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Mackenzie Green #3
Green Shadow
Two paths, one fate.
Lucan now knows who—and what— Mackenzie truly is. She is Terra, the supernatural boogieman whose tales of carnage are used by parents to bring wayward children in line.
But she’s captive, and all his plans for the future are decimated… unless he can find her and bring her home.
Mackenzie—thrust back into the nightmare of her childhood—learns the awful truth. Her captors have no mercy… and now they know how to force her to do their bidding. Her achilleas heel. And they’ll use that knowledge against her in the worst possible way. But as her hopes for rescue dwindle, she must use every bit of her wits and skills just to survive. Because even in darkness, light can be found.
Mackenzie must hold out long enough for those she loves to free her, but every passing second brings her closer to crumbling under the weight of a past she can’t outrun.
Warning: This book contains concepts that might be disturbing to some readers. It references to rape for the purpose of breeding. There are no graphic scenes, and everything happens off page.
Lucan now knows who—and what— Mackenzie truly is. She is Terra, the supernatural boogieman whose tales of carnage are used by parents to bring wayward children in line.
But she’s captive, and all his plans for the future are decimated… unless he can find her and bring her home.
Mackenzie—thrust back into the nightmare of her childhood—learns the awful truth. Her captors have no mercy… and now they know how to force her to do their bidding. Her achilleas heel. And they’ll use that knowledge against her in the worst possible way. But as her hopes for rescue dwindle, she must use every bit of her wits and skills just to survive. Because even in darkness, light can be found.
Mackenzie must hold out long enough for those she loves to free her, but every passing second brings her closer to crumbling under the weight of a past she can’t outrun.
Warning: This book contains concepts that might be disturbing to some readers. It references to rape for the purpose of breeding. There are no graphic scenes, and everything happens off page.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 16, 2022
610 people are currently reading
320 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
December 23, 2024
I don't know how I feel about this one, though some of this stems from me mistakenly thinking this was going to be a trilogy. There were a number of punctuation issues, but I read the Kindle book and it just came out so maybe they'll be corrected over time. Overall I did like the book and will continue the series as it comes out, below critique may seem harsh but that is because I like it and am interested to see where it goes.
While I enjoyed the big showdown at the end, I wanted more from the epilogue. The epilogue didn't take place at all in the future and was just a continuation of the final chapter - it didn't even introduce an idea of what plot line will be followed next. I can appreciate the need for Kenzie's family and friends to need time to find her, but the entire book was spent talking about the countdown to Lucan's end and then everything is solved in two lines. Lucan's personal growth through the book was great, but there is no relationship development between them since they spend the entire book apart.
The element of a "breeding program" on the government's behalf was mentioned all of twice - NO, I did not want details and believe the special mind room was an excellent way around that, but this isn't their first time employing this tactic and they had her for over 6 months so it definitely would have happened more frequently. They spent a suspicious amount of time with dubious food and torture punishment tactics, neither of which is exactly conducive to their goal. She needed to continue going on missions for the eventual trap her family uses to free her to be a success and she is one of the agency's best weapons (none of the missions were dangerous so they could believably still use her), but the food and torture/beatings seem to misalign with their endgame. I also have a very hard time believing they would have picked Ben as the first candidate.
The introduction of the rebellion to the Purity Movement was lightly woven in and I am assuming this will be the focus of the next book, along with Kenzie mentally recovering from her ordeal. Curious to see if the families Kenzie and her crew have helped to save will make a return appearance. One of the dragon shifters showed up at the guild after Kenzie told him a long time ago to seek them if he ever wanted other options which gives me hope for the three girls from the first book making a reappearance. Kenzie hasn't seen or heard from them since the opening of the first book and at least the lead girl seemed to be an important piece. I could be reading into that though.
The idea of deities or magical spirits having anchored themselves using the Green family, while hinted at in the first novel when Kenzie spoke to the tree, feels very underdeveloped. Ddear makes a shadow of an appearance in this book when Kenzie meets Evie who is an anchor for a different spirit and Ddear mentions she wants to right her mistakes and train Kenzie in her mental protection room. I am just hoping the author isn't creating more plot lines all running concurrently than can reasonably be followed.
While I enjoyed the big showdown at the end, I wanted more from the epilogue. The epilogue didn't take place at all in the future and was just a continuation of the final chapter - it didn't even introduce an idea of what plot line will be followed next. I can appreciate the need for Kenzie's family and friends to need time to find her, but the entire book was spent talking about the countdown to Lucan's end and then everything is solved in two lines. Lucan's personal growth through the book was great, but there is no relationship development between them since they spend the entire book apart.
