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A review by stephdaydreams
Death by Laura Thalassa
3.0
This series will always be one of my favorites, and I’m very glad to finally have read its ending. I’ll miss it. From start to finish I met some terrific heroines and went on many amazing journeys.
That said, I can’t say I loved this final installment.
To begin, let me highlight what I did love: Famine and Pestilence (and even my least fave horseman War). I enjoyed every scene they showed up. They were fantastic additional every time they rolled up to the scene.
I’m trying to find another big positive, but it truly begins and ends with them.
Death simply didn’t turn out as I imagined. He fell so quickly for Lazarus, and considering how Famine ended, I genuinely expected a fiercer Death, and a harder fall into love. I thought he’d have a lot more reluctance in embracing a human, but instead sees her as his other half. Death and Life. Life and Death.
I simply did not care.
This entire series has followed a proven formula— woman meets horseman, they travel, they sex it up, she takes a drastic measure to make him see reason, he regrets, he chooses her over his mission. Humanity saved. The end. And that’s never bothered me— because I have always enjoyed the romance. Even though I never fully warmed up to War, I still enjoyed the romance. Better said: I cared about the romance.
I did not care here, and it pains me to write that.
I think it’s because I felt there were no stakes. There was no stake in the story of Lazarus, it’s hard to relate to a girl who can’t die. While I understood the symbolism of life and death, I couldn’t bring myself to care when it’s clear that neither half of the romantic pair can die. Lazarus is simply so invulnerable, so much so that the narrative threw in an orphan baby. It’s clear this baby is meant to provide a layer of vulnerability for Lazarus, but he exits the majority of the narrative as quickly as he is found. And, frankly, the sudden use of “my son” by Lazarus simply did not feel earned— because we (or at least I) never had time to sympathize with that emotional connection between mother and son. It's so abrupt, really. It’s left feeling like a hollow plot device. A new goal, nothing more.
I simply did not care like I did with the previous books.
I also question how the ending can throw a line in about the power of p*ssy, yet for all the cameos we were neglected any of substance from our previous heroines the series.
That said— the epilogue was so very lovely and emotional. Every scene with the other Horsemen instantly elevated the narrative. Frankly, Famine outshone Death. And so, I did find moments where I felt engaged and recalled why I loved this series.
I definitely didn’t hate this book, I simply felt disappointed. I still found enjoyment and liked reading the story— but my heart just wasn’t in it.
That said, I can’t say I loved this final installment.
Spoiler
To begin, let me highlight what I did love: Famine and Pestilence (and even my least fave horseman War). I enjoyed every scene they showed up. They were fantastic additional every time they rolled up to the scene.
I’m trying to find another big positive, but it truly begins and ends with them.
Death simply didn’t turn out as I imagined. He fell so quickly for Lazarus, and considering how Famine ended, I genuinely expected a fiercer Death, and a harder fall into love. I thought he’d have a lot more reluctance in embracing a human, but instead sees her as his other half. Death and Life. Life and Death.
I simply did not care.
This entire series has followed a proven formula— woman meets horseman, they travel, they sex it up, she takes a drastic measure to make him see reason, he regrets, he chooses her over his mission. Humanity saved. The end. And that’s never bothered me— because I have always enjoyed the romance. Even though I never fully warmed up to War, I still enjoyed the romance. Better said: I cared about the romance.
I did not care here, and it pains me to write that.
I think it’s because I felt there were no stakes. There was no stake in the story of Lazarus, it’s hard to relate to a girl who can’t die. While I understood the symbolism of life and death, I couldn’t bring myself to care when it’s clear that neither half of the romantic pair can die. Lazarus is simply so invulnerable, so much so that the narrative threw in an orphan baby. It’s clear this baby is meant to provide a layer of vulnerability for Lazarus, but he exits the majority of the narrative as quickly as he is found. And, frankly, the sudden use of “my son” by Lazarus simply did not feel earned— because we (or at least I) never had time to sympathize with that emotional connection between mother and son. It's so abrupt, really. It’s left feeling like a hollow plot device. A new goal, nothing more.
I simply did not care like I did with the previous books.
I also question how the ending can throw a line in about the power of p*ssy, yet for all the cameos we were neglected any of substance from our previous heroines the series.
That said— the epilogue was so very lovely and emotional. Every scene with the other Horsemen instantly elevated the narrative. Frankly, Famine outshone Death. And so, I did find moments where I felt engaged and recalled why I loved this series.
I definitely didn’t hate this book, I simply felt disappointed. I still found enjoyment and liked reading the story— but my heart just wasn’t in it.