What do you think?
Rate this book
The Black Witch Chronicles #3
The Shadow Wand
HER WORLD-ALTERING SECRET CAN’T BE HIDDEN MUCH LONGER
Elloren Gardner hides the most powerful secret in all Erthia—she is the Black Witch of Prophecy, and destined to triumph…or be used as the ultimate weapon of destruction.
Separated from everyone she loves, isolated and hunted, Elloren must turn to the last person she can trust—her fastmate, Commander Lukas Grey. With the Mage forces of Gardneria poised to conquer all of Erthia, Elloren has no choice but to ally with Lukas and combine their power to keep herself out of the hands of Gardnerian leader Marcus Vogel…the holder of the all-consuming Shadow Wand.
With just weeks to train to become a warrior, and no control over her magic, Elloren finds unexpected allies among those under orders to kill her. It’s time to step up. To fight back. And to forge onward through the most devastating loss yet.
Elloren Gardner hides the most powerful secret in all Erthia—she is the Black Witch of Prophecy, and destined to triumph…or be used as the ultimate weapon of destruction.
Separated from everyone she loves, isolated and hunted, Elloren must turn to the last person she can trust—her fastmate, Commander Lukas Grey. With the Mage forces of Gardneria poised to conquer all of Erthia, Elloren has no choice but to ally with Lukas and combine their power to keep herself out of the hands of Gardnerian leader Marcus Vogel…the holder of the all-consuming Shadow Wand.
With just weeks to train to become a warrior, and no control over her magic, Elloren finds unexpected allies among those under orders to kill her. It’s time to step up. To fight back. And to forge onward through the most devastating loss yet.
554 pages, Unknown Binding
First published June 9, 2020
About the author
Laurie Forest
23 books3,960 followersLaurie Forest is a New York Times, USA Today & Internationally Bestselling Author who lives deep in the backwoods of Vermont where she sits in front of a wood stove drinking strong tea and dreaming up tales full of dryads, dragons and wands. She has penned THE BLACK WITCH, THE REBEL MAGES (a compilation of the prequel novels WANDFASTED & LIGHT MAGE), THE SHADOW WAND, THE DEMON TIDE & is currently writing THE DRYAD STORM (Book 5.0 of The Black Witch Chronicles).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,673 reviews
September 15, 2018
I hear there's a lot of kissing in this book. And Realm War. And dragon armies. And did I mention the kissing? ;) Fasten your seatbelts, everyone...
June 11, 2020
Wow. Just wow. I loved this series so much, and she ruined it with this book. Completely and utterly ruined it.
Elloren: Elloren went from being an interesting heroine with complex development to so uninteresting I could barely read. Her plotline turned from gathering a group of friends she could trust to what? Battling feelings over a boy after Yvan died? Or rather "died." And also, she only mourned his death for a page or two before moving on. Sure, her grief came up but she kept on shoving it down for the sake of survival, and yet in less than a chapter she's already talking about how she could have feelings for another character. I somehow found her more weak in this book, despite the fact that she has access to her power now. There was nothing compelling or interesting, and I am completely done with this book series now.
Also, what's the point of her unlocking this magic if she can't use it for SO LONG! It was so boring watching her struggle over how she just wants to touch wood or how Lukas makes her feel soo powerful, but she never did anything with it for so long.
Side Characters: I honestly grew attached to the new side characters (Sparrow, Thierren, etc...) but I felt like this was extremely pointless. Why do we need more characters? The first two books had already built up a group that were compelling and interesting, their relationships complex. Yet we hardly see any of them to further develop the relationship between Lukas and Elloren. She was isolated from everyone she loved JUST SO THE PLOTLINE WITH LUKAS COULD GO FORWARD! It's so frustrating. You don't see Elloren interact with any of the previous characters until well over halfway through the book.
The Love Triangle: I hate love triangles on principle, but this is by far one of the worst ones I've encountered in YA. Death is used so conveniently. I love Yvan as a character, and I don't mind Lukas, but it was so frustrating that Forest felt the need to turn this book into nothing but a will they/won't they after the "death" of Yvan. Imagine how compelling it would've been if Elloren and Lukas had just decided to remain powerful allies, and nothing more. I would've honestly respected Elloren so much more for it, rather than her sleeping with Lukas almost immediately after finding out about Yvan, even if it was for their "escape." It would've been so interesting if this was taken as an opportunity to explore male/female relationship dynamics beyond simply being lovers.
Also, as I'm sure you may have guessed, I did love Yvan and Elloren's relationship. While I like Lukas and find him complex/interesting, I felt so betrayed when Elloren just let him go so quickly. I know the author tried to insert sentences of "oh no gotta push down how sad I am for Yvan" here and there, but it felt so cheap. She was so clearly aiming for a love triangle, both of the relationships felt incredibly weakened. Whether your a Lukas/Elloren or Yvan/Elloren fan, you should be disappointed with a heroine who can jump boats so quickly.
Finally, now that Yvan's alive and Lukas is dead, what's going to happen? Is the next book just going to be the reverse of this one, where she cries while banging Yvan instead of Lukas? In the next book, assuming they're both alive (because of course they will be) they're both probably going to be "so in love with Elloren" that they don't care that she has feelings for both of them, but rather will just argue with each other in a show of "I'm the alpha and Elloren will pick me" type display.
The Pacing: The only emotion this book made me feel besides frustration, was boredom. 600+ pages of nothing. It took FOREVER for the plot to pick up, but when it finally did I didn't care about Elloren at all. The only reason I wanted her to succeed was because I liked the side characters and knew their survival rested on hers. Oof.
Smaller Complaints:
The "Attractiveness" of Each Character: WHY IS EVERYONE SO ATTRACTIVE IN THIS BOOK! Elloren, Lukas, Yvan, Tierney, EVERYONE. I know this is common in YA, but it's so frustrating that everyone is just so beautiful in this book series. Ugly people exist! I'm one of them!
Vu Trin Motivations: Was anyone else confused as to why the Vu Trin would send Elloren back to Lukas? I know it was so they could bang, but their motivations made no sense. Why not send her to the Amaz? They could have protected her (with their insane warriors and rune covered city) while also training her. Or why not just keep her nearby? The assassins seemed like such a small threat to send Elloren right back to the hands of the Vu Trin's enemy, who could yield her power the second they found out about it. And they did pretty quickly!
Overall: I feel like I need to stop writing this because it's just fueling my anger but. Wow. Everything I loved about the first two books was completely destroyed and I'm so angry I actually spent money on this piece of hot garbage. All the characters I loved and their relationships was completely gone from this book, and I'm so uninterested in finishing this series. Yvan was my favorite character, and I hardly care that he's alive because I know this will turn into stupid YA love triangle madness. This book had so much potential. I haven't been this disappointed by a book in years.
Elloren: Elloren went from being an interesting heroine with complex development to so uninteresting I could barely read. Her plotline turned from gathering a group of friends she could trust to what? Battling feelings over a boy after Yvan died? Or rather "died." And also, she only mourned his death for a page or two before moving on. Sure, her grief came up but she kept on shoving it down for the sake of survival, and yet in less than a chapter she's already talking about how she could have feelings for another character. I somehow found her more weak in this book, despite the fact that she has access to her power now. There was nothing compelling or interesting, and I am completely done with this book series now.
Also, what's the point of her unlocking this magic if she can't use it for SO LONG! It was so boring watching her struggle over how she just wants to touch wood or how Lukas makes her feel soo powerful, but she never did anything with it for so long.
Side Characters: I honestly grew attached to the new side characters (Sparrow, Thierren, etc...) but I felt like this was extremely pointless. Why do we need more characters? The first two books had already built up a group that were compelling and interesting, their relationships complex. Yet we hardly see any of them to further develop the relationship between Lukas and Elloren. She was isolated from everyone she loved JUST SO THE PLOTLINE WITH LUKAS COULD GO FORWARD! It's so frustrating. You don't see Elloren interact with any of the previous characters until well over halfway through the book.
The Love Triangle: I hate love triangles on principle, but this is by far one of the worst ones I've encountered in YA. Death is used so conveniently. I love Yvan as a character, and I don't mind Lukas, but it was so frustrating that Forest felt the need to turn this book into nothing but a will they/won't they after the "death" of Yvan. Imagine how compelling it would've been if Elloren and Lukas had just decided to remain powerful allies, and nothing more. I would've honestly respected Elloren so much more for it, rather than her sleeping with Lukas almost immediately after finding out about Yvan, even if it was for their "escape." It would've been so interesting if this was taken as an opportunity to explore male/female relationship dynamics beyond simply being lovers.
Also, as I'm sure you may have guessed, I did love Yvan and Elloren's relationship. While I like Lukas and find him complex/interesting, I felt so betrayed when Elloren just let him go so quickly. I know the author tried to insert sentences of "oh no gotta push down how sad I am for Yvan" here and there, but it felt so cheap. She was so clearly aiming for a love triangle, both of the relationships felt incredibly weakened. Whether your a Lukas/Elloren or Yvan/Elloren fan, you should be disappointed with a heroine who can jump boats so quickly.
Finally, now that Yvan's alive and Lukas is dead, what's going to happen? Is the next book just going to be the reverse of this one, where she cries while banging Yvan instead of Lukas? In the next book, assuming they're both alive (because of course they will be) they're both probably going to be "so in love with Elloren" that they don't care that she has feelings for both of them, but rather will just argue with each other in a show of "I'm the alpha and Elloren will pick me" type display.
The Pacing: The only emotion this book made me feel besides frustration, was boredom. 600+ pages of nothing. It took FOREVER for the plot to pick up, but when it finally did I didn't care about Elloren at all. The only reason I wanted her to succeed was because I liked the side characters and knew their survival rested on hers. Oof.
Smaller Complaints:
The "Attractiveness" of Each Character: WHY IS EVERYONE SO ATTRACTIVE IN THIS BOOK! Elloren, Lukas, Yvan, Tierney, EVERYONE. I know this is common in YA, but it's so frustrating that everyone is just so beautiful in this book series. Ugly people exist! I'm one of them!
Vu Trin Motivations: Was anyone else confused as to why the Vu Trin would send Elloren back to Lukas? I know it was so they could bang, but their motivations made no sense. Why not send her to the Amaz? They could have protected her (with their insane warriors and rune covered city) while also training her. Or why not just keep her nearby? The assassins seemed like such a small threat to send Elloren right back to the hands of the Vu Trin's enemy, who could yield her power the second they found out about it. And they did pretty quickly!
Overall: I feel like I need to stop writing this because it's just fueling my anger but. Wow. Everything I loved about the first two books was completely destroyed and I'm so angry I actually spent money on this piece of hot garbage. All the characters I loved and their relationships was completely gone from this book, and I'm so uninterested in finishing this series. Yvan was my favorite character, and I hardly care that he's alive because I know this will turn into stupid YA love triangle madness. This book had so much potential. I haven't been this disappointed by a book in years.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2020
I need it! Also, how is everybody rooting for Lukas? He literally went along with forcing her into wandfasting and only wants her to use her power. And he's fine with all the racism and genocide. He's actual garbage.
Edit: Yeah ok *insert Robot Chicken M Night Shyamalan 'what a twist' gif*
Edit now that it's actually come out and I've been reading it and maybe spoiled myself a little:
Holy hell can we talk about how much I hate love triangles?! The most overused bs trope to create drama. Don't get me wrong, I love this series. But Istg the whole "oh no Yvan's dead guess I love Lukas now" is making me gag. (and yes obv I oversimplified it and there's all sorts of justifications that were created) Especially when it's like jk Yvan's alive and now Lukas might be dead but more likely he's captive and probably going to be turned into a monster or something to be used against her. Like... Slamming my head through the wall. Like. Could we not. And istg if this series ends with some kind of polyamory cop out or her with just Lukas I'm going to yeet the last book into the sun. That last statement also applies for an ending where Elloren has to sacrifice herself to win (or Yvan has to himself). Cuz I genuinely despise YA books that try to be all edgy by killing off the main character. No. I read these for escapism that has a happy ending. The real world is awful enough.
Edit: honestly just came back to reiterate after how much I adored everything that came before it, how offended, disgusted, and betrayed I feel about this book.
Edit: Yeah ok *insert Robot Chicken M Night Shyamalan 'what a twist' gif*
Edit now that it's actually come out and I've been reading it and maybe spoiled myself a little:
Holy hell can we talk about how much I hate love triangles?! The most overused bs trope to create drama. Don't get me wrong, I love this series. But Istg the whole "oh no Yvan's dead guess I love Lukas now" is making me gag. (and yes obv I oversimplified it and there's all sorts of justifications that were created) Especially when it's like jk Yvan's alive and now Lukas might be dead but more likely he's captive and probably going to be turned into a monster or something to be used against her. Like... Slamming my head through the wall. Like. Could we not. And istg if this series ends with some kind of polyamory cop out or her with just Lukas I'm going to yeet the last book into the sun. That last statement also applies for an ending where Elloren has to sacrifice herself to win (or Yvan has to himself). Cuz I genuinely despise YA books that try to be all edgy by killing off the main character. No. I read these for escapism that has a happy ending. The real world is awful enough.
Edit: honestly just came back to reiterate after how much I adored everything that came before it, how offended, disgusted, and betrayed I feel about this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2020
Am I still reading The Black Witch Chronicles? Because I could swear this book in no way seems connected to the previous two books and I say this because I really wish it was the case. This series which I have loved with all my heart since the first book has, for the first time, disappointed me tremendously.
Let’s start with Elloren. For the first two books, which are each 600+ reads, I supported Elloren. I was here for her in learning how to have faith in herself, develop a backbone, navigate her way through her feelings regarding romance, racism, so on and so forth. With all the time that has passed, you’d think by the third book we’d see a bit more development in her character. Elloren is just as weak minded as previous reads. She has not grown much if at all. She is always shocked, apologetic, or feeling sorry for herself but can never seem to find a way to better herself or her situation. How do you end the second book with her being stalwart in saving the world but then beginning of third book comes and we're back at square one with her uselessness?
We see the relationship develop between Yvan and Elloren with the first two reads and it was a fantastical journey. Although Lukas is an interesting character, him and Elloren never developed an actual relationship and not one where she’d completely shove off Yvan so she could shag Lukas. Honestly, they both declared their undying love for each other one book, then the next, she takes the word of a messenger sent by Vogel about Yvan’s ‘death’ and wastes no time taking another man to bed. Elloren and Lukas were not authentic. Elloren and Lukas did not have enough time to develop. The feelings they declared they had for each other are laughable at best. Quite honestly, I feel sick for Yvan. Elloren wasn’t angry enough. If she loved him as much as the first two books led me to believe, she would have travelled there herself just to make sure. She would have found a way to verify that information.
I will not be purchasing the next book as soon as it is available. I will make sure to read reviews before I purchase it. I bought this one the same day it came out and finished it the next day, thanks to skimming a better half of the book due to it being way too long with nothing happening. The multiple POVs made the experience worse. If you’re a fan of a good, well written story that is consistent with previous events, whether you like Lukas or Yvan, this is not for you.
Let’s start with Elloren. For the first two books, which are each 600+ reads, I supported Elloren. I was here for her in learning how to have faith in herself, develop a backbone, navigate her way through her feelings regarding romance, racism, so on and so forth. With all the time that has passed, you’d think by the third book we’d see a bit more development in her character. Elloren is just as weak minded as previous reads. She has not grown much if at all. She is always shocked, apologetic, or feeling sorry for herself but can never seem to find a way to better herself or her situation. How do you end the second book with her being stalwart in saving the world but then beginning of third book comes and we're back at square one with her uselessness?
We see the relationship develop between Yvan and Elloren with the first two reads and it was a fantastical journey. Although Lukas is an interesting character, him and Elloren never developed an actual relationship and not one where she’d completely shove off Yvan so she could shag Lukas. Honestly, they both declared their undying love for each other one book, then the next, she takes the word of a messenger sent by Vogel about Yvan’s ‘death’ and wastes no time taking another man to bed. Elloren and Lukas were not authentic. Elloren and Lukas did not have enough time to develop. The feelings they declared they had for each other are laughable at best. Quite honestly, I feel sick for Yvan. Elloren wasn’t angry enough. If she loved him as much as the first two books led me to believe, she would have travelled there herself just to make sure. She would have found a way to verify that information.
I will not be purchasing the next book as soon as it is available. I will make sure to read reviews before I purchase it. I bought this one the same day it came out and finished it the next day, thanks to skimming a better half of the book due to it being way too long with nothing happening. The multiple POVs made the experience worse. If you’re a fan of a good, well written story that is consistent with previous events, whether you like Lukas or Yvan, this is not for you.
December 19, 2022
Well, blah. I had high hopes for this one and they were not met.
The first 200 pages especially were weighed down with a ton of secondary characters that were mostly unimportant and impossible to keep track of. There was also just way too much information without any interesting character interactions. The returning characters were more dynamic in the previous books, but both old and new characters felt flat and bland here. The villains are perfectly horrifying but we got about 5 seconds of each of them (which is also approximately how long it takes Elloren to move on from Yvan). It might help if Elloren wasn’t so indecisive, fearful and boring. Frankly the only compelling character was the dragon. Why couldn’t more POVs be centered around the dragons?
And don’t get me started on the clumsy way the love triangle was handled, which ended up being almost the only plot movement in the story, the rest was just an extremely long set up for the next book, which I assume actually involves war, liberation, reunion of characters, etc.
This one just didn’t hold my interest like the previous two books, and the tone was a lot different. The cliffhanger ending didn’t help, it was unsurprising and eye-roll inducing.
The first 200 pages especially were weighed down with a ton of secondary characters that were mostly unimportant and impossible to keep track of. There was also just way too much information without any interesting character interactions. The returning characters were more dynamic in the previous books, but both old and new characters felt flat and bland here. The villains are perfectly horrifying but we got about 5 seconds of each of them (which is also approximately how long it takes Elloren to move on from Yvan). It might help if Elloren wasn’t so indecisive, fearful and boring. Frankly the only compelling character was the dragon. Why couldn’t more POVs be centered around the dragons?
