What an astounding read! This book and series sucked me the same way a whale sucks in floating plankton, one deep breath and I was all in! Chloe and Quintus are like milk and honey, smooth, delectable characters who hit the right spot. The challenges facing Chloe, Quintus, Mishtri and the Golden Shields is almost insurmountable horror, all thanks to the devious, despicable, self centred Julian. Who also happens to be Quintus' father... tense, dramatic, emotional, every feel imaginable coursing through me.
Chloe, Quintus, Mishtri are on the back foot, Julian is way ahead of the race, a race that threatens disaster. They flee, they hide, they try to come up with a plan to prevent this disaster from occurring.
Daring plans and even more daring execution of the plans. Strangely enough, the determination Chloe shows brings a bible passage to mind, it just seems so appropriate, a passage by Paul "we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope " That is the fundamental thread throughout because one couldn't find a stronger character than Chloe. For all her faults, she's a natural leader, her strength shines like a beacon in the darkest of nights. Chloe pushed through the pain caused by her prosthesis, Chloe faced her fears. When she was almost down and out, her brain frozen from the fighting around her, she digs deeper than she ever had! I was literally clapping!!! Julian, oh grrrrrrrrrr! Scumbag doesn't cut it for him! What he did to Chloe, what he wants to do to Quintus, is evil on another level!
Chloe is incredible, she lets nothing deter her to find a solution, not her disability, not her fear, not the unknown, not even the fact that Julian has stolen something so precious from them, nothing will stop her trying to find a solution. Her mind is her greatest asset and she utilities it to the max. I love the hope she carries in her heart, as dark and hopeless as all might appear, she clings to that hope, she throws it out to shroud the Golden Shields, to dispel the despair that's seeped in. But boy oh boy was she challenged! As for Quintus, he shrugged off the mantle of despair, he shrugged the the hopelessness, he stepped up! I adored him from my first encounter, but then, I do love a tortured soul, a fact he hid so well behind his wit and banter. Seeing both of them develop, progress and support each other, was stunningly described. So realistic and so heart warming. But the anguish! Oh my word the anguish I felt together with them! She's mortal, he's not.... it's a love as unlikely as can be, as their bond strengthens, so too does the knowledge it can never be. Talk about ripping my heart out! This is tempered by Mishtri and Chandril, there's SOMETHING cool happening there! His metamorphoses is staggering! Not only his willingness to aid in the battle against Julian but physically too, remarkable in fact! I can't stress enough the supreme expertise of Ms Moody, she forged all the characters adroitly, giving them substance.
The author deserves applause for her skill, for the very effective, tense, dramatic storytelling. I absolutely love how she sprinkles little clues, how she inserts mind-blowing revelations, how she twists the plot until my mind is reeling in anticipation. What a vivid world! What vivid world building! What vivid characters! What VIVIDRY all round! I was so engaged I felt like I was traversing an emotional mine field! So so heart pounding! A book and series that has it all, incredible texture to this world, incredible texture to the characters, heart in throat action, a plot that evolves perfectly, the magic system uniquely thrilling, baddies I wanted to bop, goodies I wanted to embrace, a love that leaves one all gooey and there are even dragons! And a most satisfying conclusion! What more could one ask for?
