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Eurona Duology #2
The Great Pursuit
In The Great Pursuit, the dramatic sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Great Hunt, Wendy Higgins delivers another thrilling fantasy filled with dangerous enemies, political intrigue, searing romance, and a princess who is willing to do everything to protect her kingdom.
One hunt has ended, but the pursuit for love and justice continues.
The kingdom of Lochlanach has traded the great beast that once terrorized the realm of Eurona for something far more the ire of powerful Lashed woman Rosaria Rocato. Rosaria demands that Eurona overturn the laws prohibiting magic, or an innocent will be killed each day.
Despite the king’s resistance, Princess Aerity believes they must make peace with the Lashed, and though she’s accepted a betrothal to the man who took down the beast, she cannot help thinking about Paxton, the Lashed man who stole her heart and disappeared.
Aerity soon discovers that Paxton has joined Rosaria’s army in the war against her family. Though her feelings for him are still strong, her duty to her kingdom and her family is stronger—especially when her parents are kidnapped and she has to step up to the throne and once again put aside what’s best for her in order to do what’s best for her people. Paxton and Princess Aerity must fight to see what is more their love or the impending war between the magical Lashed and the non-magic humans.
One hunt has ended, but the pursuit for love and justice continues.
The kingdom of Lochlanach has traded the great beast that once terrorized the realm of Eurona for something far more the ire of powerful Lashed woman Rosaria Rocato. Rosaria demands that Eurona overturn the laws prohibiting magic, or an innocent will be killed each day.
Despite the king’s resistance, Princess Aerity believes they must make peace with the Lashed, and though she’s accepted a betrothal to the man who took down the beast, she cannot help thinking about Paxton, the Lashed man who stole her heart and disappeared.
Aerity soon discovers that Paxton has joined Rosaria’s army in the war against her family. Though her feelings for him are still strong, her duty to her kingdom and her family is stronger—especially when her parents are kidnapped and she has to step up to the throne and once again put aside what’s best for her in order to do what’s best for her people. Paxton and Princess Aerity must fight to see what is more their love or the impending war between the magical Lashed and the non-magic humans.
512 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 7, 2017
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4811 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Higgins
20 books7,943 followersWendy Higgins is a USA Today and NY Times bestselling author.
After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, Wendy taught high school English until achieving her dream job as a full-time writer.
After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, Wendy taught high school English until achieving her dream job as a full-time writer.
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April 20, 2016The Great Pursuit is the 2nd and final book in the Eurona duology.
I'm deep into my last big revision on this book, and it's definitely the most intricate story I've ever written. My heart was with Aerity, Wyneth, and Vixie the entire time. Aerity even made me have a surprise bawling session.
I wil forever be grateful to this story world and its characters for pushing me to try new things and test my limits as an author.
I'm deep into my last big revision on this book, and it's definitely the most intricate story I've ever written. My heart was with Aerity, Wyneth, and Vixie the entire time. Aerity even made me have a surprise bawling session.
I wil forever be grateful to this story world and its characters for pushing me to try new things and test my limits as an author.
March 20, 2017
So it has ended. I had guessed what the end would be. It wasn't a big deal. I think it was pretty clear. And everybody would have. The very thing which shocked me the way of ending. That was the thing I wasn't expecting.
The Great Pursuit was an average read. At least little better than The Great Hunt, first book in Eurona Duology. This was also my first read of the series of two books. I am sadly saying this series couldn't work for me as the way I expected.
OVERVIEW
We know from the first book that Lashed Ones, people who can do magic, are not allowed to do magic and not getting equal rights in Eurona. So Rozaria Rocato, one of the Lashed Ones, threatens all the kingdoms of Eurona, to amend the law against magic. Lashed Ones should be allowed to do magic openly. Every day she kills one person in each kingdom.
Rozaria Rocato is gathering Lashed Ones to make a huge team, to overtake every kingdom one by one. During this, she finds Paxton Seabolt, who joins her willingly to get information of war for Lochlanach, his homeland and where his lover Aerity, princess of Lochlanach, lives.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
=> Aerity. Don't know why I was keep getting the feeling that she was just a selfish character even though this book was trying to show she was doing everything for her kingdom. She left her kingdom in the hour of need to see Paxton again. Because she couldn’t say good-by to him last time.
=> Love. I must say, this book couldn't handle this very well. In this book, I read the most complicated love. First of all, Wyneth, Aerity's cousin, fell in love with Leif, who won the hand of Aerity in last book. Of course Wyn couldn't get him. Fine. I was okay with it and I understood. Now, she fell in love with Harrison, his ex-lover's cousin. Aerity took Harrison with her to find Paxton. Again Aerity became a wall between Wyneth and his lover.
This book also revealed that Harrison was always in love with Wyneth from the first day they met. But as much as I remember from the last book, Harrison and Aerity had an affair. Even though Aerity wasn't serious. But Harrison was. Harrison also took part in the competition, to kill the beast, to win Aerity. In this book also, when Harrison and Aerity were together in a journey, he also said he would marry her if she wanted.
These facts were very confusing for me. >..<
=> Leif. He won Aerity in last book. He is sincere with nobody. I don't know what this type persons are called. But he is a bad one. I couldn't like him a bit.
THINGS I LIKED
=> 3rd Person POV. I must say, this thing was excellently handled by this book. I got to know everything. This book showed almost every character's perspective. I really enjoyed 3rd Person POV in this book.
That's it! In the end, I would only say that this series was nothing more than average read for me. I was attracted to this series because the first book was based on a fairy tale by my favourite writers. Now I highly doubt that I would ever read anything from this author. Sorry! :(
March 19, 2017
The Great Pursuit was an average read. At least little better than The Great Hunt, first book in Eurona Duology. This was also my first read of the series of two books. I am sadly saying this series couldn't work for me as the way I expected.
OVERVIEW
We know from the first book that Lashed Ones, people who can do magic, are not allowed to do magic and not getting equal rights in Eurona. So Rozaria Rocato, one of the Lashed Ones, threatens all the kingdoms of Eurona, to amend the law against magic. Lashed Ones should be allowed to do magic openly. Every day she kills one person in each kingdom.
Rozaria Rocato is gathering Lashed Ones to make a huge team, to overtake every kingdom one by one. During this, she finds Paxton Seabolt, who joins her willingly to get information of war for Lochlanach, his homeland and where his lover Aerity, princess of Lochlanach, lives.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE
=> Aerity. Don't know why I was keep getting the feeling that she was just a selfish character even though this book was trying to show she was doing everything for her kingdom. She left her kingdom in the hour of need to see Paxton again. Because she couldn’t say good-by to him last time.
=> Love. I must say, this book couldn't handle this very well. In this book, I read the most complicated love. First of all, Wyneth, Aerity's cousin, fell in love with Leif, who won the hand of Aerity in last book. Of course Wyn couldn't get him. Fine. I was okay with it and I understood. Now, she fell in love with Harrison, his ex-lover's cousin. Aerity took Harrison with her to find Paxton. Again Aerity became a wall between Wyneth and his lover.
This book also revealed that Harrison was always in love with Wyneth from the first day they met. But as much as I remember from the last book, Harrison and Aerity had an affair. Even though Aerity wasn't serious. But Harrison was. Harrison also took part in the competition, to kill the beast, to win Aerity. In this book also, when Harrison and Aerity were together in a journey, he also said he would marry her if she wanted.
These facts were very confusing for me. >..<
=> Leif. He won Aerity in last book. He is sincere with nobody. I don't know what this type persons are called. But he is a bad one. I couldn't like him a bit.
THINGS I LIKED
=> 3rd Person POV. I must say, this thing was excellently handled by this book. I got to know everything. This book showed almost every character's perspective. I really enjoyed 3rd Person POV in this book.
That's it! In the end, I would only say that this series was nothing more than average read for me. I was attracted to this series because the first book was based on a fairy tale by my favourite writers. Now I highly doubt that I would ever read anything from this author. Sorry! :(
Heart didn’t care about appearances. It wanted who it wanted
March 19, 2017
March 7, 2017
This book won't disappoint overall, but there were key things that made me a little mad. I wasn't won over by a happy ending - parts of this book's story infuriated me and a happy ending wasn't going to pacify those feelings. -_-
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
The Great Pursuit by Wendy Higgins
Book Two of the Eurona duology
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: March 7, 2017
Rating: 3 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Summary (from Goodreads):
In The Great Pursuit, the dramatic sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Great Hunt, Wendy Higgins delivers another thrilling fantasy filled with dangerous enemies, political intrigue, searing romance, and a princess who is willing to do everything to protect her kingdom.
