Saturday, October 29, 2011

Review: Lord of the Abyss (Royal House of Shadows #4) by Nalini Singh

Release date: November 29, 2011
Synopsis (Goodreads):
Once upon a time…the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs…and time is running out.…

As the dark Lord who condemns souls to damnation in the Abyss, Micah is nothing but a feared monster wrapped in impenetrable black armor. He has no idea he is the last heir of Elden, its last hope. Only one woman knows—the daughter of his enemy.

Liliana is nothing like her father, the Blood Sorcerer who’d cursed Micah. She sees past Micah’s armor to the prince inside. A prince whose sinful touch she craves. But first she has to brave his dark, dangerous lair and help him remember. Because they only have till midnight to save Elden.
My Thoughts:  While I did think this was the strongest of the four books... or at least I felt the most empathy for the characters... I was a little disappointed at how the climactic end battle was carried out.  I wanted something big and epic.  While everything was tied up, it happened without the fanfare I was expecting.  Now, I can look at this one of two ways- I can howl and lament the fact that the big bloody battle was more of a bloody blip that barely registered on my radar or I can enjoy the journey Micah and Liliana had to go on to find themselves before the battle.

Honestly, Nalini Singh did such an outstanding job of bringing their pain and emotional turmoil to life that I'm going to go with option 2.  Although I still feel that lingering bite of disappointment.

Anyway.  Liliana's determination to break through the shell surrounding Micah's memories despite the cost to her is heartbreaking and brave.  She knows that when the truth comes out about who she is, he'll loathe her.  She knows that she's not beautiful or strong but she's willing to risk everything to give his land and people a chance at healing.

Micah is intrigued by Lily from the moment that she appeared in his hall.  Her lack of fear in his presence draws him.  Her teasing and smiles capture him.  He doesn't care what she looks like, he only cares that she doesn't flinch whenever he comes near.

Nalini Singh delivers a strong, character driven finish to the series.  Dark, bloody, sad and sweet, Liliana and Micah shine from the beginning of the book to the end.

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Other reviews in this series:
Book 1: Lord of the Vampires by Gena Showalter
Book 2: Lord of Rage by Jill Monroe
Book 3: Lord of the Wolfyn by Jessica Andersen

More books by Nalini Singh

2 comments:

  1. I love Nalini Singh's other books and have wondered about this one. I have not read the first 3. Can this be read as a stand-alone?

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  2. JC Jones: Yes, the characters didn't interact with the characters from the other books until the very end. Everything's spelled out pretty clearly as far as why the siblings are trying to reclaim their kingdom, so I don't think you'll have any problem.

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