Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Sometimes, you start a trilogy, fall in love with the characters, become invested in the plot, and wind up disappointed with the ending. Maybe the author fails to deliver on the promises made in the beginning. Or they introduce too many questions, leaving unresolved issues. Perhaps they get in over their head and reach for the hated deus ex machina. I’ve seen all of the above, and the pattern leaves me wary – especially when I find myself adoring the first two books.
But Ms. Taylor? She carved out a different space for herself. From the first moment (who introduces a new plotline in the finale?), you stumble along, guessing the direction she intends to lead you. And while it seems like NOTHING should work and make sense, it does. Everything comes together as seamlessly as the resurrection of a chimaera. It’s a level of emotional poetry on par with the first two volumes.
Even the ending feels satisfactory. And I didn’t want to close the pages and accept the words, not with the impact of everything Karou, Akiva, and Eliza went through (to say nothing of the others). It FELT true to the tale, though, which was all I could ask. Ms. Taylor delivered on the story she set out to tell. What more could you want from a writer?
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And I’ve upped my goal (AGAIN). Another five books by the end of the year may be a tad bit optimistic – only because most of them are on the hefty side of things. We’ll see how things go. I DID take off the final week in December, so I can always cram some last-minute reading time in there!