One hunt has ended, but the pursuit for love and justice continues.
The kingdom of Lochlanach has traded the great beast that once terrorized the realm of Eurona for something far more dangerous: the ire of powerful Lashed woman Rosaria Rocato. Rosaria demands that Eurona overturn the laws prohibiting magic, or an innocent will be killed each day.
Despite the king’s resistance, Princess Aerity believes they must make peace with the Lashed, and though she’s accepted a betrothal to the man who took down the beast, she cannot help thinking about Paxton, the Lashed man who stole her heart and disappeared.
Aerity soon discovers that Paxton has joined Rosaria’s army in the war against her family. Though her feelings for him are still strong, her duty to her kingdom and her family is stronger—especially when her parents are kidnapped and she has to step up to the throne and once again put aside what’s best for her in order to do what’s best for her people. Paxton and Princess Aerity must fight to see what is more powerful: their love or the impending war between the magical Lashed and the non-magic humans.
What I Liked:
***SPOILER-FREE REVIEW***
(Well, there will by The Great Hunt spoilers. But not The Great Pursuit spoilers.)
One year ago, I read and loved The Great Hunt, with exception of the ending. I hated that Aerity is now forced to marry Lord Leif Alvi, because he (and not Paxton) killed the wild beast. But now, there are more beasts coming for Lochlanach, created by Rozaria Rocato, a powerful Lashed. Aerity and her parents must comply with her demands - burn the list of Lashed names - or face death every night. Meanwhile, Paxton has fled and stumbles upon Rozaria's army. He joins her in order to infiltrate her ranks and gain her trust. Though far apart, Aerity and Paxton are fighting to save Lochlanach from Rozaria - and another unseen dark force, Prince Vito.
This novel is told in the third-person perspectives of many characters. Paxton, Aerity, Vixie, Wyneth, even Tiern have exclusive (third-person) POVs at some point during the book. Since the entire book is written in third-person, this wasn't confusing at all and I actually really enjoyed this method of narration. It was interesting because many of the characters were apart and doing their own (important) thing elsewhere, so it was crucial to know what they were doing and how it affected the story overall.
Aerity is at the castle, trying to stave off riots and chaos and inevitable war. She is being forced to marry a young lord who is rather promiscuous and really doesn't care to marry her - though he has feelings for her cousin, Wyneth. Paxton, hunter and Aerity's love, has fled, and she doesn't know if he is safe or not. Aerity is on her own at many times during this book, which is critical to her character development. She thinks she isn't ready to be Queen, but she becomes ready.
Paxton has the harder path, in my opinion. He is Lashed and he must run for his life. He knows of the danger of Rozaria Rocato, but stumbling on her and her army provides a unique opportunity: gather information about her plan for Lochlanach, and hopefully get that information back to the royals before it's too late. Paxton has a difficult role to play, especially when Rozaria decides that she likes him... that was a weird plot. Nothing happens there, and Paxton is very disgusted by her in general. But he has the hardest journey and the most difficult tasks, of any of the characters in this book. For all the significance of Aerity being princess and soon to be Queen, it's Paxton that does all of the work and in the end, "saves the day".
Nevertheless, I adored both of them. Both of them stick to their duty and they think of their kingdom and home and loved ones first, and themselves second. I hate but understand why Aerity still went through with her engagement to Lief. It was hard because most of this book has Paxton and Aerity separated - but not always. It's interesting to see how Higgins throws the pair together at random times throughout the story. Also, note that I said "engagement" to Lief... and not marriage.
So, I didn't mind the romance, despite the separation of Paxton and Aerity, and Aerity being very engaged to Lief, and Paxton having to play Rozaria's lackey. When Paxton and Aerity come together, there is no illusion as to their feelings for each other. I love how the romance ends up working out, for these two. Not in a convenient way, necessarily, but perfectly.
There are many romantic subplots! Vixie and Tiern have a flame between them, but my person favorite pairing is Wyneth and Harrison. I have a feeling about Harrison, but remember, the start of The Great Hunt is Wyneth's love dying (who is also Harrison's cousin, so...). It's cute, watching them get closer, though they've been friends for their entire lives.
Shout-out to Furball, the most adorable beastly creature. I wouldn't mind having one of him! He sounds like an overgrown puppy that is also quite fierce when someone messes with his humans.
I would also like to say that this novel felt so timely, especially given the recent USA elections and happenings of January 2017. In this series, the Lashed are hated because they can wield magic (some can). Some Lashed are evil and want to hurt "normal" humans, and because of that, there is a list of Lashed names, and the Lashed are constantly treated abominably. In this book, the Lashed are driven out of their own country. Sound familiar? I like that, even though this is a fantasy, made-up world, and Higgins wrote the book long before everything that is happening now (January 2017), the conflicts and issues felt modern and current.
This book wraps up really nicely - every loose end is taken care of. The romance ends so well, the conflict with Rocato and Vito end, well, in a bloody way, but fairly well, and the situation with the Lashed is handled in a realistic manner.
What I Did Not Like:
Obviously I'm going to complain about the romance. The whole forced engagement thing is one of my least favorite tropes (right behind love triangles). I wouldn't ever call the romance in this book a love triangle type of romance, because Aerity has no interest in Lief, and vice versa. But the engagement is annoying, especially since Aerity is honorable and refuses not to do her duty. I'm also not really amused with Leif in general? He clearly has no boundaries when it comes to lovers and because he's charming, everyone seems to be fine with that. And the stupid plot of having Rozaria be attracted to Paxton? Obnoxious and unnecessary. While it's clear that Paxton wants nothing to do with her and really just wants to get information from her, the fact that he has to interact with her at all, let alone flirt with her, is annoying.
Poor Paxton! He gets the short end of the stick every time. I kind of hate how he does pretty much all of the work to bring the bad guys down, and yet, it felt like everyone has glorifying Aerity all of the time. I get it, she's the future queen, feminism, girl power, blah blah blah. But why write a book with a (supposed) strong female character that has to severely depend on men (specifically, Paxton) to bring her kingdom to safety? Don't get me wrong, I loved that Paxton was so determined to help and that he did all that he did, and that he was the hero. But I wouldn't raise up Aerity as this strong female character if that's the case. Aerity does a loooooooot of waiting and vacillating and issuing orders, and when it comes down to it, Paxton saves the day. While I think Aerity grows a lot - from being a simpering princess who waits for all of the men to do the work to a stronger-willed princess who still waits for all of the men to do the work but sort of bosses them around - I wish either she was a more dominant, strong female character, or less so (and the focus was more on Paxton). I wouldn't have minded either way. I like strong alpha types (and Paxton certainly is that).
Also, I'm kind of irritated with how Higgins handled Leif's cheating on Aerity with Aerity's maid. Sure, they're not married yet, but they're engaged. And you know how Aerity reacted? She basically dismissed him sleeping with her servant, in a "boys will be boys" kind of way. Because apparently, where he is from (Ascommania), men are very promiscuous and aren't really the types to have just one partner. So that makes it okay for him to cheat on her? It makes it okay for her to flippantly dismiss the acts, because "boys will be boys"? You're kidding me, right? Regardless of the fact that clearly Aerity and Leif have no feelings for each other... both are resolute on marrying each other (Aerity, for duty, Leif, for duty and rank it seems). I get that Aerity has no feelings for him, but that doesn't make it okay for her fiance to blatantly sleep with someone else - especially her personal maid, of all people!
Basically Leif is a pig and the author makes this seem okay by letting Aerity wave it off with a "boys will be boys" attitude. Which, no, it isn't okay.
This book is definitely more boring than The Great Hunt. I wouldn't say this book is totally boring but it drags on... and on... and on... like some of you might be thinking as you read this review. It took me nearly twice as long to read this book as it would a book of that length. The first thirty percent of the book was dreadfully boring! I started skimming a little, and then a little more action started to happen after the halfway mark. Even Aerity and Paxton's short reunion in the first half of the book wasn't enough to perk me up.
