Hello everyone!
Tonight is a bitter-sweet sort of blog post because, and I kid you not, we've reached the end of a journey.
It's been a relatively hefty one, but, I have to say that this author is a VERY prolific writer and meets her deadlines head-on, which means that she released all the books in this series in a relatively short amount of time in comparison to some others we know.
And the writing stayed consistent throughout!
Not to mention the mystery was just sprinkled enough through the story that it kept you going until this, the last book, in which all is revealed.
Well, to a point. There's still a few mysteries that go unsolved, possibly because she MIGHT return to this world someday. I really hope she does!
Without further ado, let's look right into the future, and figure most of it out, in Voklane.
So, by this point, you should know Sziveria: one of a number of nations that rose into being after years of scrounging and barely scraping by, which came about only AFTER an apocalyptic event that literally almost destroyed the world.
And the important part here: strong inherited traits (so, say, you have a really good memory) are now genetic talents, passed down through DNA, and coveted. Badly.
Which means that, if you DON'T have a genetic talent, you're basically useless, or considered useless in any event. However, individuals have already proven that isn't the case, but in this particular book, a direct continuation of Wolvenguard, we see Ryan Voklane, the liaison between one of the most powerful Arch Guardians in Sziveria and special ops teams, take on Delanee Ralston, because she's being threatened.
What's happened, you ask?
Well, she saw something she shouldn't have, asked too many questions as a journalist of her calibre should, and the V Alliance will PROBABLY want her dead.
Since nobody wants the Ralston family to go to war, the idea is she'll stay with Voklane until they solve the problem, which brings about its own set of, er, issues.
See, Ryan has a genetic talent of his own, one he doesn't talk about - in fact, two people know of it, and that's about it. He also happens to have an infant daughter, who was dumped on his doorstep without being acknowledged by her mother, so she has no papers and it'll be impossible to get any for her.
Which means Delanee walks right into a big ole mess from the get-go, but it's an endearing one, and you can imagine that the scene is set with a single dad, his adorable munchkin, and the woman who's been trying to NOT fall in love with him since their first meeting.
Listen. It'd be easier to relocate the Grand Canyon, okay.
Back to the important bits, because if I stay here enumerating all the cuteness and the sexyness, we'll be here all day.
Ryan's genetic talent is something unheard of: if he holds someone's hand and activates it, he puts them in a kind of trance during which they answer all his questions truthfully, but never remember that the conversation happened at all. He can also project some of his talent outward, depending how strong his emotions are, and his daughter happens to have inherited at least that bit of it.
Oh and the kicker? He was found in the frozen tundra, in a forgotten laboratory, by some explorers and archeologists, with seven other infants that were in a sort of frozen sleep, in incubators.
Basically, he's Ground Zero: his theory is that he and the others were created, specifically, to kickstart these genetic traits into being and get the DNA flowing, starting entire nations.
Scientists would DROOL to get their hands on him!
Delanee won't have that, though; she has a secret of her own that she only discloses after they marry - because, yes, of course they end up married. Delanee wants to make sure Ryan's daughter has her paperwork, and a great start in life, and knowing that Ryan won't just accept that out of the blue, she also posits a marriage between them to boot.
Considering they've been practically all over each other all book long, that's an easy choice.
Anyway, HER secret is that she's also a beast master - of a large cat species, straight out of another neighbouring country, but she's never bonded to one. THUS FAR.
See, things get complicated: the V Alliance is now desperately out to get her, not to mention the fact they seem to be kidnapping children who look suspiciously like the youngest of the Queen Elect's children, so the theory is they're after the prince. Delanee's stuff goes missing from her workplace, to top everything off, so Ryan KNOWS something's happening.
Coupled with the fact that the youngest prince just so happens to be the son of that Arch Guardian he's working for, it's all a big cluster, but it's all song and dance until Delanee gets kidnapped.
Ryan does the only thing he can: he calls up his teams, the people he's helped over the years, and who like him just enough to want to help him back.
