Rating: PG13 for magical violence
Sex: steamy kisses
Language: none
Violence: it's war, no torture though
HEA or Cliffhanger: HEA
Do I need to read books before this one: yes
Would I read more of the series: yes, I did
I did not expect this trilogy to affect me so much! Violet, Nate, and Ryn are so well developed, and the plot is so well thought out and character driven. I can't think of anything that happened that wasn't because of a character making an understandable choice for him/herself. The pacing was good. Adding new characters and having familiar characters die was so realistic (sad, not gory). I had other things to do today, but it was more critical I finish so I know what happened! I wish the ending had been different…. I wept.
----SPOILERS----
It's been 1 month since The Destruction Reptiscillas are treating Violet. Farah found her, Jamon (grandson) was the first to try to kill her. Draven has brainwashed all the faeries and wants to rule all races. She and Jamon are above ground, hoping to find something to trigger her memory, when they hear other faeries saying that only unmarked faeries set off the Draven's sensors. Jamon uses camouflage magic on them both, then they run back, and he puts a blindfold on her again after a little fight. Just before they're about to go Underground, those guards find them. She instinctively fights back after taking off her blindfold, shooting one of the guards with an arrow to save Jamon. Because he'll heal if the arrow is taken out within an hour, they take him prisoner.
The reptiscilla leaders meet to decide what to do with Violet. They've decided they can't let her go, but is she guest or prisoner. Jamon thinks they should get her help. They ask her to be a warrior as they move spots, hiding from Draven. She meets Jamon's mother. She's the reptiscilla Violet intercepted trying to kill Nate. They will work together to rid the world of the evil.
After the meeting, Jamon says he doesn't think of her as a guardian anymore. He doesn't like guardians because they protect humans, faeries, sometimes other fae, but mostly end up killing other fae for not evil crimes, and who judges the Guardians?
Violet transports stuff because reptiscilla can't. She can't transport people because they'll die in faerie paths. Just as she almost done, Draven's forces arrive. She barely gets away. At the new home, the group with the children arrives. They had been attacked until attackers saw the children and backed off. Natesa, Jamon's girlfriend, is severely hurt.
Violet and Jamon take a hike. Draven's power had turned summer to winter, no fall, over the entire realm. The prisoner revealed that followers have a snake-eating-its-tail tattoo on their right palms, the full insignia on the shirt. As soon as brainwashed, mark appears. He's got the Guardians and the special army of fairies with extra powers.
Violet visits Natesa. Jamon is intended to marry another Leader Supreme's daughter. Afterward, Violet re-reads Ryn's note. He's away undercover.
Ryn is on a mission from Kale, Violet's dad. No communication devices allowed. He's searching for members of the Order of the Guard, a group hiding a weapon capable of bringing down Tharros. He's not aware of The Destruction. He misses Violet.
He finds the way in! Tryce tells Ryn about storms inside the faerie paths, making travel that way impossible. Tryce and Yale, his father, have been waiting centuries. The sword has the words of a prophecy on it, received while it was being forged. "Two halves in one have more power than a whole. The fae world will bow beneath his mark. Only the sword can stop him, and only one can wield the sword: the Star of the high land. She is hidden, but the finder will find her. She will break the whole in half. By the strike of the sword, and the death of innocence, evil will be laid to rest." The 18 members will accompany Ryn and the sword back. He opens up, letting their excitement + enthusiasm overrule his anxiety. A few days later, they come upon a ruined faerie community with a Guild. Finally the faerie paths are working. His home is destroyed; Violet's is, too. He almost cries. He collects her ribbon bracelet and father's ring. Then he finds Filigree! Draven's people find them, fight ensues. Ryn learns the faerie paths are monitored now. After they knock everybody out, they run for an hour. The Order gives Ryn leadership because it's his world. They meet Oliver (Tora's boyfriend) and Em, two unmarked guardians.
5 days later, they arrive at their headquarters. Linden, Ryn's dad, is there! Calla and her mother are safe at another hidden base. They don't know about Ryn's mom.
Weeks later, a group reports they attacked reptiscilla children and then backed off. Ryn says we have to work with everybody, even those from Underground. Kale summons Ryn, even past the tattoos on his wrist. Kale says he hasn't found Violet, but he did find Tora. Didn't see Zinnia, does know Zell is dead. Ryn reports he got the sword, but only one person can wield it and that person has to be found by the finder. Which no one can find right now.