And don’t get me started on the clumsy way the love triangle was handled, which ended up being almost the only plot movement in the story, the rest was just an extremely long set up for the next book, which I assume actually involves war, liberation, reunion of characters, etc.
This one just didn’t hold my interest like the previous two books, and the tone was a lot different. The cliffhanger ending didn’t help, it was unsurprising and eye-roll inducing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2020
My brain hurts.
That was quite a bit of plot and character introductions for my tiny brain.
The third installment in the Blackwitch Chronicles was a wild ride to say the least. It gave me an entirely different vibe from the last two books.
Spoilers from here on out so GOODBYE.
There are 71 pages of character introductions. 71 PAGES. HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO REMEMBER ALL THESE PEOPLE?!
So essentially in the beginning I was completely overwhelmed. So inarguably overwhelmed because not only did I not comprehend where the story was going, but every chapter was focused on this new character
who I had never met or who I had only seen briefly in other books. It was a lot. I just wanted Elloren to explain it to me 😞. Not these new characters who I was unfamiliar with.
Only a few of the chapters felt essential to the overall plot, otherwise they felt a little unnecessary.
It took 150 pages for me to really grasp what was going on. When Elloren was sent back to Gardeneria and she was to be in the care of Lukas I thought, alright, I get it now. I think.
I had a hard time understanding the decision though. In book 2 Yvan and Elloren we’re separated and AWAY FROM GARDENERIA so she could learn to control her Black Witch powers and Yvan could learn to deal with his end of the prophecy, but why send Elloren back to the ONE person who they needed to keep her away from? Marcus Vogel. She was literally thrust into the hands of the enemy when they could have sent here somewhere else. I mean, from that extensive introduction i’ve gathered that this world is quite vast. And sure, Lukas is Lukas and he possesses all this power and all of these various connections, but I still think it wasn’t a risk worth taking, and surprise surprise, it wasn’t.
Okay I know I’ve been complaining a lot of negative stuff so far, but this is my last issue with the book before I move onto the positives: the romance.
I did not predict the path that the romance took in this book at all. Not even a little bit. Who knew that Elloren and Lukas would be forced into sex because they had no other choice? Not me. I was shocked beyond all belief. I thought Yvan (who had been pronounced dead at this point) would swoop in and save her from having to give herself to Lukas.
My issue was that after Elloren grieved Yvan death for all of one minute and then was forced into sex with Lukas in order to escape, she just started sleeping with him regularly. I was not okay with that and I did not buy her love for Yvan by this point. She moved on entirely too fast. I understand that her and Lukas have this magical bond and she was forced to Wandfast to him, I do, but her and Yvan were literally BOUND and their relationship was solidified in Iron Flower. If that’s the case, how in the hell could she possibly move on that fast? I couldn’t bring myself to accept it.
Onto the positives:
I very much enjoyed Lukas as a character in this book. I always wondered about his intentions, and knowing he too was a rebel in his own way gave me the closure I needed. I appaulded his support of Elloren despite all she had done to him. He trained her, he stayed with her, he gave her protection. He’s not a jerk as I thought he was. I do still suspect him thought. My theory is that he’s trying to use her. I can’t get that thought out of my head. So we will just have to see in the last book.
I enjoyed the very few Trystan chapters because HE GOT A BOYFRIEND (not really but I hope so). I hope he and Vothe get some sexy time in the last book because that would make my soul sing with joy. Trystan deserves happiness.
I enjoyed the entire time Elloren was back in Gardeneria dealing with her old enemies and her old life. Seeing Fallon, Aunt Vyvian, and all of the other idiots was definitely interesting considering how Elloren just took off after being caught in bed with Yvan.
Also she punched Fallon Bane in the face. I am living.
I think this book overall was definitely a bridge into a very chaotic cacophony of war that is about to be unleashed upon Elloren’s world, and I think if anything this book hyped me up for the last book. I hope we get our reunions; Diana, Trystan, Rafe, Tiereny, Wynter, Aislynn, Lukas, and even Fallon and her merry band of assholes. I want to see everyone together again for that epic ending.
Overall despite having my issues with this book, I liked it. I think Iron Flower remains to be my favorite.
That was quite a bit of plot and character introductions for my tiny brain.
The third installment in the Blackwitch Chronicles was a wild ride to say the least. It gave me an entirely different vibe from the last two books.
Spoilers from here on out so GOODBYE.
There are 71 pages of character introductions. 71 PAGES. HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO REMEMBER ALL THESE PEOPLE?!
So essentially in the beginning I was completely overwhelmed. So inarguably overwhelmed because not only did I not comprehend where the story was going, but every chapter was focused on this new character
who I had never met or who I had only seen briefly in other books. It was a lot. I just wanted Elloren to explain it to me 😞. Not these new characters who I was unfamiliar with.
Only a few of the chapters felt essential to the overall plot, otherwise they felt a little unnecessary.
It took 150 pages for me to really grasp what was going on. When Elloren was sent back to Gardeneria and she was to be in the care of Lukas I thought, alright, I get it now. I think.
I had a hard time understanding the decision though. In book 2 Yvan and Elloren we’re separated and AWAY FROM GARDENERIA so she could learn to control her Black Witch powers and Yvan could learn to deal with his end of the prophecy, but why send Elloren back to the ONE person who they needed to keep her away from? Marcus Vogel. She was literally thrust into the hands of the enemy when they could have sent here somewhere else. I mean, from that extensive introduction i’ve gathered that this world is quite vast. And sure, Lukas is Lukas and he possesses all this power and all of these various connections, but I still think it wasn’t a risk worth taking, and surprise surprise, it wasn’t.
Okay I know I’ve been complaining a lot of negative stuff so far, but this is my last issue with the book before I move onto the positives: the romance.
I did not predict the path that the romance took in this book at all. Not even a little bit. Who knew that Elloren and Lukas would be forced into sex because they had no other choice? Not me. I was shocked beyond all belief. I thought Yvan (who had been pronounced dead at this point) would swoop in and save her from having to give herself to Lukas.
My issue was that after Elloren grieved Yvan death for all of one minute and then was forced into sex with Lukas in order to escape, she just started sleeping with him regularly. I was not okay with that and I did not buy her love for Yvan by this point. She moved on entirely too fast. I understand that her and Lukas have this magical bond and she was forced to Wandfast to him, I do, but her and Yvan were literally BOUND and their relationship was solidified in Iron Flower. If that’s the case, how in the hell could she possibly move on that fast? I couldn’t bring myself to accept it.
Onto the positives:
I very much enjoyed Lukas as a character in this book. I always wondered about his intentions, and knowing he too was a rebel in his own way gave me the closure I needed. I appaulded his support of Elloren despite all she had done to him. He trained her, he stayed with her, he gave her protection. He’s not a jerk as I thought he was. I do still suspect him thought. My theory is that he’s trying to use her. I can’t get that thought out of my head. So we will just have to see in the last book.
I enjoyed the very few Trystan chapters because HE GOT A BOYFRIEND (not really but I hope so). I hope he and Vothe get some sexy time in the last book because that would make my soul sing with joy. Trystan deserves happiness.
I enjoyed the entire time Elloren was back in Gardeneria dealing with her old enemies and her old life. Seeing Fallon, Aunt Vyvian, and all of the other idiots was definitely interesting considering how Elloren just took off after being caught in bed with Yvan.
Also she punched Fallon Bane in the face. I am living.
I think this book overall was definitely a bridge into a very chaotic cacophony of war that is about to be unleashed upon Elloren’s world, and I think if anything this book hyped me up for the last book. I hope we get our reunions; Diana, Trystan, Rafe, Tiereny, Wynter, Aislynn, Lukas, and even Fallon and her merry band of assholes. I want to see everyone together again for that epic ending.
Overall despite having my issues with this book, I liked it. I think Iron Flower remains to be my favorite.
September 14, 2020
If Elloren doesn’t end up with Yvan I’m throwing hands. Lukas is cool and all, but at this point he can’t redeem himself.
Edit: This book was baaaad.
Spoilers Ahead!!!!
I loved the First two books and was really excited for this one only to find out the book I’d literally been counting down the days for was mediocre at best.
Why did Forest bring back the love triangle? We already went through this Elloren chose Yvan. What even was the point of killing off Yvan and having her fall in love with Lukas. Which took less than 2 weeks by the way. Legit, Yvan’s last words to Elloren were, “wait for me” and she doesn’t. I also wasn’t a big fan of their first time being practically forced. I know they did it to escape but still it was like you were trying to shove their romance down my throat. And if I have to hear about their fire one more time I’m going to explode.
And while we’re on the subject of escape, why did she go back to Gardneria anyway. They had a whole continent to hide Elloren and decided to just send her back to the enemy.
I did like the different POVs I just feel like Forest should’ve been more consistent with them instead of having them all at the beginning and end. And why didn’t we see Rafe, Diane, or Jared even once but the first 200 pages were characters I was just introduced to.
Laurie also didn’t have to go into that much detail about some things (Grey Estate). The pacing of this book was so weird. It moved slow when you wanted it move fast and decided to start sprinted when it should’ve walked.
I would love to know if anyone actually believed Yvan had died. Laurie could’ve wrote him out better than that. Then Elloren finds out he dies cries about it for two pages then proceeds to suck Lukas’s face all within a few hours.
Was there even a plot in this book cause if there was it was ignored.
This was a filler book(a bad one). But with the way things left off I think the next book has the potential to be better than the first two. Thought I’m gonna wait for the reviews before I buy it.
P.S. Also, I don’t know if it was just me but I was really hoping Elloren and Lukas wouldn’t become lovers. Not because I ship Elloren and Yvan, but because it would’ve been nice to show that two wildly attractive and powerful people of the opposite gender could maintain a platonic friendship.
Édit: One more thing I gotta ask. Why did they send Elloren back into Gardneria when Chi Nam had a hideout that only she knows the whereabouts of. If they had just gone there in the first place Vogel never would have found out Elloren was the Black Witch. The author really just sent Elloren there to have sex with Lukas.
Edit: I know I said I was done but I’ve gotta bring this up. Elloren really got permanently fasted to someone against her will barely two days after her “soulmate” had died. Decided she was over her “soulmate” and was in love with this guy instead in less than a week and just accepted everything that happened to her. I’m sorry but what women would be okay with being permanently bonded against their will. Lukas can be with whoever he wants now and he got the chance to be with other people but Elloren got forced into to sex with him and wasn’t mad about it. She was actually the worst character in the book.
Edit: This book was baaaad.
Spoilers Ahead!!!!
I loved the First two books and was really excited for this one only to find out the book I’d literally been counting down the days for was mediocre at best.
Why did Forest bring back the love triangle? We already went through this Elloren chose Yvan. What even was the point of killing off Yvan and having her fall in love with Lukas. Which took less than 2 weeks by the way. Legit, Yvan’s last words to Elloren were, “wait for me” and she doesn’t. I also wasn’t a big fan of their first time being practically forced. I know they did it to escape but still it was like you were trying to shove their romance down my throat. And if I have to hear about their fire one more time I’m going to explode.
And while we’re on the subject of escape, why did she go back to Gardneria anyway. They had a whole continent to hide Elloren and decided to just send her back to the enemy.
I did like the different POVs I just feel like Forest should’ve been more consistent with them instead of having them all at the beginning and end. And why didn’t we see Rafe, Diane, or Jared even once but the first 200 pages were characters I was just introduced to.
Laurie also didn’t have to go into that much detail about some things (Grey Estate). The pacing of this book was so weird. It moved slow when you wanted it move fast and decided to start sprinted when it should’ve walked.
I would love to know if anyone actually believed Yvan had died. Laurie could’ve wrote him out better than that. Then Elloren finds out he dies cries about it for two pages then proceeds to suck Lukas’s face all within a few hours.
Was there even a plot in this book cause if there was it was ignored.
This was a filler book(a bad one). But with the way things left off I think the next book has the potential to be better than the first two. Thought I’m gonna wait for the reviews before I buy it.
P.S. Also, I don’t know if it was just me but I was really hoping Elloren and Lukas wouldn’t become lovers. Not because I ship Elloren and Yvan, but because it would’ve been nice to show that two wildly attractive and powerful people of the opposite gender could maintain a platonic friendship.
Édit: One more thing I gotta ask. Why did they send Elloren back into Gardneria when Chi Nam had a hideout that only she knows the whereabouts of. If they had just gone there in the first place Vogel never would have found out Elloren was the Black Witch. The author really just sent Elloren there to have sex with Lukas.
Edit: I know I said I was done but I’ve gotta bring this up. Elloren really got permanently fasted to someone against her will barely two days after her “soulmate” had died. Decided she was over her “soulmate” and was in love with this guy instead in less than a week and just accepted everything that happened to her. I’m sorry but what women would be okay with being permanently bonded against their will. Lukas can be with whoever he wants now and he got the chance to be with other people but Elloren got forced into to sex with him and wasn’t mad about it. She was actually the worst character in the book.
September 26, 2020
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
I’m so saddened to say this but I am incredibly disappointed by this book. There were parts of this book where I felt it was waaaay too rushed and I really just wanted things to slow down. But then other parts went at a glacier pace and were filled with such needless description that had the effect of pulling you out of the story (hello Grey Estate), rather than in. The Black Witch and Iron Flower were such slow burn reads, the pacing in them just perfect, which was one of the reasons I loved them so much. By no means is this a horrible book, nor did it ruin the series for me, I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. But there were problems with this book that I just couldn’t ignore (and believe me, I wanted to ignore them).
There was some lazy storytelling in this book, which I was definitely not expecting. Whyyyy was Elloren not sent to the Amaz for training to begin with?! Why would they send her to the very people who, if they became privy of her powers, would use her to commit genocide across all of Erthia???? The only reason the author must have made this choice was to further the protagonist’s relationship with Lukas Grey, which I think still could have been accomplished in a less nonsensical way.
There was never ending danger and anxiety in this book... like seriously NEVER ending. There were no moments of relief. Elloren was so miserable, so plagued with fear, FOR THE ENTIRE BOOK (save the last chapter, yes that’s right - I said the last chapter). Could we have had just one scene where Elloren and Lukas were just able to talk or dance or do anything without being absolutely panicked and checking all the exits or running for their lives!
This huge shift in Lukas’s allegiance felt so sudden to me! He felt like a new character in this book. The Lukas we know in the first two books... thaaat Lukas was actually on the cusp of fully breaking with Vogel?? In the Iron Flower Lukas said Vogel had to be taken down from within... but then says there isn’t enough support to do that. So then he goes and does exactly that?? The incredibly smart and practical Lukas does the thing he says can’t be done and decides to try to create a military uprising? So why didn’t he tell Elloren about any of this in The Iron Flower when she was begging him to join the resistance? And what, he’s not really that morally gray, calculating, dangerous character we thought he was... he’s actually the hero who does things for the morally right reasons? Based on his character from the last two books, I think it would have felt more in character for him to join the resistance more reluctantly in this book and only after being lured in by Elloren’s newly discovered powers (or something like that).
Speaking of slow burn, one thing I loved about the previous books was the slowwww burn romance. Maybe I’m weird but I didn’t love the romance between Lukas and Elloren in this one? I really really wanted their time in Gardneria to be slowed down, have them go through their feelings more slowly, build up trust between them, build up the tension, not just rely on their affinity lines to do that. And damn did she move on quickly from Yvan, I was not a fan of having Elloren get lost in a kiss with Lukas within an hour of her learning that her "only love" had been murdered. So rushed, and disingenuous. I also wish Lukas would have been kept a little mysterious and morally gray, I don’t find him nearly as interesting anymore. And he was one of my favorites ☹️
Elloren’s wimpy-ness and being terrified of HERSELF for the entirety of the novel was very annoying and really brought down the book for me. In the end of the last book, she seemed so ready to be the Black Witch, use her powers, and fight! How many times and by how many people did she have to be told to grow a freaking back bone in this book!?
Overall this book felt so rushed and everything was happening so fast... but at the same time I felt like almost nothing happened? She finally learned how to defend herself? That’s it?? That said, I’m still eagerly awaiting the next 2 books, the story is still a great one and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
(And oh my god right after finishing this book I realized Elloren will probably have her reunion with Yvan in the Noi lands while she’s still glamoured... which means he won’t be able to see her consummated fastlines! How will it be revealed to him that she had a sexual relationship with Lukas and that she ended up falling in love with him! Oh the drama that will ensue!)
I’m so saddened to say this but I am incredibly disappointed by this book. There were parts of this book where I felt it was waaaay too rushed and I really just wanted things to slow down. But then other parts went at a glacier pace and were filled with such needless description that had the effect of pulling you out of the story (hello Grey Estate), rather than in. The Black Witch and Iron Flower were such slow burn reads, the pacing in them just perfect, which was one of the reasons I loved them so much. By no means is this a horrible book, nor did it ruin the series for me, I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. But there were problems with this book that I just couldn’t ignore (and believe me, I wanted to ignore them).
There was some lazy storytelling in this book, which I was definitely not expecting. Whyyyy was Elloren not sent to the Amaz for training to begin with?! Why would they send her to the very people who, if they became privy of her powers, would use her to commit genocide across all of Erthia???? The only reason the author must have made this choice was to further the protagonist’s relationship with Lukas Grey, which I think still could have been accomplished in a less nonsensical way.
There was never ending danger and anxiety in this book... like seriously NEVER ending. There were no moments of relief. Elloren was so miserable, so plagued with fear, FOR THE ENTIRE BOOK (save the last chapter, yes that’s right - I said the last chapter). Could we have had just one scene where Elloren and Lukas were just able to talk or dance or do anything without being absolutely panicked and checking all the exits or running for their lives!