They rescue her, naturally, but not before she bonds that big ass cat to try and help herself along the way, and turns out that Ryan has the same beast master tattoo on his back now since marrying and bonding with Delanee, something only possible because HIS DNA actually started HERS, as convoluted as it sounds.
But Delanee's kidnapping finally gives them the in to the V Alliance they've been looking for, and Ryan showcases just how powerful he is when he holds a large group of conspirators hostage with his talent to question them, learning that it's the eldest princess, Verica, who's behind the V Alliance.
Why?
In Sziveria, the nation votes on their ruling monarch. The elections can only take place once ALL the monarch's children are of age, so with the youngest prince still a kid, the eldest wanted him out of the way to force the election, which had been delayed by his birth.
The Queen Elect is shocked and saddened, sending her daughter across the sea to one of the other empires to live out her days there, and as the Arch Guardian retires, he asks Ryan to take his place, in possibly the most powerful position in the land right after the ruling monarch.
After dealing with the woman who initially abandoned him and his daughter both, Ryan's able to now look into the future with a measure of hope, the team members he's worked with for so long by his side as they dismantle the last vestiges of the V Alliance.
And Delanee's pregnant.
Be still, my heart.
Listen, when I first joined BookSirens, one of the first covers that drew me was Wintersfall's. I liked the icy mystery of it, but genuinely thought I'd be getting a lot of fluff (which would have been fine!) and not much plot. Turns out, when I opened the door to Sean and Katria, I signed myself up for everybody else in their chaotic village, along with the over-arching mystery of the V Alliance, which the author manages to skillfully weave through eight full books.
And I'm SO DESPERATELY HOPING there'll be a spin-off. Or spin-offs, I should say. Because, the Ralston family, for one, deserve their own segment, what with eleven kids, and at least eight of them unmarried. We're getting their beginning in Bella and the Beast-Master, this is true, but I want to know what happened to Donovan, what he is, and I want to learn the other siblings' stories, too! They're just too fascinating, and the world of Sziveria has a beckoning allure that just won't let you off the hook once you get sucked in.
It is fitting, however, that we end the series with Ryan Voklane.
Voklane pops off the page right back in Wintersfall when he deals with Sean and Katria's tantrum at being contracted and not knowing about it. He then weaves in and out of the story skillfully but secretly, never appearing for longer than he has to, and blending seamlessly with the background once he's no longer needed. This is a masterful choice by the author, because, as we come to learn in this, HIS book, it's exactly who he is and what he does for a living.
He's more than six feet of pale, as per one of Delanee's brothers, and yet he's forgettable and unremarkable, somehow. It's a skill that I would have loved to see explored more, which I think is a missed opportunity for the author, and the reason I'm not giving this book a full five stars, despite the fact I absolutely ADORE the man.
Well, him and Delanee both, really.
But while I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the personal aspects of this couple, their relationship, the revelations that Ryan has to unveil to Delanee to push them forward (including but not limited to an INFANT DAUGHTER, HELLO SUNSHINE WHAT?!?), as well as his unconditional support of the sometimes-messy and chaotic love of his life ... I feel like we barely scratched the surface of who RYAN himself is.
The book is titled Voklane. And we learn that he is ... more. He's not just a Gen-Heir, he might just be Generation Alpha, if you will. But we never go into detail about it, it remains a mystery that he was found in an iced-over incubator, he doesn't know his own age, that his talent is basically like nothing anyone's ever seen because HIS GENERATION IS WHAT STARTED FULL NATIONS ... and that there were eight or so of them. These kids.
If that isn't grounds for a spin-off, too, then I don't know what is. Where did they come from? Who MADE them? What were the goals, and how long were they in those incubators? There's so many questions left unanswered about Voklane that go beyond his relationship to Delanee and which I was hoping to see, but didn't get, that I'm crossing fingers and toes it might be something Ms Westill is saving for later.
Because I needs this, Precious. I wants it, I must haves it!
Ahem. I'm at least content with the V Alliance mystery being solved, and for one of the oldest reasons in the book. Just ask Papa Poirot if you're ever wondering, but it's nice to see a resolution, either way, as well as Voklane getting the recognition he deserves, in the end.