Would I Recommend It:
I actually don't know if I'd recommend this series. It's an interesting and unique series, and I like the idea behind the story and its inspiration. I just don't like how not-straightforward the romance is (despite there being no love triangle or squares or anything - Aerity and Paxton keep their lips to themselves and each other), and how frustrating the romance was. I'm also a little put-out by how slimy Leif is (to the average reader, he's probably viewed as "charming", and a "lady's man"). I wanted Aerity to be much more strong and decisive, OR for her to be less so and then the focus to be more on Paxton. They share the story equally so I wouldn't have minded that. But instead we have a princess learning how to be queen but who cannot even secure her kingdom by herself.
Basically what I'm saying it - this series has its flaws. For me, anyway. It's pretty good overall and I don't regret reading the books, but I think I was hoping for this conclusion novel to be a lot stronger (and more romantic) than it was. It's probably not a bad series to binge-read but I can see myself forgetting about the series fairly quickly - it's not a new favorite and it isn't going to stick. Remember, I loved The Great Hunt!
Rating:
3.5 stars. I'm so torn as to whether to round up or down. Ultimately I think I'm going to round down, and what it tipping me downward is the fact that I was pretty bored as I was reading. That being said, boredom might not be an issue for other readers. I had other problems with this book - including the romance, the sexism, the fake show of a strong female character, how the male protagonist suffered entirely too much and more than was "fair" - but the boredom is what pushes the rating down, for me. I think I'll still read future Higgins books but I think I should stick to her standalone novels, with undiluted romances.
***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***
The Great Pursuit by Wendy Higgins
Book Two of the Eurona duology
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: March 7, 2017
Rating: 3 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher
Summary (from Goodreads):
In The Great Pursuit, the dramatic sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Great Hunt, Wendy Higgins delivers another thrilling fantasy filled with dangerous enemies, political intrigue, searing romance, and a princess who is willing to do everything to protect her kingdom.
One hunt has ended, but the pursuit for love and justice continues.
The kingdom of Lochlanach has traded the great beast that once terrorized the realm of Eurona for something far more dangerous: the ire of powerful Lashed woman Rosaria Rocato. Rosaria demands that Eurona overturn the laws prohibiting magic, or an innocent will be killed each day.
Despite the king’s resistance, Princess Aerity believes they must make peace with the Lashed, and though she’s accepted a betrothal to the man who took down the beast, she cannot help thinking about Paxton, the Lashed man who stole her heart and disappeared.
Aerity soon discovers that Paxton has joined Rosaria’s army in the war against her family. Though her feelings for him are still strong, her duty to her kingdom and her family is stronger—especially when her parents are kidnapped and she has to step up to the throne and once again put aside what’s best for her in order to do what’s best for her people. Paxton and Princess Aerity must fight to see what is more powerful: their love or the impending war between the magical Lashed and the non-magic humans.
What I Liked:
***SPOILER-FREE REVIEW***
(Well, there will by The Great Hunt spoilers. But not The Great Pursuit spoilers.)
One year ago, I read and loved The Great Hunt, with exception of the ending. I hated that Aerity is now forced to marry Lord Leif Alvi, because he (and not Paxton) killed the wild beast. But now, there are more beasts coming for Lochlanach, created by Rozaria Rocato, a powerful Lashed. Aerity and her parents must comply with her demands - burn the list of Lashed names - or face death every night. Meanwhile, Paxton has fled and stumbles upon Rozaria's army. He joins her in order to infiltrate her ranks and gain her trust. Though far apart, Aerity and Paxton are fighting to save Lochlanach from Rozaria - and another unseen dark force, Prince Vito.
This novel is told in the third-person perspectives of many characters. Paxton, Aerity, Vixie, Wyneth, even Tiern have exclusive (third-person) POVs at some point during the book. Since the entire book is written in third-person, this wasn't confusing at all and I actually really enjoyed this method of narration. It was interesting because many of the characters were apart and doing their own (important) thing elsewhere, so it was crucial to know what they were doing and how it affected the story overall.
Aerity is at the castle, trying to stave off riots and chaos and inevitable war. She is being forced to marry a young lord who is rather promiscuous and really doesn't care to marry her - though he has feelings for her cousin, Wyneth. Paxton, hunter and Aerity's love, has fled, and she doesn't know if he is safe or not. Aerity is on her own at many times during this book, which is critical to her character development. She thinks she isn't ready to be Queen, but she becomes ready.
Paxton has the harder path, in my opinion. He is Lashed and he must run for his life. He knows of the danger of Rozaria Rocato, but stumbling on her and her army provides a unique opportunity: gather information about her plan for Lochlanach, and hopefully get that information back to the royals before it's too late. Paxton has a difficult role to play, especially when Rozaria decides that she likes him... that was a weird plot. Nothing happens there, and Paxton is very disgusted by her in general. But he has the hardest journey and the most difficult tasks, of any of the characters in this book. For all the significance of Aerity being princess and soon to be Queen, it's Paxton that does all of the work and in the end, "saves the day".
Nevertheless, I adored both of them. Both of them stick to their duty and they think of their kingdom and home and loved ones first, and themselves second. I hate but understand why Aerity still went through with her engagement to Lief. It was hard because most of this book has Paxton and Aerity separated - but not always. It's interesting to see how Higgins throws the pair together at random times throughout the story. Also, note that I said "engagement" to Lief... and not marriage.
So, I didn't mind the romance, despite the separation of Paxton and Aerity, and Aerity being very engaged to Lief, and Paxton having to play Rozaria's lackey. When Paxton and Aerity come together, there is no illusion as to their feelings for each other. I love how the romance ends up working out, for these two. Not in a convenient way, necessarily, but perfectly.
There are many romantic subplots! Vixie and Tiern have a flame between them, but my person favorite pairing is Wyneth and Harrison. I have a feeling about Harrison, but remember, the start of The Great Hunt is Wyneth's love dying (who is also Harrison's cousin, so...). It's cute, watching them get closer, though they've been friends for their entire lives.
Shout-out to Furball, the most adorable beastly creature. I wouldn't mind having one of him! He sounds like an overgrown puppy that is also quite fierce when someone messes with his humans.
I would also like to say that this novel felt so timely, especially given the recent USA elections and happenings of January 2017. In this series, the Lashed are hated because they can wield magic (some can). Some Lashed are evil and want to hurt "normal" humans, and because of that, there is a list of Lashed names, and the Lashed are constantly treated abominably. In this book, the Lashed are driven out of their own country. Sound familiar? I like that, even though this is a fantasy, made-up world, and Higgins wrote the book long before everything that is happening now (January 2017), the conflicts and issues felt modern and current.
This book wraps up really nicely - every loose end is taken care of. The romance ends so well, the conflict with Rocato and Vito end, well, in a bloody way, but fairly well, and the situation with the Lashed is handled in a realistic manner.
What I Did Not Like:
Obviously I'm going to complain about the romance. The whole forced engagement thing is one of my least favorite tropes (right behind love triangles). I wouldn't ever call the romance in this book a love triangle type of romance, because Aerity has no interest in Lief, and vice versa. But the engagement is annoying, especially since Aerity is honorable and refuses not to do her duty. I'm also not really amused with Leif in general? He clearly has no boundaries when it comes to lovers and because he's charming, everyone seems to be fine with that. And the stupid plot of having Rozaria be attracted to Paxton? Obnoxious and unnecessary. While it's clear that Paxton wants nothing to do with her and really just wants to get information from her, the fact that he has to interact with her at all, let alone flirt with her, is annoying.
Poor Paxton! He gets the short end of the stick every time. I kind of hate how he does pretty much all of the work to bring the bad guys down, and yet, it felt like everyone has glorifying Aerity all of the time. I get it, she's the future queen, feminism, girl power, blah blah blah. But why write a book with a (supposed) strong female character that has to severely depend on men (specifically, Paxton) to bring her kingdom to safety? Don't get me wrong, I loved that Paxton was so determined to help and that he did all that he did, and that he was the hero. But I wouldn't raise up Aerity as this strong female character if that's the case. Aerity does a loooooooot of waiting and vacillating and issuing orders, and when it comes down to it, Paxton saves the day. While I think Aerity grows a lot - from being a simpering princess who waits for all of the men to do the work to a stronger-willed princess who still waits for all of the men to do the work but sort of bosses them around - I wish either she was a more dominant, strong female character, or less so (and the focus was more on Paxton). I wouldn't have minded either way. I like strong alpha types (and Paxton certainly is that).