This huge shift in Lukas’s allegiance felt so sudden to me! He felt like a new character in this book. The Lukas we know in the first two books... thaaat Lukas was actually on the cusp of fully breaking with Vogel?? In the Iron Flower Lukas said Vogel had to be taken down from within... but then says there isn’t enough support to do that. So then he goes and does exactly that?? The incredibly smart and practical Lukas does the thing he says can’t be done and decides to try to create a military uprising? So why didn’t he tell Elloren about any of this in The Iron Flower when she was begging him to join the resistance? And what, he’s not really that morally gray, calculating, dangerous character we thought he was... he’s actually the hero who does things for the morally right reasons? Based on his character from the last two books, I think it would have felt more in character for him to join the resistance more reluctantly in this book and only after being lured in by Elloren’s newly discovered powers (or something like that).
Speaking of slow burn, one thing I loved about the previous books was the slowwww burn romance. Maybe I’m weird but I didn’t love the romance between Lukas and Elloren in this one? I really really wanted their time in Gardneria to be slowed down, have them go through their feelings more slowly, build up trust between them, build up the tension, not just rely on their affinity lines to do that. And damn did she move on quickly from Yvan, I was not a fan of having Elloren get lost in a kiss with Lukas within an hour of her learning that her "only love" had been murdered. So rushed, and disingenuous. I also wish Lukas would have been kept a little mysterious and morally gray, I don’t find him nearly as interesting anymore. And he was one of my favorites ☹️
Elloren’s wimpy-ness and being terrified of HERSELF for the entirety of the novel was very annoying and really brought down the book for me. In the end of the last book, she seemed so ready to be the Black Witch, use her powers, and fight! How many times and by how many people did she have to be told to grow a freaking back bone in this book!?
Overall this book felt so rushed and everything was happening so fast... but at the same time I felt like almost nothing happened? She finally learned how to defend herself? That’s it?? That said, I’m still eagerly awaiting the next 2 books, the story is still a great one and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
(And oh my god right after finishing this book I realized Elloren will probably have her reunion with Yvan in the Noi lands while she’s still glamoured... which means he won’t be able to see her consummated fastlines! How will it be revealed to him that she had a sexual relationship with Lukas and that she ended up falling in love with him! Oh the drama that will ensue!)
June 23, 2020
GIVE IT TO ME! PLEASE!
Rtc
Rtc
August 24, 2022
This was definitely better than the last one in my opinion. I think in part because we didn't have to spend the majority of the book on a love triangle or reading about star crossed love. I enjoyed that it seemed like the action was starting to pick up as well. The pacing felt a bit off though, as it did with the second book, it felt too fast at times and sluggish at other times. I also wish more time was spent on character development and fleshing out the storylines for the side characters. Looking forward to reading the next one though, I already put a hold on it with the library.
July 5, 2020
Unnecessary. It's the one word that comes to mind when I think of this book. I'm a huge fan of the fist two, so this was a major disappointment. But let me elaborate...
The many chapters told from other characters' POVs - mainly completely unnecessary. Very few actually contributed to the story line. I ended up skimming through them towards the end of the book because there was simply nothing to them; no plot progression, simply extra pages to make the book longer. Unnecessary.
The big, bad murder Unnecessary.
The damn love triangle Why?! Why did you go there, Laurie?! There are very few books where love triangles are done well and this is not one of them. It felt rushed, forced, unnecessary . We got the awesome star-crossed lovers story in the previous book, there was no need for any damn love triangle, especially not to the degree this one progressed. I don't mind Lukas, he was mostly true to himself, but Elloren was very quick to go SO UNNECESSARY!
Most of the plot that was super thin to start with was actually pointless. It was kinda believable until later in the book. But then Chi Nam and I'm just...
You could not do that in the first place?! Again, when you need an excuse for a lame love triangle, you need an excuse for a lame love triangle. So yes, unnecessary.
The only necessary part was her training; the different magical systems and her growing with her powers would've been a much better focus for the book. But no, let's rather cram in as much drama and kissing as possible.
I will probably read the next book in hopes it somehow redeems itself, but I'm not expecting much. So sad, this was becoming one of my favorite series as of late.
The many chapters told from other characters' POVs - mainly completely unnecessary. Very few actually contributed to the story line. I ended up skimming through them towards the end of the book because there was simply nothing to them; no plot progression, simply extra pages to make the book longer. Unnecessary.
The big, bad murder Unnecessary.
The damn love triangle Why?! Why did you go there, Laurie?! There are very few books where love triangles are done well and this is not one of them. It felt rushed, forced, unnecessary . We got the awesome star-crossed lovers story in the previous book, there was no need for any damn love triangle, especially not to the degree this one progressed. I don't mind Lukas, he was mostly true to himself, but Elloren was very quick to go SO UNNECESSARY!
Most of the plot that was super thin to start with was actually pointless. It was kinda believable until later in the book. But then Chi Nam and I'm just...
You could not do that in the first place?! Again, when you need an excuse for a lame love triangle, you need an excuse for a lame love triangle. So yes, unnecessary.
The only necessary part was her training; the different magical systems and her growing with her powers would've been a much better focus for the book. But no, let's rather cram in as much drama and kissing as possible.
I will probably read the next book in hopes it somehow redeems itself, but I'm not expecting much. So sad, this was becoming one of my favorite series as of late.
May 18, 2020
Thank you NetGalley for providing an E-arc for an honest review. This review contains spoilers, so proceed cautiously.
Candidly, I am reeling from this book and I am profoundly relieved that I finally reached the conclusion. It was an arduous task, rife with violent emotional responses to myriad elements contained within the protracted 636-page tale. Laurie Forest is a talented writer, capable of weaving beautiful prose, unfortunately her fine words are diluted by her timorous, ambivalent and uninspiring heroine, Elloren. .
Elloren is maddeningly beset by her overarching fear and indecisiveness. She is deeply mired in self-doubt and succumbs to her fear far too much. She has shaped it into a paralyzing force, one that saps her ability to respond with direction and purpose. She is a tepid heroine, prone to melodrama and wide vicissitudes of negative, immobilizing emotions. She is aghast at everything, but impotent to enact change because she is too frightened to effectively control her power. She is the lynchpin of the resistance, but she is the plaything of so many forces that she has been rendered useless. Hopefully Forest will imbue her with sorely needed inner strength, facilitating a path to the heroine that she is capable of becoming.
So, now that I have adequately ranted about the MC Elloren, let me highlight other elements of The Shadow Wand. Please enjoy!
Writing style: Forest relies on stilted language, continuously festooning sentences with unnecessary and tedious description. She writes lovely prose, but her lengthy descriptions frequently subvert the plot. Her writing is also laden with a redundancy that further curtails the story. Pages are littered with minimally varied iterations of the same thing. It is impressive she found so many different ways to convey how destructively powerful Elloren is and how catastrophic it would be if she a) unleashes said power; b) allows Vogel to wield her power; or c) allows her power to flourish in a dark space. I hope the next book is more succinctly related, as this book would have benefited from further editing.
Other issues: Forest mishandles her dynamic secondary characters and does not allow them the space to shine. Multiple viewpoints are introduced in the beginning, but they are bizarrely absent in the middle part of the story. Story threads end too abruptly, revoking enticing views into the plights of other more intriguing characters. Their voices form the insubstantial bookends of the story, but they need further fleshing out to be more effective. I love Thierren, Sparrow, Viger, Tierney, Trystan, and Vothe and I hope they have more page time in subsequent books.
Another issue I have is Forest’s blatant abuse of Elloren’s romantic relationships to forward the story. Yvan’s (potential) death in the first quarter of the book and Lukas’ (potential) demise at the end seem like plot contrivances. Yvan’s death felt too rushed and is sadly confined within scant paragraphs of a single chapter. Forest spent so much time on the burgeoning relationship between Elloren and Yvan in the previous book and then he is callously excised from the narrative to allow for Elloren’s connection to Lukas to grow. For an invested reader, Yvan is cruelly snatched from the story in a capricious manner. And, frankly, Elloren’s response is shameful. She sobs stormily for a couple hours and unabashedly moves on in shocking ways. She buries her “love” for the greater good, and although it resurfaces, she seems to largely ignore it when she aligns herself with Lukas (who is fabulous and who I have no qualms with). Forest seemed to use both deaths (and perhaps foreshadowed resurrections) as a means of spurring action and unnecessary conflict and it did not feel authentic. Elloren’s grief also felt superficial and farcical. If both men are still alive, which I fervently hope that they are since I vastly prefer them to Elloren, I hope that they can resolve their relationships amicably.
To sum up, The Shadow Wand is a worthwhile read, but it is riddled with issues. The story has great potential, but it is too verbose in delivery and lacks an electrifying heroine.
Candidly, I am reeling from this book and I am profoundly relieved that I finally reached the conclusion. It was an arduous task, rife with violent emotional responses to myriad elements contained within the protracted 636-page tale. Laurie Forest is a talented writer, capable of weaving beautiful prose, unfortunately her fine words are diluted by her timorous, ambivalent and uninspiring heroine, Elloren. .
Elloren is maddeningly beset by her overarching fear and indecisiveness. She is deeply mired in self-doubt and succumbs to her fear far too much. She has shaped it into a paralyzing force, one that saps her ability to respond with direction and purpose. She is a tepid heroine, prone to melodrama and wide vicissitudes of negative, immobilizing emotions. She is aghast at everything, but impotent to enact change because she is too frightened to effectively control her power. She is the lynchpin of the resistance, but she is the plaything of so many forces that she has been rendered useless. Hopefully Forest will imbue her with sorely needed inner strength, facilitating a path to the heroine that she is capable of becoming.
So, now that I have adequately ranted about the MC Elloren, let me highlight other elements of The Shadow Wand. Please enjoy!
Writing style: Forest relies on stilted language, continuously festooning sentences with unnecessary and tedious description. She writes lovely prose, but her lengthy descriptions frequently subvert the plot. Her writing is also laden with a redundancy that further curtails the story. Pages are littered with minimally varied iterations of the same thing. It is impressive she found so many different ways to convey how destructively powerful Elloren is and how catastrophic it would be if she a) unleashes said power; b) allows Vogel to wield her power; or c) allows her power to flourish in a dark space. I hope the next book is more succinctly related, as this book would have benefited from further editing.
Other issues: Forest mishandles her dynamic secondary characters and does not allow them the space to shine. Multiple viewpoints are introduced in the beginning, but they are bizarrely absent in the middle part of the story. Story threads end too abruptly, revoking enticing views into the plights of other more intriguing characters. Their voices form the insubstantial bookends of the story, but they need further fleshing out to be more effective. I love Thierren, Sparrow, Viger, Tierney, Trystan, and Vothe and I hope they have more page time in subsequent books.
Another issue I have is Forest’s blatant abuse of Elloren’s romantic relationships to forward the story. Yvan’s (potential) death in the first quarter of the book and Lukas’ (potential) demise at the end seem like plot contrivances. Yvan’s death felt too rushed and is sadly confined within scant paragraphs of a single chapter. Forest spent so much time on the burgeoning relationship between Elloren and Yvan in the previous book and then he is callously excised from the narrative to allow for Elloren’s connection to Lukas to grow. For an invested reader, Yvan is cruelly snatched from the story in a capricious manner. And, frankly, Elloren’s response is shameful. She sobs stormily for a couple hours and unabashedly moves on in shocking ways. She buries her “love” for the greater good, and although it resurfaces, she seems to largely ignore it when she aligns herself with Lukas (who is fabulous and who I have no qualms with). Forest seemed to use both deaths (and perhaps foreshadowed resurrections) as a means of spurring action and unnecessary conflict and it did not feel authentic. Elloren’s grief also felt superficial and farcical. If both men are still alive, which I fervently hope that they are since I vastly prefer them to Elloren, I hope that they can resolve their relationships amicably.
To sum up, The Shadow Wand is a worthwhile read, but it is riddled with issues. The story has great potential, but it is too verbose in delivery and lacks an electrifying heroine.
June 22, 2020
DNF this book deserves zero stars because henceforth I have never felt so betrayed by an author or let down by a series. As a relatively impressionable young woman I find it appalling that a YA series would present itself as being so forward thinking and feminist and then resort to tropes and plot lines which completely fail the Bechdel test and furthermore fail young women who maybe want to see a role model becoming strong on her own without a man??? CAN WE NOT SEE A PLATONIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OPPOSITE SEXES????!!!! It is absolutely ridiculous how much potential this series and this book had and how dramatically the author saw that potential and decided that this garbage was enough to satisfy readers. She tried so hard to be M. Night Shylaman (who by the way, Laurie, since I don’t think you know, is widely seen by the artistic community as being distastefully theatrical and a mediocre director) that she had to invent a multitude of excuses and weak, ill-fitting arguments to give any semblance of justification for her half-thought-through, cheap writing. Yes, I am mad. Did ANYONE read this book or bother to edit it before it was published? It seems kind of obvious that readers would feel dissatisfied or betrayed by the amount of totally uncalled for, trashy, inane, and aggravating developments which permeate this book. There are not enough words to express how upset I feel. Don’t read this book. Write your own instead.
By any chance is there some conspiracy where a different author wrote the first two books? Because this is so out of pocket and stupid that I would honestly believe that rather than admit that whoever wrote the first two books, which were perfect and lovely, somehow decided that this was acceptable to be read by anyone.
By any chance is there some conspiracy where a different author wrote the first two books? Because this is so out of pocket and stupid that I would honestly believe that rather than admit that whoever wrote the first two books, which were perfect and lovely, somehow decided that this was acceptable to be read by anyone.
June 13, 2020
Well, that was disappointing.
This is a classic filler novel and it makes all the mistakes classic filler novels do - on top of being very weirdly structured, with multiple POVs in the beginning and end seemingly thrown in for nothing and Elloren’s romantic adventure squeezed in between.
There was no story progression and most chapters tried to end on cliffhangers without being a real cliffhanger at all - we’ve known Elloren was the black witch since basically forever and I had hoped to see her grow into her powers a bit more here, which sadly didn’t happen.
What I missed most in “The Shadow Wand” however were all the secondary characters that I came to love and care so much about in the first two installments.
It made it feel a bit lifeless at times, especially since Elloren is not a strong enough character to carry this book on her own.
I’m going to dive into spoiler territory now so don’t continue reading unless you’ve already read the book :
The romance between Elloren and Lukas annoyed me but nothing could’ve annoyed me more than simply taking Yvan out of this entire book by seemingly killing him off, in order for Elloren to safely develop feelings for Lukas without being seen as a cold hearted bitch. It felt cheap and it felt like love interests here are exchangeable and don’t really mean anything. Reminded me a bit of Sarah J. Mass to be honest, and nooot in a good way.
Elloren moves on SO QUICKLY, it just made her and the love story look bad.
Forest can write romantic tension very well - the chemistry between Elloren and Lukas was definitely there, no doubt. But I shipped her and Yvan first and harder so there’s no way I’m just going to change ships like that. They are sadly ruined for me now though - there’s no going back from Elloren’s maniac sex wedding to Lukas - so I’m kind of uninterested in Elloren’s love life now, which makes me question wether or not I should continue with this series, since it’s so heavily romance centred that there is nothing much to follow here, if you don’t care about that part of the story.
It saddens me that a series with so much heartfelt potential just cheapened its way into irrelevance like that. I will forever treasure The Black Witch but this one is going to get resold and is probably my quitting point of the series :’(
This is a classic filler novel and it makes all the mistakes classic filler novels do - on top of being very weirdly structured, with multiple POVs in the beginning and end seemingly thrown in for nothing and Elloren’s romantic adventure squeezed in between.
There was no story progression and most chapters tried to end on cliffhangers without being a real cliffhanger at all - we’ve known Elloren was the black witch since basically forever and I had hoped to see her grow into her powers a bit more here, which sadly didn’t happen.
What I missed most in “The Shadow Wand” however were all the secondary characters that I came to love and care so much about in the first two installments.
It made it feel a bit lifeless at times, especially since Elloren is not a strong enough character to carry this book on her own.
I’m going to dive into spoiler territory now so don’t continue reading unless you’ve already read the book :
The romance between Elloren and Lukas annoyed me but nothing could’ve annoyed me more than simply taking Yvan out of this entire book by seemingly killing him off, in order for Elloren to safely develop feelings for Lukas without being seen as a cold hearted bitch. It felt cheap and it felt like love interests here are exchangeable and don’t really mean anything. Reminded me a bit of Sarah J. Mass to be honest, and nooot in a good way.
Elloren moves on SO QUICKLY, it just made her and the love story look bad.
Forest can write romantic tension very well - the chemistry between Elloren and Lukas was definitely there, no doubt. But I shipped her and Yvan first and harder so there’s no way I’m just going to change ships like that. They are sadly ruined for me now though - there’s no going back from Elloren’s maniac sex wedding to Lukas - so I’m kind of uninterested in Elloren’s love life now, which makes me question wether or not I should continue with this series, since it’s so heavily romance centred that there is nothing much to follow here, if you don’t care about that part of the story.
It saddens me that a series with so much heartfelt potential just cheapened its way into irrelevance like that. I will forever treasure The Black Witch but this one is going to get resold and is probably my quitting point of the series :’(
May 10, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Reading this book was torturous. I liked the first two books, even enjoyed them, but…this one just didn’t work for me. The biggest issue is the length of the book. It was so long, and unbearably boring for the whole entire book I read. So many characters, so many POVs, so much going on and add onto that my disinterest in any of the romances at this point.
The Writing
The writing is fine. It’s filled with so much prose and inane dialogue though, and is twice the length it needs to be. In fact, so much of it is pointless. I just did not enjoy it at all.
The Pacing
Bad is one word for it. Really bad. As in, cut some of this out! If I’m falling asleep reading what is supposed to be an exciting part, it is too long. If I’m skimming pages, it is too long. I do not think the pacing was done well at all, but again, it is tied into the writing which is pitifully long and drawn out. None of it was working.
