In
the third book of the series, reluctant Necromancer Emma and
her friends are ready to take the conflict directly to the
Queen of the Dead in the Citadel of her making. The stakes
are high for the book, but the plot moves slowly with lots
of pondering and contemplation and reliving of memories in
order to find what Emma should actually do to free the trapped
dead without accidentally killing the living. For me, that
made for a slow, slow book. For readers whose preference is
character over plot, the deep examination of thoughts, motives,
relationships, duty, guilt and love will surely be compelling
reading. Once things do get moving at the end, I did get behind
the story 100% as Emma and her friends (and enemies) are fascinating
characters in a compelling situation. The mythos and world-building
of the story is fascinating and beautiful, if sometimes creepy.
The author also avoids the superficial feel of many teen love
stories, mostly because the series recognizes that love can
mean so many different things and take so many different forms,
some of which are destructive. Overall, I didn't love the
book and it did feel laborious in places, but I suspect that
anyone who caught the series at the beginning will be impressed
by the moving quality of the ending.
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