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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While my opinions of Evie/Jack/Aric stand, I do believe this final book saved the series for me. It was a satisfying ending and I can now rest easy. A sincere thanks to KC for the real roller coaster and emotional ride I took with my utter disdain for half of the series while keeping the other half so freaking entertaining that I had to keep reading. Hats off to you, and ultimately, I would recommend this series to friends.
i can’t believe it’s over………. my heart….. is so empty now. i don’t know how i can live anymore in a post arcana world. matthew my love i never doubted you ONCE!!!!!!! i don’t even have any words my brain is a black hole after finishing this book. i’m so happy and so sad with the ending. the last half of the book was an absolute emotional rollercoaster i don’t think i will ever be able to recover from?!!!?!!!!!!!??????!!! i don’t even know what to say right now!!!! i’ll have to come back to this review once i can form a coherent thought again!!!!!
ok so the reason my rating is so low is because i absolutely hated the ending, like with every fibre of my being i hated it...
I really did enjoy this series (even though it might not look like it) but i only really enjoyed the first three books, after that point it was mostly reading it just to finish it because i already knew that it wasn't going to end how i wanted it to. I cannot express how much i hated the love triangle, it was fun at first but then became so annoying, especially the fact that Evie kept going back and forth between the two of them (like at that point i just hated her and felt bad for them).
I will always be team death (justice for Aric) because i don't think i have hated a character as much as i do Jack, he is just not it for me.
I don't want to spoil the ending but it just seemed like a copout. The way that it did end just made me so mad (again mostly for Aric) that by the time i finished it i was actually happy that it was over.
If i do ever go back and re-read the series i think it'll only be the first three books and then just make up the ending in my head (again Aric supremacy, i feel bad for him)
I was really hoping that i would enjoy all of this series, especially since The Immortals of the Dark is my favourite series of all time, but it wasn't meant to be...
I really did enjoy this series (even though it might not look like it) but i only really enjoyed the first three books, after that point it was mostly reading it just to finish it because i already knew that it wasn't going to end how i wanted it to. I cannot express how much i hated the love triangle, it was fun at first but then became so annoying, especially the fact that Evie kept going back and forth between the two of them (like at that point i just hated her and felt bad for them).
I will always be team death (justice for Aric) because i don't think i have hated a character as much as i do Jack, he is just not it for me.
I don't want to spoil the ending but it just seemed like a copout. The way that it did end just made me so mad (again mostly for Aric) that by the time i finished it i was actually happy that it was over.
If i do ever go back and re-read the series i think it'll only be the first three books and then just make up the ending in my head (again Aric supremacy, i feel bad for him)
I was really hoping that i would enjoy all of this series, especially since The Immortals of the Dark is my favourite series of all time, but it wasn't meant to be...
so… its not that this book is bad but I said I would be giving both Munro and From the Grave a one star based on how Kresley treated her fans (the lack of communication) between 2019-2022 so yeah. Go to my Munro review if you really care
I have sooooo many problems with this book. It's been haunting me in my sleep every night as my brain tries to resolve the many unresolved issues this book had. I'm so sad and disappointed that this is how the series ended. It was obvious that the writer didn't know how to end it. I think she was also afraid to make fans of Jack vs Aric upset but, in the end, I feel like we all should have been upset.
Throughout the series, things take place that you feel has significance to them being able to end the game. I could wrap my head around the pregnancy only because it seemed Matthew felt it was necessary? Otherwise, horrible story line to throw in there. I wanted there to be some significance to Death and Life creating something. It seemed beautiful and poetic... What about Calanthe's Chronicles? I thought it would bring something to light considering it was hidden by Joules and then retrieved by the Hunter's team. I don't remember there being any significance to that.
Matthew's sacrifice... why was it Matthew's sacrifice that appeased the Gods? What was the significance/ reason for that? Did I miss something? He's immortal, old because Evie didn't die until old age but when the games reset wouldn't he just be the first to die in the new game? I don't understand. Jack's death- he gets shot up randomly? He's cheated death so many times and that's the way he goes out? Poor choice...
The reuniting of reincarnated Evie, Jack and Aric... first off, per Matthew's statement JACK IS NOT ARCANA... was he wrong? How did he get reincarnated? No explanation. Secondly, she chooses BOTH of them again? Does she not understand how much each man was pained that she was in love with both of them? Every touch or glance that wasn't for them was a pang in their chest because they wanted those looks and glances themselves. This seems like the most heartbreaking thing ever.
I was team Jack pretty much throughout the book but I think it would have only be fair for Aric to have his full shot at a life with Evie since Jack did in the last life. I did understand her draw to both of them. They were really great characters but having a threesome relationship is not something that is ever going to work for me. Weird. Wrong.
So sad this book ended this way...
Throughout the series, things take place that you feel has significance to them being able to end the game. I could wrap my head around the pregnancy only because it seemed Matthew felt it was necessary? Otherwise, horrible story line to throw in there. I wanted there to be some significance to Death and Life creating something. It seemed beautiful and poetic... What about Calanthe's Chronicles? I thought it would bring something to light considering it was hidden by Joules and then retrieved by the Hunter's team. I don't remember there being any significance to that.
Matthew's sacrifice... why was it Matthew's sacrifice that appeased the Gods? What was the significance/ reason for that? Did I miss something? He's immortal, old because Evie didn't die until old age but when the games reset wouldn't he just be the first to die in the new game? I don't understand. Jack's death- he gets shot up randomly? He's cheated death so many times and that's the way he goes out? Poor choice...
The reuniting of reincarnated Evie, Jack and Aric... first off, per Matthew's statement JACK IS NOT ARCANA... was he wrong? How did he get reincarnated? No explanation. Secondly, she chooses BOTH of them again? Does she not understand how much each man was pained that she was in love with both of them? Every touch or glance that wasn't for them was a pang in their chest because they wanted those looks and glances themselves. This seems like the most heartbreaking thing ever.
I was team Jack pretty much throughout the book but I think it would have only be fair for Aric to have his full shot at a life with Evie since Jack did in the last life. I did understand her draw to both of them. They were really great characters but having a threesome relationship is not something that is ever going to work for me. Weird. Wrong.
So sad this book ended this way...
I had given up on this book ever coming out, I read the previous on in 2018. It was a good conclusion to the series that really let the characters grow and be current to 2023.
in the eternal words of taylor swift, it is exhausting always rooting for the antihero.
aric was given CRUMBS. is this the same writer who created lothaire? i doubt it.
aric was given CRUMBS. is this the same writer who created lothaire? i doubt it.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
What. A. Ride. I didn't know it was possible to have my heart broken over and over again for the course of almost an entire book, but here we are. I wasn't convinced that this story could even be brought to a satisfying conclusion after the setup of the first five book, but somehow KC managed to pull it off in a way that didn't feel like a cop-out. I shouldn't have doubted her.
This is a spectacular book that ties off the series neatly on an appropriately epic scale. As in earlier books there was an odd juxtaposition of slow and blindingly fast parts. It worked though, because the slow parts were used for character development and God, it was agonizing to have all these lovely, layered characters grow closer and closer build up their bond and knowing the entire time you'd have to watch most, if not all of them die in the end.
I would have expected the great showdown to have a little bit more oomph, but I loved that we got to find out what happened to the world after the Flash.
It's a truly dazzling series and this was a worthy last chapter.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a spectacular book that ties off the series neatly on an appropriately epic scale. As in earlier books there was an odd juxtaposition of slow and blindingly fast parts. It worked though, because the slow parts were used for character development and God, it was agonizing to have all these lovely, layered characters grow closer and closer build up their bond and knowing the entire time you'd have to watch most, if not all of them die in the end.
I would have expected the great showdown to have a little bit more oomph, but I loved that we got to find out what happened to the world after the Flash.
It's a truly dazzling series and this was a worthy last chapter.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
From the Grave has been a difficult story to review. I finished it over a week ago (at the time of writing this review) and I'm still not sure how to rate it. I'll start by explaining why I haven't given it a star rating before I discuss the points that I enjoyed. It might come across as a little vague to keep it spoiler-free.
Essentially, the big surprises/reveals at the end of this series weren't my thing. They contained elements that I have tried in the past and didn't particularly enjoy, so now I generally avoid books with said elements.
Since they were part of the big surprise ending, this was not something I could have known before requesting the ARC. This is simply a personal preference. However, I know several people who enjoy books with these types of situations and I plan on recommending this series to them.
That all being said, I have always been a huge fan of Kresley Cole. I've spent the last 12 years reading and re-reading her books. To date, there are only two that I have yet to read--something I plan to remedy when I get the chance.
As a fan of her work, I was already familiar with her fun writing style and intricate world-building. (Honestly, her world-building is insanely expansive and detailed!). So, I knew to expect the same with From the Grave, which she delivered.
Kresley is also fantastic at creating a huge range of characters in depth. There were no flat 2D characters here. Each has their own backstories, feelings, and decision-making processes. Even when I didn't agree with their decisions, I could understand that the choices were in line with who they were as characters.
I also enjoyed many of the side characters, and if this wasn't a series about characters fighting to the death, I absolutely would've wanted several to have spin-offs.
Overall, I think people who enjoy the elements revealed at the end are going to absolutely love this book. As previously mentioned, I have several friends who I know enjoy books like this and I plan to recommend this series to them!
Also, while this series was originally considered YA, I feel that it somewhat crosses over into NA territory. I enjoyed that it was a bit different from her usual subgenres (historical romance, paranormal romance, and erotica), and I highly recommend you check out her other series while you're at it!
Essentially, the big surprises/reveals at the end of this series weren't my thing. They contained elements that I have tried in the past and didn't particularly enjoy, so now I generally avoid books with said elements.
Since they were part of the big surprise ending, this was not something I could have known before requesting the ARC. This is simply a personal preference. However, I know several people who enjoy books with these types of situations and I plan on recommending this series to them.
That all being said, I have always been a huge fan of Kresley Cole. I've spent the last 12 years reading and re-reading her books. To date, there are only two that I have yet to read--something I plan to remedy when I get the chance.
As a fan of her work, I was already familiar with her fun writing style and intricate world-building. (Honestly, her world-building is insanely expansive and detailed!). So, I knew to expect the same with From the Grave, which she delivered.
Kresley is also fantastic at creating a huge range of characters in depth. There were no flat 2D characters here. Each has their own backstories, feelings, and decision-making processes. Even when I didn't agree with their decisions, I could understand that the choices were in line with who they were as characters.
I also enjoyed many of the side characters, and if this wasn't a series about characters fighting to the death, I absolutely would've wanted several to have spin-offs.
Overall, I think people who enjoy the elements revealed at the end are going to absolutely love this book. As previously mentioned, I have several friends who I know enjoy books like this and I plan to recommend this series to them!
Also, while this series was originally considered YA, I feel that it somewhat crosses over into NA territory. I enjoyed that it was a bit different from her usual subgenres (historical romance, paranormal romance, and erotica), and I highly recommend you check out her other series while you're at it!