The Plot
What plot? I feel as if we have seen this plot over and over and over again. It is boring. It is trite. There feel like there are no stakes. We know all this information. This has been so dragged out. It was unbearable. I wish this book had been condensed.
The Characters
Too many. Way too many. Too much going on, it never works for me, and it really didn’t work here. I didn’t care about any of the characters at all. In fact, if they all died I don’t think I would care.
Every character paired up…I even liked some of the previous characters, but I hated them ALL in this book. I hated the good guys, I hated the bad guys…I am just over all the characters.
Elloren is back and forth on everything. She has no consistency to her, and while it could make the story interesting all it does is drag it out into boredom. I wanted more from her.
Overall
Disappointing. I had high hopes for the series. I will not be continuing it.
DNF @ 46%
Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter
Reading this book was torturous. I liked the first two books, even enjoyed them, but…this one just didn’t work for me. The biggest issue is the length of the book. It was so long, and unbearably boring for the whole entire book I read. So many characters, so many POVs, so much going on and add onto that my disinterest in any of the romances at this point.
The Writing
The writing is fine. It’s filled with so much prose and inane dialogue though, and is twice the length it needs to be. In fact, so much of it is pointless. I just did not enjoy it at all.
The Pacing
Bad is one word for it. Really bad. As in, cut some of this out! If I’m falling asleep reading what is supposed to be an exciting part, it is too long. If I’m skimming pages, it is too long. I do not think the pacing was done well at all, but again, it is tied into the writing which is pitifully long and drawn out. None of it was working.
The Plot
What plot? I feel as if we have seen this plot over and over and over again. It is boring. It is trite. There feel like there are no stakes. We know all this information. This has been so dragged out. It was unbearable. I wish this book had been condensed.
The Characters
Too many. Way too many. Too much going on, it never works for me, and it really didn’t work here. I didn’t care about any of the characters at all. In fact, if they all died I don’t think I would care.
Every character paired up…I even liked some of the previous characters, but I hated them ALL in this book. I hated the good guys, I hated the bad guys…I am just over all the characters.
Elloren is back and forth on everything. She has no consistency to her, and while it could make the story interesting all it does is drag it out into boredom. I wanted more from her.
Overall
Disappointing. I had high hopes for the series. I will not be continuing it.
DNF @ 46%
Blog | Bookstagram | Twitter
August 3, 2020
Review 2!
Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be tagged!
Alright here it is: my second (and less emotional) review
The Shadow Wand is an fast-paced and tightly-woven tale that continues from the events of the previous installment, The Iron Flower It starts off with a prelude that features many different characters and how they are faring now, as well as how a recurring minor character from The Black Witch is doing, before diving straight in to Elloren's POV.
I must admit, I was slightly apprehensive but also excitedly excited to read about different POVs. As much as I love Elloren (including all her flaws that makes her human), it was refreshing and world-altering *wink wink* to read about other characters, especially considering how they are all scattered.
The only thing that made me sad is absence of our favourite Lupine siblings! Of course, this only makes me anticipate the next installment even more which is a good thing actually. I can't wait to meet them again.
We get a lot more action this time, with Elloren learning about combat and wand magic and... rune sorcery! It's all very, very exciting. Also
Elloren and Lukas's relationship growth is very satisfying and sweet. They started off as frenemies, and ended as It's not that I dislike Yvan, but due to his uh, untimelyor rather very timely absence, ELLOREN AND LUKAS'S SHIP HAS SAILED FURTHER THAN EVER!!
Now they are in the deep ocean! But this means that the dangers and stakes are higher than ever too...
Evil Vogel and mysterious foreshadowing stuff strike back. The Shadow is a new entity -- a new force of evil that our group of misfits that fit strangely well together must overcome. Now spread out all over Erthia, with only pieces of floating information here and there, uncertainty reigns.
Will Elloren emerge with victory?
Will the Shadow be defeated?
Will Vogel burn in hell for all eternity till forever comes?
Will
Only...
The next book will tell! (I hope you didn't expect "time will tell" HAHA).
I can't wait -- as always!!!
Finally, this book is just as much -- even more than -- my skyrocketing high expectations. It has everything I love and everything I have come to love :DD
Here it is!! ^^ the second less emotional review I've promised you guys! :)
Just realise that my review was more of a rant about (major spoiler) so I will be writing a second less uh, emotional review LOL
REVIEW
I WILL BE MENTIONING MAJOR SPOILERS. PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE UNLESS YOU HAVE FINISHED READING THIS BOOK.
~ Ever the grateful, Sorrowful One of the Erthia Lands
P.s. yOU HAVE BEEN WARNED *insert ghostly sounds*
Soooooo....
*cries and waits another year for the last book*
Where do I even start????!!!!! This book was everything I thought it would be -- and even more. I admit, I was a little surprised at the prelude since Elloren was barely even mentioned, let alone seen, and this is the first time Laurie Forest has gone out of Elloren's POV which I understand since they were, literally scattered throughout the Western and Eastern Realm.
Oh can I just say
I HATE MARCUS VOGEL.
Wait, no. That's not right.
I HATE MARCUS VOGEL WITH EVERY FIBRE OF MY EXISTENCE.
I literally cried till I can't breathe when Lukas died... LIKE WHAT ?!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO Just when he and Elloren were finally together :"( I suspected that he would die since the first book since, you know, can't have two main guys which brings me to...
When Yvan literally (watch me use this word 423589x more times) had ONE chapter and he was presumed to be dead I was literally like
.
.
.
I HIGHLY DOUBT HE'S DEAD ?? I love both him and Yvan, but when Elloren got together with Lukas and gave her first everything to him, I was literally like: I have a feeling Lukas is gonna die but I really hope it doesn't come true but isn't this forth-shadowing his death SINCE OBVIOUSLY LUKAS CAN'T JUST LIVE A LONG AND HAPPY LIFE HUH
Excuse me while I continue to cry in the toilet over there ---->
Ahem.
I suspected Yvan wasn't dead, and I thought it would be a rather huge cliffhanger if the ending was that he was actually alive and ...
YEAH THE ENDING WAS THAT HE WAS ACTUALLY ALIVE
I mean, we can't have TWO of Elloren's interests disappear off-screen right? Right? I wanted to hear more about Diana and Jarod though... AND Aislinn being wandfasted to Damion was just.. HORRIBLE but again, I suspected it since Lukas did mention saving Elloren from a guy who would "beat some sense in her"
Also, can't say I'm sad about Evil Aunt's death, just that I wish it were in more details. Oopsies.
AGAIN POOR LUKAS I'M GONNA BY CRYING FOR ETERNITY
Otherwise, the third instalment in the Black Witch's series lives up to its predecessors and it's packed full of exciting and intriguing magic! Also I was starting to think this series is just a message to stop deforestation lol.
I'm starting to really hate trees which is uh, not good. In just Erthia though... They are super shady o.o
Also I'm just glad that the Sealing scene was handled BEAUTIFULLY. I'm glad he at least got the ILY word from Elloren though it was literally before his death... I don't think he'll be resurrecting like Yvan anytime soon... *CRIES IN DEPRESSION AGAIN*
I'm rating it 5 stars Recommend it to EVERYONE! :)))
PRE-REVIEW THOUGHTS
OMGG IT'S FINALLY DROPPPING TMR EXCUSE ME WHILE I FAINT YEAH
Alright. Somebody changed the release date when I wasn't lookingwait until I catch you.... and now it's June 9. Oh well. It's totally fine.
I'll just rot in the corner over there crying rivers of tears --->
Pre-review rambling stuff as I've promised you guys!
Minor spoilers below! Major spoilers will be tagged!
Alright here it is: my second (and less emotional) review
The Shadow Wand is an fast-paced and tightly-woven tale that continues from the events of the previous installment, The Iron Flower It starts off with a prelude that features many different characters and how they are faring now, as well as how a recurring minor character from The Black Witch is doing, before diving straight in to Elloren's POV.
I must admit, I was slightly apprehensive but also excitedly excited to read about different POVs. As much as I love Elloren (including all her flaws that makes her human), it was refreshing and world-altering *wink wink* to read about other characters, especially considering how they are all scattered.
The only thing that made me sad is absence of our favourite Lupine siblings! Of course, this only makes me anticipate the next installment even more which is a good thing actually. I can't wait to meet them again.
We get a lot more action this time, with Elloren learning about combat and wand magic and... rune sorcery! It's all very, very exciting. Also
Elloren and Lukas's relationship growth is very satisfying and sweet. They started off as frenemies, and ended as It's not that I dislike Yvan, but due to his uh, untimely
Now they are in the deep ocean! But this means that the dangers and stakes are higher than ever too...
Evil Vogel and mysterious foreshadowing stuff strike back. The Shadow is a new entity -- a new force of evil that our group of misfits that fit strangely well together must overcome. Now spread out all over Erthia, with only pieces of floating information here and there, uncertainty reigns.
Will Elloren emerge with victory?
Will the Shadow be defeated?
Will Vogel burn in hell for all eternity till forever comes?
Will
Only...
The next book will tell! (I hope you didn't expect "time will tell" HAHA).
I can't wait -- as always!!!
Finally, this book is just as much -- even more than -- my skyrocketing high expectations. It has everything I love and everything I have come to love :DD
Here it is!! ^^ the second less emotional review I've promised you guys! :)
Just realise that my review was more of a rant about (major spoiler) so I will be writing a second less uh, emotional review LOL
REVIEW
I WILL BE MENTIONING MAJOR SPOILERS. PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE UNLESS YOU HAVE FINISHED READING THIS BOOK.
~ Ever the grateful, Sorrowful One of the Erthia Lands
P.s. yOU HAVE BEEN WARNED *insert ghostly sounds*
Soooooo....
*cries and waits another year for the last book*
Where do I even start????!!!!! This book was everything I thought it would be -- and even more. I admit, I was a little surprised at the prelude since Elloren was barely even mentioned, let alone seen, and this is the first time Laurie Forest has gone out of Elloren's POV which I understand since they were, literally scattered throughout the Western and Eastern Realm.
Oh can I just say
I HATE MARCUS VOGEL.
Wait, no. That's not right.
I HATE MARCUS VOGEL WITH EVERY FIBRE OF MY EXISTENCE.
I literally cried till I can't breathe when Lukas died... LIKE WHAT ?!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOO Just when he and Elloren were finally together :"( I suspected that he would die since the first book since, you know, can't have two main guys which brings me to...
When Yvan literally (watch me use this word 423589x more times) had ONE chapter and he was presumed to be dead I was literally like
.
.
.
I HIGHLY DOUBT HE'S DEAD ?? I love both him and Yvan, but when Elloren got together with Lukas and gave her first everything to him, I was literally like: I have a feeling Lukas is gonna die but I really hope it doesn't come true but isn't this forth-shadowing his death SINCE OBVIOUSLY LUKAS CAN'T JUST LIVE A LONG AND HAPPY LIFE HUH
Excuse me while I continue to cry in the toilet over there ---->
Ahem.
I suspected Yvan wasn't dead, and I thought it would be a rather huge cliffhanger if the ending was that he was actually alive and ...
YEAH THE ENDING WAS THAT HE WAS ACTUALLY ALIVE
I mean, we can't have TWO of Elloren's interests disappear off-screen right? Right? I wanted to hear more about Diana and Jarod though... AND Aislinn being wandfasted to Damion was just.. HORRIBLE but again, I suspected it since Lukas did mention saving Elloren from a guy who would "beat some sense in her"
Also, can't say I'm sad about Evil Aunt's death, just that I wish it were in more details. Oopsies.
AGAIN POOR LUKAS I'M GONNA BY CRYING FOR ETERNITY
Otherwise, the third instalment in the Black Witch's series lives up to its predecessors and it's packed full of exciting and intriguing magic! Also I was starting to think this series is just a message to stop deforestation lol.
I'm starting to really hate trees which is uh, not good. In just Erthia though... They are super shady o.o
Also I'm just glad that the Sealing scene was handled BEAUTIFULLY. I'm glad he at least got the ILY word from Elloren though it was literally before his death... I don't think he'll be resurrecting like Yvan anytime soon... *CRIES IN DEPRESSION AGAIN*
I'm rating it 5 stars Recommend it to EVERYONE! :)))
PRE-REVIEW THOUGHTS
OMGG IT'S FINALLY DROPPPING TMR EXCUSE ME WHILE I FAINT YEAH
Alright. Somebody changed the release date when I wasn't looking
I'll just rot in the corner over there crying rivers of tears --->
Pre-review rambling stuff as I've promised you guys!
June 13, 2020
Laurie Forest, hire a better editor.
May 13, 2021
SCREAAAAAAAAAAAAMING
WHY THE FUCK DID IT END LIKE THAT??? I NEED FUCKING ANSWERS
YALL I CANT WRITE A COHERENT REVIEW MAN THIS IS WRIGJKJGKGJENGKJNMB;'
OH MY GOOOOOOOD
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO LUKAS I WILL SUE I SWEAR DONT TOUCH MY MAN
(Also tbh i dont like the multiple povs)
WHY THE FUCK DID IT END LIKE THAT??? I NEED FUCKING ANSWERS
YALL I CANT WRITE A COHERENT REVIEW MAN THIS IS WRIGJKJGKGJENGKJNMB;'
OH MY GOOOOOOOD
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO LUKAS I WILL SUE I SWEAR DONT TOUCH MY MAN
(Also tbh i dont like the multiple povs)
June 11, 2020
So, I purchased The Shadow Wand as a pre-order off of iBooks. I have been waiting for this book since April. APRIL. And these are my final thoughts on the book. Spoilers ahead.
*HEAVY SIGH*. I'm SO disappointed. Like deeply. When IronFlower ended, Elloren was looking over her shoulder at Yvan out of a portal with stormy eyes and vowing to master her Black Witch power to save Erthia. So imagine my sinking disappointment when we literally advance *no* further within the plot line of this series. Literally all Elloren did was run like a headless chicken through different countries. Here are my issues:
1. Yvan. He's the main love interest in the IronFlower and for Forest to make room for Elloren and Lukas's steamy relationship, she lazily writes him out of practically the ENTIRE book, pretending he's dead, and then popping him out in the last sentence of the book. Elloren's power should have awakened and exploded without use of a wand at the news that Vogel had killed him and she should have been exposed as the Black Witch at the Council Hall. Instead she runs to the beach and cries. There are honestly so many times that Elloren should have revealed herself. But I digress. Also, Yvan gave her his Wyvernfire, so they are bonded. It literally makes no sense morally or literary-wise to have a character bonded permanently to two people. That's like a permanent threesome. Even the girl from Twighlight had an out.
2. World building. There was soooo much traveling and just....uneccessary running. I get that Vogel is a formidable enemy, but all the constant danger and switching houses and regions made me dizzy. I never knew firmly what was where and screenshotted the map just to keep up. There is so much rich worldbuilding crammed into the book, that I appreciate it, but it neeeeds to be spread out. I'm trying not to flame, its just I had such high hopes for this book, like I loved the first two books. I understand why Elloren went back to Gardenaria because Forest needed to showcase the destructive power of the wand both to the reader and to Elloren. There were no televisions to broadcast his takeover, just word of mouth and eye witnesses.
3. Elloren is taking too long to come to grips with her power. If I had been the Black Witch, whether the power was dangerous or not, I would have used it, fearlessly. Elloren spends the entire book practically running from her destiny, rather than either teaching herself, or finding SOME way to master her power. All you hear from her is "I cant", "I won't", "I shouldn't", and it was the most frustrating thing of all! I just...I hate seeing women portrayed as damsels, and I understand that it needed to be that way to demonstrate the awfulness of the Magedom but sheesh.
4. Side characters. Fallon Bane and her brothers seemed really random. So did Aislinn. Thierren was cool, but unexpected. Sparrow and Effrey weren't even side characters back in The Black Witch and now have a main, front and center role? Uh huuuh...
What I did like!
1. The Magedom is awfullllll. Like I hated them. Especially Aunt Vyvian. She deserved everything she got in spades, lol! I loved the religious zeal and fevor that was injected into the Gardenarian take over, it felt so real.
2. I loved Lukas's relationship with Elloren and his support of her, even though they almost blew up my phone with the amount of "My fire/his fire lines" "explosive" ect.ect. We get it, you guys are attracted to each other.
Final Thoughts:
All in all sad, this book didn't go the way I anticipated at all. Very disappointed. I don't know if I'll buy the next book. There were so many problems that made it hard to read, I just started skipping the chapters at the end because there was so much fluff to the book. When I started it, I thought that Elloren would either immediately learn to control her powers or have already controlled them and show us what she learned, with Diana and everyone else making a stand in the East for the final book. To learn that there's more to be shown...? Ugh. Idk if I'm up for it. Loved the first two books though. They were wonderful.
*HEAVY SIGH*. I'm SO disappointed. Like deeply. When IronFlower ended, Elloren was looking over her shoulder at Yvan out of a portal with stormy eyes and vowing to master her Black Witch power to save Erthia. So imagine my sinking disappointment when we literally advance *no* further within the plot line of this series. Literally all Elloren did was run like a headless chicken through different countries. Here are my issues:
1. Yvan. He's the main love interest in the IronFlower and for Forest to make room for Elloren and Lukas's steamy relationship, she lazily writes him out of practically the ENTIRE book, pretending he's dead, and then popping him out in the last sentence of the book. Elloren's power should have awakened and exploded without use of a wand at the news that Vogel had killed him and she should have been exposed as the Black Witch at the Council Hall. Instead she runs to the beach and cries. There are honestly so many times that Elloren should have revealed herself. But I digress. Also, Yvan gave her his Wyvernfire, so they are bonded. It literally makes no sense morally or literary-wise to have a character bonded permanently to two people. That's like a permanent threesome. Even the girl from Twighlight had an out.