The element of a "breeding program" on the government's behalf was mentioned all of twice - NO, I did not want details and believe the special mind room was an excellent way around that, but this isn't their first time employing this tactic and they had her for over 6 months so it definitely would have happened more frequently. They spent a suspicious amount of time with dubious food and torture punishment tactics, neither of which is exactly conducive to their goal. She needed to continue going on missions for the eventual trap her family uses to free her to be a success and she is one of the agency's best weapons (none of the missions were dangerous so they could believably still use her), but the food and torture/beatings seem to misalign with their endgame. I also have a very hard time believing they would have picked Ben as the first candidate.
The introduction of the rebellion to the Purity Movement was lightly woven in and I am assuming this will be the focus of the next book, along with Kenzie mentally recovering from her ordeal. Curious to see if the families Kenzie and her crew have helped to save will make a return appearance. One of the dragon shifters showed up at the guild after Kenzie told him a long time ago to seek them if he ever wanted other options which gives me hope for the three girls from the first book making a reappearance. Kenzie hasn't seen or heard from them since the opening of the first book and at least the lead girl seemed to be an important piece. I could be reading into that though.
The idea of deities or magical spirits having anchored themselves using the Green family, while hinted at in the first novel when Kenzie spoke to the tree, feels very underdeveloped. Ddear makes a shadow of an appearance in this book when Kenzie meets Evie who is an anchor for a different spirit and Ddear mentions she wants to right her mistakes and train Kenzie in her mental protection room. I am just hoping the author isn't creating more plot lines all running concurrently than can reasonably be followed.
December 23, 2022
I’m pretty bummed about this one. I was really into the first two books and loved how Mackenzie and Lucan’s relationship was developing. The problem with this book is I feel like it’s honestly a little boring and depressing. I got about 38% in, and I just felt like nothing really had happened. Things just kept getting worse and worse for Mackenzie, and all of a sudden there’s this time jump and it’s like 2 months later? Like were none of you looking for her?
And the whole time Lucan has the same thought loop about how he misses Mackenzie but also thinks she’s terrible and can’t trust her and blah blah blah. While he’s also ingratiating himself with her family and best friend and working at her old job. But still - won’t admit he cares about her to himself .
I was feeling bored so I came to see what others were thinking…and that’s when I saw the rape TW. It was all just too much. At the point I’m at, so much shit has happened to Mackenzie, it seems like all the people “looking” for her are doing a terrible job, and now this? Is that really necessary?
I’m so disappointed. I won’t be continuing the series.
And the whole time Lucan has the same thought loop about how he misses Mackenzie but also thinks she’s terrible and can’t trust her and blah blah blah. While he’s also ingratiating himself with her family and best friend and working at her old job. But still - won’t admit he cares about her to himself .
I was feeling bored so I came to see what others were thinking…and that’s when I saw the rape TW. It was all just too much. At the point I’m at, so much shit has happened to Mackenzie, it seems like all the people “looking” for her are doing a terrible job, and now this? Is that really necessary?
I’m so disappointed. I won’t be continuing the series.
October 30, 2023
Unfortunately, this one was terrible.
- As many people said, no plot. A bunch of convoluted, uninteresting and irrelevant distractions, but mostly a lot of boredom and no action
- The good guys wait around for 7 MONTHS , and THEN devise a plan that could have happened on month 2?
- Rape - do we talk about it?
- The whole book seems to be 'training for Lucan', where he can finally (?) 'deserve' Mackenzie by getting reeducated by literally everyone, because he was obviously stupid, weak and powerless before. Oh wait - he was stupid, weak and powerless in THIS book. What the hell does he have to atone for anyway?
- the most boring, ineffectual plan in the history of plans
- other stupidities coming to light; why on earth did the humans torture and kill so many human kids to get them to have powers?? Why not capture or adopt gifted kids and brainwash them? Why were the powers the humans created exactly similar to the ones in the magical population? How exactly did they think that protected them? A 20 year old was a boogieman for a whole unconnected nation, really? Why wait to free MC once they knew where she was (ie, next to the arena). Also, I just can't with 'Brooke was sheltered by us, so she gets to act like a spoiled brat and roll her eyes at every adult'. What is it with American teenagers and eye rolling?? And let's not forget the simplistic Kumbaya 'let's all love each other, it's so brave to fight against discrimination' spiel.
Argh. Very very disappointing.
- As many people said, no plot. A bunch of convoluted, uninteresting and irrelevant distractions, but mostly a lot of boredom and no action
- The good guys wait around for 7 MONTHS , and THEN devise a plan that could have happened on month 2?
- Rape - do we talk about it?