Also, I'm kind of irritated with how Higgins handled Leif's cheating on Aerity with Aerity's maid. Sure, they're not married yet, but they're engaged. And you know how Aerity reacted? She basically dismissed him sleeping with her servant, in a "boys will be boys" kind of way. Because apparently, where he is from (Ascommania), men are very promiscuous and aren't really the types to have just one partner. So that makes it okay for him to cheat on her? It makes it okay for her to flippantly dismiss the acts, because "boys will be boys"? You're kidding me, right? Regardless of the fact that clearly Aerity and Leif have no feelings for each other... both are resolute on marrying each other (Aerity, for duty, Leif, for duty and rank it seems). I get that Aerity has no feelings for him, but that doesn't make it okay for her fiance to blatantly sleep with someone else - especially her personal maid, of all people!
Basically Leif is a pig and the author makes this seem okay by letting Aerity wave it off with a "boys will be boys" attitude. Which, no, it isn't okay.
This book is definitely more boring than The Great Hunt. I wouldn't say this book is totally boring but it drags on... and on... and on... like some of you might be thinking as you read this review. It took me nearly twice as long to read this book as it would a book of that length. The first thirty percent of the book was dreadfully boring! I started skimming a little, and then a little more action started to happen after the halfway mark. Even Aerity and Paxton's short reunion in the first half of the book wasn't enough to perk me up.
Would I Recommend It:
I actually don't know if I'd recommend this series. It's an interesting and unique series, and I like the idea behind the story and its inspiration. I just don't like how not-straightforward the romance is (despite there being no love triangle or squares or anything - Aerity and Paxton keep their lips to themselves and each other), and how frustrating the romance was. I'm also a little put-out by how slimy Leif is (to the average reader, he's probably viewed as "charming", and a "lady's man"). I wanted Aerity to be much more strong and decisive, OR for her to be less so and then the focus to be more on Paxton. They share the story equally so I wouldn't have minded that. But instead we have a princess learning how to be queen but who cannot even secure her kingdom by herself.
Basically what I'm saying it - this series has its flaws. For me, anyway. It's pretty good overall and I don't regret reading the books, but I think I was hoping for this conclusion novel to be a lot stronger (and more romantic) than it was. It's probably not a bad series to binge-read but I can see myself forgetting about the series fairly quickly - it's not a new favorite and it isn't going to stick. Remember, I loved The Great Hunt!
Rating:
3.5 stars. I'm so torn as to whether to round up or down. Ultimately I think I'm going to round down, and what it tipping me downward is the fact that I was pretty bored as I was reading. That being said, boredom might not be an issue for other readers. I had other problems with this book - including the romance, the sexism, the fake show of a strong female character, how the male protagonist suffered entirely too much and more than was "fair" - but the boredom is what pushes the rating down, for me. I think I'll still read future Higgins books but I think I should stick to her standalone novels, with undiluted romances.
Want to read
March 14, 2016Please let Aerity/Paxton happen
October 11, 2021
The Great Pursuit by Wendy Higgins
2nd book and conclusion to the Eurona Duology. YA/NA Fantasy romance. Should be read after The Great Hunt.
Terror worst than the conquered beast has hit the kingdom of Lochlanach. People are fighting against each other and Princess Aerity must lead since her parents, the King and Queen are missing. Paxton seems to be on the wrong side of the war so Aerity and her sisters must be brave and use their knowledge of the kingdom to win against the odds.
It’s a great adventure with each of the three sisters being strong in their own way.
I don’t want to spoil the story with too much detail. I will say I admired Aerity and her decisions as difficult as they must have been. I’m extremely happy with the way it all turned out.
2nd book and conclusion to the Eurona Duology. YA/NA Fantasy romance. Should be read after The Great Hunt.
Terror worst than the conquered beast has hit the kingdom of Lochlanach. People are fighting against each other and Princess Aerity must lead since her parents, the King and Queen are missing. Paxton seems to be on the wrong side of the war so Aerity and her sisters must be brave and use their knowledge of the kingdom to win against the odds.
It’s a great adventure with each of the three sisters being strong in their own way.
I don’t want to spoil the story with too much detail. I will say I admired Aerity and her decisions as difficult as they must have been. I’m extremely happy with the way it all turned out.
June 5, 2017
The Great Pursuit was a fabulous conclusion filled with action, adventure, love and political intrigue. Deceit, lies, betrayal, hope, sacrifice, love, and friendship were splashed across the pages and I fell madly in love with this duology. My favorite things by far were -
✮ Everlasting Love -
I was so nervous and constantly trying to figure out how Aeity and Paxton could be together. She's betrothed to Lord Alvi, so how could she get out of that? How could she be with Paxton? My mind kept pondering those questions, because I'm neurotic like that lol. But as I watched Aeirty and Paxton, the risks they took for one another had me on the edge of my seat. I was breathless with how much they were each willing to sacrifice for the other. Their love was so beautiful. And their moments together made my heart race. They were definitely a couple I was rooting for, and I hoped against hope that they could beat the odds that were stacked up against them.
✮ A True Leader -
Aerity proved herself time and again what a competent, fair ruler she was. But thank goodness she made a few selfish decisions, because she deserved them! The challenges and hardships she faced seemed all consuming at times. And I easily found my heart breaking and struggling right along with hers. Yet she was a smart, strong woman, so I always had faith in the choices she made.
✮ It's Not Just About Princess Aerity and Paxton Seabolt -
Just as I became attached to so many others in The Great Hunt, it felt as though those characters played an even bigger part in this book. I became obsessed with not only them staying alive and their happiness, but also their love lives too. See there's two other couples I was rooting for. This first was Tiern and Princess Dixie. Ohhh Tiern, sigh. He was just as fabulous at making me swoon as his big brother, Paxton. He was charismatic, charming, sexy and their banter and fights lit up heart! The other couple involves Lady Wyneth, but you'll figure out the man I was rooting for when you read this book. *winks*
✮ A New Favorite Character -
I LOVED Furball! Oh my goodness, I adored him so much. And I'm sorry I can't tell you anything about him, but I have a feeling you'll love him too.
✮ Friendship -
Not only did this book display strong, female friendships, which I loved! But it also displayed strong non-sexual friendships between males and females, which I loved too. My favorite was Aerity and Harrison, who have been friends forever. We got to see many sides of their friendship, and just how far they would go to help each other out. And my second favorite friendship was Aerity with Lief. While he could be frustrating at times, with his beliefs and actions, I loved how they pulled together. I loved, loved, loved how their friendship evolved over time. It was perfect!
When I closed this book, I was so ecstatic with how everything panned out. Especially that epilogue! Oh, Wendy Higgins' epilogues are always so perfectly beautiful. But I'm going to hold out hope that someday, if we're lucky, we'll hear more about Princess Dixie and Lady Wyneth's HEA with their sexy men. Fingers crossed.......
For more of my reviews, please visit:
✮ Everlasting Love -
“What will happen to us, Pax?” she whispered.
A deep sense of desperation to grasp their time together rose within her. This could be it. This could be their last moment alone together.
He held her tighter and pressed his forehead into her abdomen. “I just want to keep you safe.” - Aerity and Paxton
I was so nervous and constantly trying to figure out how Aeity and Paxton could be together. She's betrothed to Lord Alvi, so how could she get out of that? How could she be with Paxton? My mind kept pondering those questions, because I'm neurotic like that lol. But as I watched Aeirty and Paxton, the risks they took for one another had me on the edge of my seat. I was breathless with how much they were each willing to sacrifice for the other. Their love was so beautiful. And their moments together made my heart race. They were definitely a couple I was rooting for, and I hoped against hope that they could beat the odds that were stacked up against them.
✮ A True Leader -
Determination rang out inside her, clearing away all doubts and fears before they had a chance to surface. She had no time for any of that. - Aerity
Aerity proved herself time and again what a competent, fair ruler she was. But thank goodness she made a few selfish decisions, because she deserved them! The challenges and hardships she faced seemed all consuming at times. And I easily found my heart breaking and struggling right along with hers. Yet she was a smart, strong woman, so I always had faith in the choices she made.
