Photo credits: Nathan Lindahl
Edited by Vaishali
Title: ‘Blood Beyond Darkness'
Author: Stacey Marie Brown Series: (Darkness #4) Genre: Urban Fantasy, New Adult, Paranormal romance Publisher: Twisted Fairy Publishing Year of Publication: 2014 Format: Paperback ISBN: 9781547133925 NOTE: Recommends reading the first three books in the 'Darkness' series before reading 'Blood Beyond Darkness' as this is the final installment to this series. R E V I E W
“Your body we can train, and train we will, but your mind and heart are what will win this war. And it will win, Ember. It must.” “He held me with a deep desperation that set me on fire. We kissed with awareness of knowing it would be our last. He pulled away first, leaning his forehead into mine. “Now go save the world, woman.”
‘Blood beyond Darkness’ is the final instalment of the 'Darkness' series by Stacey Marie Brown. After finally locating the icon that will end the Seelie Queen’s reign and end her life for good, Ember and Eli have been taken back to the Queen’s lair as captives, shackled in irons and destined for a cruel, slow death, with the sword now out of their hands and survival out of their reach. As dark and uninhibited Ember’s powers have always been, as much as she struggled with its disparaging capacity, Ember has come to somewhat accept the responsibility of playing host to them for better or worse…that is until Ember is stripped of something essential, leaving her vulnerable and without her identity and her fire.
“You have grown weak in mind and body…but this is the most important.” He tapped on my head again and then at my heart. “These are the most powerful weapons you can have.”
Still coming to terms with friendship betrayals and duplicity, Ember finally once and for all finds out the damning truth in all its unsettling dismay from the person who is her enemy, shattering her world and breaking her heart into splinters. Ember thought the Queen was her biggest threat, but Ember’s trusted ones just may be the biggest fabricators of them all, the threats she did not see coming…and their secrets are the ones who tear her world asunder.
“Remember, tread carefully when you attempt to blur the line between right and wrong. It can be different from where you are standing.” “Fire is faint and weak. No flame. No spark. Build fire. Blaze and burn.”
Battling deep wounds, Ember cannot forget the bargain she made with the Queen, the bargain which will instantaneously claim her love's life should she wield the Sword of Nuada against Aneira. Can Ember trade the lives of millions and the survival of both worlds for the life of one man?…a man who walked into her life and changed everything when she looked into those deep, green penetrating eyes and knew he was meant for her. This is not just a battle of power and magic anymore but it one of will, mind and heart, of love versus duty – but if Em is the one whom the prophecy speaks of, will her heart survive a world without Eli Dragen? Did Ember only revive Eli only to suffer watching him die again because of a deal she made?
“Do not insult the lives of those lost in your name. You think they would not wish to be alive again? If they had the chance, do you think they would squander a moment of it? They did not perish for you to live a half-life!
They are still on the hunt for Kennedy and minor rivalries are soon set aside as is the Dark Dwellers’ desire to return to their homeland because they will not have a home to go back to if there is nothing left for them – a greater evil needs to be vanquished and an army must be rallied as the fate of Earth and the Otherworld rests in the hands of the autocratic Queen Aneira and the precarious hands of Ember Brycin. Lives are not guaranteed and now technically a princess, next in line for the throne, Ember has not only the responsibility of dethroning the current sovereign, but learning to rule as a leader when the time comes…but is Ember ready to lead a court and the truth is she may not want to. Her wants are not her own anymore, paths are laid ahead for her, eradicating her own choices and Ember might lose herself in the process to make sacrifices that her heart cannot handle.
“I didn’t know what was better: trying to be someone you were not, or accepting what you were.”
“You are the best thing to have happened to me. I am so thankful for you and every second you blessed my life. Live. Live for all those who love you.”
'Blood Beyond Darkness' opens with a big bang of action and twists from the very beginning, it’s explosive and thrilling. It’s gripping and fast paced, with all the things you seek in a paranormal romance rooted in a world of magic and the Fae. This series is not without its problems and I’ve had dilemmas with this series from the get-go, but it is vastly enjoyable because of the characters and the humour, it just doesn't focus on the nuances of stortelling. It explores the darkness of secrets and lies, the power they hold, whether keeping them is worth the anguish they cause and the lives they destroy.
“Sometimes we choose destiny and sometimes destiny chooses us. The day you came strolling into my life at the police station it picked me. And I am glad I was far too stubborn and stupid to see what was in front of me.”
Secrets can shatter everything and not even Ember’s fire can heal the aftermath once the truth has been unleashed. Most of these characters are morally grey and what they do is often driven by duty, circumstance, and determined by forces internal and external, sometimes that which Is also out of their reach. It’s important to understand that there is no moral code for most of these characters (what with being a different species altogether), they accept what is and what they are because the Fae have never nor will ever play fair, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t grow, change and adapt once lightness enters their world and Eli Dragen is a brilliant example of this.
“But I was a different person then. We have changed since being on Earth. You changed me. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’ve never had someone who has completely undone me. I probably won’t ever do the right thing, but I won’t be without you. Not anymore.”
In addition, this series deals with complex family dynamics and relationships, how those relations change after heartache and disloyalty, and whether crimes can be overlooked if the intention of a crime paints it differently based on intent and motivation. How judgments, perceptions of the mind and surface level thinking can forbid the mind of ever seeing past what it wants which is something Ember deals with a lot. Her own pain can sometimes stem from the barricades her own mind creates and establishes.
“I loved, lived, fought, messed up, and fell on my face – a lot. But I was me, and I was proud of that.”