2. World building. There was soooo much traveling and just....uneccessary running. I get that Vogel is a formidable enemy, but all the constant danger and switching houses and regions made me dizzy. I never knew firmly what was where and screenshotted the map just to keep up. There is so much rich worldbuilding crammed into the book, that I appreciate it, but it neeeeds to be spread out. I'm trying not to flame, its just I had such high hopes for this book, like I loved the first two books. I understand why Elloren went back to Gardenaria because Forest needed to showcase the destructive power of the wand both to the reader and to Elloren. There were no televisions to broadcast his takeover, just word of mouth and eye witnesses.
3. Elloren is taking too long to come to grips with her power. If I had been the Black Witch, whether the power was dangerous or not, I would have used it, fearlessly. Elloren spends the entire book practically running from her destiny, rather than either teaching herself, or finding SOME way to master her power. All you hear from her is "I cant", "I won't", "I shouldn't", and it was the most frustrating thing of all! I just...I hate seeing women portrayed as damsels, and I understand that it needed to be that way to demonstrate the awfulness of the Magedom but sheesh.
4. Side characters. Fallon Bane and her brothers seemed really random. So did Aislinn. Thierren was cool, but unexpected. Sparrow and Effrey weren't even side characters back in The Black Witch and now have a main, front and center role? Uh huuuh...
What I did like!
1. The Magedom is awfullllll. Like I hated them. Especially Aunt Vyvian. She deserved everything she got in spades, lol! I loved the religious zeal and fevor that was injected into the Gardenarian take over, it felt so real.
2. I loved Lukas's relationship with Elloren and his support of her, even though they almost blew up my phone with the amount of "My fire/his fire lines" "explosive" ect.ect. We get it, you guys are attracted to each other.
Final Thoughts:
All in all sad, this book didn't go the way I anticipated at all. Very disappointed. I don't know if I'll buy the next book. There were so many problems that made it hard to read, I just started skipping the chapters at the end because there was so much fluff to the book. When I started it, I thought that Elloren would either immediately learn to control her powers or have already controlled them and show us what she learned, with Diana and everyone else making a stand in the East for the final book. To learn that there's more to be shown...? Ugh. Idk if I'm up for it. Loved the first two books though. They were wonderful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2020
So, I've read it and OHMYGODS. I will be writing a full of spoilers review when the time is right!
Things just got hotter and more dangerous than ever!
UPDATE
Took me a while, oops.
I had to do another re-read! Just so that I could dive into the awesomeness again.
So, I said I'd do spoilers, but I'll keep them to a minimum.
Things never go the way we want or imagine, and Elloren sure learns that. Hunted by the Vu Trin because she's too powerful and forced to go back to Gardneria to gather information and hide, she reunites with Lukas and learns of the death of someone precious to her. A lot happens in a short time and Elloren loses loved ones, and gains allies, sacrifices parts of herself, and also acquires new skills.
There are multiple POVs that widen the scope of the story. I enjoyed them a great deal. I'm usually not a fan. I'm usually mentally screaming "gimme my MC!!!" but Laurie knows how to trap you with new characters and also new ones that have interesting stories to tell. From a highly powerful mage who has his beliefs torn to pieces in front of him, to a brave, reckless young woman who would do anything for her small sibling, to a powerful fae, and Elloren's brother Trystan. I so love Trystan; his side of the story is heartbreaking and also full of self-discovery with a dash of steamy romantic potential.
If there's something Laurie excels at, is conveying emotion in such a raw way that I teared up several times. And romance. Complex, maddening, delirious romantic liaisons that are positively addictive.
The war has begun, and it's terrifying. Just when I thought I couldn't hate Marcus Vogel more than I did he got worse. Like 100 times worse. And Vyvian, that crazy bitch reached extra levels of wickedness.
Again, the parallels to some of the most chauvinistic ways of the Gardnerians with our world's bullshit ways are masterful. The way Gardnerians feel like they own the world, and want to set it on fire, and dominate other species because it says they are the superior beings in their little deranged book was eerily familiar.
There are also lots of action scenes. I looooooooooove me some actions scenes. And have I mentioned the kissing? There are lots of swoon-worthy scenes, too. I love how Laurie balances the horrors of a world divided and at war with very personal stories full of complex feelings and hard decisions.
Overall a sexy, action-packed, diverse adventure that makes one think about the injustices in our pseudo-modern prejudiced world while diving into a world ripe with magic, dragons, and powerful beings.
Things just got hotter and more dangerous than ever!
UPDATE
Took me a while, oops.
I had to do another re-read! Just so that I could dive into the awesomeness again.
So, I said I'd do spoilers, but I'll keep them to a minimum.
Things never go the way we want or imagine, and Elloren sure learns that. Hunted by the Vu Trin because she's too powerful and forced to go back to Gardneria to gather information and hide, she reunites with Lukas and learns of the death of someone precious to her. A lot happens in a short time and Elloren loses loved ones, and gains allies, sacrifices parts of herself, and also acquires new skills.
There are multiple POVs that widen the scope of the story. I enjoyed them a great deal. I'm usually not a fan. I'm usually mentally screaming "gimme my MC!!!" but Laurie knows how to trap you with new characters and also new ones that have interesting stories to tell. From a highly powerful mage who has his beliefs torn to pieces in front of him, to a brave, reckless young woman who would do anything for her small sibling, to a powerful fae, and Elloren's brother Trystan. I so love Trystan; his side of the story is heartbreaking and also full of self-discovery with a dash of steamy romantic potential.
If there's something Laurie excels at, is conveying emotion in such a raw way that I teared up several times. And romance. Complex, maddening, delirious romantic liaisons that are positively addictive.
The war has begun, and it's terrifying. Just when I thought I couldn't hate Marcus Vogel more than I did he got worse. Like 100 times worse. And Vyvian, that crazy bitch reached extra levels of wickedness.
Again, the parallels to some of the most chauvinistic ways of the Gardnerians with our world's bullshit ways are masterful. The way Gardnerians feel like they own the world, and want to set it on fire, and dominate other species because it says they are the superior beings in their little deranged book was eerily familiar.
There are also lots of action scenes. I looooooooooove me some actions scenes. And have I mentioned the kissing? There are lots of swoon-worthy scenes, too. I love how Laurie balances the horrors of a world divided and at war with very personal stories full of complex feelings and hard decisions.
Overall a sexy, action-packed, diverse adventure that makes one think about the injustices in our pseudo-modern prejudiced world while diving into a world ripe with magic, dragons, and powerful beings.
May 16, 2020
WHAT?! I mean, seriously what the hell Laurie Forest?? You are just gonna break me apart like that?? I am going to attempt to make this an actual review, but I don't know how successful that is going to be considering how raw I feel from this book.
This review will contain spoilers from the first two books, but any spoilers for this book will be behind the spoiler tag. And they will be MAJOR spoilers
This book starts off in a much different way from the first two books. With all our main characters split around the realm I was worried we would never know what was going on with those in the Eastern Realm, but of course Laurie Forest isn't that cruel. In the first several chapters we get many different points of view from some of our favorites and some new characters set in both realms. Sparrow is amazing and a badass and deserves all the good things in this world (namely Thierren, please). It made for a very different feel to this book than the others, but personally I really enjoyed it.
I love Yvan. He is such an amazing character and he and Elloren get to know each other before they fall for each other and I am here for it I really don't understand the push everyone had for her to be with Lukas. They don't know a freaking thing about each other and whenever they are together all the do is kiss. Which is cute, but I need some sort of freaking development to care about a character and to want them to end up together. Lukas and Elloren makes no sense to me. Lukas is just a bit bland in the first two books. That said, he really shines in here. So all you Lukas lovers are definitely going to be happy. He and Elloren are definitely the main characters of this book. It was great to finally learn a little bit about Lukas and his intentions too. I am sick of only knowing that he thinks Elloren in pretty and that they can't lie to each other. Oh and that he is a level five mage. That was seriously it.
I spent a pretty good portion of this book stressed the heck out because one way or another Elloren was in danger. And even though she finally has the power that I feel like I have been waiting for since book one to show up, she cannot control it. Basically, she is still kinda useless magically. But she is training and ready to fight and accepting the fact that things are not going to be easy. I am excited for her to finally believe in herself. Book four is going to fuck me up. I can tell already.
However, there were a few things that bothered me. Not horrible, clearly since I still gave it 5 stars, but just left me wanting more I think.
- Wynter. I adore her and we get some crazy, crazy information about her and the Alfsigr and then nothing. Nooo! What happened to her brother? Is she going to get the Zalyn'or off? When?
- Basically everything in the Eastern Realm. I really wanted more Trystan, more death fae, more Tierney, more of the resistance in general.
- Aislinn. Holy fuck. Poor Aislinn. I need a whole short story about what happened to her.
- Rafe, Dianna, and Jared. We literally get no freaking Lupines in this one. Unacceptable.
I know all of this couldn't have fit though. This was already a pretty long book. But, dang, now I have to wait at least a year and that hurts my heart.
I did received a digital ARC courtesy of Edelweiss and Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!
Pre-review:
I am so excited for this approval!!
That cover! And it finally has a release date!! So much screaming!!
This review will contain spoilers from the first two books, but any spoilers for this book will be behind the spoiler tag. And they will be MAJOR spoilers
This book starts off in a much different way from the first two books. With all our main characters split around the realm I was worried we would never know what was going on with those in the Eastern Realm, but of course Laurie Forest isn't that cruel. In the first several chapters we get many different points of view from some of our favorites and some new characters set in both realms. Sparrow is amazing and a badass and deserves all the good things in this world (namely Thierren, please). It made for a very different feel to this book than the others, but personally I really enjoyed it.
I love Yvan. He is such an amazing character and he and Elloren get to know each other before they fall for each other and I am here for it I really don't understand the push everyone had for her to be with Lukas. They don't know a freaking thing about each other and whenever they are together all the do is kiss. Which is cute, but I need some sort of freaking development to care about a character and to want them to end up together. Lukas and Elloren makes no sense to me. Lukas is just a bit bland in the first two books. That said, he really shines in here. So all you Lukas lovers are definitely going to be happy. He and Elloren are definitely the main characters of this book. It was great to finally learn a little bit about Lukas and his intentions too. I am sick of only knowing that he thinks Elloren in pretty and that they can't lie to each other. Oh and that he is a level five mage. That was seriously it.
I spent a pretty good portion of this book stressed the heck out because one way or another Elloren was in danger. And even though she finally has the power that I feel like I have been waiting for since book one to show up, she cannot control it. Basically, she is still kinda useless magically. But she is training and ready to fight and accepting the fact that things are not going to be easy. I am excited for her to finally believe in herself. Book four is going to fuck me up. I can tell already.
However, there were a few things that bothered me. Not horrible, clearly since I still gave it 5 stars, but just left me wanting more I think.
- Wynter. I adore her and we get some crazy, crazy information about her and the Alfsigr and then nothing. Nooo! What happened to her brother? Is she going to get the Zalyn'or off? When?
- Basically everything in the Eastern Realm. I really wanted more Trystan, more death fae, more Tierney, more of the resistance in general.
- Aislinn. Holy fuck. Poor Aislinn. I need a whole short story about what happened to her.
- Rafe, Dianna, and Jared. We literally get no freaking Lupines in this one. Unacceptable.
I know all of this couldn't have fit though. This was already a pretty long book. But, dang, now I have to wait at least a year and that hurts my heart.
I did received a digital ARC courtesy of Edelweiss and Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!
Pre-review:
I am so excited for this approval!!
That cover! And it finally has a release date!! So much screaming!!
June 5, 2021
Oh.... I just can’t right now.
Stuff later. Wow.
New favorites to add. This series. The next is definitely something to look forward to anxiously!!!
I'm SO glad I decided to read this instead of just listening to hearsay! This entire series is woven intricately and patiently together like a tapestry. That just made me think of a Mandela. Start on the beginning and follow that thread and untie the knots until you can see the cord as a straight line.
Main idea here is that isolating ourselves from one another religiously, culturally, ethnically; slap in a few more ole crusty words, does not make the world strong. It makes it, well, separated. It just breeds isolation, sadness, and contempt.
Work in progress
Stuff later. Wow.
New favorites to add. This series. The next is definitely something to look forward to anxiously!!!
I'm SO glad I decided to read this instead of just listening to hearsay! This entire series is woven intricately and patiently together like a tapestry. That just made me think of a Mandela. Start on the beginning and follow that thread and untie the knots until you can see the cord as a straight line.
Main idea here is that isolating ourselves from one another religiously, culturally, ethnically; slap in a few more ole crusty words, does not make the world strong. It makes it, well, separated. It just breeds isolation, sadness, and contempt.
Work in progress
April 28, 2022
WOW ESTA SAGA ES LO MÁS!!!
Sinceramente, de mis favoritas de fantasía. Lo tiene ABSOLUTAMENTE TODO.
Y este tercer libro casi me estalla la cabeza. Adoro a la protagonista y me siento muy como ella en determinados momentos. Es impaciente y un poco irresponsable, actúa por impulsos pero hay momentos que piensa las cosas.
Y ESE FINAL!!!!! Es que me lo esperaba sin duda pero uf uf uf no deja de sorprender.
Ni un párrafo de más, todo está bien ajustado a la trama, la autora sabe como mantenernos en vilo.
Sinceramente, de mis favoritas de fantasía. Lo tiene ABSOLUTAMENTE TODO.
Y este tercer libro casi me estalla la cabeza. Adoro a la protagonista y me siento muy como ella en determinados momentos. Es impaciente y un poco irresponsable, actúa por impulsos pero hay momentos que piensa las cosas.
Y ESE FINAL!!!!! Es que me lo esperaba sin duda pero uf uf uf no deja de sorprender.
Ni un párrafo de más, todo está bien ajustado a la trama, la autora sabe como mantenernos en vilo.
July 15, 2020
I loved this book. I really enjoyed the story, beautiful world building, and fantastic character development. it will be divisive when it comes to love triangle ships, but I love Lukas Grey and I am dying to find out what happens next.
The reason for 4 stars vs 5 - my only challenge with the book - it felt very much like a middle book that is setting things up for the next one with a lot of exciting events but little plot progression and painful cliffhanger ending where NOTHING was wrapped up. The two previous books both ended in a way that felt much more satisfying, at a good stopping point, while still driving excitement for the next installment. Here, I felt like there were a lot of new events and information, but nothing was truly accomplished or answered. There were several characters to whom we were introduced at the beginning with their own POV chapters, who embarked on a parallel journey to Elloren, but we never learned if they were successful. In fact, we never heard from them again after they went their separate ways.
I do wonder if this is due to the publisher/editor limiting page count or wanting to break this into more installments, because I actually feel like this was originally supposed to be a trilogy but now it's 5 books - I could be wrong but there seem to be other reviewers who were expecting a trilogy too. The e-book version of this installment is around 500 pages and I feel like this part of the story could have been condensed down a little then included a few more pieces to progress the plot and further the overall series arc. I felt it was well written, reasonably well paced, and the pages flew by, so the addition of 100-200 pages to have the rest of the story wouldn't have been an issue for me. Both of her previous books were longer than this one (around 550 pages for my e-book versions) and there are other YA novels out there running 600-700 pages so there is definitely precedent for going longer.
So that is my one true wish and disappointment with this wonderful novel - it was so good there wasn't enough of it!
I also wanted to comment on a couple of controversial elements of the story, but we're now moving into some spoiler territory, so don't read any further if you don't want to know what happens.
First off, Elloren's grief over Yvan (or lack therof). As you may have guessed from my opening paragraph, I am team Lukas, but even despite that fact, I disagree with many reviewers saying she didn't grieve enough over Yvan. For one thing, people grieve differently. For another, Elloren doesn't have the luxury of time to fall apart and mourn over her loss. Instead, I feel like she had a logical, military like perspective when it came to grieving. When you are at war, you don't have the time to break down. You have to keep moving and fighting, which is what she does. She doesn't just brush Yvan aside, she holds herself back from Lukas emotionally throughout this entire book, and feels guilty for the attraction she has to him. Furthermore, she and Lukas have had a consistent attraction to each other throughout the series so far. Even when she was falling in love with Yvan, she still felt drawn to Lukas, which was very unsettling to her and, in my opinion, was part of the reason she was so angry at him in The Iron Flower because he made her so conflicted. It's not unreasonable that deeper feelings for him would develop after learning he's not the man she thought he was and someone who she can trust beyond all others when she felt so alone.
Elloren's grief actually reminds me of Scarlett O'Hara to some extent - Scarlett's famous quote when she loses someone or something bad happens to her, "I won't think about it now, I'll think about it tomorrow when I can stand it," is a mantra of needing to push forward and not fall apart. Elloren chooses to survive (as even Yvan tells her) and does what she needs to do. I will admit that the way which she is forced to survive does feel a bit contrived to force the plot in a certain direction, but that's also a part of the reason why I feel this was a middle book designed to expand the series.
I will say though, It would have been interesting to see the Lukas relationship as a slow burn instead of being forced into bed together. We could have had the same story, because her feelings do slowly blossom for Lukas over the course of the book, just with the wild desire creating sexual tension that finally explodes into a passionate encounter and admission of feelings, rather than turning into multiple sexual encounters to provide some hot content. I probably would have enjoyed that more, since I'm a fan of the slow burn, but I still really enjoyed the story regardless so I take that for what it is - it's still fun!
I also did want to touch quickly on the intimate scenes because I've seen people commenting that it's not appropriate for teens and I disagree. I am firmly of the mind that YA novels should be appropriately YA. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas should be listed at New Adult or Romance, not YA, and I'm bothered by the fact that the publisher decided to list it as such to make more money. However, Forrest's writing is much more suitable for teen readers. I personally feel that this installment is more for a 15/16+ reader, but younger teens would still enjoy it. There is one scene that discretely and tastefully describes consensual sex between a fasted (married) couple (FMC + MMC), though they not in a loving relationship at the time. There other intimate/kissing scenes that are never described beyond the kissing fully clothed, but culminate in "taking" each other. Make of that what you will, but it's my 2 cents.
