Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Review: The Angel Stone by Juliet Dark


The Angel Stone by Juliet Dark
Series: Fairwick Chronicles, Book #3
Published: September 3rd, 2013
Publisher: Ballantine Books
288 pages (eARC)
Genre: Paranormal romance
Acquired this book: From the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Book Depository || Chapters/Indigo}

{Read my review of The Demon Lover || Read my review of The Water Witch}

For Callie McFay, a half-witch/half-fey professor of folklore and Gothic literature, the fight to save the enchanted town of Fairwick, New York, is far from over. After a hostile takeover by the Grove—a sinister group of witches and their cohorts—many of the local fey have been banished or killed, including Callie’s one true love. And in place of the spirit of tolerance and harmony, the new administration at Fairwick College has fostered an air of danger and distrust.

With her unique magical abilities, Callie is the only one who can rescue her friends from exile and restore order to the school—a task that requires her to find the Angel Stone, a legendary talisman of immense power. Propelled on an extraordinary quest back to seventeenth-century Scotland, Callie risks her life to obtain the stone. Yet when she encounters a sexy incarnation of her lost love, she finds the greater risk is to her heart. As the fate of Fairwick hangs in the balance, Callie must make a wrenching choice: reclaim a chance for eternal passion or save everything she holds dear.


The Angel Stone is the final installment in the Fairwick Chronicles. While I’ve had my issues here and there I have to say that overall I really enjoyed this trilogy and will miss the characters and setting. The Demon Lover was sexy, unique, and compelling; The Water Witch, while I mostly enjoyed it, had the most issues of the trilogy, in my opinion, and was kind of slow paced; and The Angel Stone seemed like more of a return to the first book with a faster pace and engaging story.

Each story brought something new that kept me guessing and wanting more. In The Angel Stone, the new element was time travel. While completely unexpected, it was definitely my favourite part of the book. I thought it was all tied together really well, and Callie’s reasons for going to Scotland in the 1600s fit in with everything the reader already knows from the previous books. Fairwick has changed so much since the door to Faerie closed, and Callie and those who are left behind just want things back to normal, and the only way to fix things is to travel back in time.

In the last book, I found myself getting really irritated with Callie. Not only was she completely oblivious to things that should have been obvious, but she also couldn’t seem to make up her mind about anything, especially her love life. She was so hurt about what happened with Liam but that didn’t stop her from falling in love with Bill and being interested in Duncan. In The Angel Stone, she seemed to finally have her head on straight, and she was focused on doing what had to be done to keep the people and the town she’d come to know and love safe.

Like with the other books in the Fairwick Chronicles, there was a great cast of secondary characters in The Angel Stone. I particularly liked Frank, Mac, Nan, and William. They each taught Callie something, and I loved how well fleshed-out they were. I also really love Ralph. I never thought I'd love a mouse (other than maybe Mickey Mouse) but if I could have a mouse like him, I would!

I often dread the final book in a series or trilogy because sometimes things don’t end well, or there are a lot of loose ends. I thought Dark did a good job of bringing everything together and tying it all up. By the last quarter or so of the book I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough; I was so anxious to find out what would happen and how things would be resolved, and I found myself both laughing and crying. And the romance. *sigh* The romance played a major part in this series, between dreams, reality, and the present and the past, and I thought it all came together beautifully. I couldn't imagine how things would be resolved, and this little romantic *points to self* thought it was perfect.

This trilogy, while it had some issues, had everything I love: romance, great characters, a fascinating setting, every paranormal creature you could think of, time travel, fairytale elements, magic…I could go on. I’d have no hesitation in recommending it to fans of paranormal romance, and I truly am going to miss Callie and the Fairwick gang.

 
Have you read any of the books in the Fairwick Chronicles? Do you enjoy paranormal romance?
 

4 comments:

  1. Ok this seals it! I need to check out this series! I have seen so many reviews about this and I am a little ashamed to say that I didn't even know books 2 or three were out yet.

    Thanks for the great review!

    Michelle @ Book Briefs

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  2. I loved the time travel aspect and yep I was surprised too, I love how she tied everything together! Great review Marie!

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  3. BAM! I couldn't agree more with all that you said. I did enjoy the trilogy overall, but honestly, I'm glad it over. lol

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  4. Lovely review Marie. I've had my eye on the Fairwick Chronicles and both you and Kimba are convincing me to pick them up with your reviews! Thanks for sharing, the covers alone make me want to buy this set. :)

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~Marie

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