Review: Review of The Unfinished Song: Sacrifice
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 25, 2012
Book three, Sacrifice,  picks up right after the peace envoy and the shunned they have saved from Bluewaters Clan have arrived back at the Golden Bear tribe lands.  (Unlike its predecessor which picked up exactly where it had left off in the first book)  It wasn't so far removed from the previous novel time wise so I  really didn't feel lost or anything.  Again as in the previous two books we see the story through multiple sets of eyes, Dindi, Rthan, Brena, Kavio, to name a few.  I really enjoyed this as it gave the reader (ME) a chance to get into more than just the main characters head.  It also helped to show why there was so much misunderstanding between certain characters.  Although sometimes it made me want to reach into the book and just shake Dindi or Kavio and scream at them to just say what they're thinking, because it would have made things easier for both of them.Dindi is still being trained in secret by Kavio.  He has given her hope though, that  if she keeps dancing and learning the Tamas that maybe she will gain some magic.  She is still basically an outcast from her people.  They still think she is a misfit and useless. It gets so bad that the other initiates decide she will be "duck" of that year. Being the "Duck"  means that basically they all band together and torture and pick on her relentlessly.  They actually consider it good luck if the "Duck"  takes his or her own life instead of dealing with them anymore. The elders turn a blind eye to it because it is an initiation rite that has taken place for generations.Rthan and Brena still find themselves separated by their clans hatred for each other.  But now Rthan knows exactly who in her clan killed his wife and child, so the revenge he wanted so badly in the first book seems as if it is almost in sight for him. Especially since the man who did it is now the war chief of Brena's tribe.Gwenika, Dindi's only friend, has finally stopped making herself sick with her own chroma,and has even started to step out from her mother and sister's shadows and become a healer.  Unfortunately  Gwenika makes more than one foolish decision that leads to her betraying Dindi completely and outing her actions to the entire tribe.This story drew me back into Maya's Faearth completely.  I was a bit worried about that since I read books one and two back in June of last year and sometimes I find it hard to get back into a series.  Maya, however, didn't disappoint.  I found I still actually care about her characters. I did spent most of the book waiting for Dindi to finally get the recognition she deserved.  The ending broke my heart.  There are suppose to be 12 books all together in this series.  This is only book three so I knew while I was reading two things,  one it was gonna be a cliffie and two that obviously not everything would be resolved in a neat little package at the end of the story.Well first, I was right about the cliffie.  Although it is a bit of a steeper drop off then the second book, it is not a complete cut as with the the first.  Second, while there were some happy endings for some of the characters and huge questions were answered regarding Dindi and the Corn Maiden, as well as a few other points in the book coming to a close, not everything was neatly ended. In fact most of the answers about Dindi lead to more questions, which will I assume lead perfectly into book 4.  (which fortunately I have in my greedy little hands to begin reading as soon as I finish writing this part of the review!!)  I think on the whole though that those who have read the first two books will definitely get some satisfaction out of this one.I think that it is a bit darker than the first two. Especially in some of the scenes with the Corn Maidens memories. But nothing so bad as to deter me from wanting to read more.The only main problem I had with this book was during the war scenes. ***Spoiler alert-not a major one, but still kinda spoilish***  The view point switched back and forth between a few of the characters, as it had in the rest of the book. The problem was that when it switched to another characters point of view it just seemed off. There are sections where one character sees another in battle, and then when it switches to that characters point of view it seems they are doing something completely different.  I also kind of wondered how during the entire battle and afterwards Kavio seems to have forgotten  completely about Dindi.  I understand he is fighting a battle and his best hope of protecting her is to end it as quickly as possible so he can get to her. But even after the battle is over he seems to have completely forgotten about her.  The timeline at this point also becomes a bit confusing.  Dindi was suppose to dance for three days and it seems as if the battle has only taken one, maybe two if you count the cleaning up that was done afterwards.  It's seemed to be implied that Kavio simply lost track of time in the battle and that it lasted longer than he remembered. But then how come it seemed to last a shorter time for the rest of the characters as well?***end spoiler*** That honestly was my biggest issue with the book, but I am so enthralled with Maya's world that she has created and the people she has populated it with that I can't help but let it slide.So warning you might get confused at the war scenes. Just a heads up as you go into reading the book. Maybe if you expect it you won't get that annoyed with it and can just enjoy the rest of the story.  Also maybe if you expect it going in, you can maybe find a part that I might not have gotten? That makes the whole timeline make more sense? If so please feel free to tell me. I would rather feel stupid for having missed something, then have something take away from any of my enjoyment of the book.