While I did find some moments with the group at large a bit cheesy and/or corny, they served as a reminder that Voklane is just as integral to the story as they are, and they're all connected. It's a nice reminder, for readers and Ryan both, that there's a village willing to go to bat for him, should he need it. And a happily ever after IS enjoyable, no matter that I'm still left thirsty for more.
This series is one of those that you'll never regret picking up. It has parts of my heart and will forever be held dear to me. Now, here's to hoping.
Please, please, PLEASE, Sarah Westill ... don't keep us away from Sziveria for long!
Listen, when I first joined BookSirens, one of the first covers that drew me was Wintersfall's. I liked the icy mystery of it, but genuinely thought I'd be getting a lot of fluff (which would have been fine!) and not much plot. Turns out, when I opened the door to Sean and Katria, I signed myself up for everybody else in their chaotic village, along with the over-arching mystery of the V Alliance, which the author manages to skillfully weave through eight full books.
And I'm SO DESPERATELY HOPING there'll be a spin-off. Or spin-offs, I should say. Because, the Ralston family, for one, deserve their own segment, what with eleven kids, and at least eight of them unmarried. We're getting their beginning in Bella and the Beast-Master, this is true, but I want to know what happened to Donovan, what he is, and I want to learn the other siblings' stories, too! They're just too fascinating, and the world of Sziveria has a beckoning allure that just won't let you off the hook once you get sucked in.
It is fitting, however, that we end the series with Ryan Voklane.
Voklane pops off the page right back in Wintersfall when he deals with Sean and Katria's tantrum at being contracted and not knowing about it. He then weaves in and out of the story skillfully but secretly, never appearing for longer than he has to, and blending seamlessly with the background once he's no longer needed. This is a masterful choice by the author, because, as we come to learn in this, HIS book, it's exactly who he is and what he does for a living.
He's more than six feet of pale, as per one of Delanee's brothers, and yet he's forgettable and unremarkable, somehow. It's a skill that I would have loved to see explored more, which I think is a missed opportunity for the author, and the reason I'm not giving this book a full five stars, despite the fact I absolutely ADORE the man.
Well, him and Delanee both, really.
But while I thoroughly enjoyed digging into the personal aspects of this couple, their relationship, the revelations that Ryan has to unveil to Delanee to push them forward (including but not limited to an INFANT DAUGHTER, HELLO SUNSHINE WHAT?!?), as well as his unconditional support of the sometimes-messy and chaotic love of his life ... I feel like we barely scratched the surface of who RYAN himself is.
The book is titled Voklane. And we learn that he is ... more. He's not just a Gen-Heir, he might just be Generation Alpha, if you will. But we never go into detail about it, it remains a mystery that he was found in an iced-over incubator, he doesn't know his own age, that his talent is basically like nothing anyone's ever seen because HIS GENERATION IS WHAT STARTED FULL NATIONS ... and that there were eight or so of them. These kids.
If that isn't grounds for a spin-off, too, then I don't know what is. Where did they come from? Who MADE them? What were the goals, and how long were they in those incubators? There's so many questions left unanswered about Voklane that go beyond his relationship to Delanee and which I was hoping to see, but didn't get, that I'm crossing fingers and toes it might be something Ms Westill is saving for later.
Because I needs this, Precious. I wants it, I must haves it!
Ahem. I'm at least content with the V Alliance mystery being solved, and for one of the oldest reasons in the book. Just ask Papa Poirot if you're ever wondering, but it's nice to see a resolution, either way, as well as Voklane getting the recognition he deserves, in the end.
While I did find some moments with the group at large a bit cheesy and/or corny, they served as a reminder that Voklane is just as integral to the story as they are, and they're all connected. It's a nice reminder, for readers and Ryan both, that there's a village willing to go to bat for him, should he need it. And a happily ever after IS enjoyable, no matter that I'm still left thirsty for more.
This series is one of those that you'll never regret picking up. It has parts of my heart and will forever be held dear to me. Now, here's to hoping.
Please, please, PLEASE, Sarah Westill ... don't keep us away from Sziveria for long!
xx
*image not mine
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