ARC Review: Everspell (The Kindred #5)

Everspell (The Kindred #5)

by Donna Grant

Blurb:

To live in the light, they hunt in the dark…

Runa is used to mysteries. Fortunately, she’s skilled at using those things to her advantage. Until some truths about her past are revealed, and her world is shaken to its very core. Now, she has her sights set on finding and saving the family she’s never known. What wasn’t in her plans is the sexy, mysterious stranger who seems to find her over and over, taking her breath every time.

All his life, Brom knew he’d eventually have to find the Varroki and take his birthright. Then a witch lays out a nearly impossible choice before him, and Brom decides to follow his heart. The beautiful and enigmatic female he’s drawn to is more than captivating. She makes him want to reveal all his secrets. But doing so could be the difference between life and death—for both of them. Especially in the battle between good and evil where all of the relics of the First Witch are in play—and everyone has a hidden agenda.

Themes:  Paranormal, Magick, Witches

Rating: 4.5 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

The plot thickens and the final battle has arrived to determine if all the sacrifices and losses will be justified in the war against the evil witch stalking the lands.  I have been waiting so long now to see this evil defeated and was so glad to know that the big battle was coming but at the same time I am sad to see that the series might be ending—though I hope not. For fans of the series there has been a lot of sadness and this series has continuously had some very serious overtones of loss and defeat, but in the end we always knew that good would triumph over evil as it should. Grant has the ability to pull her readers in and remind us that sometimes darkness has to exist in order for us to truly appreciate the light when we encounter it and that Love is always the most important gift we can be given. I am hoping that more is coming in the series as the epilogue left us with more questions than answers and gave the inclination that more characters have stories to tell (maybe a spin-off?).  If you are looking for a story of great love, epic battles, magic and tragic loss this story will hit every angle and more.

Runa has been on her own, by choice for a long time now, serving no master but her skills as an assassin and finding her life fulfilling if not full.  An encounter with her newest target leads to the discovery of secrets about her life that change her forever and set her on a new path to find the truth and the family she never knew was out in the world.  While traveling to find and possibly rescue her family, she encounters the most amazing man and her world is altered again and even more profoundly. Brom has always followed his instincts, and when he sees a woman in his dreams he knows he cannot resist the pull to venture into the world and find her. Finding her proves easier than Brom would have thought, but keeping her proves to be an issue, even after they share an amazing night in one another’s arms.  Soon they are battling together, with some old friends and family, for their lives against the worst evil they have ever encountered and their lives truly do hang in the balance. Only by trusting in one another and their love will they survive the war, but even if they do, everyone in their circle might not make it through, leaving a disastrous loss behind.

Runa was a crazy character to try to get to know.  She has lived for so long in solitude, trusting no one, and opening her heart to Brom is nearly impossible for her.  I enjoyed seeing her mind work as she battled dangers and found her way in this new and terrifying world, but once her confidence in herself grows she learns how to handle herself quite nicely.  Her problem is that she doesn’t believe in asking for or accepting help from others, always going it alone, so the concept of working as a team is nearly impossible for her to understand and she sets out on her own falling in to disaster all too often. I found that her bravery was my favorite trait, but I never really was able to fully connect with her on her own, but paired with Brom she was perfect. Brom is the perfect man, let’s just be honest.  He’s sweet, brave, determined, and goes after the woman he wants no matter what stands in his way, literally keeping her alive almost to the point of losing his own life. Brom has lived his life by the beat of his own drum, from the beginning, and he knows that being with Runa is his destiny, even if it isn’t in this life.  I loved every moment that he was on the page and was sad to see the story end just because I wanted more time with him.  I would have loved to see him and Runa get more time to develop a friendship and romance, but I understand the immediacy and need in this epic battle story. All in all they were the perfectly matched rock-and-hard-place couple that were needed to end the fight of the ages.

Everspell is a tale of two people that are destined not only for one another, but to be the key to the ending of the fight between the deadly evil Witch stalking the world and those that have been battling her and those like her for years.  While I can honestly say the ending broke my heart in a lot of ways, I hope the series doesn’t end here because these characters and the world they inhabit continues to intrigue me and keep me wanting more. Brom is the man that we all want by our sides; steadfast, sensitive, strong, sweet, and sensual, he is the type of character that carries the story and keeps you reading no matter how hard you might be pulled back into the real world.  Runa was a good match for him, despite being a little bit foolhardy and sometimes not fully thinking out her actions.  I would have loved her to be more thoughtful of those in her group and take in account those in her circle, but she was too slow to trust.  The passion between them was a steady undercurrent and the few times it came out were a blaze to witness, but we didn’t get nearly enough time with them together for me.  I loved the story in all, though the romance was a little less than normal for me, mostly due to the epic battles, the overall resurgence of previous characters and the weaving together of previous storylines into one fabulous arc.  I am sad to have seen some parts of the ending and hope to see happy endings from that in future stories, but I will just have to (try to) be patient and wait.  Another great story Donna!

*eARC provided by author for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.