Finally....
*****MAJOR SPOILER BELOW - DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS*****
Seriously, Lukas CAN'T BE DEAD! Please don't let him be dead. Please don't let him just be a plot device to train Elloren, get her to Yvan in, add an extra installment of the book, and then dispose of him so as not to overcomplicate the love triangle. He deserves so much more than that. SO. MUCH. MORE. And I will be devastated if that's his end. I don't mind him dying if that's how it ultimately has to be (although I'd still be sad, don't get me wrong), but not this way, not as a plot device. Even Yoda got to make an appearance in another movie before he died. Lukas has been the most interesting character in this whole series up to this point (followed closely by Tierney and the Death Fae), far more so than Yvan, and I loved getting to know him better. It would be terrible if Forrest used him and then dumped him. I feel like she's a better writer than that - I want her to be a better writer than that! Do you think she would put me out of my misery if I asked her? 🤔
The reason for 4 stars vs 5 - my only challenge with the book - it felt very much like a middle book that is setting things up for the next one with a lot of exciting events but little plot progression and painful cliffhanger ending where NOTHING was wrapped up. The two previous books both ended in a way that felt much more satisfying, at a good stopping point, while still driving excitement for the next installment. Here, I felt like there were a lot of new events and information, but nothing was truly accomplished or answered. There were several characters to whom we were introduced at the beginning with their own POV chapters, who embarked on a parallel journey to Elloren, but we never learned if they were successful. In fact, we never heard from them again after they went their separate ways.
I do wonder if this is due to the publisher/editor limiting page count or wanting to break this into more installments, because I actually feel like this was originally supposed to be a trilogy but now it's 5 books - I could be wrong but there seem to be other reviewers who were expecting a trilogy too. The e-book version of this installment is around 500 pages and I feel like this part of the story could have been condensed down a little then included a few more pieces to progress the plot and further the overall series arc. I felt it was well written, reasonably well paced, and the pages flew by, so the addition of 100-200 pages to have the rest of the story wouldn't have been an issue for me. Both of her previous books were longer than this one (around 550 pages for my e-book versions) and there are other YA novels out there running 600-700 pages so there is definitely precedent for going longer.
So that is my one true wish and disappointment with this wonderful novel - it was so good there wasn't enough of it!
I also wanted to comment on a couple of controversial elements of the story, but we're now moving into some spoiler territory, so don't read any further if you don't want to know what happens.
First off, Elloren's grief over Yvan (or lack therof). As you may have guessed from my opening paragraph, I am team Lukas, but even despite that fact, I disagree with many reviewers saying she didn't grieve enough over Yvan. For one thing, people grieve differently. For another, Elloren doesn't have the luxury of time to fall apart and mourn over her loss. Instead, I feel like she had a logical, military like perspective when it came to grieving. When you are at war, you don't have the time to break down. You have to keep moving and fighting, which is what she does. She doesn't just brush Yvan aside, she holds herself back from Lukas emotionally throughout this entire book, and feels guilty for the attraction she has to him. Furthermore, she and Lukas have had a consistent attraction to each other throughout the series so far. Even when she was falling in love with Yvan, she still felt drawn to Lukas, which was very unsettling to her and, in my opinion, was part of the reason she was so angry at him in The Iron Flower because he made her so conflicted. It's not unreasonable that deeper feelings for him would develop after learning he's not the man she thought he was and someone who she can trust beyond all others when she felt so alone.
Elloren's grief actually reminds me of Scarlett O'Hara to some extent - Scarlett's famous quote when she loses someone or something bad happens to her, "I won't think about it now, I'll think about it tomorrow when I can stand it," is a mantra of needing to push forward and not fall apart. Elloren chooses to survive (as even Yvan tells her) and does what she needs to do. I will admit that the way which she is forced to survive does feel a bit contrived to force the plot in a certain direction, but that's also a part of the reason why I feel this was a middle book designed to expand the series.
I will say though, It would have been interesting to see the Lukas relationship as a slow burn instead of being forced into bed together. We could have had the same story, because her feelings do slowly blossom for Lukas over the course of the book, just with the wild desire creating sexual tension that finally explodes into a passionate encounter and admission of feelings, rather than turning into multiple sexual encounters to provide some hot content. I probably would have enjoyed that more, since I'm a fan of the slow burn, but I still really enjoyed the story regardless so I take that for what it is - it's still fun!
I also did want to touch quickly on the intimate scenes because I've seen people commenting that it's not appropriate for teens and I disagree. I am firmly of the mind that YA novels should be appropriately YA. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas should be listed at New Adult or Romance, not YA, and I'm bothered by the fact that the publisher decided to list it as such to make more money. However, Forrest's writing is much more suitable for teen readers. I personally feel that this installment is more for a 15/16+ reader, but younger teens would still enjoy it. There is one scene that discretely and tastefully describes consensual sex between a fasted (married) couple (FMC + MMC), though they not in a loving relationship at the time. There other intimate/kissing scenes that are never described beyond the kissing fully clothed, but culminate in "taking" each other. Make of that what you will, but it's my 2 cents.
Finally....
*****MAJOR SPOILER BELOW - DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS*****
Seriously, Lukas CAN'T BE DEAD! Please don't let him be dead. Please don't let him just be a plot device to train Elloren, get her to Yvan in, add an extra installment of the book, and then dispose of him so as not to overcomplicate the love triangle. He deserves so much more than that. SO. MUCH. MORE. And I will be devastated if that's his end. I don't mind him dying if that's how it ultimately has to be (although I'd still be sad, don't get me wrong), but not this way, not as a plot device. Even Yoda got to make an appearance in another movie before he died. Lukas has been the most interesting character in this whole series up to this point (followed closely by Tierney and the Death Fae), far more so than Yvan, and I loved getting to know him better. It would be terrible if Forrest used him and then dumped him. I feel like she's a better writer than that - I want her to be a better writer than that! Do you think she would put me out of my misery if I asked her? 🤔
January 4, 2021
“Sometimes the truth requires strong words. And even stronger actions.”
Elloren Gardner is the Black Witch of the prophecy with magic surpassing that of her grandmother, making her a target from all fronts, and leaving her with no choice but to turn to her fastmate Lukas Grey for assistance. One of the things I truly admired about the previous books in this series, was the rich, magical world Laurie Forest had created with all its prejudices and stigma surrounding characters of different races and species which really challenged the reader to reflect on these injustices both in the world of Gardneria and our own. We got to follow Elloren’s journey as she came to sympathise with those she had been taught to hate and fear. And it was only at the conclusion of the second book that we learnt of Elloren’s true power and identity as the Black Witch.
So naturally, I went into this book with high expectations, eager to see Elloren discard her fearful, overly-dependent nature and actually learn to fight for herself. I was looking forward to seeing her use her magic (after all this is a fantasy series) and I was also hoping we’d see the Gardnerians and those from other species put aside their differences and prejudices and unite to take down Vogel. Perhaps my expectations were too high, since I didn’t get any of those things. Or perhaps the author is saving that up for future books in the series. Instead, there was a nonsensical plot which revolved around a one-sided love triangle, love interests “dying,” and Elloren continuing to be whiny and useless at fighting for herself. This was such a disappointment, and reading this only made my opinion on the series significantly worsen.
“The future belongs to those who can move past their preconceived, rigid lines.”
The plot was hyped up at the conclusion of book two when the Vu Trin took in Elloren to train her to use her powers. But all that really happened was some of the sorcerers realised the extent of Elloren’s powers and hired assassins to chase after her. So they make a new plan to send her back to Lukas and the Gardnerians so he could offer her protection. What a smart decision, send her back into the hands of her enemies who want to use her powers for their own purposes which is what basically happened. Why even bother with the plan when the Vu Trin could have easily taken her to another hidden place, which was what ended up happening when Elloren and Lukas were forced to flee? Why not try glamouring her if they were going to send her away? Why not send her to the Amaz or another group allied with Elloren? Well, sadly the answer is that all of this drama allowed for romance buildup between Lukas and Elloren. *sighs*
”A heart is a thing not so easily destroyed by the shadows.”
This was one of the worst love triangle stories I have ever read, especially with the inclusion of character “deaths.” Yvan’s “death” at the beginning was so implausible. The Gardnerians never uncovered his body, and his death wasn’t even properly verified. And what was annoying was seeing how quickly Elloren moved on from him to Lukas. It felt so forced, and their attraction seems to stem from their matching affinity lines. It didn’t even feel like true love. At least Elloren and Yvan’s relationship had better build up, and was a decent slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance. There wasn’t even much development in Lukas and Elloren’s relationship, and the fact that they were sleeping with each other and declaring their love for each other so quickly, after Elloren just accepted Yvan’s death just made me so mad. The romance seemed to take up more of the plot than the fantasy itself in this book.
And do you really expect me to believe that Lukas is truly dead now? After the reveal that Yvan survived, there’s no way I’m actually going to believe Lukas died. What I would hate to find is the next book being a repeat of this scenario but with Elloren clinging to Yvan believing that Lukas is dead. And seriously, why would Vogel kill off one of his best soldiers when he can easily manipulate Lukas and force him onto his side, or use him as bait against Elloren? It seems highly likely that Vogel will just use Lukas against Elloren, while she struggles with her feelings for Yvan and Lukas. Or maybe one of them will sacrifice themselves for Elloren and hopefully die properly not like the way they both had to “die” in this book.
“A wand is like an instrument...and the magic is in the music.”
Elloren’s character annoyed me so much in this book. She has powers. She is the Black Witch. She is pretty much the most powerful person alive. Yet she constantly cowers in the face of danger, and is overly-dependent on others (namely Lukas) to save her. And she is also too afraid to use her powers. She is the world’s only hope in defeating a tyrannical ruler who has no qualms in massacring entire races and species, and yet she’s too scared that her magic might harm others. She obviously needs to work out her priorities, and understand that this is a WAR, and people are going to die either way regardless of whether or not she uses her powers, but by joining the fight she’ll be helping SAVE her world from Vogel. It was incredibly irritating reading about her whining and even breaking down and crying multiple times throughout the book. You would think that by the third book in this series, she would have grown much more stronger, but that clearly did not happen.
“When fate locks a door, sometimes it’s the most unlikely key on the ring that reopens the lock.”
While most of the narration was unfortunately centred on Elloren, we also got to view brief snippets of the lives of some of the other side characters. I would have liked to read more about them, rather than about Elloren’s dramas. These are characters that are actually willing to fight no matter the cost even if it puts them in danger, unlike Elloren who cowers at every threat and leaves it to other people like Lukas to fight for her. I loved Tierney’s chapters and reading about her struggles to be accepted and encourage others to put aside their differences to fight together. And I could definetely sense a potential m/m enemies-to-lovers romance between Trystan and Vothe which I would have liked to read more about, rather than the romance we got between Elloren and Lukas.
Another thing that didn’t make sense was those stupid trees suppressing Elloren’s powers and preventing her from casting magic. Since the reasoning behind that was to prevent her unleashing dangerous power, why not suppress Vogel’s powers as well? Elloren hardly used her powers, while he created his own demonic army, massacred multiple species, and is now after Elloren to bind her to his side. If anyone deserves to lose their magic it’s obviously Vogel, not Elloren who is literally Gardneria’s only hope against him. And I find it hard to believe that the trees are powerless against him and not against Elloren when she is stronger than her grandmother who was literally a powerhouse.
This book was such a disappointment and I don’t even know if I want to continue the series anymore. It’s hard to believe that this was actually written by the same author who wrote The Black Witch and The Iron Flower, and if anything this just felt like filler for the next two books. I guess I’ll wait and see what other reviewers have to say about the next books before deciding whether or not I should read them.
2/5 stars
Elloren Gardner is the Black Witch of the prophecy with magic surpassing that of her grandmother, making her a target from all fronts, and leaving her with no choice but to turn to her fastmate Lukas Grey for assistance. One of the things I truly admired about the previous books in this series, was the rich, magical world Laurie Forest had created with all its prejudices and stigma surrounding characters of different races and species which really challenged the reader to reflect on these injustices both in the world of Gardneria and our own. We got to follow Elloren’s journey as she came to sympathise with those she had been taught to hate and fear. And it was only at the conclusion of the second book that we learnt of Elloren’s true power and identity as the Black Witch.
So naturally, I went into this book with high expectations, eager to see Elloren discard her fearful, overly-dependent nature and actually learn to fight for herself. I was looking forward to seeing her use her magic (after all this is a fantasy series) and I was also hoping we’d see the Gardnerians and those from other species put aside their differences and prejudices and unite to take down Vogel. Perhaps my expectations were too high, since I didn’t get any of those things. Or perhaps the author is saving that up for future books in the series. Instead, there was a nonsensical plot which revolved around a one-sided love triangle, love interests “dying,” and Elloren continuing to be whiny and useless at fighting for herself. This was such a disappointment, and reading this only made my opinion on the series significantly worsen.
“The future belongs to those who can move past their preconceived, rigid lines.”
The plot was hyped up at the conclusion of book two when the Vu Trin took in Elloren to train her to use her powers. But all that really happened was some of the sorcerers realised the extent of Elloren’s powers and hired assassins to chase after her. So they make a new plan to send her back to Lukas and the Gardnerians so he could offer her protection. What a smart decision, send her back into the hands of her enemies who want to use her powers for their own purposes which is what basically happened. Why even bother with the plan when the Vu Trin could have easily taken her to another hidden place, which was what ended up happening when Elloren and Lukas were forced to flee? Why not try glamouring her if they were going to send her away? Why not send her to the Amaz or another group allied with Elloren? Well, sadly the answer is that all of this drama allowed for romance buildup between Lukas and Elloren. *sighs*
”A heart is a thing not so easily destroyed by the shadows.”
This was one of the worst love triangle stories I have ever read, especially with the inclusion of character “deaths.” Yvan’s “death” at the beginning was so implausible. The Gardnerians never uncovered his body, and his death wasn’t even properly verified. And what was annoying was seeing how quickly Elloren moved on from him to Lukas. It felt so forced, and their attraction seems to stem from their matching affinity lines. It didn’t even feel like true love. At least Elloren and Yvan’s relationship had better build up, and was a decent slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance. There wasn’t even much development in Lukas and Elloren’s relationship, and the fact that they were sleeping with each other and declaring their love for each other so quickly, after Elloren just accepted Yvan’s death just made me so mad. The romance seemed to take up more of the plot than the fantasy itself in this book.
And do you really expect me to believe that Lukas is truly dead now? After the reveal that Yvan survived, there’s no way I’m actually going to believe Lukas died. What I would hate to find is the next book being a repeat of this scenario but with Elloren clinging to Yvan believing that Lukas is dead. And seriously, why would Vogel kill off one of his best soldiers when he can easily manipulate Lukas and force him onto his side, or use him as bait against Elloren? It seems highly likely that Vogel will just use Lukas against Elloren, while she struggles with her feelings for Yvan and Lukas. Or maybe one of them will sacrifice themselves for Elloren and hopefully die properly not like the way they both had to “die” in this book.
“A wand is like an instrument...and the magic is in the music.”
Elloren’s character annoyed me so much in this book. She has powers. She is the Black Witch. She is pretty much the most powerful person alive. Yet she constantly cowers in the face of danger, and is overly-dependent on others (namely Lukas) to save her. And she is also too afraid to use her powers. She is the world’s only hope in defeating a tyrannical ruler who has no qualms in massacring entire races and species, and yet she’s too scared that her magic might harm others. She obviously needs to work out her priorities, and understand that this is a WAR, and people are going to die either way regardless of whether or not she uses her powers, but by joining the fight she’ll be helping SAVE her world from Vogel. It was incredibly irritating reading about her whining and even breaking down and crying multiple times throughout the book. You would think that by the third book in this series, she would have grown much more stronger, but that clearly did not happen.
“When fate locks a door, sometimes it’s the most unlikely key on the ring that reopens the lock.”
While most of the narration was unfortunately centred on Elloren, we also got to view brief snippets of the lives of some of the other side characters. I would have liked to read more about them, rather than about Elloren’s dramas. These are characters that are actually willing to fight no matter the cost even if it puts them in danger, unlike Elloren who cowers at every threat and leaves it to other people like Lukas to fight for her. I loved Tierney’s chapters and reading about her struggles to be accepted and encourage others to put aside their differences to fight together. And I could definetely sense a potential m/m enemies-to-lovers romance between Trystan and Vothe which I would have liked to read more about, rather than the romance we got between Elloren and Lukas.
Another thing that didn’t make sense was those stupid trees suppressing Elloren’s powers and preventing her from casting magic. Since the reasoning behind that was to prevent her unleashing dangerous power, why not suppress Vogel’s powers as well? Elloren hardly used her powers, while he created his own demonic army, massacred multiple species, and is now after Elloren to bind her to his side. If anyone deserves to lose their magic it’s obviously Vogel, not Elloren who is literally Gardneria’s only hope against him. And I find it hard to believe that the trees are powerless against him and not against Elloren when she is stronger than her grandmother who was literally a powerhouse.
This book was such a disappointment and I don’t even know if I want to continue the series anymore. It’s hard to believe that this was actually written by the same author who wrote The Black Witch and The Iron Flower, and if anything this just felt like filler for the next two books. I guess I’ll wait and see what other reviewers have to say about the next books before deciding whether or not I should read them.
2/5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2020
Actual rating: 2,5 stars
Wow okay so much for the anticipation I had for this book it was super disappointing.
What I want: a book that focus on Elloren's training and more Yvan.
What I get: a book about Elloren and Lukas.
I didn't sign up for this okay ugh. I guess we have to wait for book 4 for that even though we could have that for book 3.
This book mostly about Elloren on the run from both the Gardnerian and Vu Trin and Elloren being useless and afraid for entire book. It was exhausting to read about it I have to admit. The only interesting thing about this book is other people perspectives and I want the author to invest more in them and not Elloren (at least in this book because of drama).