- The whole book seems to be 'training for Lucan', where he can finally (?) 'deserve' Mackenzie by getting reeducated by literally everyone, because he was obviously stupid, weak and powerless before. Oh wait - he was stupid, weak and powerless in THIS book. What the hell does he have to atone for anyway?
- the most boring, ineffectual plan in the history of plans
- other stupidities coming to light; why on earth did the humans torture and kill so many human kids to get them to have powers?? Why not capture or adopt gifted kids and brainwash them? Why were the powers the humans created exactly similar to the ones in the magical population? How exactly did they think that protected them? A 20 year old was a boogieman for a whole unconnected nation, really? Why wait to free MC once they knew where she was (ie, next to the arena). Also, I just can't with 'Brooke was sheltered by us, so she gets to act like a spoiled brat and roll her eyes at every adult'. What is it with American teenagers and eye rolling?? And let's not forget the simplistic Kumbaya 'let's all love each other, it's so brave to fight against discrimination' spiel.
Argh. Very very disappointing.
July 8, 2025
Christi's review summed up my feelings about the book pretty accurately. While I did still greatly enjoy the world and the characters, I felt like a lot of relationships, new characters, and plots were very underdeveloped, and the timeline spanning the book was a little too casual and hand-wavy. I didn't feel the emotional impacts that I did in the first two books with any twists and revelations.
I'd still be willing to re-read this book as part of an ongoing series, which is the reason for 4-stars from me rather than 3 at this time. I hope there are still future books (maybe from other characters) cleaning up the Purity movement and reveal whatever the human government was up to - the epilogue was extremely unsatisfying for all the open plot threads in the world. If this is the last book in a trilogy instead, I'd rate this book lower...
I'd still be willing to re-read this book as part of an ongoing series, which is the reason for 4-stars from me rather than 3 at this time. I hope there are still future books (maybe from other characters) cleaning up the Purity movement and reveal whatever the human government was up to - the epilogue was extremely unsatisfying for all the open plot threads in the world. If this is the last book in a trilogy instead, I'd rate this book lower...
November 4, 2023
Green Shadow is book three in the Mackenzie Green by JS Kennedy.
This novel starts right after book 2. I want to say this one is sad, darker, and emotional. We finally get Mack’s past and those she was hiding from have found her and now she’s a prisoner again. They want more than just her magic.
What i loved about this one is that we get Lucan the dragons POV. It also has some of Mack’s POV, but it focuses on Lucan and him finding Mack and redeeming himself.
The characters are enjoyable and we get a few new characters. Lucan is forced to make choices that will either help or hinder him. I like the over all plot on the purest movement which is not wrapped up in this one. The story is dark, but also focuses on family bonds and false accusations proving you shouldn’t believe all that you hear.
Green Shadow was an intense read. I liked it, but also felt for Mack and what the bad people were doing. Some plots are wrapped up and others are still open. I hope we get more in this world and we get a complete ARC wrap up.
Rated: 4 Stars
This novel starts right after book 2. I want to say this one is sad, darker, and emotional. We finally get Mack’s past and those she was hiding from have found her and now she’s a prisoner again. They want more than just her magic.
What i loved about this one is that we get Lucan the dragons POV. It also has some of Mack’s POV, but it focuses on Lucan and him finding Mack and redeeming himself.
The characters are enjoyable and we get a few new characters. Lucan is forced to make choices that will either help or hinder him. I like the over all plot on the purest movement which is not wrapped up in this one. The story is dark, but also focuses on family bonds and false accusations proving you shouldn’t believe all that you hear.
Green Shadow was an intense read. I liked it, but also felt for Mack and what the bad people were doing. Some plots are wrapped up and others are still open. I hope we get more in this world and we get a complete ARC wrap up.
Rated: 4 Stars
February 3, 2023
3 ⭐️
Disappointed in this instalment. We spend 90% of the book with a forced separation and a redemption arc that frankly gets tedious early on.
I also thought this would be the conclusion to the series?! I can’t fathom what more there is to explore …. Sad 😔
Disappointed in this instalment. We spend 90% of the book with a forced separation and a redemption arc that frankly gets tedious early on.