✮ It's Not Just About Princess Aerity and Paxton Seabolt -
Vixie propped a hand on her hip. “If you wished to ward him off, you could have simply kissed me. I’ve heard that strategy works well.”
Tiern’s eyes rounded, and Vixie pressed her fingers to her lips to hold back a laugh at her boldness.
“Perhaps next time I will, little sea star,” he said threateningly.
Just as I became attached to so many others in The Great Hunt, it felt as though those characters played an even bigger part in this book. I became obsessed with not only them staying alive and their happiness, but also their love lives too. See there's two other couples I was rooting for. This first was Tiern and Princess Dixie. Ohhh Tiern, sigh. He was just as fabulous at making me swoon as his big brother, Paxton. He was charismatic, charming, sexy and their banter and fights lit up heart! The other couple involves Lady Wyneth, but you'll figure out the man I was rooting for when you read this book. *winks*
✮ A New Favorite Character -
“By the seas, you are rather cute in an ugly sort of way, aren’t you?” Harrison sighed and passed him up to a giggling Aerity. - About Furball!
I LOVED Furball! Oh my goodness, I adored him so much. And I'm sorry I can't tell you anything about him, but I have a feeling you'll love him too.
✮ Friendship -
She whispered to him, “What have I done, Lief? That was awful!”
And to her utter surprise, Lief palmed her cheek and gently said. “No, Princess. That was incredible.” And then he began to laugh.
Not only did this book display strong, female friendships, which I loved! But it also displayed strong non-sexual friendships between males and females, which I loved too. My favorite was Aerity and Harrison, who have been friends forever. We got to see many sides of their friendship, and just how far they would go to help each other out. And my second favorite friendship was Aerity with Lief. While he could be frustrating at times, with his beliefs and actions, I loved how they pulled together. I loved, loved, loved how their friendship evolved over time. It was perfect!
When I closed this book, I was so ecstatic with how everything panned out. Especially that epilogue! Oh, Wendy Higgins' epilogues are always so perfectly beautiful. But I'm going to hold out hope that someday, if we're lucky, we'll hear more about Princess Dixie and Lady Wyneth's HEA with their sexy men. Fingers crossed.......
For more of my reviews, please visit:
March 7, 2017
Ok so I need to start this thing off by saying a huge thank you to John over at AFK books and of course Wendy Higgins for getting this ARC out to me.
Both of you are absolutely amazing and I can't thank you enough.
Ok so just so everyone is aware... I am totally a Wendy Higgins fangirl hehe
I think I've read all her books but UNKNOWN (Just haven't had the time with the ARC's that needed to be read)
But every book I've read from her has been amazing, and I have to say I just adore Wendy as a person, and not just her great stories.
She is by far one of the most personable authors I've met, and is an absolute Sweetie to her readers (Pun intended ha!)
But seriously. I've had the opportunity to meet Wendy twice now. Once back when Sweet Reckoning was coming out...
and then again at Apollycon 2016 back last February. (Actually Wendy was the first author I ever went to a book signing for, so that's always something cool I think too)
But seriously. Both times I meet her she was amazingly nice and really open to talk with.
Her books also kinda have a special place for me too though. I'm sure if you follow enough of my blog posts an/or FB posts you see that whenever someone mentions a go to book or a first YA read I talk about Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (Like were talking way back seven or eight years ago when I first realized there were paranormal books for teens in the world)
And while that book was the very start of my love for the genre... I really didn't find out how much I loved books like that till several years later when I accidentally stumbled across Jen Armentrout's Lux series and Wendy's Sweet series. (I have to add that I begged my library for months to get them both before finally caving and buying the Ebooks. They were my escape after moving states and starting over at a new college) I found both series pretty much back to back (I wanna say a little after Sweet Peril came out) and fell in love with the two series that I used them to find a ton of recommendations to other YA fantasy/paranormal books.
There seriously needs to be an option to give a book 10 stars. 20 even!
Because this book was just so so good.
I have so much love for it. The great Hunt left me wondering so much,and I was literally counting down days until I could get a copy of this one in my hands.
And let me just say... Wendy absolutely blew me away. It was so good... And had so much action and mystery. The keep you on your toes as you read sort of kind too.
I adored Wendy's Sweet series and See Me. And absolutely loved The Great Hunt. So really I shouldn't be surprised that this one was any different.
I loved Wendy's spin on the old Grimm Brothers tale this series is based on, and found myself so wrapped up in this book.
I fought so hard to wait out reading it. knowing I had other ARC'S to get to and such.
but I just happened to have a few free days I hadn't expected, and so I dove back in. (I had been slowly sneaking in a chapter here and there since getting the book)
Once I started The Great Pursuit, I really couldn't stop though. and this weekend was pretty busy with my older sisters baby shower. But I still managed to spend all my time I should have been sleeping buried in the pages of this beautiful and creative world.
Wendy spun such a beautiful world and set of characters, and only managed to expand on that more in this. While we heard of the other lands in the previous book, we really got a chance to step into them, and see the beauty and amazingness of this complex mythical world.I got such a better understanding of how the lands were all set up and connected(Yes I know there's a map at the front of the book. It just gives you a better image when the characters are actually exploring it and taking you through it all though)
but seriously.I just couldn't put this one down (And believe me I tried so hard hehe)
You know when you read a book and it is just so amazingly written that you can picture everything so clearly, like a legit movie in your mind?
That's what this book did.
At the times I did put it down I had to remind myself I was reading a book and not planted in front of my TV or something. the story was that vivid and detailed.
Plus the characters in this book! oh man!! I probably shouldn't even get started on them right now hehe (it's like 2 AM and I have to be up at 7 for class)
But I fell so hard for almost every character Wendy wrote. (well maybe except the despicable baddies that is haha)
Obviously Pax and Harrison were my 2 fav guys. But I also found myself liking Leif and Tiern (though I liked the other Seabolt brother from the start of book 1 too)
And it wasn't just Pax's protective caring either. It was everything about him. How he was willing to do whatever it took to protect Aerity and the kingdom. and his fierceness about everything. I just found this brooding man so incredible kind and sweet at times. And one of those characters you know is truly good to the bone.
Same with Harrison actually. The guy just screamed "I must adore you" lol
His gentle kindness and fierce protectiveness. I loved them both so much.
But I also really enjoyed the girls in this book as well (*Gasp! I know. Me like female characters. no I'm not running a fever I promise ha!)
But you give me some fiery strong girls and heck yeah! I'm on board.
But really, between Aerity, Vixie, and Wyneth, I had a serious girl crush.
They were so fun to get to read. And I know for sure that if these girls were real I would trust them with my life.
Talk about being the opposite of Damsels in Distress.
these 3 knew how to be strong and take care of themselves. and the way they were willing to lay it all on the line for their kingdom was pretty awe-inspiring.
All in all its safe to say I have nothing but good things to say about this book. I absolutely LOVE it (I need to start looking up synonyms for love, adore, and like I think hehe)
Also just let me add... Furball?? he was my favorite part forrealsies. I love that little beast so much!! I officially want one of my own hehe
That and that Wendy seriously knows how to wrote a bad guy. between the Dukes in the Sweet series and Rozaria and the others in this book.... I just I was quite impressed with the despicableness, and her ability to give me some bad guys that I seriously wanted to hate. and strangle. and maim. ya know. the good stuff haha
I give THE GREAT PURSUIT
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐5 STARS⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
March 6, 2019
Read this review and others on my blog!
This was a book I’d been looking forward to reading for a while. After my near total abstention from fantasy last year, as well as my recent read-through of the more serious The Bird and the Nightingale, I was ready for a fluffier fantasy read, which The Great Pursuit promised to be. Come to find out when I picked the book up that this series is not a trilogy, but a duology! I just about could have kissed the cover. God knows I’ve started enough series, never to continue on.
But somehow this sequel to The Great Hunt didn’t catch me nearly as much as its predecessor. In the first book, we’re introduced to the MC, Aerity. She’s a teenage princess who loves aerial silks. (Hence the name choice, I’m sure.) All this might seem a bit random, and it is, but her hobby is a unique, defining characteristic, and—spoilers directly ahead—she’s able to use her acrobatic abilities in the first book’s climax in a combat situation. It was a memorable scene that made me want to dive right into the next book.
