To all the publishing professionals who deal with my terrible sense of humor and impulsive nature-for without their guidance, I would have enthusiastically titled this book F**k It, Let’s Try Coffee– Author’s Dedication
All Reyna wanted at the end of Tea You At the Altar was a nice night unwinding with a relaxing cup of tea. Instead, she got kidnapped and dragged off to an abandoned watch tower with a strange alchemy circle hidden under the floorboards. Luckily, Kianthe’s rescue of her goes off without a hitch, even if Reyna is a horrible damsel in distress. What is a hitch though, is on top of uncovering who crafted that circle and what their intent is, is that word of Reyna and Kianthe’s lives in Tawney have hit the news circles, bringing a massive influx of tourists to the small town. With the town at breaking point, and tempers starting to run high (people are even batting around the idea of getting the dragons to attack again to discourage tourism), will Reyna and Kianthe have to decide that for the good of Tawney’s present and future, they should no longer be a part of it?
It was an enjoyable end to the series, even if the ending was a little open-ended. I love (mildly sarcastic here) when newly introduced characters turn out to be the over-arching series Big Bad. Cried honest tears when it seriously looked like Reyna and Kianthe would have to leave Tawney. Can not get a grasp on Waylan and Feo’s relationship; I know that everything doesn’t have to be tied up in a neat bow and explained clearly, but I’m still curious. Glad that with Serrina and Bobbie’s relationship Thorne shows that relationships aren’t just cookie-cutter copies of each other; what works for one couple doesn’t necessarily work for another. Winterhaven, the land of perpetual Yule celebrations, sounds like a truly exhausting place to live; I could not be that “on” 24/7/52/365.
And another thought: How did the main plot that took almost the entire book simultaneously seem to come out of left field and be rushed through? I felt like for something that was in the back of all the books and was brought to the forefront here, seemed to be introduced, had the big confrontation, and then just wham! Problem solved. Not complaining, just a bit whiplash-y. There is a character mentioned at the end of book (Quinn) that with situations being what they are, I wonder who they came from, and how exactly they came about (is there magical IVF here)? I guess neither questions really matters in the grand scheme of things, but it’s a good/bad thing that everything isn’t as I said, neatly tied up. I’m glad Blue Spruce healed quickly from their trauma; them and their ilk are going to be yet one more reason I’m going to miss this series. Pill Bug, Gold Coin, Visk, Ponder; it’s the magical creatures that are just the cutest. Though Visk and new griffon entry towards the end of the book just go and prove that griffons are the largest drama queens of the magical animal kingdom, and there is a very good reason in this series why they’re mages’ mounts. Sorry series ended as I would have like more, but maybe the author will either change their mind or just start a new series in this universe concentrating on different characters. Glad Big Bad’s idea somewhat failed, and yet what did succeed in working turned out to be a good thing. To put it bluntly, if you haven’t picked up this series, go do so, but definitely start at the beginning. If you have read up to this point and have enjoyed it, you won’t be disappointed by the final entry.