So…. I’m done with this series. In case you were wondering, the quality doesn’t pick up at all. Everything that irritated me in the first book is still present here. I’m just… so disappointed in this series. I think the idea is pretty cool, and in the hands of someone willing to actually challenge her characters this could be an interesting series. But that just doesn’t happen. Oh, there are villains, evil mustache twirling villains, but at no point in the book, or series, did I ever wonder or worry about our heroes. In addition, there is the added aggravation that people whom our heroes have wronged turn out to be petty, petty assholes. It’s… aggravating.
The plot, well its two years later and Ceony is still Emery’s pupil, though she is about ready to take her magician’s trials. Ceony and Emery are definitely a couple. However, there is no sex going on, because Emery is a gentleman and stops them from doing anything more than kissing despite Ceony’s evident desire, because they’re not married. THEY’RE LIVING TOGETHER. AND AT ONE POINT THEY SHARE THE SAME BED BECAUSE NIGHTMARE BUT NOTHING BEYOND KISSING. This may have stretched my belief beyond all possible reason. (not that they didn’t have sex when the nightmares happened, but that they haven’t done ANYTHING in the two years they lived together with absolutely NO ONE ELSE in the house). I swear I put down my book at that point, banged my head on the table, and said IT’S SO MORMON OMG. (She was raised in SLC and graduated from BYU, if she’s not Mormon she’s so steeped in the culture it doesn’t matter). It’s a very strange kind of fantasy, and some sociologist, willing to read more bad fiction then I am, should look at the romances Mormon women write. (Born and raised Mormon, I’m allowed to complain).
Right, so Ceony is getting ready to do her magician’s test and Emery decides not to administer her test in order to avoid all appearance of impropriety. FIRST GOOD THING HE’S DONE IN THAT REGARD YET. But to really sell that point he decides to have an old schoolmate administer the test. An old schoolmate he just so happened to bully when he was a child. And of course the old schoolmate turns out to be an asshole who wants to sabotage Ceony, because any inkling that Emery isn’t perfect needs to be negated somehow. It’s beyond eyeroll inducing.
Oh, and there’s something about the villain from the last book escaping his execution and coming after Ceony. Plus Ceony advances her super special magical abilities (where she learned how to switch her magical bonding from one material to another). Blah, blah, blah.
I felt obligated to read all these books because I purchased all of them at once (they were on sale). I am so, so, so, so, so glad to have them off my plate.
