Title: The Descent: Book Three of the Taker Trilogy
Series: The Taker Trilogy
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: Paperback; 352 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books (January 7, 2014)
ISBN-10: 1451651821
ISBN-13: 978-1451651829
Notes: I received an ARC from the author in return for an honest review.
Lanore has been four years free of Adair, and in that time, a lot has happened. She and Luke had lived happily together until illness struck, and Lanore, once again, lost someone she loved. On the heels of her loss, she's been having disturbing dreams about Jonathan being sadistically tortured in the Underworld. Convinced the dreams, which are so vivid and lifelike, are Jonathan's way of contacting her for help, she seeks out the one man who can help her help Jonathan--Adair. But his help comes at a cost, as it always does, and Lanore is about to do the unthinkable--travel to hell and back or so she hopes.
I must confess, I loved the first two books of this trilogy and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. As I started to read, however, I felt I'd picked up some other book. Adair, once again, did not appear to be the Adair we were first introduced to in 'The Taker'. The man I'd come to love to hate wasn't the evil villain we first met. He was a pale comparison to that man. While I believe love can change one, I do not believe it can change the true nature of an individual. It would take something much more powerful. Now, some might argue that locking an individual in a self confined prison for over a hundred years might do the trick, as happened to Adair between 'The Taker' and 'The Reckoning', but Adair emerged from his prison with one thing on his mind--revenge. It didn't appear he'd gotten over his big bad self. He wanted Lanore to pay for what she dared do to him. Then somehow during 'The Reckoning' he came to admire her for being the only person to ever get the upper hand on him. So perhaps he realized upon reflection that he needed someone who could challenge him, but I have a hard time believing Lanore could ever forgive him for all he'd done to her in punishment for disobeying him in 'The Taker'.
Additionally, with what we come to know about Adair in 'The Descent', I can't help but wonder how likely that lengthy confinement would truly be? Then again, Ms. Katsu created the perfect place for Adair's powers to be amplified as we discover that the island he's chosen as home is located at a powerful point in the world where the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest. A place where power appears to be deep rooted within and throughout just waiting to be tapped. I am truly at odds with myself as to what rating to give the book. One of the things I truly wanted to see was Adair do something totally selfless to prove himself and his love for Lanore. Something unexpected that would speak volumes and make me forgive him. Giving up something one never wanted in the first place just did not cut it for me
What I loved about this book was the feeling of it being a combination of Persophone's descent into the Underworld and Alice's journey into Wonderland. I liked how she was able to find out the outcomes of those individuals who were important to her but whose fates she never knew. I kept hoping that Lanore's journey from one place to the next would have some significance later on in the book. That it would give her the key to something or her freedom, but alas it was just a walk down memory lane.
While I liked and enjoyed the story, that magical dark edge which I so adored in the first book was somehow lost. For me the book was a little too anticlimactic and didn't seem to measure up to the first book. I did, however, enjoy learning about Adair's true past--a past I never would have guessed. I really wanted to love 'The Descent', but alas, I'm giving it 3 out of 5 roses. Still a good read, but it had the potential to be more. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating scale, this one scored a SMILE rating--a lady always tries to be polite so a smile should suffice (ie no heat whatsoever). Lanore and Adair spent very little time together in this book and I didn't feel the love I'd hoped I would nor did I get the grand gesture which could have validated the ending.
Order of the Trilogy:
No comments:
Post a Comment