Yet Pursuit seems devoid of a lot of that unique charm. I don’t think there’s one scene in the second book where this side of Aerity is allowed to shine once more; I’d bet it would be easy for many readers who read the first book a while ago to forget entirely about this aspect of her character. I guess it’s a consequence of having to focus the plot on the brewing political tensions; this book simply feels more generic than the first in the series.
All this coupled with a world that feels overly small. Characters traverse vast distances to different kingdoms and climes, but their journeys feel like they take place within two days max. In the final battle scene, armies feel like they’re made up of fifty people. A chase scene in a maze of tunnels was a great moment, but that’s a confined scene by necessity of the fact that the characters are in tunnels. Once the characters emerge back out into the open, we’re back to feeling like this “war” is just a faction vs. faction small-scale brawl.
So I may be in the minority here since the Goodreads reviews speak to more people enjoying the second book than the first, but I really liked The Great Hunt much more than The Great Pursuit. I hesitate to advocate for just reading the first one, since that could maybe prove unsatisfying, but… Yeah. Just read the first one.
This was a book I’d been looking forward to reading for a while. After my near total abstention from fantasy last year, as well as my recent read-through of the more serious The Bird and the Nightingale, I was ready for a fluffier fantasy read, which The Great Pursuit promised to be. Come to find out when I picked the book up that this series is not a trilogy, but a duology! I just about could have kissed the cover. God knows I’ve started enough series, never to continue on.
But somehow this sequel to The Great Hunt didn’t catch me nearly as much as its predecessor. In the first book, we’re introduced to the MC, Aerity. She’s a teenage princess who loves aerial silks. (Hence the name choice, I’m sure.) All this might seem a bit random, and it is, but her hobby is a unique, defining characteristic, and—spoilers directly ahead—she’s able to use her acrobatic abilities in the first book’s climax in a combat situation. It was a memorable scene that made me want to dive right into the next book.
Yet Pursuit seems devoid of a lot of that unique charm. I don’t think there’s one scene in the second book where this side of Aerity is allowed to shine once more; I’d bet it would be easy for many readers who read the first book a while ago to forget entirely about this aspect of her character. I guess it’s a consequence of having to focus the plot on the brewing political tensions; this book simply feels more generic than the first in the series.
All this coupled with a world that feels overly small. Characters traverse vast distances to different kingdoms and climes, but their journeys feel like they take place within two days max. In the final battle scene, armies feel like they’re made up of fifty people. A chase scene in a maze of tunnels was a great moment, but that’s a confined scene by necessity of the fact that the characters are in tunnels. Once the characters emerge back out into the open, we’re back to feeling like this “war” is just a faction vs. faction small-scale brawl.
So I may be in the minority here since the Goodreads reviews speak to more people enjoying the second book than the first, but I really liked The Great Hunt much more than The Great Pursuit. I hesitate to advocate for just reading the first one, since that could maybe prove unsatisfying, but… Yeah. Just read the first one.
February 27, 2017
My heart is so full with happiness! This was the perfect finale! Wendy has done it again! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
October 25, 2016
This book! It's perfect. It's enthralling, intricate, delicious, heart-pounding, and beautiful. It's a breath-taking conclusion to the Eurona Duology, and I just wish there were more books coming. That's my only complaint. I don't want to leave this world!
March 23, 2017
4.5 stars
I love this series.. I found myself always holding my breath for what was to come. I only found a couple of chapters slow. The only thing I wish it had more of was the connection between the 2 .. I needed more love more relationship more cat and mouse. I find the ending needed more, what about wyns happily ever after and her younger sister ?? More books to come?
I love this series.. I found myself always holding my breath for what was to come. I only found a couple of chapters slow. The only thing I wish it had more of was the connection between the 2 .. I needed more love more relationship more cat and mouse. I find the ending needed more, what about wyns happily ever after and her younger sister ?? More books to come?
March 9, 2017
You can find my full review of this title
here
on The Book Hookup.
*Disclaimer: An e-copy of this title was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. However, that did not influence this review in any way. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this version and not of the published edition.
Actual rating of 3.5 stars! I still loved all the characters–main, secondary, good, and evil–just as I did in the first. I liked trying to figure out what side of the fence people ultimately fell on and watching the story unfold. I especially enjoyed the intensity of the climax and swooned at the epilogue. I thought it was a satisfactory conclusion to a rather action-filled duology.
My biggest struggle with these two installments, and with other books in general, has everything to do with inability to jive with multiple POVs in third person. For some reason, it's harder for me to connect to the characters or stay in the moment with the shift of so many perspectives. Furthermore, I feel like it breaks up the pacing too much for me to stay focused. So, basically, it's not really the fault of the book, more my inability to stay totally invested because of the writing style. It's a personal thing, I suppose. *shrugs*
With that said, I read this all in one sitting and I was entertained, so it made it easy to round up to the full four stars. I think those that really enjoyed the first book would love this finale!
P.S. Yay for sex positivity in YA! (But, um, I found the timing of that particular rendezvous a little unbelievable. But it was still hot, so hey, girl, heeeeey! Get that.)
♥ A very special thanks to HarperTEEN and Edelweiss for providing me with an advanced copy of this title.
*Disclaimer: An e-copy of this title was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. However, that did not influence this review in any way. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this version and not of the published edition.
Actual rating of 3.5 stars! I still loved all the characters–main, secondary, good, and evil–just as I did in the first. I liked trying to figure out what side of the fence people ultimately fell on and watching the story unfold. I especially enjoyed the intensity of the climax and swooned at the epilogue. I thought it was a satisfactory conclusion to a rather action-filled duology.
My biggest struggle with these two installments, and with other books in general, has everything to do with inability to jive with multiple POVs in third person. For some reason, it's harder for me to connect to the characters or stay in the moment with the shift of so many perspectives. Furthermore, I feel like it breaks up the pacing too much for me to stay focused. So, basically, it's not really the fault of the book, more my inability to stay totally invested because of the writing style. It's a personal thing, I suppose. *shrugs*
With that said, I read this all in one sitting and I was entertained, so it made it easy to round up to the full four stars. I think those that really enjoyed the first book would love this finale!
P.S. Yay for sex positivity in YA! (But, um, I found the timing of that particular rendezvous a little unbelievable. But it was still hot, so hey, girl, heeeeey! Get that.)
♥ A very special thanks to HarperTEEN and Edelweiss for providing me with an advanced copy of this title.
May 21, 2016
What a fantastic ending! Fans of The Great Hunt will NOT be disappointed. Full review to come.
March 18, 2017
Rating: 4.5/5
Review to come!
Review to come!
July 9, 2017
I might or might not be sobbing right now.
July 18, 2017
OMG! HOW DID I FORGET TO REVIEW THIS!! REVIEW TO COME!! UNTIL THEN! BUY! THIS! BOOK!!
February 6, 2018
This book is 4.5 STARS!!! I've always loved Paxton Seabolt and Aerity Lochson's story ever since the first book.
With this one, it's all about the act on doing something that you stand for. Being brave is not enough, you have to believe in yourself and be at one with the people that depends on you. Hoping for someone to love you back is not enough, you have to be able to try to express it to them.
Thoughts:
"Perhaps not everyone is meant to be with the one they love."
- Sometimes it's easy to just stay silent and look from afar. It's easy to love that way because you know that no one can take that away from you. It's like living in the safety zone. However, what if that person loves you back? What if that person doesn't? Well, who cares! Either way, you will never know unless you tell them or have that courage to release all those feelings that you have. Maybe you are meant for each other or maybe you are not. In the end, at least you can move on from there.
- Harrison's feelings was a shock to me at first because I never suspected it!
- As for Aerity, it was really hard to be selfless because you are truly giving up the person that matters most.
- Paxton, well, we all know that he gave up because he knew he couldn’t win. But if I were like him and opportunity always presented itself, I will hold on to it until it lasts.
"But it's okay to show weakness with us. That's what we're here for."
- Having your support group is one of the things that you will always be thankful for. May it be your family, friends or neighbors, you know you can always count on them in times of your downs and lows. This book has shown the importance of family and how they can always lift our spirit when all you think about is giving up or hopelessness. You can always, always show them the bad and the ugly because you know that they will not judge you but understand you through it all.
"Give me a memory of our love that I can keep with me always. Something no one can take from us."
- I WAS REALLY HAPPY WITH THIS MOMENT. HANDS DOWN!!!!
