Friday, April 17, 2015

*Book Review* Sorceress by Claudia Gray (YA Paranormal)

Series: Spellcaster # 3
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: March 3, 2015
Source: Library
Format: Hardcover, 352 pages
Genre: YA, Paranormal

To save the lives of countless people in Captive’s Sound, Nadia has sworn herself to the One Beneath, to black magic. Her plan, and the town’s only hope, is for Nadia to learn enough sorcery to strike back against the forces of darkness. But now that she’s separated from her friends, her family, and her Steadfast, Mateo, Nadia is more vulnerable than ever to darkness. And as the sorceress Elizabeth summons torrential rains and brings the One Beneath closer to the mortal world, Nadia is running out of time to stop her. The final battle lines are drawn, surprising alliances are made, and true love is tested in the action-packed conclusion to the breathtaking Spellcaster series. 



Sorceress is the final installment in the Spellcaster trilogy. Picking up right where Steadfast left off, teenage witch Nadia Caldani has done the unthinkable. She's sworn to serve the One Beneath in order to save Captive Sound, her friends, and her family who have no clue what's going on.  She's also agreed to be trained by Elizabeth Pike who has caused chaos using fear, hate, sorrow & grief to get what she's wanted for generations.

Nadia can only hope that she can learn quickly what Elizabeth has to teach her, before the One Beneath makes his appearance. That means using every available resource, including her steadfast boyfriend Mateo Perez, best friend Verlaine Laughton, demon Asa, and several other characters who join Team Not Evil.

I dare say that I was a bit emotional at times while reading Sorceress. I hated to see the pain and suffering these characters faced. Yet, it is that pain and suffering that drives them to find the answers they need to fight back. I went into Sorceress holding my expectations back a bit. Too many times, I have been burned by final installments in series leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth.

I will say that Gray didn't hold back in resolving the Elizabeth issue, but the final chapter could have been a bit longer with perhaps more action and fight scenes against One Beneath, his demons, and Team Not Evil. The positive is that she didn't try to sweeten her villain, or make light of a really bad situation. She puts Nadia into a corner, makes her find ways to deal with the Elizabeth/One Beneath issue before it destroys her new hometown.

I found myself cheering loudly for Verlaine in this installment. Folks, this poor girl has gone through hell, and it doesn't get any better once Elizabeth's ultimate plans kick into action. I do like that Verlaine found someone she could be with, and that Asa would in turn, understand her struggles she's been forced to deal with since being cursed by Elizabeth. I'm also happier than a clam at high tide that she gets a wonderful HEA.

Overall, one could complain about the romance between Nadia and Mateo. Or, one could say that it was written exactly as it should have been. Although Nadia and Mateo are great in this story, it was Verlaine and Asa that took the ultimate prize for the best relationship. I do wish that Nadia could have resolved the issue with her mother for her brothers sake, but life isn't fair, so why should a fantasy story be any different?

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