The big bad had yet to be defeated, and since he is a god, the final battle should have been epic and long – full of successes and failures.

I don' really know if it was as apparent in the first two books and I missed it, or if there was a definite character change, but he felt really aloof to me. I love the concept, and I have a great deal of respect for Nora Roberts as a human being after her recent donation to a library in Michigan, but the pace of this series is so slow it's nearly intolerable. In this trilogy and her last, Chronicles of the One, Nora has made a radical departure from the cozy and comfortable storytelling I fell in love with as a teen.

Because this book (and series) is all about relationships and connections and bonds, in all of the ways that can be presented. Of course, there’s a ton of intrigue and suspense and Breen, Keegan, and the others prepare for Odran’s eventual attack.

I’m not sure if she was writing in a sense that she thought they would speak in, but it resulted in difficult sentences and overuse of commas. It’s a time as painful as any Breen has ever known as she helps to treat the wounded, bring the dead home from blood-and ash-soaked battlegrounds and support her friends and family in their grief.The climax is so short and over so fast it was completely unsatisfying, much like Breen’s sex life, and this book in general. To me, it felt like the Epilogue should have been Chapter 31 and the real Epilogue could have given us a broader view of life in the "after". Romantic relationships, friendships, family bonds, new relationships and old ones are all explored and stress not only the importance of connection and love but also what Breen and the others are fighting for.