One more thing I don't like about this book is the romance. It was blizzard. The author kinda Again the whole relationship thing in this book was a mess. I guess the author was just doing a fan service for Lukas and Elloren shippers but I really not okay with this.
Wow okay so much for the anticipation I had for this book it was super disappointing.
What I want: a book that focus on Elloren's training and more Yvan.
What I get: a book about Elloren and Lukas.
I didn't sign up for this okay ugh. I guess we have to wait for book 4 for that even though we could have that for book 3.
This book mostly about Elloren on the run from both the Gardnerian and Vu Trin and Elloren being useless and afraid for entire book. It was exhausting to read about it I have to admit. The only interesting thing about this book is other people perspectives and I want the author to invest more in them and not Elloren (at least in this book because of drama).
One more thing I don't like about this book is the romance. It was blizzard. The author kinda Again the whole relationship thing in this book was a mess. I guess the author was just doing a fan service for Lukas and Elloren shippers but I really not okay with this.
June 16, 2020
How to do this without spoiling anything...🤔
Ok. How about this?
My mind is absolutely scrambled right now in the best of ways. I cant stop thinking about this book. I cant stop going back to re-read certain passages. I cant stop falling in love with the characters over and over and over again. I cant stop REELING over the twists and turns and emotions and cliff-hangers and I cant stop thanking the powers that be for making me an avid book reader and bringing this series into my life.
You know how people are always saying “I want to read a book thats like A Court of Thorns and Roses,” and youre always like “oh heres some sexy fae stories for you,” but it never really does the job because the sexy fae stories are great but thats not REALLY why you love that series? So you search and search and troll reddit and facebook groups and your fellow book-lovers trying to find something that gives you those feels and those heart palpaltations and keeps you up way into the nights chasing a high you renew with every turn of the page?
Well, this is that book, friends. This series, is like ACOTAR but x100. I dont want to compare it directly because theyre very different series (minus being YA fantasy veering into NA) but thats not what I’m trying to do here. I’m just saying that the last time I was this hung over from a book was reading Sarah J Maas’ books. So... Yeah. Its that good. Every time I sat down to read these books I would start to get anxious. Nervous that it was going to be over too soon. Sad because I didnt want to leave the pages in front of me. I’d get irritated when my husband would talk to me, annoyed when my bladder demanded I empty it and my would grind my teeth when my lack of athletic ability dictated that I put the book down lest I run into a wall or a piece of furniture, blind myself and never be able to read another sentence written by Laurie Forest again. I’d fume when my job insisted I actually take calls instead of loosing myself in a story so amazing and so beautiful and so heart-stopping that I briefly debated quitting just so I could throw myself into it full-time. I nixed that idea because without money I cant buy more books. Or bookish candles. Or anything on the market even kind of related to The Black Witch so I can display it proudly in my living room because I’m probably a little bit overly obsessed with this series.
Was there sexy time? Yes. Was it swoon-worthy? Absolutely. But the STORY YA’LL. The message... (which is so apropos for rn). The mystery and the friendship and the side-characters and the EVERYTHING. That is what makes this book just as good if not better than any other fantasy book on the market.
Yup. I’m saying it. Move over every other female fantasy book lead- theres a new witch in town (or Erthia. Whatever). Elloren Gardner is LIFE. She is amazing and kind and watching her grow over these last three books has been some of the best character development Ive ever read. Second only to Jaime Lannister in A Song of Ice and Fire. Seriously. I felt for her and loved with her and cried with her. I feel like I *know* her, guys.
The love interests? Freaking phenomenal. Ive never been torn between two people more in my life. Just when I think I’m #TeamYvan theres a curveball and I’m #TeamLukas. Then I’m #TeamYvan. Then #TeamLukas. Then Yvan. Then Lukas. My own heart doesn’t even know what it wants so I do NOT pity Elloren. Theres just NO GOOD DECISION TO BE MADE HERE YA’LL. I love them both so much it hurts my freaking body.
Can we talk about the side-characters real quick? Wynter. Ariel. Rafe. Trystan (OH TRYSTAN you sweet thing I just want you to be happy). Aislinn. Cael. Rhys. Diana. Jarod. Tierny. Valasca. Kam Vin. Chi Nam. And a freaking slew of others (and new ones!) THEY’RE ALL WONDERFUL. I’m so freaking invested in all of them and its killing me not knowing whats going to happen to all these people I love so much. I LOVED the different POV’s in this new book and am so happy we got to keep up and catch up with some of our other fave characters. #LONGLIVETHERESISTANCE
I also want to point out that the world building is second to none. Its intense. Its wonderful. The races and sects and religions.. the amount of information in these books that manage to NOT be overwhelming but still process an air of importance and mystery. Its insane. I dont know how she does it. I somehow have this intense knowledge of all these races and religions and have managed to keep it all clear in my head and understand all of it despite so much of it being so different. It’s perfectly intertwined with the way the characters live and react and love. Its done so beautifully and so masterfully that I am just so in awe of Laurie’s writing and how she’s pulled this amount of world-building off in these books.
Along with the world building, the magic system is easily the most intricate and interesting magic system I’ve *ever* read. No contest. Again, Laurie is able to tell this story and explain the magic system (systemS? Because ok there’s DEF more than one. Theres actually a bunch. And its as awesome as you think it is) without info-dumping all over the readers. She’s able to intricately twine the explanations and information into the story in such a way that you dont even realize you’re being taught what’s going on until you close book 3 and realize you totally know all about cross-magic rune sorcery being amplified by natural affinity lines. Thats right. Test me. Thats legit hard to do, guys. Its hard to explain not 1, not 2 but MULTIPLE magic systems dictated not only by the users race, but their history and religion and social beliefs as well. Not without info-dumping. BUT SHE NEVER INFO DUMPS. Thats part of what makes this story so amazing. You always always feel like youre right there in the middle of everything and there’s never even a moment where you think “hang on this doesnt make sense..” or “when did they talk about that?” Or “god thats a lot of information. Wut.”
Theres never a dull moment in these books. Never. Its not non-stop action but when theres isnt any “action,” theres so much story and mystery and emotion. I dont think theres a line IN these books that made me ever feel like things were slowing down or that it was getting tedious. Every moment of every page was interesting and immersive.
And villains? HOLY CRIPES VOGEL IS OFF HIS ROCKER. I hate him with the fury of 1,000 blazing suns and I can not WAIT to see them stick it to him (gods.. hopefully) in the next two books. He legit turns my stomach and its been a long time since Ive read such an interestingly despicable character in a book series. I LOVE to hate him.
And if all of this wasnt enough- the author is probably the kindest, nicest sweetest person in the world. I cant tell you how many times Ive tweeted to her (not expecting her to answer bc common- shes writing a freaking masterpiece AND working and has a family and the world also doesnt revolve around me) and she STILL engages with all her fans. It might be a like on Twitter or a comment on facebook but shes there and shes listening and shes wonderful. Freaking wonderful. Just an absolute delight and everything that makes reading and books and fantasy fun for me.. fun for all of us as readers. Laurie genuinely LOVES this fandom and this story and its so incredibly nice to see an author who takes such genuine interest in her fans. So theres that, too.
I dont understand how this series doesnt get talked about all the freaking time. I dont understand how theres not a larger cult-following. Its so freaking good. It sparks this emotion in me that makes me remember why I *love* reading. Everyone should go read it right now. Lock yourselves away. Call out of work. Grab Kleenex. Go nuts. Because this is easily the best book series I’ve read in YEARS.
(Also yes I’m a super fan-girl now. Complain to the Ancient One if you have a problem with that 🤷🏻♀️😂)
Ok. How about this?
My mind is absolutely scrambled right now in the best of ways. I cant stop thinking about this book. I cant stop going back to re-read certain passages. I cant stop falling in love with the characters over and over and over again. I cant stop REELING over the twists and turns and emotions and cliff-hangers and I cant stop thanking the powers that be for making me an avid book reader and bringing this series into my life.
You know how people are always saying “I want to read a book thats like A Court of Thorns and Roses,” and youre always like “oh heres some sexy fae stories for you,” but it never really does the job because the sexy fae stories are great but thats not REALLY why you love that series? So you search and search and troll reddit and facebook groups and your fellow book-lovers trying to find something that gives you those feels and those heart palpaltations and keeps you up way into the nights chasing a high you renew with every turn of the page?
Well, this is that book, friends. This series, is like ACOTAR but x100. I dont want to compare it directly because theyre very different series (minus being YA fantasy veering into NA) but thats not what I’m trying to do here. I’m just saying that the last time I was this hung over from a book was reading Sarah J Maas’ books. So... Yeah. Its that good. Every time I sat down to read these books I would start to get anxious. Nervous that it was going to be over too soon. Sad because I didnt want to leave the pages in front of me. I’d get irritated when my husband would talk to me, annoyed when my bladder demanded I empty it and my would grind my teeth when my lack of athletic ability dictated that I put the book down lest I run into a wall or a piece of furniture, blind myself and never be able to read another sentence written by Laurie Forest again. I’d fume when my job insisted I actually take calls instead of loosing myself in a story so amazing and so beautiful and so heart-stopping that I briefly debated quitting just so I could throw myself into it full-time. I nixed that idea because without money I cant buy more books. Or bookish candles. Or anything on the market even kind of related to The Black Witch so I can display it proudly in my living room because I’m probably a little bit overly obsessed with this series.
Was there sexy time? Yes. Was it swoon-worthy? Absolutely. But the STORY YA’LL. The message... (which is so apropos for rn). The mystery and the friendship and the side-characters and the EVERYTHING. That is what makes this book just as good if not better than any other fantasy book on the market.
Yup. I’m saying it. Move over every other female fantasy book lead- theres a new witch in town (or Erthia. Whatever). Elloren Gardner is LIFE. She is amazing and kind and watching her grow over these last three books has been some of the best character development Ive ever read. Second only to Jaime Lannister in A Song of Ice and Fire. Seriously. I felt for her and loved with her and cried with her. I feel like I *know* her, guys.
The love interests? Freaking phenomenal. Ive never been torn between two people more in my life. Just when I think I’m #TeamYvan theres a curveball and I’m #TeamLukas. Then I’m #TeamYvan. Then #TeamLukas. Then Yvan. Then Lukas. My own heart doesn’t even know what it wants so I do NOT pity Elloren. Theres just NO GOOD DECISION TO BE MADE HERE YA’LL. I love them both so much it hurts my freaking body.
Can we talk about the side-characters real quick? Wynter. Ariel. Rafe. Trystan (OH TRYSTAN you sweet thing I just want you to be happy). Aislinn. Cael. Rhys. Diana. Jarod. Tierny. Valasca. Kam Vin. Chi Nam. And a freaking slew of others (and new ones!) THEY’RE ALL WONDERFUL. I’m so freaking invested in all of them and its killing me not knowing whats going to happen to all these people I love so much. I LOVED the different POV’s in this new book and am so happy we got to keep up and catch up with some of our other fave characters. #LONGLIVETHERESISTANCE
I also want to point out that the world building is second to none. Its intense. Its wonderful. The races and sects and religions.. the amount of information in these books that manage to NOT be overwhelming but still process an air of importance and mystery. Its insane. I dont know how she does it. I somehow have this intense knowledge of all these races and religions and have managed to keep it all clear in my head and understand all of it despite so much of it being so different. It’s perfectly intertwined with the way the characters live and react and love. Its done so beautifully and so masterfully that I am just so in awe of Laurie’s writing and how she’s pulled this amount of world-building off in these books.
Along with the world building, the magic system is easily the most intricate and interesting magic system I’ve *ever* read. No contest. Again, Laurie is able to tell this story and explain the magic system (systemS? Because ok there’s DEF more than one. Theres actually a bunch. And its as awesome as you think it is) without info-dumping all over the readers. She’s able to intricately twine the explanations and information into the story in such a way that you dont even realize you’re being taught what’s going on until you close book 3 and realize you totally know all about cross-magic rune sorcery being amplified by natural affinity lines. Thats right. Test me. Thats legit hard to do, guys. Its hard to explain not 1, not 2 but MULTIPLE magic systems dictated not only by the users race, but their history and religion and social beliefs as well. Not without info-dumping. BUT SHE NEVER INFO DUMPS. Thats part of what makes this story so amazing. You always always feel like youre right there in the middle of everything and there’s never even a moment where you think “hang on this doesnt make sense..” or “when did they talk about that?” Or “god thats a lot of information. Wut.”
Theres never a dull moment in these books. Never. Its not non-stop action but when theres isnt any “action,” theres so much story and mystery and emotion. I dont think theres a line IN these books that made me ever feel like things were slowing down or that it was getting tedious. Every moment of every page was interesting and immersive.
And villains? HOLY CRIPES VOGEL IS OFF HIS ROCKER. I hate him with the fury of 1,000 blazing suns and I can not WAIT to see them stick it to him (gods.. hopefully) in the next two books. He legit turns my stomach and its been a long time since Ive read such an interestingly despicable character in a book series. I LOVE to hate him.
And if all of this wasnt enough- the author is probably the kindest, nicest sweetest person in the world. I cant tell you how many times Ive tweeted to her (not expecting her to answer bc common- shes writing a freaking masterpiece AND working and has a family and the world also doesnt revolve around me) and she STILL engages with all her fans. It might be a like on Twitter or a comment on facebook but shes there and shes listening and shes wonderful. Freaking wonderful. Just an absolute delight and everything that makes reading and books and fantasy fun for me.. fun for all of us as readers. Laurie genuinely LOVES this fandom and this story and its so incredibly nice to see an author who takes such genuine interest in her fans. So theres that, too.
I dont understand how this series doesnt get talked about all the freaking time. I dont understand how theres not a larger cult-following. Its so freaking good. It sparks this emotion in me that makes me remember why I *love* reading. Everyone should go read it right now. Lock yourselves away. Call out of work. Grab Kleenex. Go nuts. Because this is easily the best book series I’ve read in YEARS.
(Also yes I’m a super fan-girl now. Complain to the Ancient One if you have a problem with that 🤷🏻♀️😂)
March 30, 2020
ARC provided by Edelweiss:
So much anxiety with this one. I had to take breaks just to give my heart a rest. This book definitely turns the tide for this story. We really see Elloren embrace more of who she is and what she can do. She’s always been a weak character to me but that changes in this book. Lukas has my heart. You will understand when you read this one. There’s a lot I want to say but can’t without spoilers. Just know sh*t’s about to get real.
Content Warnings: sexual content (like what you would read in an adult romance), mention of rape, violence, genocide, racism. This has a lot of mature content and I would advice for older young adults.
So much anxiety with this one. I had to take breaks just to give my heart a rest. This book definitely turns the tide for this story. We really see Elloren embrace more of who she is and what she can do. She’s always been a weak character to me but that changes in this book. Lukas has my heart. You will understand when you read this one. There’s a lot I want to say but can’t without spoilers. Just know sh*t’s about to get real.
Content Warnings: sexual content (like what you would read in an adult romance), mention of rape, violence, genocide, racism. This has a lot of mature content and I would advice for older young adults.
July 20, 2020
This book was everything it should have been and more. I’ll try to write a coherent review once I’m not as distraught over that ending (which I refuse to believe 😭). For now, suffice to say that I can’t recommend this series enough, it’s brilliant, well-written and full of characters you can’t help but sympathise with ❤️
February 20, 2024
2,5/5⭐
Este es un libro que forma parte de la saga "Las crónicas de La Bruja Negra" como el tercer libro y, sinceramente, ha sido el más flojo para mí en varios puntos. Me ha encantado la trama en muchas cosas, en especial todo aquello que englobaba la política, las dificultades de los personajes y todos los plot twist que te va dejando. Pero el romance ha sido, sencillamente, un despropósito para mí en todos y cada uno de los sentidos.
La trama ha sido algo más floja que el segundo libro y también se ha centrado bastante en el dramón del triángulo amoroso que hay desde el primer libro, pero que aquí se ha intensificado. No entiendo la necesidad de ello, porque de verdad no creo que haya amor por una de las dos partes, solo atracción física. Fuera de eso, toda la política y lo estructurado que está el mundo de esta saga me tiene encantadísima y es lo mejor de la historia con muchísima diferencia. Además que hay mensajes en cada capítulo bastante potentes que toman mucha fuerza en cada libro.
Los personajes me han sorprendido mucho, aunque algunos me han exasperado más de lo que me esperaba. Creo sinceramente que hay cosas que me sobraban mucho, sobre todo en lo referente a Lukas y Elloren, en serio, no había esa necesidad para nada. Creo que si la autora sabe manejar bien todo esto, la cosa puede mejorar un poco, pero me he exasperado bastante con la protagonista en este libro. Los demás personajes me tienen intrigadísima y me ha gustado mucho tener varios puntos de vista aparte del de Elloren, porque ha hecho más dinámica la lectura.
La pluma de la autora me ha gustado mucho y por esa parte siento que sigue mejorando libro a libro, tomando cada vez más peso a ahondar en los personajes y todo lo que van viviendo dentro de la propia historia. Me tiene con mucha intriga ver a dónde van a llegar todos ellos y las emociones que son capaces de transmitirte en tan pocas páginas, como la angustia y el pesar de no saber lo que te espera.
Ahora os hablaré un poco de los personajes principales.
Por un lado tenemos a Elloren, nuestra protagonista femenina. Ella es una chica que después de descubrir que es la Bruja Negra y una de las caras de la profecía junto al hombre que ama, tiene que encontrar la forma de protegerse a sí misma para luchar contra el mal que asola el mundo. Su única opción es ir en busca de la última persona a la que creyó pedir ayuda alguna vez, Lukas Grey, del que no sabe qué creer. Sin tener claro si su futuro aliado está de su lado o no, Elloren tendrá que reunir todas las fuerzas suficientes para afrontar la guerra que se avecina, una donde solo un bando saldrá vencedor. Y es que cuando el mundo te separa de todo aquello que amas, no sabes qué creer ni a qué aferrarte, y lo único que ella sabe es que tiene que ser fuerte para lo que le espera. Especialmente cuando todo aquello que creía saber se pone en su contra. Todos son sus enemigos, todos la odian como nada en el mundo, pues es considerada el mismo monstruo que fue su abuela y el único que parece sostenerla un poco es el mismo hombre que creyó que jamás sería de fiar. ¿Realmente puede confiar en Lukas Grey o es todo una estratagema para engañarla y atraparla a cualquier costo?
