allegra pescatore

Fantasy Book Review – These Gossamer Strings – The Last Gift #3 by Allegra Pescatore

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Synopsis (From Goodreads):

A God is Dead. A Queen is Missing. Secrets are Unraveling.

On trial for the murder of the King, Elenor and Gabriel must become allies if they want to survive. His magic is spiraling out of control, awakening a mystery hidden in the very walls of the palace. She has one month to pass her Water Rite and find a way out of the marriage her parents set up. But things are about to get much more complicated.

Between sadistic family members intent on taking Elenor’s throne, Tirit Mindel breathing down Gabriel’s neck, and a Golden Dragon appearing in the sky above the Mondaer Desert with an ominous warning, more than the Kingdom of Lirin is at stake.

If that weren’t bad enough, time is ticking down for Fedrik and Fay as well. With the desert turning against them and Daemon as a questionable new ally, figuring out how to control Fedrik’s Gift has become a matter of life and death.

Picking up in the fallout of Where Shadows Lie, In Silence Abiding is the long-awaited and non-stop second instalment of The Last Gift. Dive back into the world of Dracona and hold onto your hats. Things are about to get… salty.

Allegra Pescatore is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Her writing is amazing from beginning to end and this novel is no exception.

The author has created an amazing world in The Last Gift series. It is rich and detailed, filled with magic and political intrigue. There’s always something happening. Even when you think “ok, these people have been through enough, give them a break” no! They are thrown into more impossible or dire situations. Every time I think these characters can’t possibly handle any more, some new horrible situation arises for them to deal with. Honestly, if I were any of these characters I’m pretty sure I would have had a mental breakdown in the first book.

I love how each chapter begins with a snippet from a letter or journal entry, giving a glimpse into the past, which adds understanding into some situations and relationships. These snippets add depth in a way flashbacks never could.

Several plot point were wrapped up in this novel, but several others are still hanging loosely, fluttering in the wind, taunting me until the next book comes out. Not sure how I will wait that long. There was one thing I predicted would happen in the first book that has finally come to pass (I don’t want to spoil what that is) but other than that one thing, this series is the last thing from predictable. I never knew what was going to happen next. My attention was constantly engaged and rarely wandered. I truly can’t wait what is in store for this world and it’s characters next.

There were a couple sex scenes in this novel, normally something I’m not a fan of, but somehow, I felt like the scenes added to the relationship between the characters instead of just being a sex scene.

I think I might have a bit of a crush on Gabriel. He’s just such a good person, truly caring and understanding of others, fiercely loyal and protective of the people he cares about. Best of all, he knows when people just need a hug and is willing to give one, no strings attached.

I really want to gush how amazing this novel is as well as the series itself, but instead, I’m just going to tell you to read it yourself. If you are a fan of any kind of fantasy, I think you will enjoy this novel. I’m rating it 5 out of 5 stars and hope more people will come to pick up this series and enjoy it as much as I have.

Have you read this book or any of the books in the series? I’d really love to know what you think if you have.

Thanks for reading 🙂

Check out my reviews of the previous books in this series: Whispers of Stone and Where Shadows Lie

Fantasy Book Review – Where Shadows Lie – The Last Gift #1 by Allegra Pescatore

/ jeana84 / 2 Comments

Synopsis:

THE CHOSEN ONE IS DEAD.

Speak the truth.
That is what Elenor has been taught to value above all else, but when her brother dies, leaving her next in line for the Throne of Lirin, truth becomes a matter of opinion.

Stand for what is right.
Gabriel thought his years of fighting against oppression were over when he agreed to assassinate the royal family. He never expected to end up helping one of them.

As the carefully woven webs of deception surrounding Elenor and Gabriel begin to unravel, Princess and Rebel must set aside their differences and work together for the sake of the Kingdom they both love.

Meanwhile, from the rainy streets of Lirin to the scorching dunes of the Mondaer Desert, the ripples of their actions have inadvertently broken a chain of events five centuries in the making. Ancient forces move in the shadows, calling in debts and striking deals. A monster with a thousand faces fingers his knife, ready to kill, and a pair of fugitives run for their lives.

With Magic itself misbehaving and old alliances crumbling to dust, it is up to an unlikely group of friends and enemies to pick up the pieces the chosen one left behind.

Wow! I loved this book!

I went into this novel with the misconception that this is a YA novel. It’s not. Which becomes evident on the very first page with the first of many F bombs.

This book begins with an assassination attempt on the current monarchs. The Crown Prince, Wilam, has been working with the Rebellion to bring about the downfall of his tyrant father and incompetent mother. All seems to be going well until his sister, Elenor, saves her father’s life. Wilam is murdered, one of the rebels dies, another tries to kidnap Elenor only to be poisoned by her and the entire plot is ruined.

The world is shaken by the Prince’s death. Plans that revolved around him are now in ruins.

Although I really liked this book, there were a couple things that I could have lived without. There is a rather large amount swearing in this novel, especially the F word. I also could have survived just fine without the um…”sex” scene. It was exactly sex but close enough. I don’t think it was totally necessary to further the relationship between those two characters.

What I liked far out weighs what I didn’t. The characters are all interesting and unique. Fay was my least favorite character, but I didn’t completely hate her. I really felt like Elenor grew as both a person and a future queen through the novel. I would have loved to know more about Gabriel but given his situation in this book, it’s easy to understand why he wouldn’t have much growth. There’s definitely room for that in the sequel.

The world building was great, though there’s still room for more. I didn’t totally understand the magic system as first as it’s referred to “rifting” but after a while it became more clear. I loved how the gods were real tangible beings that interacted with their “chosen” people to further their own plans.

The way the plot is woven, and all the little lies and deceptions are slowly revealed or made clear is masterful! At about the midway point, certain characters come together and Elenor learns more of what is really going in her kingdom. Her internal and physical struggles feel so real, she’s easy to relate to, even if she was a bit annoying at first.

It was great that there’s LGBTQ representation in this book and it doesn’t seem to be taboo in this world.

I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel!

My thanks to the author for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My rating for this book is 4.5 our of 5 stars and I recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy, character driven novels and fast paced and intricate plots.

Thanks for reading!