Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by g8girl
Destiny by Fiona McIntosh
3.0
I'm not sure if I liked this book or not. But I will try to work through it in this review. There are plot spoilers, but if you've already ready the first two you're probably in the clear.
The Positives: It was a really great story. McIntosh really likes to pull at your heart strings with love and desires and how duty often outweighs the heart. Her stories are often bitter sweet, but I liked the plot idea.
Her characters are very well developed, although sometimes their motives are unclear. I mean taking jealously to the point where you kidnap someone's daughter and help them be violated is a bit much, especially since the animosity is never really explored other than to say one girl was jealous of the other because of one incident.
Their were some surprises in the novel. I like when the writer holds a little bit back, just one small piece of knowledge they don't let the reader in on until close to the end. It doesn't even have to be something talked about through the entire novel either. Just something dropped in casually from time to time, ie. Tor's and Alyssa's parentage.
I loved that Alyssa found happiness in an orphan boy who she raised as her own. She deserved happiness, though it was bitterly unfair how Tor betrayed her in the very first book, not telling her she had children. But conflict is often what drives a story, and it did so in this one as well.
I love the Paladin. I love the idea of them and I loved most of them individually too. They were truly great characters.
The Negatives: I was very frustrated that Goth kept escaping, I mean really, he escaped so many times it was almost comical, and he really had no bearing on the main plot of the book, he was just there to make Alyssa uncomfortable. I feel he could have died in the first book, he didn't really further the plot along, I mean anyone could have had reasons to kill Sylven, it didn't have to be Goth trying to kill Tor.
I found there was a lot of sexual violence in this trilogy, it was unsettling. While there were only ever two cases of rape, they were vicious and talked about frequently.
I actually found the story line between Orlac and Lauryn to be somewhat pointless. Orlac already loved the Paladin and was weakened by this, he didn't need to develop feelings for a woman too. I think his bond with the Paladin was enough, and Lauryn's ordeal didn't need to happen. The event that took place between the brothers could have happened without Lauryn's involvement with Orlac (and Dorgyl).
I'm still disappointed that Sallamentro was barely talked about. He made such a strong impression in the prologue, and then he barely spoke a single word after that. His character was made to seem important and then shoved to the background. I felt like I knew Themesius better and he was the last one to show up. Severely disappointed with how Sallamentro's character was handled.
I did like the end of the book, though I feel badly that Tor won't remember anything, it's hardly fair. And it's a little strange that Alyssa is now in love with a baby...
So, overall I enjoyed the books, but there was a lot to be desired. I find Ms. McIntosh's more recent works to be better written, though some of them have violent sexual encounters also.
I feel as though Ms McIntosh loved the idea of her first novel so much that she re vamped it and re worked it and wrote it again. I found a staggering number of similarities between Betrayal/Revenge/Destiny as I did to Odalisque/Emissary/Goddess, and I have to say (possibly because I read it first) I liked Odalisque much more overall.
The tale of Tor and Alyssa is an interesting one however, and I think any fan of Ms McIntosh would still enjoy it.
The Positives: It was a really great story. McIntosh really likes to pull at your heart strings with love and desires and how duty often outweighs the heart. Her stories are often bitter sweet, but I liked the plot idea.
Her characters are very well developed, although sometimes their motives are unclear. I mean taking jealously to the point where you kidnap someone's daughter and help them be violated is a bit much, especially since the animosity is never really explored other than to say one girl was jealous of the other because of one incident.
Their were some surprises in the novel. I like when the writer holds a little bit back, just one small piece of knowledge they don't let the reader in on until close to the end. It doesn't even have to be something talked about through the entire novel either. Just something dropped in casually from time to time, ie. Tor's and Alyssa's parentage.
I loved that Alyssa found happiness in an orphan boy who she raised as her own. She deserved happiness, though it was bitterly unfair how Tor betrayed her in the very first book, not telling her she had children. But conflict is often what drives a story, and it did so in this one as well.
I love the Paladin. I love the idea of them and I loved most of them individually too. They were truly great characters.
The Negatives: I was very frustrated that Goth kept escaping, I mean really, he escaped so many times it was almost comical, and he really had no bearing on the main plot of the book, he was just there to make Alyssa uncomfortable. I feel he could have died in the first book, he didn't really further the plot along, I mean anyone could have had reasons to kill Sylven, it didn't have to be Goth trying to kill Tor.
I found there was a lot of sexual violence in this trilogy, it was unsettling. While there were only ever two cases of rape, they were vicious and talked about frequently.
I actually found the story line between Orlac and Lauryn to be somewhat pointless. Orlac already loved the Paladin and was weakened by this, he didn't need to develop feelings for a woman too. I think his bond with the Paladin was enough, and Lauryn's ordeal didn't need to happen. The event that took place between the brothers could have happened without Lauryn's involvement with Orlac (and Dorgyl).
I'm still disappointed that Sallamentro was barely talked about. He made such a strong impression in the prologue, and then he barely spoke a single word after that. His character was made to seem important and then shoved to the background. I felt like I knew Themesius better and he was the last one to show up. Severely disappointed with how Sallamentro's character was handled.
I did like the end of the book, though I feel badly that Tor won't remember anything, it's hardly fair. And it's a little strange that Alyssa is now in love with a baby...
So, overall I enjoyed the books, but there was a lot to be desired. I find Ms. McIntosh's more recent works to be better written, though some of them have violent sexual encounters also.
I feel as though Ms McIntosh loved the idea of her first novel so much that she re vamped it and re worked it and wrote it again. I found a staggering number of similarities between Betrayal/Revenge/Destiny as I did to Odalisque/Emissary/Goddess, and I have to say (possibly because I read it first) I liked Odalisque much more overall.
The tale of Tor and Alyssa is an interesting one however, and I think any fan of Ms McIntosh would still enjoy it.