I also thought this would be the conclusion to the series?! I can’t fathom what more there is to explore …. Sad 😔
August 10, 2023
i didn't like this book, some of the plot things make no sense to me and it seems like they could have done things way sooner to get her out and it seems to me the more these books go on the more convoluted things become.
it introduced loads of new rules and terms out of no where like Mackenzie is apparently a earth and sprit mage and her siblings have 2 different ones 2 but it said like thats always been the case. and there was too many storylines going on at once and they bassiculy forgot about the master vampire one thats been a the forefront of the last to books.
it just seemed the the author might have had to many ideas and instead of sticking to what was periously established over the past 2 book they decided to just change things and add a bunch of nonsense that they then act like it was the case all along. :(
it introduced loads of new rules and terms out of no where like Mackenzie is apparently a earth and sprit mage and her siblings have 2 different ones 2 but it said like thats always been the case. and there was too many storylines going on at once and they bassiculy forgot about the master vampire one thats been a the forefront of the last to books.
it just seemed the the author might have had to many ideas and instead of sticking to what was periously established over the past 2 book they decided to just change things and add a bunch of nonsense that they then act like it was the case all along. :(
November 20, 2023
This series just went downhill so quickly. Also if you assumed this was a trilogy like me, you’re wrong. It’s been almost a year since this came out and the fourth book still says TBD on the authors website. I had no idea there was another till I finished this one but that isn’t my biggest complaint with this book.
- I don’t like books where the 2 love interests or main characters are separated and have to make it back to each other. That’s just my personal preference. If you like that kind of plot line then this book is for you. If you don’t you might want to pass on this series because for 90% of this book Makenzie and Lucan are not together. 90%. I kept wondering how on earth the author was going to tie up all the loose ends the closer I got to the end and the answer is she doesn’t. Because there’s supposed to be another book.
- Lucan has the redemption type Arc going on in this book and it’s so internalized and like “looking deep in myself” type of thing that it got boring. I got bored. He was never a horrible person and yet that’s what it’s made out to be throughout this whole book. How he has to become a better person in order to be worthy of her. He even has to pass all these test the universe hands him to prove himself. If he fails he would loose her. It really rubbed me wrong how he had to redeem himself.
Honestly this book just dragged. It was boring I skipped so much just wanting to be done with it.
- I don’t like books where the 2 love interests or main characters are separated and have to make it back to each other. That’s just my personal preference. If you like that kind of plot line then this book is for you. If you don’t you might want to pass on this series because for 90% of this book Makenzie and Lucan are not together. 90%. I kept wondering how on earth the author was going to tie up all the loose ends the closer I got to the end and the answer is she doesn’t. Because there’s supposed to be another book.
- Lucan has the redemption type Arc going on in this book and it’s so internalized and like “looking deep in myself” type of thing that it got boring. I got bored. He was never a horrible person and yet that’s what it’s made out to be throughout this whole book. How he has to become a better person in order to be worthy of her. He even has to pass all these test the universe hands him to prove himself. If he fails he would loose her. It really rubbed me wrong how he had to redeem himself.
Honestly this book just dragged. It was boring I skipped so much just wanting to be done with it.
May 5, 2024
This seemed like the end was rushed there really wasn't a family scene and that needed to happen ..the reunion with Brooke didn't happen .. and we don't get the scene of Kenzie finding out about him being outed from his tribe and taking her name? and what about the dragons and the purity movement? Wth
February 11, 2023
I am a 72-year-old CIS male. I have been reading Science Fiction since I was 9 when my father gave me a copy of iRobot.
I was tired of seeing the same plots and story arcs over and over from predominately male authors. So three years ago I decided to read as many female SciFi authors as possible.
The difference is amazing—books populated by real people, with real emotions, humor, and character interactions. No emotionless spaceship captains voyaging off to fight alien bugs and black holes. J. S. Kennedy along with other women writers successfully humanized a trite Buck Rogers genre and for that, I am forever grateful.
Thank you, Ms. Kennedy. If you keep writing 'em, I'll keep reading 'em.
I was tired of seeing the same plots and story arcs over and over from predominately male authors. So three years ago I decided to read as many female SciFi authors as possible.
The difference is amazing—books populated by real people, with real emotions, humor, and character interactions. No emotionless spaceship captains voyaging off to fight alien bugs and black holes. J. S. Kennedy along with other women writers successfully humanized a trite Buck Rogers genre and for that, I am forever grateful.
Thank you, Ms. Kennedy. If you keep writing 'em, I'll keep reading 'em.
April 1, 2024
I don't have it in me to rate this higher than the other books in the series, but it was better in so many ways. It just wasn't 4 stars. We got alternating POVs from Lucan and MacKenzie this time (thankfully marked by the chapters) and the two spent 90% of the book away from each other, while Lucan and the Green family worked out how to rescue MacKenzie. And honestly, this was so much harder to put down than the previous books because the stakes were so much higher, but at the same time, the plot holes just got bigger.
I also didn't like how Lucan's decision to keep the mate bond with MacKenzie happened after only a handful of meetings with her, and a few months of living with her family, who loved her. Yes, MacKenzie had sowed the seeds of trust there when they were on-page together, but it just had all the markings of, "Hey, my sister is just too cool, you'd totally be great together" and him just going along with it.
