Review: Still leaving me frustrated...
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 2, 2013
I had mixed feelings about even reading this 4th installment, since I wasn't a big fan of Book 3, but I hate to invest time in a series & not follow through to the end, so I did.I'll be honest & say that I skipped several pages throughout the book - mostly family scenes where, by skimming, I get the gist - the family continues to tell Layla what a miracle she is & how beautiful she is & how much they love her, but for me, throughout this series that has all seemed rote rather than real - they've never really spent any significant time with her, & in my experience, the truest kind of love is the love that grows, not something that's automatic.Quin, of course, does spend significant time with Layla, however, I skipped pages of that, as well, since I can't for the life of me fathom a grown young woman - a "strong, independent woman" which is what the author keeps telling us Layla is (although this is Book 4 & we've never actually SEEN it) letting her lover carry her everywhere, hold her in his lap during strategy sessions & meetings - rather than being romantic, this just emphasizes for me how insecure & childish Layla is, & I can't understand it, since the author tells us Layla had a great childhood & was raised to be strong & independent & according to stories of her childhood, appeared to be so, until her mother passed away.  I have lost loved ones, so I know it is emotionally devastating, but the change for Layla is so drastic, & it doesn't seem to be getting any better. She's not growing as a character - her strength only appears in moments when anger takes over, & then, she can't control the rage.  It doesn't make her any less responsible for the things she does in her rage, that just makes her appear even weaker as a person, for me.I had thought this was the final installment, but apparently there are other battles coming. As I said above, I hate to invest time in a series & not see it through, but sadly, even the mystery surrounding "what's coming" isn't enough to entice me to finish reading the story of a character I've been hoping to "connect" with, but never have.