YASSSS! I really wish Tiern and Vi will have there book, but the glimpses in this book were also enough. <3
With this one, it's all about the act on doing something that you stand for. Being brave is not enough, you have to believe in yourself and be at one with the people that depends on you. Hoping for someone to love you back is not enough, you have to be able to try to express it to them.
Thoughts:
"Perhaps not everyone is meant to be with the one they love."
- Sometimes it's easy to just stay silent and look from afar. It's easy to love that way because you know that no one can take that away from you. It's like living in the safety zone. However, what if that person loves you back? What if that person doesn't? Well, who cares! Either way, you will never know unless you tell them or have that courage to release all those feelings that you have. Maybe you are meant for each other or maybe you are not. In the end, at least you can move on from there.
- Harrison's feelings was a shock to me at first because I never suspected it!
- As for Aerity, it was really hard to be selfless because you are truly giving up the person that matters most.
- Paxton, well, we all know that he gave up because he knew he couldn’t win. But if I were like him and opportunity always presented itself, I will hold on to it until it lasts.
"But it's okay to show weakness with us. That's what we're here for."
- Having your support group is one of the things that you will always be thankful for. May it be your family, friends or neighbors, you know you can always count on them in times of your downs and lows. This book has shown the importance of family and how they can always lift our spirit when all you think about is giving up or hopelessness. You can always, always show them the bad and the ugly because you know that they will not judge you but understand you through it all.
"Give me a memory of our love that I can keep with me always. Something no one can take from us."
- I WAS REALLY HAPPY WITH THIS MOMENT. HANDS DOWN!!!!
YASSSS! I really wish Tiern and Vi will have there book, but the glimpses in this book were also enough. <3
June 26, 2019
2.5/5 stars
I really think the first book could have concluded this duology. Already going into this book, I only kind of liked the characters and the plot, so I wasn’t expecting to love it. I just thought that this book was super messy. At least with the first book, there was a clear plot and direction. With this one, there were more character perspectives and seemingly disjointed plot points. I still generally like the characters, especially the romance between our main characters, but it didn’t feel like enough to pull this book off.
FULL REVIEW TO COME
I really think the first book could have concluded this duology. Already going into this book, I only kind of liked the characters and the plot, so I wasn’t expecting to love it. I just thought that this book was super messy. At least with the first book, there was a clear plot and direction. With this one, there were more character perspectives and seemingly disjointed plot points. I still generally like the characters, especially the romance between our main characters, but it didn’t feel like enough to pull this book off.
FULL REVIEW TO COME
November 22, 2018
4.5 Stars
I really don't want to say other than I loved it. It was the perfect conclusion, everything wrapped up perfectly, I teared up, I laughed, I cheered and ever swooned at some parts. If you've not read this duology, do it now, because it's amazing. Really, as simple as that, it's great.
I really don't want to say other than I loved it. It was the perfect conclusion, everything wrapped up perfectly, I teared up, I laughed, I cheered and ever swooned at some parts. If you've not read this duology, do it now, because it's amazing. Really, as simple as that, it's great.
June 4, 2017
Minor spoilers alert!!!
★¸¸.•*¨*•★Unabridged Audiobook Info★•*¨*•.¸¸★
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
Release Date: 03-07-17
Publisher: Harper Audio
Writing style: Third person omniscient POV
Audiobook reading/loan period: May 26 – 31, 2017
Dual format read – Yes or No?: No, this was strictly an audiobook read this time since I have yet to collect the e-book for my personal collection.
•*¨*•
Steam and Romance levels:
It was a bit on the lower steam spectrum and more on the PG-13 side as is appropriate for a YA novel. Princess Aerity and the Lashed Paxton Seabolt start off not spending any time together during the continuation of this fantasy adventure story. I also expected this to be more focused on them as a couple, but it was definitely more of an ensemble adventure story more so than a romance story to me. Fortunately, there was definitely enough romance to keep me invested in discovering how the cast of good gals and good guys could finally defeat the nefarious Rosaria and her villainous co-horts.
•*¨*•
Most Annoying Villain:
More beasties terrorized the kingdom of Lochlanach, but yet again the award for most annoying villain goes to Rosaria Rocato. I hated the fact that she mandated other Lashed people throughout the various kingdoms kill random citizens to make her point that the gifted Lashed should be free to use their magic. While I agreed with her that Lashed people shouldn’t be discriminated against, her heinous means didn’t justify her noble goal.
•*¨*•
Saskia Maarleveld’s Performance: ★★★★★
She was excellent yet again with tone, intonation, pacing and emotion.
•*¨*•
Story rating: ★★★☆☆
The Great Hunt ended with a significant cliffy. As I mentioned earlier, I was expecting The Great Pursuit to be more of a romance sequel focused mainly on one main couple, Princess Aerity and the Lashed commoner Paxton. It wasn’t though, and that was ultimately fine with me because every significant character got decent POV time and development. I’d consider this sequel to be a YA historical fantasy novel. In general, I have to admit the fantasy subgenre isn’t a natural go-to genre for me. Technically, I’m not really the target audience for a novel that falls into the fantasy category whether it is YA, NA or Contemporary. But the combination of author Wendy Higgins’s creative imaginings and audiobook narrator Saskia Maarleveld’s aurally pleasing performance made this duology series a happy gamble for me overall.
•*¨*•
My Favorite Character:
Furball, gah!!! He was so freaking adorable in every way. Rosario created him via her genetic engineering experiments and found him lacking the suitable aggression a combination of bear and lion genes should have given him. I loved how his lovable animal personality was like a giant finger to her, ha! Furball doesn’t get a POV, but I loved anytime the human characters interacted with him and described his antics and reactions. He played such a key role in how well the story ended, too. I loved that tons!
•*¨*•
Overall rating: ★★★★☆
★¸¸.•*¨*•★Unabridged Audiobook Info★•*¨*•.¸¸★
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
Release Date: 03-07-17
Publisher: Harper Audio
Writing style: Third person omniscient POV
Audiobook reading/loan period: May 26 – 31, 2017
Dual format read – Yes or No?: No, this was strictly an audiobook read this time since I have yet to collect the e-book for my personal collection.
•*¨*•
Steam and Romance levels:
It was a bit on the lower steam spectrum and more on the PG-13 side as is appropriate for a YA novel. Princess Aerity and the Lashed Paxton Seabolt start off not spending any time together during the continuation of this fantasy adventure story. I also expected this to be more focused on them as a couple, but it was definitely more of an ensemble adventure story more so than a romance story to me. Fortunately, there was definitely enough romance to keep me invested in discovering how the cast of good gals and good guys could finally defeat the nefarious Rosaria and her villainous co-horts.
•*¨*•
Most Annoying Villain:
More beasties terrorized the kingdom of Lochlanach, but yet again the award for most annoying villain goes to Rosaria Rocato. I hated the fact that she mandated other Lashed people throughout the various kingdoms kill random citizens to make her point that the gifted Lashed should be free to use their magic. While I agreed with her that Lashed people shouldn’t be discriminated against, her heinous means didn’t justify her noble goal.
•*¨*•
Saskia Maarleveld’s Performance: ★★★★★
She was excellent yet again with tone, intonation, pacing and emotion.
•*¨*•
Story rating: ★★★☆☆
The Great Hunt ended with a significant cliffy. As I mentioned earlier, I was expecting The Great Pursuit to be more of a romance sequel focused mainly on one main couple, Princess Aerity and the Lashed commoner Paxton. It wasn’t though, and that was ultimately fine with me because every significant character got decent POV time and development. I’d consider this sequel to be a YA historical fantasy novel. In general, I have to admit the fantasy subgenre isn’t a natural go-to genre for me. Technically, I’m not really the target audience for a novel that falls into the fantasy category whether it is YA, NA or Contemporary. But the combination of author Wendy Higgins’s creative imaginings and audiobook narrator Saskia Maarleveld’s aurally pleasing performance made this duology series a happy gamble for me overall.
•*¨*•
My Favorite Character:
Furball, gah!!! He was so freaking adorable in every way. Rosario created him via her genetic engineering experiments and found him lacking the suitable aggression a combination of bear and lion genes should have given him. I loved how his lovable animal personality was like a giant finger to her, ha! Furball doesn’t get a POV, but I loved anytime the human characters interacted with him and described his antics and reactions. He played such a key role in how well the story ended, too. I loved that tons!
