Hello everyone!
What a ride it's been!
Although some readers might say there wasn't much to the overarching plot and such, I say differently. It WAS a bit slow in starting, but that doesn't mean that it didn't REALLY get going once it hit full throttle.
We've been at it for a bunch of books and a handful of novellas now, and my goodness, have I enjoyed every single one of them so far.
This book was no exception whatsoever!
So without further ado, let's jump straight into it, shall we?
Because we're being called, by ice and wind both, in the book aptly titled Gift of Wind.
We meet Karl, the hero of the story, for the first time in earlier books when he's apparently hesitant to perform a very dangerous ritual for (spoiler alert) rather important reasons: as in, when he did it the last time (the first and only time, actually), both participants died, one of them being his best friend.
Anyway, next we hear of him, he's married and being slightly overbearing in terms of a priest and a big brother, but the story doesn't end here, oh no.
See, unfortunately, his wife doesn't make it through the birthing process, and for some reason I can't figure out yet, nobody actually puts any effort into telling the man - who runs off into the night when his heart-bond with her is broken - that his child actually survived.
Apparently it's just fully his fault, all of it.
That aside, he DOES hear that his daughter lives, so that's what brings him back into the fold after a few years have passed, which is where he runs into Skye again.
Now, he and Skye have history together - as in, a one-night stand - but Skye never really forgot him, and Karl never forgot her, either, because their magic blends really well when utilized together (wind and ice) as well as during sex.
Don't ask, just read. It all makes sense in the book, I promise!
Skye has her own issues, however, namely that she's a recovering alcoholic. What happened to get her there? Well, she was a slave to one of the community elders, you know, the people who're supposed to guide you and protect you and teach you?
Yeah, perverts, the lot of them.
She and a friend of hers were rescued by the Black Priest we've been bumping into the past several books, and she decides to return home to start this next chapter in her life, which is where she and Karl come together again and sparks quite literally fly.
Except he has no clue about her, not really, so naturally things get messed up before they can get better, but at the very least he's committed to seeing things through.
This is where the overarching plot of the entire series comes in.
Remember a little bit ago, we talked about an asylum for witches who either had their heart bond broken, or whose magic is deemed too unstable so they have to be confined? Well, turns out, there's things happening in there that nobody knows, and they won't really let anyone in to investigate, but it's bad, and people have died trying to bring it to light.
Karl's own relative happens to also be in there, among others, and as we discover a connection through other crystals that hold messages for our intrepid investigators (each one responds to one specific individual in the group), it becomes more and more clear that the asylum just has to be shut down, for good.
So they hatch a plan, Skye goes in as decoy, bait and distraction, and an elaborate scheme unfolds which ultimately does bring about the fall of the entire institution (you also really don't like the reasons WHY the asylum was built in the first place, which has almost nothing to do with actually helping people but everything with trying to contain and tame the nature of the pure-blooded witches).
Luckily for everyone, it's a happily ever after for all, with a new community having been built via Karl's father's company, where those who need the help will ACTUALLY receive it.
And as for Skye and Karl?
They get married and decide to be a big part of this community so that everyone can heal from the wounds they've been dealt.
All's well that ends well, right?
Right!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
As if I won't be seeing this series through. I'm deeply committed!
Karl and Skye make a wonderful addition to the next generation of Teutons, but their story ALSO serves as a nexus for all the over-arching plots to finally draw to a close. I'm slightly disappointed the crystals weren't connected to Zehra's keyholder but, the connection does still make sense and isn't out of the blue, so.
I'm a little more miffed about Karl's treatment at the start of the book. Throughout the series we've kept getting drummed into our heads that when a heart bond is broken, the woman is usually in big trouble. But somehow, no one - and I mean NO ONE - has the decency to actually have a look and see if Karl might be suffering from the same thing. Everyone just piles it on him.
That's my reason for docking a star, because if we're willing to help the women, why not the men, too? For a society that's so deeply patriarchal, it turns out the matriarchy is just as cruel as its male counterpart, and I thought they'd be better.
Aside from that, I feel Rolf and Wilda deserve their own story, there's so much to explore there, what with the hermit and all! But I AM glad to hear Teya and her Black Priest are getting a saga all of their own. They so absolutely deserve it.
This series has been a whirlwind of emotions and themes, and honestly? Even with the quibbles I have, still one of the best I've read so far.
As if I won't be seeing this series through. I'm deeply committed!
Karl and Skye make a wonderful addition to the next generation of Teutons, but their story ALSO serves as a nexus for all the over-arching plots to finally draw to a close. I'm slightly disappointed the crystals weren't connected to Zehra's keyholder but, the connection does still make sense and isn't out of the blue, so.
I'm a little more miffed about Karl's treatment at the start of the book. Throughout the series we've kept getting drummed into our heads that when a heart bond is broken, the woman is usually in big trouble. But somehow, no one - and I mean NO ONE - has the decency to actually have a look and see if Karl might be suffering from the same thing. Everyone just piles it on him.
That's my reason for docking a star, because if we're willing to help the women, why not the men, too? For a society that's so deeply patriarchal, it turns out the matriarchy is just as cruel as its male counterpart, and I thought they'd be better.
Aside from that, I feel Rolf and Wilda deserve their own story, there's so much to explore there, what with the hermit and all! But I AM glad to hear Teya and her Black Priest are getting a saga all of their own. They so absolutely deserve it.
This series has been a whirlwind of emotions and themes, and honestly? Even with the quibbles I have, still one of the best I've read so far.
xx
*image not mine
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