Review: What an epic ending to a wonderful series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 22, 2013
So I started this book early in the morning and I have finally finished it at 6.35pm, I just could not put it down. From the first page of this deep and philosophical intro, it captured my interest straight away though the last line had me laughing out loud.Initially I found the glimpses of past, present, past, present a bit confusing but I got used to it after the first couple of chapters. This  book encapsulates just what this whole series has been about, a journey of self-discovery for Elise Kavanagh taking her back to the beginning revealing all those secrets that have haunted her and us. After all if the angels conspired against her, you would think she hasn't a snowballs chance in hell of surviving her fate yet Elise's enemies have always underestimated her determination to succeed.Reading about her traumatic childhood gives you a glimpse into the Nature versus Nurture theory and Isaac certainly contributed to Elise becoming the Godslayer from the very beginning grooming her to kill from such a young age with a lack of emotion that was sometimes chilling to watch. Yet she inspired those that loved her and she redeemed herself in the most unlikely places cultivating feelings for others that were rarely expressed to her.That first glimpse of James so many years ago made such an impression on Elise and little did she know it would set off a chain of events that would entwine their fates forever. If she could have foreseen the outcome would she still have chosen to fall in love with him and trusted him with her life, I wonder. I had mixed feelings about James throughout this book, I felt sorry for him at times because he was in an impossible situation but the fact that he gave Elise up just like that after finally granting her that fleeting moment of happiness, it was that much crueller of him to rip it all away from her so soon. I admired his devotion to trying to save her but she wouldn't have been in Eden in the first place if he had not given her up.Having invested so much in this series and the characters I felt like I was there in the Garden of Eden with Elise while she was struggling to retain her grasp on reality and not succumbing to the illusion no matter how much she wanted to believe it. It certainly dispelled my beliefs about the Garden of Eden as it became a twisted copy of itself due to Adam's influence and gave me a less harmonious version to dwell on.Old friends resurface on ever-changing sides and the Union is getting ready for the battle at hand but are ill prepared for what is waiting for them. Despite finally understanding what motivated Metaraon's quest for vengeance, I still did not think that the ends justified the means. What an epic ending to the Descent series and I am assured that the story of Elise and James will continue as there are so many stories left to write. Will she ever forgive the ultimate betrayal and get her HEA or is that just not in her DNA anymore? I am definitely a fan for life, loved it Sara.Almost forgot to mention that I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review though I have been following this series for years now.