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A review by elenajohansen
The Secret: Irin Chronicles Book Three by Elizabeth Hunter
3.0
I'd give this an actual rating of 3.5 stars, because I do feel it's better than The Singer, which I gave three, but overall I don't feel like it's a four-star read.
It's complicated.
I love that Ava and Malachi are back together and working on sorting themselves out--they're a power couple again, in some senses literally, and their banter and occasional arguments and making up are fun, sweet, and occasionally epic.
But the politicking is just as present and just as complicated, and really I don't feel like the first book (much as I adore it) did enough groundwork to set up and support this intricate a tale of political maneuvering. The second book felt like a complete stylistic departure in its subject matter--the main reason that I didn't like it nearly as much--and this book is a synthesis of the romance of the first and the sociopolitical mess of the second. So it's better because we get the romance back, and I like that, but it's still a whole lot of people yelling at each other a lot about change and enemies and how their society should work in the future. Which isn't bad, but kind of isn't what I thought I was signing up for when I started the trilogy.
I'll be honest--I wanted more of what we got in the first book and less of the epic angel battles and politics. That being said, of course the epilogue is centered on And while it does make sense in this context, it's a style of happily-ever-after ending that I'm honestly tired of seeing, because the taint it carries from all the times I've read it before on stupid books has poisoned me somewhat against it. Not the book's fault, my personal bias and I'll own that, but it was a letdown.
So I don't think this book is bad, I think it's just not really enough of what I actually wanted from it.
It's complicated.
I love that Ava and Malachi are back together and working on sorting themselves out--they're a power couple again, in some senses literally, and their banter and occasional arguments and making up are fun, sweet, and occasionally epic.
But the politicking is just as present and just as complicated, and really I don't feel like the first book (much as I adore it) did enough groundwork to set up and support this intricate a tale of political maneuvering. The second book felt like a complete stylistic departure in its subject matter--the main reason that I didn't like it nearly as much--and this book is a synthesis of the romance of the first and the sociopolitical mess of the second. So it's better because we get the romance back, and I like that, but it's still a whole lot of people yelling at each other a lot about change and enemies and how their society should work in the future. Which isn't bad, but kind of isn't what I thought I was signing up for when I started the trilogy.
I'll be honest--I wanted more of what we got in the first book and less of the epic angel battles and politics. That being said, of course the epilogue is centered on
Spoiler
Ava telling Malachi she's pregnant. Surprise! It might be to him but I saw it coming a mile away.So I don't think this book is bad, I think it's just not really enough of what I actually wanted from it.