Review: Stellar Installment in the Series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 3, 2013
WARNING - THIRD BOOK IN A SERIES, INHERENT SPOILERS CONTAINED IN THIS REVIEW -- READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK...Having devoured 'Dissever' and 'Sanctify' back-to-back in one sitting I was beyond anxious for the third and final book to come out. At least I thought it was to be the final book, and that I would get to the heart of the remaining secrets and mysteries, not the least being the final state of Addy & Tanner's relationship, if there would even be one at all.Chasing Darkness opens in Greystone, with Addy working to maintain her anger at Tanner for severing their connection & sending her back to Greystone alone. All without any warning her or getting her consent. Addy spends her first few months back in Greystone essentially in hiding, both to deal with her heartbreak concerning Tanner and his actions, and to avoid having to answer the inevitable questions surrounding her return sans-Shepherd.As Addy slowly begins to re-enter her new world she finds herself developing new friendships, and strengthening old ones, with Akori in Greystone and in Ravensbog. In a effort to help maintain the facade that all is fine in the Palace, and with the Shepherd and Shepherdess, Addy begins studying the meanings of all kinds of Akori symbols. One of the tricks she learns is Reflecting, tracing the specific symbol on her mirror in her own blood, thus allowing her to Reflect back the intent of that symbol, be it pride, tranquility, serenity, decisiveness, etc.As she slowly readjusts to life in Greystone without Tanner Addy has many decisions to make. Decisions that will impact not only her but all Akori. One of those that impacts Addy far more than the Akori as a whole is the status of her relationship with Gage. The longer she is in Greystone the more often she encounters Gage. With each encounter Gage pushes his suit to win her back, insisting he refuses to make the same mistake twice and let her go again. One of his planned excursions with her is to explore the ruins of the original city using a map he found in his father's library. Reluctant at first Addy gives in to her sense of adventure and finds herself exploring the surprisingly beautiful city. She also finds that she is drawn to the ruins and to Gage.As hard as Addy tries to hold on to her anger at Tanner so she can keep the pain at bay, she just can't seem to do it. All she wants is to have Tanner back, as she loves him with every fiber of her being. So then why is it that she says "No" to Gage with her words, but her body says something else entirely?This book was so well written, the characters jump off the page, each having gained more depth and complexity than in the previous books. Newly introduced characters are also more well rounded and add a great deal to the story line, though what it is that they add isn't always clear at first, nor are their reasons for the things they do and choices the make. With the introduction of a new antagonist things get very interesting very quickly. Alliances form and reform in the blink of an eye, with no one knowing who can be trusted or who might be working against them. Virtually everyone could be a spy in their midst. All of this serves to keep the pressure on Addy, even as she tries to sort through her feelings for Tanner and Gage.Along with the new antagonist comes more creative world building, not just from the visual, but from the societal stand-point as well. Things range from slightly foreign to totally foreign, and yet other things seem to be the same, particularly gender-based biases. Ms. Firman did an excellent job of giving her characters more depth, allowing them to grow and learn, while still allowing plenty of room for more growth. She didn't stint on the personal imperfections, often those character flaws that make them so relatable.For all that I was sooooooo looking forward to some serious resolutions, I find that I have reached a fever pitch of anticipation for the next book in the series. I may spontaneously combust from sheer excitement as the December 1st release date draws ever closer!! (Unless of course I enter an alternate universe where I am lucky enough to succeed in begging an ARC from the talented author, with promises of a speedy and honest review that I shall do my best to get posted everywhere in advance of the public release!)[Note to self - ask the laptop fairy for a replacement machine to allow me to begin my own BookBlog soon, money to afford having the Internet at home. . . + what the hey, while I'm at it, a way to get more hours out of each day to allow for work, tons of time to read, write reviews, interview authors, and comment on other bloggers, authors, & readers reviews, etc. Its not as if I'm asking for much (grin).]