Natesa tells Violet why Jamon hates Guardians. His best friend learned human alcohol had greater effect on fae, got drunk, Jamon was trying to get him to come home, a guardian killed the friend. Jamon surprise attacks her so she'll learn how to call her weapons, fails. Jamon and Violet are off to recruit mer-people in an Underground bar. Violet hopes to stir memories.
They talk with the bar owner, who says mer-people and sirens have an agreement. The elf and pixie populations do, too. Then marked guardians arrive. But they're off the job and looking for a different bar, so they leave. Later, Violet and Jamon leave. The Guardians catch up. It's Ryn, except she doesn't recognize him. They all go back to Ryn's base via magic carpet; she thinks it's her first ride. He takes her to his room. He accepts she remembers nothing, and he's glad she kept his letter. She doesn't recognize Filigree. They've got to get her fixed. They bump into Oliver on the way to Uri's. She overhears Ryn express his feelings (love, frustration) to Uri. Uri tells her she must have taken the Forget potion.
Ryn found Violet's mother's box and gives it to her. In it is a letter from Rose. While pregnant, she was told by an elf that she'd received a vision that her daughter would cause the great evil of Tharros to be reborn but she would also be the key to removing the evil forever. The letter identifies Nate as the person. Ryn explains to Violet her finding power; that if she touches the sword, which technically belongs to the Star, should be able to find the Star. Then they have a fight because he's hurt beyond all belief. She apologizes and asks about their relationship. “Arguing and kissing,” I say slowly. “Was our relationship about anything more than that?” "Way more. It was about growing up together. It was about knowing your fears and dreams. It was about forgiveness. It was about making you laugh and being there when you cried. It was about knowing that even if we lived for centuries, I’d never get tired of having you at my side.”
Em volunteers their group to go find more marked people to test Uri's new potion that removes the branding and the brainwashing. They split up at the Creepy Hollow Guild. Ryn and Violet are attacked, and one of them is Zinnia, Ryn's mom. Em, Max, and Fin stun Zinnia and capture the big guy. The potion doesn't work on Zinnia. They barely get away, but Zinnia got the bag of cures they were testing. On the way back, they find Amon, the librarian, who knows about the weapon's protectors.
They talk with Uri about the cure not working, and there's a round object on the counter that wasn't there before. Later that night, there's an explosion. Ryn gets Violet out on a dragon named Arthur. Ryn gets a message from Em, and Violet feels jealous. Ryn looks happy. They're flying over the ocean toward where she sees the Star is, and two manticores chase them. During the battle, Arthur gets hit and Violet and Ryn end up in the ocean. The other faeries, unmarked, capture them in a net, then stun them.
They wake in prison. No sword. Ryn asks that there be no weird silences between them, that if all they can be is friends, he'll be happy with that. Their captors want to be left to their own business, so they've made a deal with Draven to be bounty hunters for unmarked fae. Ryn and Violet get separate cells, thanks to contained lightning. Ryn is injured, she's worried. When he finally wakes up, they talk and he tells her about his feeling other people's emotions. He fills her in on her life, that she loved him but was too afraid to tell him, and she wishes Tharros's power had never been released and they could have had their happily ever after.
For 5 days, they talk while captured. Then they're knocked out again, Violet wakes up in a cage in a winter wonderland being taken to the Unseelie Court. They're rescued by Tilly, a girl who has a lightning container and also has Arthur. Ryn is still stunned, and Violet is injured, so she kisses him in an effort to wake him up. It wakes her up, too.
Tilly saw them get captured, followed Arthur and made friends with him, and was on her way back to rescue them. She stole a lightning container and followed them through the faery paths. Tilly takes them to her home, which is a floating island untouched by Draven. They land, Arthur shrinks small enough to be on Ryn's shoulder. Her home is in a tree. She had stolen their bags, including the sword. Tilly touched the sword and it glowed. Her full name is Estelle, so she is the Star of the high land. The island measures time differently. A day here could be a month there, or a day here could be an hour there.
Violet's leg injury isn't healing. They tell Tilly her destiny, she accepts it, but her parents don't and eject their guests. They wait at the lake to see if Tilly is able to convince her parents. Ryn shares the story of when he healed Violet's broken leg because he still feels protective. He leans toward her, she likes that he might kiss her, and the drawing he had been making with his stylus in the air bursts into flame. We know what that means! Then Tilly arrives, and they all leave.
They get to the base, and find out it's been a month whereas they think it's only been a week. They're going to war tomorrow. