Where do I even begin? Wade, Wade, Wade. How I adore Wade. He truly carries this book and I believe he shines. Not only does he feel true to the character we met and watched grow up in the Soul Bound series, but he's also so wonderfully complex in terms of the types of tropes that are used to create male characters. We have more of the original cast as well, Patrick, Jono, etc., which makes my heart soar. And the plot felt perfectly created to really let Wade have his moment to shine.



Knowing what I know now about this book, would I still read it if I went back in time?
So much yes!!!


 See below for the four criteria I use to decide whether and when to read a book



CHARACTERS: I've been waxing poetic about Wade, but I'm happy to do so some more! He's an incredible dichotomy of character traits that blend what you'd find in an "omega" and an "alpha" character. He's the strongest of anyone in this world (alpha) but also the youngest (omega). He's super self-sufficient (alpha) but also vulnerable in terms of how he's still coping with his past (omega). I'm putting these in broad strokes and hoping they make sense. Riordan is 377 years his senior, and yet we're constantly seeing just how much Wade is there to protect him. At the same time, Riordan still finds ways to make Wade feel safe, especially from his past trauma. Their relationship is a glorious blend of these traits that give such a beautiful equality to them as a pair.




PLOT: Similar to the previous books in the series, Wade is sent by his pack to help a Boston pack and ends up helping almost all the supernatural communities in Boston as they face a threat from an outside supernatural force attempting to take over ALL of Boston. In many ways he's the connection, the broker, the hero. In the end, they have to work together and his relationship with Riordan grows as they uncover both what exactly is happening and who is behind it. In the end, it takes nearly the whole community in Boston to succeed. The plot is slow to begin, but in this sense its perfect because we're returning to a world with beloved characters, so the chance to spend time with them is beautiful.




EMOTIONAL INTENSITY: There is no good/bad here. Sometimes I just want a low-investment entertainment read whereas other times a high-stakes 'I need a therapist to recover' is what I need.

3/5: Medium. The world is so wonderfully immersive and I love Wade so much, it's hard not to have that emotional connection. At the same time, I didn't expect that the stakes were going to be too high that I'd have to worry.



CATHARTIC FULFILLMENT: Is the emotional journey worth it? Do I finish this book feeling that I've crested the wave of the climactic moment and everything has been settled, leaving me settled and fulfilled? 

95%. Again, I wish we'd had some time to spend in the aftermath: nursing injuries or wounds or just having them all take a breather, but I'm used to not seeing that in books. Otherwise, I will admit that I nearly squealed when we had a character appearance at the end that just made my day. This book was so worth the wait and the read.