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patchworkbunny's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the original premise of Cainsville and the first instalment, Omens, but this series has lost its way a little over the last few books. It could have easily been a trilogy and not a five book series. However I'm happy to have an ending and some answers.
To recap, Liv, Gabriel and Ricky are caught up in an ancient fae story which replays across generations. Liv must make a choice between the two men, but that choice will condemn the people of the one she rejects. The two sides are the fae of Cainsville and the Wild Hunt. How will Liv choose?
She's already broken up with Ricky, finally coming to terms with the fact she has feelings for Gabriel, depsite his inability to let people in. I was team Gabriel from the start, so yay. But this still leaves Liv with knowledge that she will be hurting the Wild Hunt, if she officially chooses. I thought her final choice was a good one and I'd kinda worked it out half way through that it was what she must do.
The book also fills in a lot of questions about how Liv's parents facilitated her cure. As with all deals with the fae, nothing is straightforward and there's always a catch. I liked the addition of dark creatures, the Slaugh who punish those that the Wild Hunt cannot. I loved the mythology behind it, but it took a while to get there.
All the characters are now trying their best to be accommodating and understanding. Which is great, honestly, it's wonderful to have considerate people looking after themselves and others. The only problem is that they spend paragraphs explaining how they are being so accommodating so it just seems forced and I want to yell at them to get on with saving the day!
There is an amusing passage where they are talking about the romance books one of the characters writes. It reflects some of the criticism that Kelley herself receives, with books going on a bit too long and lack of editing, but also that it's not helpful to point this out to the author's face.
I even liked the addition of a couple of new characters, which is something I usually baulk at near the end of a series. The pair of dryads add a bit of comic relief and are also lovely people, who play a role in the big ending.
Would I recommend the series? It's tough, there is plenty worth reading but you've got to be OK with a slow middle to get to the payoff.
To recap, Liv, Gabriel and Ricky are caught up in an ancient fae story which replays across generations. Liv must make a choice between the two men, but that choice will condemn the people of the one she rejects. The two sides are the fae of Cainsville and the Wild Hunt. How will Liv choose?
She's already broken up with Ricky, finally coming to terms with the fact she has feelings for Gabriel, depsite his inability to let people in. I was team Gabriel from the start, so yay. But this still leaves Liv with knowledge that she will be hurting the Wild Hunt, if she officially chooses. I thought her final choice was a good one and I'd kinda worked it out half way through that it was what she must do.
The book also fills in a lot of questions about how Liv's parents facilitated her cure. As with all deals with the fae, nothing is straightforward and there's always a catch. I liked the addition of dark creatures, the Slaugh who punish those that the Wild Hunt cannot. I loved the mythology behind it, but it took a while to get there.
All the characters are now trying their best to be accommodating and understanding. Which is great, honestly, it's wonderful to have considerate people looking after themselves and others. The only problem is that they spend paragraphs explaining how they are being so accommodating so it just seems forced and I want to yell at them to get on with saving the day!
There is an amusing passage where they are talking about the romance books one of the characters writes. It reflects some of the criticism that Kelley herself receives, with books going on a bit too long and lack of editing, but also that it's not helpful to point this out to the author's face.
I even liked the addition of a couple of new characters, which is something I usually baulk at near the end of a series. The pair of dryads add a bit of comic relief and are also lovely people, who play a role in the big ending.
Would I recommend the series? It's tough, there is plenty worth reading but you've got to be OK with a slow middle to get to the payoff.
fictionaladventures's review
3.5
Not my favorite but had good moments.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
chill01469's review
4.0
This was a great little series with lots of great twists and turns, and a reasonably satisfying end; would have been better if Ricky had some kind of real resolution, but he was left "swinging in the breeze" so to speak.
bobbykarmakar's review
5.0
Fantastic Series!
All good things must sadly come to an end. And that includes my favourite series from one of my all time favourite authors.
I knew the ending would be satisfying and one that was well plotted and arranged. Everything seemed naturally fitting, and though I won’t spoil the ending, I found there to be loose ends, however, left the reader to interpret what is likely to come. Knowing Kelley as well, she will continue in smaller stories through novellas very soon.
Since this is also the last book of the Cainsville series, I can’t say much, if anything at all, because one should begin from the first book, Omens. As Kelley’s backlist consists of many genres, this is a perfect mix of everything she’s done: fantasy, horror, mystery, crime, suspense, and even a dash of romance. In Omens, we are introduced to Olivia who’d discovered she is adopted, and her real parents are serial killers. She is then taken to the secluded town of Cainsville where she takes refuge, and not too long later, makes it home. Her story then (in order) travels through Visions, Deceptions, Betrayals, and now finishes with Rituals, where she is trying to unveil the mystery of parent’s crimes, while also battling Celtic folklore that involves her adopted parent's lawyer, Gabriel, and her biker boyfriend, Ricky.
For anyone who is into genre fiction, this is a great mix that should not be missed. And especially starting with Omens, you’ll want to read the rest, which is all now unveiled with Rituals at the end.
All good things must sadly come to an end. And that includes my favourite series from one of my all time favourite authors.
I knew the ending would be satisfying and one that was well plotted and arranged. Everything seemed naturally fitting, and though I won’t spoil the ending, I found there to be loose ends, however, left the reader to interpret what is likely to come. Knowing Kelley as well, she will continue in smaller stories through novellas very soon.
Since this is also the last book of the Cainsville series, I can’t say much, if anything at all, because one should begin from the first book, Omens. As Kelley’s backlist consists of many genres, this is a perfect mix of everything she’s done: fantasy, horror, mystery, crime, suspense, and even a dash of romance. In Omens, we are introduced to Olivia who’d discovered she is adopted, and her real parents are serial killers. She is then taken to the secluded town of Cainsville where she takes refuge, and not too long later, makes it home. Her story then (in order) travels through Visions, Deceptions, Betrayals, and now finishes with Rituals, where she is trying to unveil the mystery of parent’s crimes, while also battling Celtic folklore that involves her adopted parent's lawyer, Gabriel, and her biker boyfriend, Ricky.
For anyone who is into genre fiction, this is a great mix that should not be missed. And especially starting with Omens, you’ll want to read the rest, which is all now unveiled with Rituals at the end.
papidoc's review
4.0
In this fifth installment of her Cainsville series, Armstrong wraps up all the loose ends, relationship issues, and secretive doings of the characters she invented. Some of the characters could have been fleshed out better, especially considering some of the unnecessary verbiage along the way. Also, I skipped over a few places with unnecessarily embarrassing passages, but it was otherwise OK. Perhaps it is because it was the wrap-up, but it held my attention considerably better than others in the series. On the whole, it was an entertaining read.
sugaqueen88's review against another edition
5.0
Well done
It was a good ending to the series. That's hard for me to admit considering I've spent the last several books routing for the other guy. I guess I have a gift for choosing the losing team. I do wish the last of the loose ends were wrapped up and we got to see what happened with Olivia's parent's appeal.
It was a good ending to the series. That's hard for me to admit considering I've spent the last several books routing for the other guy. I guess I have a gift for choosing the losing team. I do wish the last of the loose ends were wrapped up and we got to see what happened with Olivia's parent's appeal.
katebullen's review
1.0
This final installment was just tooooo long, and while her writing is never fantastic, this one seemed to be hastily written. I enjoyed the earlier books in the series much more- they were excellent 'guilty pleasure'/summer reads. With Rituals, I ended up skimming the last 150 pages.
saruhlewis's review
5.0
Love love love this series. I'm going to miss the spooky atmosphere. Sad it's over.
arimcewan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5