Review: Cool idea for a series - read all the books together
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 4, 2014
Summary- The Darlington sisters, Bean, Paige, Hayde, and Dorrit are back! The girls are still in search of their sister, Audra, who (in Book 1) they learn has been recently captured by the evil king Abraxis from the world of Enil. Audra was taken through a portal the girls find in their basement by an evil beast. In book 2 of this series we learned that there is a rebellion going on in Enil and there is a plot to over throw the evil ruler. In the final book of this trilogy, the girls are in the city of Dukka to free some of the rebels that they had joined on their quest to save Audra. Unluckily, Abraxis will also be there. To make things worse, the evil beast, Brakkus is also there. To make things worser (I know that’s not a word :P ) the girls don’t know who to trust! There is a spy in their group who is out to ruin everything. Will the girls save their sister from evil hands and get back home?What I thought- The characters in this series are awesome. All the girls had different personalities, they were all likable and they all had great qualities. The bad guys in the book were also terrific (meaning evil and creepy and scary, in a good amount). The world of Enil is AMAZING. It is unique and was just fun to read about. The plot idea was exciting and I liked reading about the Darlington girl’s quest. Ms. Ink’s imagination has no limits in telling this story. BUT- I did not like that there is no introduction to the story in book 3 (or in book 2). I found that I had to go back to book 2 and book 1 to figure out what some of the references in book 3 were (for example, book 3 kept referencing the prophecy, but the prophecy was written in book 1). You pretty much have to read the trilogy in order and close in time together so you don’t forget anything. I think that the series would be great as a single book. I also was a bit disappointed in the ending of the series. It is kind of a cliff-hanger and made me feel like the story ending was rushed. Book 3 was half the length of 1 and 2. Overall, I think Ms. Ink’s stories are unique, exciting and great for middle grade readers. I would be happy to read her next adventure she thinks up.*NOTE I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.