•*¨*•
Overall rating: ★★★★☆
February 20, 2017
WENDY! I am so completely and utterly obsessed with your writing!!! The Great Pursuit was A M A Z I N G!!!! If you have not added this to your TBR list...DO IT NOW!!!!!
Full review to come.......
Full review to come.......
September 5, 2023
If you enjoy Brave, understated love triangles, girls masquerading as boys, rags to riches, biopunk, and sibling loyalty, this duology may have a draw for you.
Some things I didn't enjoy...
-The tidy happily-ever-afters. Things concluded so easily for everyone.
-The deus ex machina way the author wrote out our loyalty to certain characters to take the sting out of them not getting happy endings. A character I liked in the last book pulled a dumb stunt in this book, therefore precluding any sadness the reader may have had for how his story ended. I felt like that was the author's way of pulling a punch, and I'm bummed about that.
-The pacing. The travel to and fro, hither and yon, there and back again got yawnsome.
The first book captivated me more than the second. Not a bad read, but not captivating either.
I'd rate this PG-13 for cultural swearing (e.g. bollocks), some violence and mild gore, and sexual scenarios (but nothing too explicit).
Original review published 9/4/23.
Some things I didn't enjoy...
-The tidy happily-ever-afters. Things concluded so easily for everyone.
-The deus ex machina way the author wrote out our loyalty to certain characters to take the sting out of them not getting happy endings. A character I liked in the last book pulled a dumb stunt in this book, therefore precluding any sadness the reader may have had for how his story ended. I felt like that was the author's way of pulling a punch, and I'm bummed about that.
-The pacing. The travel to and fro, hither and yon, there and back again got yawnsome.
The first book captivated me more than the second. Not a bad read, but not captivating either.
I'd rate this PG-13 for cultural swearing (e.g. bollocks), some violence and mild gore, and sexual scenarios (but nothing too explicit).
Original review published 9/4/23.
February 13, 2025
OMG I LOVED IT. Pretty much everything about it. It was even more intense than The Great Hunt. I love how it followed so many of the characters because with the multi-POVs I feel so much more deeply involved with all the characters and the details it brings to a story that you can't have with a single POV. Move this duology to the top of your TBR pile.
"Perhaps," Wyneth said. She and Vixie sat on either side of her. "But there will be times, like today, when you need to make a decision from your gut. You heard what Leif said. He seems to think it was a good move to stand your ground."
Aerity let out a laugh and rubbed her eyes again. "I'm going to need cake today."
[more heartfelt discussion in between]
"Good," Aerity said, exhaling in a rush. "Now to prepare the castle." And eat cake. 318
"Perhaps," Wyneth said. She and Vixie sat on either side of her. "But there will be times, like today, when you need to make a decision from your gut. You heard what Leif said. He seems to think it was a good move to stand your ground."
Aerity let out a laugh and rubbed her eyes again. "I'm going to need cake today."
[more heartfelt discussion in between]
"Good," Aerity said, exhaling in a rush. "Now to prepare the castle." And eat cake. 318
February 19, 2021
Surprisingly, I enjoyed this book more than the first one. The second book seems to be more promising and appeared to be more eventful, productive and consequential.
However, I just dislike the discrepancies of this book on the characters, I wish the author will be more consistent. Regardless, the side characters are brimmed with individuality, with their own persona and I really like that. The women in this book were also empowering and compelling (except for Lady Wyneth because she's a wimp and my least favourite character).
An average story of another kingdom with its stratum love story.
However, I just dislike the discrepancies of this book on the characters, I wish the author will be more consistent. Regardless, the side characters are brimmed with individuality, with their own persona and I really like that. The women in this book were also empowering and compelling (except for Lady Wyneth because she's a wimp and my least favourite character).
An average story of another kingdom with its stratum love story.
September 1, 2016
i'm so glad i got an ARC of this book. it was perfect in every way. it had me on the edge of my seat for the last 100 pages or so. i couldn't put it down. i would love for a spin off of this series just to learn more about all of the different kingdoms in this book. and i love Furball.
April 1, 2019
3.5/5
This was a good conclusion to the duology. I felt like Aerity grew so much in this book, especially compared to the last book. The main thing that was a detracting element was the length of this book. There were several times it felt so long and like it would never end.
In the beginning, there is a small plot line about a second beast. It was really weird, because it ended so quickly when in the first book, the whole plot was focused on hunting and capturing a similar beast.
I also felt like this book focused more on some of the side characters, like Aerity's sister and her cousin. I liked seeing them developed and getting to see their story lines and how they interacted with the main plot.
I still don't completely understand Lashed powers or how they work, but I'm okay with not knowing at this point.
This was a good conclusion to the duology. I felt like Aerity grew so much in this book, especially compared to the last book. The main thing that was a detracting element was the length of this book. There were several times it felt so long and like it would never end.
In the beginning, there is a small plot line about a second beast. It was really weird, because it ended so quickly when in the first book, the whole plot was focused on hunting and capturing a similar beast.
I also felt like this book focused more on some of the side characters, like Aerity's sister and her cousin. I liked seeing them developed and getting to see their story lines and how they interacted with the main plot.
I still don't completely understand Lashed powers or how they work, but I'm okay with not knowing at this point.
May 7, 2018
'Meh' is really how I feel about The Great Pursuit.
The story picks up right after the final events of The Great Hunt, with Rozaria's demands for the kingdoms causing panic and pushing everyone to their limits. There's a lot of initial chaos that gives way to a rather plodding plot, and while there are some well-written moments, the story is mostly forgettable and repetitive.
The only two aspects that I really liked were the sibling/cousin relationships--again, Aerity, Wyneth, and Vixie are so supportive of one another, and I love that they so clearly love each other just so darn much--and the idea that people and creatures are influenced by their upbringing. Furball turns into a rather adorably terrifying bodyguard for Wyneth, and her relationship with him is quite sweet.
The rest of the story--the war, the Lashed vs. normal people, the romances--was less exciting to me than it was surely supposed to be, and I didn't really care for any of the characters all that much. I wouldn't not recommend this duology, but there are so many others that I would recommend first.
The story picks up right after the final events of The Great Hunt, with Rozaria's demands for the kingdoms causing panic and pushing everyone to their limits. There's a lot of initial chaos that gives way to a rather plodding plot, and while there are some well-written moments, the story is mostly forgettable and repetitive.
The only two aspects that I really liked were the sibling/cousin relationships--again, Aerity, Wyneth, and Vixie are so supportive of one another, and I love that they so clearly love each other just so darn much--and the idea that people and creatures are influenced by their upbringing. Furball turns into a rather adorably terrifying bodyguard for Wyneth, and her relationship with him is quite sweet.
The rest of the story--the war, the Lashed vs. normal people, the romances--was less exciting to me than it was surely supposed to be, and I didn't really care for any of the characters all that much. I wouldn't not recommend this duology, but there are so many others that I would recommend first.
March 15, 2017
*Source* Edelweiss/Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4
*My Thoughts*
The Great Pursuit is the sequel to The Great Hunt, and the final novel in the Eurona Duology. To get through this story, you need to know that Higgins has chosen to tell her story through Multiple POV's. If you've read The Great Hunt, then none of the characters are new to you. Princess Verity Lochson has given up her happy ever ending in order to marry the person who killed the first great beast that terrorized her kingdom. Lord Leif Alvi.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
.
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4
*My Thoughts*
The Great Pursuit is the sequel to The Great Hunt, and the final novel in the Eurona Duology. To get through this story, you need to know that Higgins has chosen to tell her story through Multiple POV's. If you've read The Great Hunt, then none of the characters are new to you. Princess Verity Lochson has given up her happy ever ending in order to marry the person who killed the first great beast that terrorized her kingdom. Lord Leif Alvi.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
.
March 28, 2017
3.5 STARS
This was a decent read, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one. The romances were all over the place and one felt forced. I adored the relationships between Aerity, Vixie, and Wyneth and would liked to have seen more about them as a group. I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this duology, but it isn't a favorite either.
This was a decent read, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one. The romances were all over the place and one felt forced. I adored the relationships between Aerity, Vixie, and Wyneth and would liked to have seen more about them as a group. I certainly wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this duology, but it isn't a favorite either.
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