TW:
On the plus side, we got some decent character development with Lucan, which was a bit too long in coming after some shitty behavior he exhibited in the first book, and to a lesser extent, in book 2. MacKenzie remained somewhat of a Mary Sue and her biggest character threat (besides the above discussed plot point) was that she was starting to enjoy killing as Terra again. Only you never really felt that from her, so it was still pretty Mary Sue-like.
Unfortunately, I started this series believing it was finished and there are some major plot threads left hanging, and clearly a fourth book was planned. Since this was published in 2022, and the 4th book isn't even on Amazon, I doubt the author will ever come back to it at this point. By the time they do, I'll have forgotten this series, which is a major bummer because, for all of its faults, it was fun to read. So unfortunately, even though I otherwise might have tentatively recommended it, flaws and all, as something to pick up that is overall an interesting read when you're in the mood for something that you don't need to (and definitely shouldn't) think too hard about, I can't do that, since it doesn't seem like it will ever be finished.
I also didn't like how Lucan's decision to keep the mate bond with MacKenzie happened after only a handful of meetings with her, and a few months of living with her family, who loved her. Yes, MacKenzie had sowed the seeds of trust there when they were on-page together, but it just had all the markings of, "Hey, my sister is just too cool, you'd totally be great together" and him just going along with it.
TW:
On the plus side, we got some decent character development with Lucan, which was a bit too long in coming after some shitty behavior he exhibited in the first book, and to a lesser extent, in book 2. MacKenzie remained somewhat of a Mary Sue and her biggest character threat (besides the above discussed plot point) was that she was starting to enjoy killing as Terra again. Only you never really felt that from her, so it was still pretty Mary Sue-like.
Unfortunately, I started this series believing it was finished and there are some major plot threads left hanging, and clearly a fourth book was planned. Since this was published in 2022, and the 4th book isn't even on Amazon, I doubt the author will ever come back to it at this point. By the time they do, I'll have forgotten this series, which is a major bummer because, for all of its faults, it was fun to read. So unfortunately, even though I otherwise might have tentatively recommended it, flaws and all, as something to pick up that is overall an interesting read when you're in the mood for something that you don't need to (and definitely shouldn't) think too hard about, I can't do that, since it doesn't seem like it will ever be finished.
January 29, 2023
I’m just going to go ahead and lead with this: our heroine and narrator, Mackenzie, is repeatedly raped in this one. It’s referenced pretty elliptically - we are introduced to it as Mackenzie is basically hanging out in a dream world waiting for the latest assault to be over - but it was still pretty discomfiting for me as a reader. The previous two books had sexual harassment in them, but every instance was pretty quickly resolved and/or avenged - by women - so the sudden introduction of “oh hey our protagonist is getting raped, including by the creepy teenage mind-control mage we’ve been loathing since the last book” is distinctly unpleasant. Mackenzie also pretty quickly befriends her latest rapist which, again, is discomfiting. From a storyline perspective it’s entirely unnecessary (and doesn’t actually make a lot of sense given that they’re trying to reactivate and use her as a powerful assassin at the same time as they’re trying to get her pregnant; surely if she’s their only chance at breeding more magical assassins, and that’s their priority, they wouldn’t be risking her on the penny-ante assignments we see them sending her on).
Otherwise, the timeline - as other reviewers have mentioned - seems super muddy, and while we spend a lot of the book in Lucan's head, he still doesn't feel particularly three-dimensional. There's an overarching plot which is more or less resolved, but nothing about this book stood out - the only stuff I'm going to remember in a few weeks are the parts I disliked.
World-building-wise, we’re told in this one that when magic showed up it destroyed all synthetic material in the world… and yet people have (magical) cell phones, ride bicycles, wear form-fitting clothing that must have elastic in it, spike their hair with gel, and reference sunblock. So that's a thing.
Otherwise, the timeline - as other reviewers have mentioned - seems super muddy, and while we spend a lot of the book in Lucan's head, he still doesn't feel particularly three-dimensional. There's an overarching plot which is more or less resolved, but nothing about this book stood out - the only stuff I'm going to remember in a few weeks are the parts I disliked.
World-building-wise, we’re told in this one that when magic showed up it destroyed all synthetic material in the world… and yet people have (magical) cell phones, ride bicycles, wear form-fitting clothing that must have elastic in it, spike their hair with gel, and reference sunblock. So that's a thing.
December 27, 2022
This honestly turned into a hate read for me.