Elloren es un personaje que desde el primer libro me gustó por su fortaleza, por la manera en que enfrenta las cosas y como no se rinde ante nada aunque esté aterrorizada muchas veces. Pero en este libro no sé qué clase de personaje me he encontrado, pero no es la protagonista que yo empezaba a admirar en muchos sentidos. Ya no solo es que se vuelve una cobarde dependiente en unos aspectos abusivos, sino que encima sus emociones pierden completamente el sentido común. Yo lo siento, pero nadie en su vida cree perder a alguien que ama y ya se abalanza a los brazos de otro como si nada. Sí, vale, puedes intentar olvidarlo y recurres a ello para no pensar, pero ya no solo es que eso me parezca rastrero porque es jugar con las emociones de otra persona, sino que encima no se ha guardado ni cinco minutos de luto. En un tiempo casi escaso ha pasado de profesarle el amor a una persona a dárselo a otro y eso me ha dado una rabia tremenda y que me sintiera muy incómoda en todo este libro. Además, otro punto a resaltar es que dejando a un lado cuál de los dos chicos es mi favorito (que es bastante obvio), yo no veo química en el romance que tiene ella en este libro. Como mucho veo la atracción física, porque sí, la tienen desde el primer libro, pero ya está. No hay transfondo de nada entre ellos como si la tiene con el otro. No sabes nada de Lukas, ni un pedacito, pero ya parece que se van a casar mañana con la intensidad de la situación. Para mí en este libro Elloren ha pegado un bajón grande y ha conseguido que el romance que yo adoraba que ella tenía y que atesoraba, se me apagase por completo por la sensación tan desagradable que me ha despertado ella y el otro con este libro. No tiene nada de lógica y lo siento para el que crea que sí, es mi opinión.
Aparte de ella, tendremos a varios personajes importantes que la acompañarán en su aventura y que serán vitales para su futuro en la universidad de magia.
Yvan es el personaje que amo por excelencia de esta saga y, a la vez, es el que menos protagonismo ha tenido de todos. Literal, ha salido en una escena y ya ha sido un milagro por completo. Lo único que pido es que la autora no me haga lo que yo me temo que puede hacer y, por favor, que respete a este personaje que ya tiene todo lo que hay que tener sin necesidad de meterle un drama excesivo al resto de situaciones.
Lukas es para mí un personaje que no me transmite nada. Sé que más de un fan de este chico me va a saltar a la yugular por ello, pero es que no le veo nada interesante mire por donde lo mire. Siento que solo veo a un chico guapo con sus aires de dramatismo y arrogancia y poco más. No hay profundidad con él, no siento ninguna química entre este personaje y Elloren por ninguna parte y encima todo lo que siento es que hay química física entre ellos y poco más. No ha habido ninguna conversación profunda entre ellos, todo ha sido dejado a un lado para meterte el dramón que hay aquí y poco más. Me parece un personaje muy vacío en todos los sentidos y es otra de las razones por las que soy más del Team Yvan y no de él.
Trystan y Vothe han sido el regalo de los Dioses que han escuchado mis súplicas y me han dado lo que tanto deseaba. El primero sigue siendo mi niño y mi protegido, ese personaje que a nadie se le ocurra tocar un pelo porque se merece ser feliz y tener la vida que siempre mereció. El segundo es un personaje nuevo que sale en este libro pero que ya con las primeras interacciones apunta muy alto a ser junto con Trystan de mis parejas favoritas. Sinceramente, aquí hay un shippeo muy fuerte y yo necesito saber más para seguir viviendo. Espero que en el cuarto libro les den más protagonismo porque yo necesito mucho.
Tierney me ha sorprendido mucho, porque para empezar no me esperaba un punto de vista de ella en este libro. Todo lo que le sucede má el transfondo que puede tener su trama me ha tenido chillando en varios momentos del libro. Creo que puede dar mucho juego lo que está viviendo y donde se encuentra, especialmente por lo último que le ha sucedido y la situación tan peliaguda que puede estar experimentando. Lo único que sé es que su trama me puede dar muchos años de vida si ocurre como yo sospecho que puede pasar.
Wynter es el personaje junto con Yvan que menos protagonismo ha tenido y a la vez de las que más me han intrigado. Con las revelaciones que tiene su personaje en este libro, tengo muchas ganas de que le empiecen a dar más peso a su historia en el cuarto libro. Creo que está muy infravalorada, ya que apenas ha aparecido en la saga y que tiene un transfondo muy grande que se puede exprimir muchísimo y hacerla probablemente de los mejores personajes de la saga. Además, sinceramente, todo lo que tiene que ver con ella hasta ahora me ha tenido con una intriga constante.
Thierren y Sparrow son nuevos personajes y me han encantado en todos los sentidos. Ha sido como ver las dos caras de la moneda aliándose como por ejemplo sucede con Yvan y Elloren. Me ha gustado mucho las situaciones que han vivido ambos y, sobre todo, lo que termina uniéndolos que es el al final el mismo objetivo. Me he quedado con muchas ganas de ver más puntos de vista suyos y estoy deseando ver con qué más sorpresas me puede salir la autora con estos dos porque por ahora están siendo un gran top.
En resumen, "La varita negra" es el tercer libro de una saga que hasta ahora me estaba gustando mucho, pero le han añadido un triángulo amoroso que, a mi parecer, sobra bastante y solo hace más tediosa la historia de lo que debería. No entiendo la necesidad de eso y de verdad que me frustra bastante. La trama está bastante bien dejando a un lado la parte romántica, creo que la política y lo bien englobado que está el mundo hace que la historia se te haga muy interesante y que no decaiga en ningún momento. Me ha tenido alucinando con todos los plot twist que se van revelando junto a lo enriquecido que está el universo de esta saga. Para mí puede dar mucho más de sí, al igual que todos los mensajes que trata y que son tan potentes y necesarios en general. Porque sí, es un libro de fantasía, pero eso no quita que lo que te intentan enseñar aquí es una realidad que existe en nuestro mundo también. Lo que quizá me ha fallado es que no necesitaba tanto peso a lo romántico, porque aquí ya no solo es que hay demasiado romance, sino que el que hay es innecesario y no tiene el menor sentido. Yo lo siento, pero no me ha parecido lógico los cambios que tiene la protagonista a nivel emocional, es como muy surrealista y cambia de opinión en cada capítulo. Los personajes han sido increíbles, sobre todo porque en este libro tienes otros puntos de vista. Me ha gustado conocer la versión de otros personajes que no solo fuera la de la protagonista y saber lo que estaban viviendo todos los demás. Sí que es cierto que hay personajes que son mejores que otros e incluso algunos sucesos que ocurren con algunos protagonistas que yo no veía muy necesarias, pero fuera de eso creo que la historia puede dar muchísimo juego y a mí, personalmente, me va a dar la vida descubrir lo que tienen para evolucionar todavía. La pluma de la autora sigue evolucionando y a mí me hace mucha ilusión ver como la historia pasaba de ser un poco un sin más a nivel narrativo, a convertirse en un sinfín de emociones que se van desarrollando de una forma más profunda y realista. Lo único que me falta es que el proceso de superación en algunas cosas sea un poco más lógica, porque lo de Elloren en este libro no ha tenido el menor sentido.
Este es un libro que forma parte de la saga "Las crónicas de La Bruja Negra" como el tercer libro y, sinceramente, ha sido el más flojo para mí en varios puntos. Me ha encantado la trama en muchas cosas, en especial todo aquello que englobaba la política, las dificultades de los personajes y todos los plot twist que te va dejando. Pero el romance ha sido, sencillamente, un despropósito para mí en todos y cada uno de los sentidos.
La trama ha sido algo más floja que el segundo libro y también se ha centrado bastante en el dramón del triángulo amoroso que hay desde el primer libro, pero que aquí se ha intensificado. No entiendo la necesidad de ello, porque de verdad no creo que haya amor por una de las dos partes, solo atracción física. Fuera de eso, toda la política y lo estructurado que está el mundo de esta saga me tiene encantadísima y es lo mejor de la historia con muchísima diferencia. Además que hay mensajes en cada capítulo bastante potentes que toman mucha fuerza en cada libro.
Los personajes me han sorprendido mucho, aunque algunos me han exasperado más de lo que me esperaba. Creo sinceramente que hay cosas que me sobraban mucho, sobre todo en lo referente a Lukas y Elloren, en serio, no había esa necesidad para nada. Creo que si la autora sabe manejar bien todo esto, la cosa puede mejorar un poco, pero me he exasperado bastante con la protagonista en este libro. Los demás personajes me tienen intrigadísima y me ha gustado mucho tener varios puntos de vista aparte del de Elloren, porque ha hecho más dinámica la lectura.
La pluma de la autora me ha gustado mucho y por esa parte siento que sigue mejorando libro a libro, tomando cada vez más peso a ahondar en los personajes y todo lo que van viviendo dentro de la propia historia. Me tiene con mucha intriga ver a dónde van a llegar todos ellos y las emociones que son capaces de transmitirte en tan pocas páginas, como la angustia y el pesar de no saber lo que te espera.
Ahora os hablaré un poco de los personajes principales.
Por un lado tenemos a Elloren, nuestra protagonista femenina. Ella es una chica que después de descubrir que es la Bruja Negra y una de las caras de la profecía junto al hombre que ama, tiene que encontrar la forma de protegerse a sí misma para luchar contra el mal que asola el mundo. Su única opción es ir en busca de la última persona a la que creyó pedir ayuda alguna vez, Lukas Grey, del que no sabe qué creer. Sin tener claro si su futuro aliado está de su lado o no, Elloren tendrá que reunir todas las fuerzas suficientes para afrontar la guerra que se avecina, una donde solo un bando saldrá vencedor. Y es que cuando el mundo te separa de todo aquello que amas, no sabes qué creer ni a qué aferrarte, y lo único que ella sabe es que tiene que ser fuerte para lo que le espera. Especialmente cuando todo aquello que creía saber se pone en su contra. Todos son sus enemigos, todos la odian como nada en el mundo, pues es considerada el mismo monstruo que fue su abuela y el único que parece sostenerla un poco es el mismo hombre que creyó que jamás sería de fiar. ¿Realmente puede confiar en Lukas Grey o es todo una estratagema para engañarla y atraparla a cualquier costo?
Elloren es un personaje que desde el primer libro me gustó por su fortaleza, por la manera en que enfrenta las cosas y como no se rinde ante nada aunque esté aterrorizada muchas veces. Pero en este libro no sé qué clase de personaje me he encontrado, pero no es la protagonista que yo empezaba a admirar en muchos sentidos. Ya no solo es que se vuelve una cobarde dependiente en unos aspectos abusivos, sino que encima sus emociones pierden completamente el sentido común. Yo lo siento, pero nadie en su vida cree perder a alguien que ama y ya se abalanza a los brazos de otro como si nada. Sí, vale, puedes intentar olvidarlo y recurres a ello para no pensar, pero ya no solo es que eso me parezca rastrero porque es jugar con las emociones de otra persona, sino que encima no se ha guardado ni cinco minutos de luto. En un tiempo casi escaso ha pasado de profesarle el amor a una persona a dárselo a otro y eso me ha dado una rabia tremenda y que me sintiera muy incómoda en todo este libro. Además, otro punto a resaltar es que dejando a un lado cuál de los dos chicos es mi favorito (que es bastante obvio), yo no veo química en el romance que tiene ella en este libro. Como mucho veo la atracción física, porque sí, la tienen desde el primer libro, pero ya está. No hay transfondo de nada entre ellos como si la tiene con el otro. No sabes nada de Lukas, ni un pedacito, pero ya parece que se van a casar mañana con la intensidad de la situación. Para mí en este libro Elloren ha pegado un bajón grande y ha conseguido que el romance que yo adoraba que ella tenía y que atesoraba, se me apagase por completo por la sensación tan desagradable que me ha despertado ella y el otro con este libro. No tiene nada de lógica y lo siento para el que crea que sí, es mi opinión.
Aparte de ella, tendremos a varios personajes importantes que la acompañarán en su aventura y que serán vitales para su futuro en la universidad de magia.
Yvan es el personaje que amo por excelencia de esta saga y, a la vez, es el que menos protagonismo ha tenido de todos. Literal, ha salido en una escena y ya ha sido un milagro por completo. Lo único que pido es que la autora no me haga lo que yo me temo que puede hacer y, por favor, que respete a este personaje que ya tiene todo lo que hay que tener sin necesidad de meterle un drama excesivo al resto de situaciones.
Lukas es para mí un personaje que no me transmite nada. Sé que más de un fan de este chico me va a saltar a la yugular por ello, pero es que no le veo nada interesante mire por donde lo mire. Siento que solo veo a un chico guapo con sus aires de dramatismo y arrogancia y poco más. No hay profundidad con él, no siento ninguna química entre este personaje y Elloren por ninguna parte y encima todo lo que siento es que hay química física entre ellos y poco más. No ha habido ninguna conversación profunda entre ellos, todo ha sido dejado a un lado para meterte el dramón que hay aquí y poco más. Me parece un personaje muy vacío en todos los sentidos y es otra de las razones por las que soy más del Team Yvan y no de él.
Trystan y Vothe han sido el regalo de los Dioses que han escuchado mis súplicas y me han dado lo que tanto deseaba. El primero sigue siendo mi niño y mi protegido, ese personaje que a nadie se le ocurra tocar un pelo porque se merece ser feliz y tener la vida que siempre mereció. El segundo es un personaje nuevo que sale en este libro pero que ya con las primeras interacciones apunta muy alto a ser junto con Trystan de mis parejas favoritas. Sinceramente, aquí hay un shippeo muy fuerte y yo necesito saber más para seguir viviendo. Espero que en el cuarto libro les den más protagonismo porque yo necesito mucho.
Tierney me ha sorprendido mucho, porque para empezar no me esperaba un punto de vista de ella en este libro. Todo lo que le sucede má el transfondo que puede tener su trama me ha tenido chillando en varios momentos del libro. Creo que puede dar mucho juego lo que está viviendo y donde se encuentra, especialmente por lo último que le ha sucedido y la situación tan peliaguda que puede estar experimentando. Lo único que sé es que su trama me puede dar muchos años de vida si ocurre como yo sospecho que puede pasar.
Wynter es el personaje junto con Yvan que menos protagonismo ha tenido y a la vez de las que más me han intrigado. Con las revelaciones que tiene su personaje en este libro, tengo muchas ganas de que le empiecen a dar más peso a su historia en el cuarto libro. Creo que está muy infravalorada, ya que apenas ha aparecido en la saga y que tiene un transfondo muy grande que se puede exprimir muchísimo y hacerla probablemente de los mejores personajes de la saga. Además, sinceramente, todo lo que tiene que ver con ella hasta ahora me ha tenido con una intriga constante.
Thierren y Sparrow son nuevos personajes y me han encantado en todos los sentidos. Ha sido como ver las dos caras de la moneda aliándose como por ejemplo sucede con Yvan y Elloren. Me ha gustado mucho las situaciones que han vivido ambos y, sobre todo, lo que termina uniéndolos que es el al final el mismo objetivo. Me he quedado con muchas ganas de ver más puntos de vista suyos y estoy deseando ver con qué más sorpresas me puede salir la autora con estos dos porque por ahora están siendo un gran top.
En resumen, "La varita negra" es el tercer libro de una saga que hasta ahora me estaba gustando mucho, pero le han añadido un triángulo amoroso que, a mi parecer, sobra bastante y solo hace más tediosa la historia de lo que debería. No entiendo la necesidad de eso y de verdad que me frustra bastante. La trama está bastante bien dejando a un lado la parte romántica, creo que la política y lo bien englobado que está el mundo hace que la historia se te haga muy interesante y que no decaiga en ningún momento. Me ha tenido alucinando con todos los plot twist que se van revelando junto a lo enriquecido que está el universo de esta saga. Para mí puede dar mucho más de sí, al igual que todos los mensajes que trata y que son tan potentes y necesarios en general. Porque sí, es un libro de fantasía, pero eso no quita que lo que te intentan enseñar aquí es una realidad que existe en nuestro mundo también. Lo que quizá me ha fallado es que no necesitaba tanto peso a lo romántico, porque aquí ya no solo es que hay demasiado romance, sino que el que hay es innecesario y no tiene el menor sentido. Yo lo siento, pero no me ha parecido lógico los cambios que tiene la protagonista a nivel emocional, es como muy surrealista y cambia de opinión en cada capítulo. Los personajes han sido increíbles, sobre todo porque en este libro tienes otros puntos de vista. Me ha gustado conocer la versión de otros personajes que no solo fuera la de la protagonista y saber lo que estaban viviendo todos los demás. Sí que es cierto que hay personajes que son mejores que otros e incluso algunos sucesos que ocurren con algunos protagonistas que yo no veía muy necesarias, pero fuera de eso creo que la historia puede dar muchísimo juego y a mí, personalmente, me va a dar la vida descubrir lo que tienen para evolucionar todavía. La pluma de la autora sigue evolucionando y a mí me hace mucha ilusión ver como la historia pasaba de ser un poco un sin más a nivel narrativo, a convertirse en un sinfín de emociones que se van desarrollando de una forma más profunda y realista. Lo único que me falta es que el proceso de superación en algunas cosas sea un poco más lógica, porque lo de Elloren en este libro no ha tenido el menor sentido.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,673 reviews