This newfound fortune would be life-changing for anyone. But little does Breen know that when she uses some of the money to journey to Ireland, it will unlock mysteries she couldn’t have imagined. Here, she will begin to understand why she kept seeing that silver-haired, elusive man, why she imagined his voice in her head saying Come home, Breen Siobhan. It’s time you came home. Why she dreamed of dragons. And where her true destiny lies—through a portal in Galway that takes her to a land of faeries and mermaids, to a man named Keegan, and to the courage in her own heart that will guide her through a powerful, dangerous destiny… Synopsis from Goodreads PERSONAL REVIEW I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that I think I've read every Nora Roberts book published, so of course I was excited for a new trilogy to begin. However, Roberts continues to prove herself to be at her finest in her contemporary stories or her older fantasy series. This newest addition to Robertsland was an incredibly boring letdown with forgettable characters and lack of tension. Love Breen's Backstory and Her Best Friend I really enjoyed seeing Breen's life in Philadelphia, her found family there, as well as her family and history in Talamh. I would've loved more time with her mom to fully understand their relationship; likewise, more time with Sally and the rest would've been great because they are fabulous characters! Breen herself is ok (I'm assuming we'll see her grow in future books) but it's the people around her that really capture my attention. Looking forward to more time with them in the future. Romance is Expected but Not Exciting We know that Breen and Keegan will end up together, but there was nothing particularly exciting, romantic, or surprising about it when they eventually do...which is really disappointing (especially for a Nora Roberts book!). The entire relationship was stiff, forced, and I just never felt like there was any real connection between them. Keegan as a character was incredibly depressing to read until the end of the novel - when he goes back to the capital, I finally felt like we were getting to know him. But why wait so long to give readers this insight? I'm hoping that something changes in the next book because right now I really couldn't care less about if Breen and Keegan end up together. Where's the Tension? For a story that's supposed to be about an impending doom/ attack happening in a magical realm, there is very little tension or drama in the actual tale. So there's a bad guy? Cool. I honestly can't remember his name or what his goal is (realm domination? Maybe?) and found myself fairly bored while reading about Breen's training. This book dragged a lot, especially in the middle, with the interest coming from Breen learning about her past and her family more than about her learning how to control her magic. This book was just bland. Overall, I didn't think this was a great start to a new trilogy by Roberts. I love her contemporary novels, but I don't think she's as strong when creating these "alternate world" stories. I fully appreciate an author trying something new, but these feels like a very watered down version of some of her previous books (which I actually enjoyed reading) and nothing really stand out for me. Even writing this review, I had to constantly remind myself what this book was about, which is fairly depressing and not at all what I expect after reading something from Roberts. While it sounds weird, I am planning to read the next book in the series because I'm hoping we see much more happening, but this isn't a book or series that I would currently recommend to anyone but the more ardent Roberts fans. FINAL RATING: 2/5
12 Comments
Jane Early
12/29/2021 06:53:25 pm
Wow. I so totally disagree with you.
Alexandra
9/15/2022 08:59:05 pm
Totally fair! That's the beauty of books - we all connect to them differently :)
Addie
6/24/2022 03:44:58 am
Oh my gosh you nailed it. I honestly struggled to get through this one because man, could it use an edit! The first third of the book could’ve been cut down to 10 pages without losing anything important and honestly the book itself was just so… halfhearted. And then where’s the tension?? For a hundred pages they’re traipsing around Ireland and literally everything is fantastic! Flight is perfect, cottage is perfect, garden and tours and town etc, all of it—perfect. While that’s great for Marco and Breen, it’s terrible for a reader desperate for plot. Even on the rare occasion there was something to keep the story moving, it was difficult to take anything seriously when every other chapter has a paragraph about Breen’s amazing blogging abilities lol. It makes the book seem weirdly dated even though it’s a contemporary novel. Ugh. It’s always disappointing when a fantasy book is boring.
Kam
8/18/2022 10:55:26 am
Agreed about the editing. Someone needed to give this book a shave. It felt like Roberts fell in love with her words and her editor(s) were too afraid to insist that she cut out some of the drivel. That, or else they forced her to make three books out of what should have been one.
Alexandra
9/15/2022 08:55:19 pm
Yes, this!! ^^ I feel like she can probably write whatever she wants at this point and her publishers will go for it because they know her name sells more than the books themselves. Which is depressing for us as readers.
Alexandra
9/15/2022 08:54:26 pm
I fully agree - what's with the absolute perfection of everything? And if I have to read one more time about how Breen has become an overnight blogging sensation and author, my eyes are going to fall out from me rolling them so hard. *face palm*
Brittnie Sowards
7/9/2022 11:25:01 pm
I haven’t even finished the book yet. Listening to it as an audiobook. I’m on chapter 18 and I was googling “character list” for this book because I can’t remember who is who, unless it’s Breen, Nan, or Keegan. I’m clearly struggling.
Alexandra
9/15/2022 08:52:56 pm
It just makes me sad because it's such a letdown. I really love the "classic Nora" books and will forever love the In Death series, but these new books feel like she's just churning out whatever she feels like it as a money grab, instead of giving us juicy romances or adventure.
Kam
8/18/2022 11:02:48 am
Totally agree with your critique. I usually get caught up in stories and can't put a book down. For this one, I honestly thought about shelving it 30% in. I couldn't care less about any of the main characters. Of all of them, I wanted to learn more about Marco. And there is just way too much fluff involved. I listened to this as an audiobook and even 1.75x speed was too slow. And I never missed anything! Even if I zoned out for a moment, whatever I missed turned out to be pure drivel. I'm not sure I want to waste my time on the next two books. It kills me to not finish a series, but these books are WAY too long. Too much of a time investment for the return. Is it just me, or should they have been edited down to one long book? I can just hear the publisher saying, "OK, Nora. We'll let you do something new and take a risk, but we want THREE books out of this to make it worth our while." And so we get a load of scenery and irrelevant characters and details to fill the pages and water down and already uninspired story.
Alexandra
9/15/2022 08:56:48 pm
This definitely could've been one book! I'm sure they are banking on her name selling the series more than the books themselves, but WOW is this trilogy dragging. I honestly couldn't remember if I'd read the second book or not *sigh*
Tumbleweed
8/31/2022 06:30:22 am
I have to be honest when I say...I have read way better fanfiction. I love fantasy books. I read a lot. I gotta admit I have not read a lot of Nora Roberts...and this series isn't giving me any reason to want to start. You can tell it is an older person writing as a younger. The same lines, constantly repeated. "you can bet your fine toned ass..." Just, ugh. I want to like these. I have read the first two. I will read the last, just because I hate to leave stories unfinished. But I was so over this series after the first little bit of book one. There is too much filler nonsense. Stuff that doesn't matter and stuff that just feels so forced. These first two books really should have been a single book and if I a being truthful, with how the second one ended, I bet the third one probably would fit too. The timeline is so wishy washy. The whole first book seems to have taken place in just two/three months. It also seems like that might be about the amount of time this second one has taken place, maybe even less. She became an expert..everything (?) in less than half a year?! All while writing an adult novel, starting a children's series, and keeping up with a hit blog?!
Alexandra
9/15/2022 08:57:55 pm
I know! I'm glad that in between sword fights and training, she has time to write all these bestsellers and a blog. I had a baby and couldn't keep up with reading, but glad Breen has her time management down to a T. Leave a Reply. |
About MeHi, I'm Alexandra! I love reading (largely YA fiction, but sometimes I'll read "adult" books), playing board games, Nutella, and binge-watching TV shows on Netflix with my husband. Follow Me on Instagram@AllCharactersWanted
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