Review: Great But Dark
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 1, 2013
This series is a lot darker than the Blood Destiny books, and I think some of the reviews reflect readers' shock that it doesn't follow that pattern and their frustration that good things don't come to Reah.  However, the writing is, if anything, better, with a more complex set of motivations and characters that are more extreme in their qualities and flaws.  I've also learned not to judge a Suttle book based on where I think the series is going, as the author has often shifted her universe in ways I couldn't have anticipated--a good thing, to my mind.  A bit of patience is needed here; 'Blood Passage' ended in a similar way and in similar circumstances.  (I still think Merrill is pond scum.)If I have a criticism, it's that we don't see enough of the characters that are supportive of Reah, so the narrative is tilted toward the actions of the self-serving and short-sighted, with a helping of the means-well-but-turns-to-crap thrown in.  The imbalance serves to heighten the shock of the ending, however, so I presume that's Ms. Suttle's intent.All said, this is definitely a must-read.