This was a combination of Jikata's and Raine's story. Raine we saw some of in the last book. Her poor summoning, could only go a few miles inland and passing out, her living as a 'pot girl' in a tavern. Here we see her regain her confidence in herself and her relationship with Faucon grow.

Jikata as a singer and as the Singer seemed to have less to get over from her old life. Cool to see Luthan get over his instinct revulsion against Exotiques and become more accepting of his prophecy gift.

While the series wrapped up in this book, she has the materials to build more in this world. We'll have to wait and see. Until then we still have her delightful 'Fate' series. ( )

This book continues in the vein of the previous ones. Musical magic, romance, magical creatures and the fight against the dark. I thought it was a satisfactory read, but I think the ending could have been a little less neat. Ok, sure, loads of people die, but the heroes all get their happily ever after. Not that I'm against that, I just think some things could have been left open or could have been a little less perfect. ( )

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This one is - deeper? than the others - a lot more thinking about death and philosophy. With two of them learning their way around Lladrana at the same time, it's a little scrambled at times as the action jumps back and forth, but we also get several viewpoints on most of the events, especially after Jikata joins the rest. I think I like Raine the best of all of them - she really has to fight (to some extent, literally) in order to use her talents and do what she wants and needs to do. She also has a loving family back on Earth, so her choice is among the hardest. And while I thought Faucon was a total idiot with Alexa and not much better with Calli, he fleshed out a little with Elizabeth and a lot here with Raine. The way he didn't call to her in the Snap was - magnificent, sad, very affecting. The final battle had a lot of aspects I wasn't expecting - from the men being crucial participants to the Singer's part. The end of the battle was a surprise - too easy! And the aftermath - the whole thing, Faucon's demand, the crystal bodies, all of it was wonderful. And we finally got an explanation for Bert! Good story, and I'm glad I finally read all of it. Not sure if I'll reread, though - the first ones weren't nearly as much fun to read this second or third time. ( )

I love the way Owens makes her female protagonists the active heroes in this series, responsible for their own destinies and that of the planet. The relationships and cooperation between the women are also very satisfying to read about; it's rare to find adventure books about groups of women working together. I read all five books in great gulps and was disappointed that there weren't more, not because the overall plot felt rushed but just because I didn't want it to be over yet.

I have to say, however, that my enjoyment of all five books was hindered by their technical flaws: rampant comma splicing, too-frequent continuity errors, and one too many moments where I had to stop and re-read and still couldn't figure out what Owens was trying to say. I'm frustrated, because I think there's enough excellent material here that it would have been worth better editing, by either the author or her press. The fact that I read the whole series and loved the last book is a testament to the artistic talent that outweighed the technical flaws. ( )