Everyone was so busy having an internal monologue that I never got to experience anything it was just told to me and then shoved in my face and I think Mackenzie going through trauma after trauma was a little unnecessary and too much
Everyone was so busy having an internal monologue that I never got to experience anything it was just told to me and then shoved in my face and I think Mackenzie going through trauma after trauma was a little unnecessary and too much
January 5, 2023
Masterpiece!
Lucan, the Dragon Protector, still defiant against the Triad, his mate bond about to be discovered by the leader of the Dracos tribe and given an ultimatum. Lucas couldn't sever the bond, so he would now walk alone. Homeless, jobless and penniless Lucan was about to take up an offer that would change everything.
This is the 3rd book in the Mackenzie Green Series and it didn't disappoint at all. This talented author has continued to pen a continuation that screams intrigue and suspense with plenty of suprises along the way. The graphic descriptions, especially of Lucas' dragon transformation, are filled with detail that easily leads you minds eye down a path where your imagination goes into overdrive. This is a story in a dark world of fantasy, greed, family bonds and false accusations but not all is as it seems, proving you should never beleive all you hear. This book could easily have a follow on and Im sure we won't be kept waiting long.... PLEASE!!!
Lucan, the Dragon Protector, still defiant against the Triad, his mate bond about to be discovered by the leader of the Dracos tribe and given an ultimatum. Lucas couldn't sever the bond, so he would now walk alone. Homeless, jobless and penniless Lucan was about to take up an offer that would change everything.
This is the 3rd book in the Mackenzie Green Series and it didn't disappoint at all. This talented author has continued to pen a continuation that screams intrigue and suspense with plenty of suprises along the way. The graphic descriptions, especially of Lucas' dragon transformation, are filled with detail that easily leads you minds eye down a path where your imagination goes into overdrive. This is a story in a dark world of fantasy, greed, family bonds and false accusations but not all is as it seems, proving you should never beleive all you hear. This book could easily have a follow on and Im sure we won't be kept waiting long.... PLEASE!!!
January 23, 2023
A fitting end to a great series.
Captivated by the cover, I was pleasantly surprised how engaging this series would be. The intricate relationships between Mackenzie and her siblings, members of the guild and strangers who drifted into her path seemed real and the connections felt genuine. I am glad Mackenzie got the ending she deserved and I wish the series were longer as it feels like saying goodbye to old friends. Well worth reading and I would like to read more by this author.
Captivated by the cover, I was pleasantly surprised how engaging this series would be. The intricate relationships between Mackenzie and her siblings, members of the guild and strangers who drifted into her path seemed real and the connections felt genuine. I am glad Mackenzie got the ending she deserved and I wish the series were longer as it feels like saying goodbye to old friends. Well worth reading and I would like to read more by this author.
April 19, 2025
4 stars I think.
I dunno! It’s so hard to rate something objectively when feelings are so front and center! The tears came back frequently along with the smiles and heart poundings. This one brought me right back around to the first book and I enjoyed having Lucan’s perspective. I’m not certain there were many distinct voices in this. Regardless I was all in.
Oh and TW! Recounting of rape that happens during the course of the book, abduction, coercion etc. I think it’s handled with a great deal of care.
I dunno! It’s so hard to rate something objectively when feelings are so front and center! The tears came back frequently along with the smiles and heart poundings. This one brought me right back around to the first book and I enjoyed having Lucan’s perspective. I’m not certain there were many distinct voices in this. Regardless I was all in.
Oh and TW! Recounting of rape that happens during the course of the book, abduction, coercion etc. I think it’s handled with a great deal of care.
January 7, 2023
So, this was pretty good. But for as many pages as it was it felt rushed and left me wishing a lot more had been detailed/shown. The FMC/MMC barely get any scenes together and the reunion with the family/friends didn’t bring any feels like I anticipated it would. Hopefully this isn’t the last book and more gets fleshed out as the series goes on.
June 19, 2023
Awesome
After receiving bad news, your books were just what I needed to get me through this troubling time.
This book and the 2 preceding books had me captivated by the end of the first page. Couldn't wait to read all 3. Can't wait for the next adventure. Love, loved all 3.
After receiving bad news, your books were just what I needed to get me through this troubling time.
This book and the 2 preceding books had me captivated by the end of the first page. Couldn't wait to read all 3. Can't wait for the next adventure. Love, loved all 3.
October 1, 2024
Loving this series and the writing is excellent. I love when an author doesn’t mind corresponding with her readers.
February 10, 2025
I really liked this series until this one, I’m not sure if I’ll continue on. I feel like it was little let down idk
June 12, 2025
hmm idk how i felt about this one lots of guy pov
August 7, 2024
I honestly want to give this 2 stars.
So .... You have two characters that have very little romantic chemistry and so you decide to then separate them for an entire book only to have them fall into each other's arms and make an eternal commitment in the last couple chapters? Makes sense, um ... Maybe next time, ya know, let's go with option #2.
