Dark Heart by A.B. Endacott – a review

The third and final book in the Dark Trilogy and boy did this series go out with a bang! In book 3 we’re following Freya after the goals and ambitions of her group have been reached, and unlike with most books, where we’re left to imagine what happens next, A.B. Endacott has written a book that beautifully encapsulates all of the difficulties that come with winning your fight.

This book was a fantastic round off to the series. I really enjoyed looking more into how things settle after the main ambition of the group that Freya is within has been reached. Now they have to plan, and sort, and fix things. And try not to be just as bad as those who came before.

The Dark Trilogy follows Freya, a healer, who is Pious in faith, which is banned in the Third Country. As tensions rise across the nation, Freya has to decide who she’s going to be. Whether she will fight for the world she wants or if she’ll cling to that which she holds dear, and stick to the status quo.

I’m sure many of you can imagine what is happening in this book, whether you’ve read the series or not. But I would like to keep it spoiler free regardless. So my best attempts, as always, will be below and forgive me for being vague!

I really enjoyed reading the moral struggle that Freya and the others were going through in the duration of this book. These people have killed others, they’ve deceived the people they love, and they’re trying to not fall back into the ways of the Kade, the religion that had subjugated them for so long. But this is harder than it seems. How do you quell unrest without action? How do you act without being unjust but also preventing riots? Watching A.B. Endacott dance through these issues with a light foot and really bring them to life was more interesting than even I thought it would be going in! (and you guys know how much I love the Godkissed Continent).

I also liked the emotional maturity that has come to Freya. With so little control over her life previously, there wasn’t much that Freya had to think in depth about. There was no point. So when it comes down to it, at first her responses hadn’t been the best or the most well thought out. But over the time that we’ve been following her we really get to see her emotions come under her own control and see the mastery she has over them now.

Speaking of control and mastery! The magic system in this world continues to be one that I love. Based upon faith and able to be manipulated in various ways, it’s incredibly interesting and Freya definitely learns more about her own innate powers and starts to use them. This isn’t always a good thing, but that process is part of the development of her powers.

There were only two things that I wasn’t completely happy with in this book, although I promise they were very minor as I still gave the book a solid 4 stars! First up is that deaths that had occurred seemed to be glossed over a little. Not as much time was spent mourning as I would’ve expected. I know that they have a job to do, but that job should’ve just been made that much tougher not only by the loss of key people to the group but also by the emotional pain that this loss caused.

Secondly, during this book Freya travels to a new location (look I said it would be vague), and she seems to settle in there a little fast. Everything just kind of works in her favour, no opposition, everything going smoothly. Realistically her entrance should’ve resulted in a longer duration of mistrust (in my opinion), or an explanation as to why this trust was so easily established. And she departs swiftly too. I loved the time there but it felt too short and I wished that there had been more issues that had kept us there for longer!

But overall, this book is absolutely fantastic and it’s another wonderful addition to the Godkissed Continent world that A.B. Endacott is creating. I can’t wait to read the First Country book when it comes out as well as everything else she ever writes!

First Lines Friday #5

It’s time for another First Lines Friday! Hosted by Wandering Words!!

What if, instead of judging a book by its cover or its author, we judged the book by its opening lines?

Here is how it works:

– Pick a book and open to the first page.

– Copy the first few lines without revealing which book it is.

– Reveal the book!

So… do these first lines entice you?

At a glance, the woman in the cell didn’t look as though she had been someone important. Certainly, she didn’t look dangerous. Her robes held the dirt of a garment worn unceasingly, only betraying glimpses of their original pristine white. Snatches of purple, blue and crimson peeked through the grime at the hems. The woman’s pallor was the sickly hue of someone who had not seen the sun in quite a stretch of time.

Scroll down to reveal the book!

Dark Heat by A.B. Endacott

The third and last book in this trilogy, I’m so so excited to get to this book because I’ve adored everything by Alice so far but I also don’t wanna read it cause then I won’t have any of her books left to read! I definitely recommend this trilogy!!

A Review of Dark Intent by AB Endacott

 

Welcome to the Third Country! Yet another book by the amazing AB Endacott, I have adored reading her works lately! This follows the woman councillor seen in Queendom of the Seven Lakes (review here) who is a healer named Freya Kuch. She lived in the Third country where a brutal takeover has occured from the Kade population which has left the Pious people as second class citizens. Freya, through determination, has managed to become the perfect Kade citizen. This is torn apart, however, when she is caught up in an explosion detonated by those less happy to be subjugated. From this point onwards her view of the world and her place in it is to be tested to the limits.

I adored this book, getting to delve into yet another section of this beautifully imagined world was a delight and I was quickly fully invested in Freya’s life and seeing her open her eyes to the truth in her country was so engrossing. I love how fleshed out all of the characters are and how much I was able to imaging the world in my head without there being any info-dumping.

The blurred lines between good and bad that are ever present in our day to day life are explored within this fantasy text in a way that can be extrapolated to real life. The contrast starts out quite strong, but quickly delves into the deep greys that come with life and show that nothing can quite fit neatly into a box. I love how Alice showed this and how it was interwoven into the story.

Freya’s relationships with both Simon and Ashtyn were really interesting and so different. I won’t tell you the nature of them in order not to spoil anything but I loved seeing the two very different sides to her and how she reacts differently to them both as the story goes on and she learns more about the country that they are living in and how they are all complicit.

The ending of this book is quite the cliffhanger! I’ve seen some reviews where people love it and some where they don’t. Me? I loved it! It turns out that it was actually an accident when this was uploaded and the ending was originally intended to be a little further into the story but I love the need to continue that this left me with and I’m so excited to pick up Dark Purpose soon and carry on with the series!

I of course adored this book and really really recommend picking it up!! (which you can do here, not affiliate I’m just lazy and assume others are too!)