Zara
and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together for ever. But that's not
quite how things have worked out. For starters, Nick has gone. He has
been taken to the mythical place for warriors known as Valhalla. Zara
and her friends might be able to get him back, it's just not going to be
easy. Meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with
more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and
the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But even if Zara and
her friends do discover the route to Valhalla, there's that other small
problem: Zara's been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even
want to go with her? Especially since she hasn't turned into just any
pixie... She's Astley's queen.
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This is the third book in a surprisingly layered young adult series. Each book has held oodles of charm and lasting appeal on my bookshelf. This one takes off where the second left off, with Zara desperately hoping to rescue Nick while struggling with her feelings for Astley in the midst of a war.
“You know, life fractures us all into little pieces. It harms us, but it's how we glue those fractures back together that make us stronger.”
Zara pretty much risks everyone and everything to save Nick. A few deaths even occur - it almost gets selfish. I especially disliked the death of an under-used character. The death scenes were at least dramatically awesome, all the death scenes were epic and memorable. I can picture them clearly due to the author's writing technique. Like an epic fantasy movie. Valhalla and the story with that- well, more far-reached than I wanted this story to go - but certainly unusual and well done for what it's worth.
This book brings the series more into an epic adventure/type rather than UF/fantasy.
Zara isn't as likeable to me. She's...different. I missed some realism she had before. To me she's becoming too much like any other "kick-ass UF Chick" and losing some of her originality. While Astley was a cool, introduced player in the first and second, my dial has gone backwards a bit as to me he's become a little too clingy and emotional. He's now the cliche nice guy with little mystery. There are some strong bonding moments between them, though.
Even if the characters don't dazzle me as much now, the warm and fuzzy glow is well-written dramatic scenes that kick out hell of an impact. The wording, pacing and talent make it a cerebral movie.
Overall a must read for series fans, even if it's less enjoyable than it's predecessors. It stretches itself admirably, clearly growing to encompass more than one town and one group.
Book Quotes:
“Nobody is perfect, though. We all want everyone to think we are, but perfection is some crazy mythical state that we can never achieve. It is a goal beyond our grasp, always shifting and changing and taunting us, because it knows...it knows we can never reach it.”
“What I have learned lately is that people deal with death in all sorts of ways. Some of us fight against it, doing everything we can to make it not true. Some of us lose our selves to grief. Some of us lose ourselves to anger.”
Book Trailer:
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