finally got his Belle back. That was like a healing balm after all the heartache endured.
And! We got to see Garren go from the war-hardened captain who believed tears were weakness, to a husband and father who cried when his bride was returned to him. I liked that sort of a callback.

I ended up being happy with the final happily ever afters we got for Garren and Orabelle, Galiena and Adven, Lucan and Ravyn, and Alaric and Ella.
The only couple I felt like there wasn't enough closure for was Jaq and Tarrent. They experienced so many rough patches during the two-part finale and I just wanted to see them have a good, long talk and finally be happy!

Knowing what I know now about the For'Bane and the wolves, how Garren and Orabelle's story ended up, and about Adven (the answers to his mysteries and marrying Garren and Orabelle's daughter), I already really, really want to go back to the beginning and read Saving Beauty for the third time!
I also want to read Guarding Snow, Seeking Giants, and Chasing Cinders again. However, I'm not going to go back to any of them yet, because I don't want to burn myself out on the series.
I would even read these two Hunting Red books again, but I would only be able to experience them again when I'm emotionally ready, haha!


If you enjoy fairy tales with action and adventure, incredible worldbuilding, memorable characters, and heart-tugging romance, I highly recommend this series!

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Finish!

Wow! I haven't enjoyed a fantasy book series so much since my high school days. This book was an excellent close to an excellent body of work. I cried at so many places. I even put it down for a bit because I just knew it was going to have some pretty painful parts coming up. It was worth taking my time with it and really taking in the beautiful message of hope and redemption we see throughout the rest of the series. If you enjoy epic fantasy and fairy-tale retellings, then you won't want to miss this version of Red Riding Hood. It's unlike any other I've read or seen. But don't read this one until you've read the others. While books 1-5 can stand alone and be read in any order, books 6 & 7 aren't like them. I highly recommend this series! What are you waiting for?