Stacey Marie Brown has crafted intriguing and addicting characters, some of which I adore, some which I don’t, and some that have made me fall on my backside and slapped me silly with shock changing my perceptions of them. Overall, despite this series’ downfalls and imperfections, it did have the potential to be extraordinary and brilliant, and I was let down on that front, but it still managed to pull me in enough to be absorbed and for that I am glad to have read it. Much like the 'Shatter Me' series by Tahereh Mafi I felt like the end wasn’t ‘the end’ . The ending of 'Blood Beyond Darkness' was too drastic and hollow for my liking. It didn't fit in nicely with this series and felt absolutely out of place, offsetting the book in a strange way. Saying that though, I can see a whole new set of books that could be written, continuing this series on for Ember and Eli and their adventures post-war.
“Eli and I would always be complicated. Things would never be easy for us, but he was my home. He got me on a level no one else ever would. Beyond blood, beyond darkness or light we were connected. We would fight for the new world together. And we would fight for each other. Always. I probably should seek therapy for that.' “I love you”. My eyes transferred to his. His bad-boy grin tugged the side of his mouth. “Love is not a substantial enough word for how I feel about you, Brycin. Never has been.” I gave this book 3.5 stars -
CONTENT WARNING: Mentions of marital affairs, cheating, sexual abuse and physical abuse.
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M Y R A T I N G S Y S T E M: ★ - 1 star: I did not like the book ★★ - 2 stars: The book was okay ★★★ - 3 stars: It was a good, solid read ★★★★ - 4 stars: A great book ★★★★★ - 5: A phenomenal read ---------------------------------------
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R E L A T E D P O S T S: ● Book Review: 'Darkness of Light' by Stacey Marie Brown ● Book Review: 'Fire in the Darkness' by Stacey Marie Brown ● Book Review: 'Beast in the Darkness' by Stacey Marie Brown ● Book Review: 'Dwellers of Darkness' by Stacey Marie Brown ________________________________________________________
THE FOLLOWING WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS!
Concerns I had:
1) Ember struggles with the lies of her true parentage and hates Lily for not telling her, but she doesn’t have the same reaction with her biological father – she seems to accept this more which is inconsistent. 2) If Ember’s Dae powers are now gone, how could she still accept Eli’s blood after the Strighoul attack? 3) I don’t lick to nit-pick but there were many spelling/grammatical errors. I’m also pretty sure that there is an incorrect name substitution in one scene. 4) I think the author could have explored the world more, missing out on opportunities to expand and dive deeper into certain parts of the story and the characters. 5) The scenes were abrupt at times, lacking flow. 6) Throughout the series things are mentioned never to be addressed again. 7) The details of the story can be hazy through this series, and the story lacks in the necessary details of plot and storyline. 8) Not everything is completely resolved – there are many loose ends left untied. 9) Plot inconsistencies. 10) Character inconsistencies. 11) The abruptness of Owen and Jared’s death didn’t sit well with me. 12) The final battle scene was lacking for me. 13) Predictable – I had already guessed some of the major plots and reveals which made them underwhelming. My other theories for the story were never far off either, and i just happened to predict one of the biggest reveals in the book toward the end! 14) The eye communication between Eli and Ember has always baffled me and I thought we would find out in this last book why they are connected in that way. It was the one thing more than anything I wanted to know, and we don’t find out at all – this was a huge let down, highlighting another loose end which was not resolved. Was it because they were always destined to be mated? – even this is not clear. It was always obvious that their relationship was deeper than it appeared, that they were connected substantially, and apparently there was no real reason for it. 15) We don’t find out why Ember’s body accepted Eli’s blood twice – even without her Dae powers. 16) Though I was beyond relieved that Eli survived death, the ending felt too dreary and somewhat isolating. They are all separated, the world is not the same and there was something about it that left me feeling empty, unsatisfied and distraught. The last chapter before the epilogue also seemed abrupt, so much so that I kind of felt like I ran face first into a brick wall. 17) Though there was joviality, I understand that people have changed because of what they have endured and what with war approaching, but I missed what the characters used to be and I would have liked to see that. 18) I would have liked to see another side to Cole too – he came across as having one dimension and I don’t think his character was done justice – he had the potential to be incredible but he wasn’t. 19) In ‘Dwellers of Darkness’ Lars says that though the infinity dragon symbol was used to represent the Dragon caves on most maps, it has nothing to do with Eli as the infinity dragon is also his family’s sigil. Ember doesn’t quite believe that this has no tie to Eli. – It’s never resolved as to what role Eli’s family has to play in the connection to the map or the prophecy. Is it just Aisling’s way of subtly hinting at her murderers? To, in veiled terms let Ember know what role he had to play in her death? 20) We still don’t know how exactly Eli and Torin knew each other? 21) How exactly did Aisling, by herself find the sword and hide it? she had to have had a Druid working with her to break whatever spell had to have been initially put on it and to place another on it when she again concealed it - and if so where are the Druids in hiding?
Queries/Thoughts while reading:
1) We hear so much talk of these water fairies, why didn’t we see one? 2) I like the role that Lars plays in this book and throughout the series. 3) Poor Torin – he is going through quite a dark battle after losing so much. I hope he gets what he wants and deserves in the future. 4) Though Aneira had a stricter upbringing, priming her for her future role, I think it was cruel of their father for treating both daughters differently. 5) I think the right decision was made for Em not to be Queen – I never saw her fit into that box or any box for that matter. 6) I think Eli knows what his fate is. 7) I think Lorcan falling for Kennedy somewhat makes him see sense. Makes him see how Eli changed and why he did for Ember. 8) The author tortures you with the beginning of the epilogue – I remember feeling so empty and void of emotion thinking Eli was dead but still holding hope for him!
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