Also, sigh, give me a morally gray character any day over a character so caught up in their principles they let the bad guys go creating an even bigger mess for themselves later. Lazy writing?
Alright, good talk.
So .... You have two characters that have very little romantic chemistry and so you decide to then separate them for an entire book only to have them fall into each other's arms and make an eternal commitment in the last couple chapters? Makes sense, um ... Maybe next time, ya know, let's go with option #2.
Also, sigh, give me a morally gray character any day over a character so caught up in their principles they let the bad guys go creating an even bigger mess for themselves later. Lazy writing?
Alright, good talk.
March 29, 2023
3.5
This one was a bit chaotic with multiple POV's and storylines going on, but I still had fun overall.
Also am I satisfied
Maybe both? However, I think I'm going to consider this series completed at this point personally-because I don't really see myself picking up more books with this couple.
This one was a bit chaotic with multiple POV's and storylines going on, but I still had fun overall.
Also am I satisfied
Maybe both? However, I think I'm going to consider this series completed at this point personally-because I don't really see myself picking up more books with this couple.
October 12, 2023
Saber: "You are very hung up on what has occurred in the past."
Makenzie: “Our past shapes us.”
Saber: "Only if you let it. Should I let my time in a cage define who I am? What I am capable of being in the future? Or should I take those lessons, apply them, and work to rise above?"
Characters 9
Writing 8
Plot 8
Entertainment 7
8★
Makenzie: “Our past shapes us.”
Saber: "Only if you let it. Should I let my time in a cage define who I am? What I am capable of being in the future? Or should I take those lessons, apply them, and work to rise above?"
Characters 9
Writing 8
Plot 8
Entertainment 7
8★
May 1, 2023
Book three is the greatest hits version with a rehashing of fond characters from, mainly, book one, and a few from book two. And then it turned into some weird game show morality-tale where we follow Lucan as he becomes a better person. The writing seemed rushed and forced, like the author didn’t enjoy writing it.
There’s a lot of inconsistencies, too, that really annoyed me, the most being how there’s 6 months for Lucan to find Mackenzie but the author keeps writing that months pass and then more months pass and more months and I have to say, only so many months can pass before Lucan loses his weird game-show odyssey.
This book drolled on and on. I got really bored of reading it.
Part of the inanity came from the fact that the author re-introduced things every time the reader came upon them. I can only read about the Wwarren being underground for vampires so many times before I lose it. Or the secret door that Dagmar came out of being a part of the Warren— which did you know thats where the vampires lived on account of their not being able to be under the sun? Often, world building details were repeated because either the author didn’t think their reader could remember simple details from pages before, or the author was trying to fulfill word count (or forgot what they wrote, or had a bad editor, or, or, or…)
This whole book was like one big coincidence dues ex machina. Everything is for a reason bullshit and everything was too neat.
The worst part of book three?
There’s more of it. This story agonizingly continues to book 4.
No thanks.
I was really excited for this series but it quickly devolved into tropes, cliches and tired writing. If it’s obvious to me that the author didn’t enjoy writing the story, then it’s going to not be enjoyable to read. Reading it will be the same chore as writing it.
There’s a lot of inconsistencies, too, that really annoyed me, the most being how there’s 6 months for Lucan to find Mackenzie but the author keeps writing that months pass and then more months pass and more months and I have to say, only so many months can pass before Lucan loses his weird game-show odyssey.
This book drolled on and on. I got really bored of reading it.
Part of the inanity came from the fact that the author re-introduced things every time the reader came upon them. I can only read about the Wwarren being underground for vampires so many times before I lose it. Or the secret door that Dagmar came out of being a part of the Warren— which did you know thats where the vampires lived on account of their not being able to be under the sun? Often, world building details were repeated because either the author didn’t think their reader could remember simple details from pages before, or the author was trying to fulfill word count (or forgot what they wrote, or had a bad editor, or, or, or…)
This whole book was like one big coincidence dues ex machina. Everything is for a reason bullshit and everything was too neat.
The worst part of book three?
There’s more of it. This story agonizingly continues to book 4.
No thanks.
I was really excited for this series but it quickly devolved into tropes, cliches and tired writing. If it’s obvious to me that the author didn’t enjoy writing the story, then it’s going to not be enjoyable to read. Reading it will be the same chore as writing it.
December 13, 2023
I love that the book has a slow developing romance, and not in the first chapter love and kids and marriage.
I love the way the plot is put, the descriptions of the places, characters and so on.
Congrats Miss Kennedy, you are amazing and I hope that you start writing more and more as I would love to read more of your stories
I love the way the plot is put, the descriptions of the places, characters and so on.
