Review: Stunning
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 13, 2013
I've read everything Patti Larsen has written.  She has an exceptional gift for creating characters you not only care about, but that you obsess over between books.  The Hayle Coven series starts, with Book One, like so many other YA series, with an angst ridden teenaged girl, Sydlyn Hayle, rebelling against the life her family wants her to live.  Very familiar ground.Over the next 18 books, we experience Syd growing slowly.  Very slowly.  Actually, her powers grow much faster than she does.  By Book 19, she is still fairly volatile, immature, impulsive, quick to love and quick to hate.  The time frame is only about 4 years.  This pattern stops with Book 19.This is a stunning book.  The climax of the series is reached with this book.  There is still another one yet to come, but it will be about wrapping up all the loose ends.  In this book, Syd comes into her full power and also becomes fully mature, overnight.  She suffers unimaginable grief and trauma, as well as fulfilling the prophesy that has guided her throughout the last 4 years.  I'm happy to see that no one has revealed any spoilers for the ending of this book.  Some have said they were surprised.  However, Larsen made it clear, early on, at least it was clear to me, what would happen in the end.  I almost couldn't believe it, and kept watching for it.  When it arrived, it did so in an unexpected way.Even realizing that it would happen, I must have cried for a full hour afterwards.  No one is exaggerating this in their reviews to date.  It is devastating.  I've seen, in some of Larsen's other work, that she doesn't shy away from the hard stuff.  That's certainly the case here.  This is very hard to take.But, there are some highlights.  Sebastian is saved, and in a way that is wholely unforeseen.  The consequences of this will undoubtedly be dealt with in the final book.  Piers also plays a large part in this book, as does Quaid and Liam. Demetrious Strong emerges, in this book, as a major character. Everyone is present, and everyone has a part, and everyone fulfills their roles in the prophesy.The loose ends to be tied up will primarily involve Ameline and Gran, along with some major plot advances that will be there.  Can't mention them.  The final book is one that I don't want to spoil for anyone.This is considered a YA series.  Larsen adheres to this model largely by softballing the sex, and by throwing in a lot of teenage whining and moping.  That being said, I'm in no way anywhere near that demographic.  Yet, I'm fully invested in these books, and would pay any amount to get them.  They are absolutely consuming, and, even though I may be reading other books when Larsen puts out the latest installment, I drop everything and read it, without pause.I know I'm preaching to the choir here.  Most likely everyone who reads this review will be someone who has read all 18 books.  If, for some reason, there is a potential reader just checking out reviews to see whether they might want to get into so long a series, I have this to say.  Read this series.  It's worth every penny you pay and every hour you spend on it.  And -- read them in order.  Read them slowly, because you won't want to go back and reread.  You'll be too anxious to get on to the next one.  Don't worry about the cost of buying so many books.  Buy these books instead of something else.