Congrats Miss Kennedy, you are amazing and I hope that you start writing more and more as I would love to read more of your stories
January 8, 2023
3.5 stars
January 19, 2025
I've never really liked books where the MC is captured by sadistic jailers. When it is only a small part, it annoys, when it is 1/2 of the book, it just makes me want to skip it all. I'm over halfway through and it is very very annoying rather than a good read. We have Mackenzie captured and being tortured and being manipulated with a young girl and becoming friends with another captive. They continue to try to control her and her magic and Ben continues to go too far even for the evil boss woman. So of course this would be a horrid read with just maybe a comeuppance a somewhere way past the 62% but I don't see it being totally resolved. Depending on how this ends will be whether I continue because as much as I loved the first and liked 2 but it was incomplete and this is supposed to be the completion, I guess.
At least we get Lucan and what he is going through by not fighting for Mackenzie, right?. But no, all the self blame and blame and blame, argh. It is one of the other things I really dislike in books. Self blame beyond the pale, and with this he is also "growing" by learning to ? what ? live under Mackenzie's morals. I can understand small change but he is who he is and by changing, isn't the person that he was. And all this while his mate bond, that only some know about, is deteriorating. He either rejects it or dies, we get hit over the head with this.
Well this could have been told in 2 chapters so far. Nothing. This is why I stop reading Yellowrock for years at a time and have never got through it, the blame game, and I see it in so many of these UF books. I'm really not enjoying this book at all at 62%, just frustration. And after the very bad ending of the sister and not getting that under control, and then figuring out what Ben was up to and working for? I just thought that was a stupid ass turn that put her in this book that I'm so so upset because I thought I found a great series. These two plots that both annoy.
Argh, finished and not better.
So here are all the need spoilers to skip this book. Never reread this and I will go on to the next and pretend I never read this but for these plot points.
I really hoped that the ending would have been smarter, more thoughtout and that they would've killed them all after interrogation as there is someone futher up the chain of command and has Mac and the others records. They now obviously have
So...
I like the characters and there was a little growth of the sister and the dragon Lucas and there are some new interesting characters introduce for the coming war of purity vs mixed. But really this could have been so much quicker to get the main points across and with a lot less irritation. Over 6 months of this torture was too much that the Dragon's story wasn't enough, especially since that also had issues.
1 1/2 stars and really I think this is my first 1 star of the year. I'll have to think about it. For now it will go up and get the benefit of the doubt. I'm going to the next but I'm not holding my breath.
At least we get Lucan and what he is going through by not fighting for Mackenzie, right?. But no, all the self blame and blame and blame, argh. It is one of the other things I really dislike in books. Self blame beyond the pale, and with this he is also "growing" by learning to ? what ? live under Mackenzie's morals. I can understand small change but he is who he is and by changing, isn't the person that he was. And all this while his mate bond, that only some know about, is deteriorating. He either rejects it or dies, we get hit over the head with this.
Well this could have been told in 2 chapters so far. Nothing. This is why I stop reading Yellowrock for years at a time and have never got through it, the blame game, and I see it in so many of these UF books. I'm really not enjoying this book at all at 62%, just frustration. And after the very bad ending of the sister and not getting that under control, and then figuring out what Ben was up to and working for? I just thought that was a stupid ass turn that put her in this book that I'm so so upset because I thought I found a great series. These two plots that both annoy.
Argh, finished and not better.
So here are all the need spoilers to skip this book. Never reread this and I will go on to the next and pretend I never read this but for these plot points.
I really hoped that the ending would have been smarter, more thoughtout and that they would've killed them all after interrogation as there is someone futher up the chain of command and has Mac and the others records. They now obviously have
So...
I like the characters and there was a little growth of the sister and the dragon Lucas and there are some new interesting characters introduce for the coming war of purity vs mixed. But really this could have been so much quicker to get the main points across and with a lot less irritation. Over 6 months of this torture was too much that the Dragon's story wasn't enough, especially since that also had issues.
1 1/2 stars and really I think this is my first 1 star of the year. I'll have to think about it. For now it will go up and get the benefit of the doubt. I'm going to the next but I'm not holding my breath.
January 2, 2023
Plots unfinished
If this is the final installment then just left several unfinished plots and rushed ending.Lucan with the rebellion left unfinished. The whole point of Mackenzie learning to use her powers served no purpose. For the length of the book - the ending was rushed.
If this is the final installment then just left several unfinished plots and rushed ending.Lucan with the rebellion left unfinished. The whole point of Mackenzie learning to use her powers served no purpose. For the length of the book - the ending was rushed.
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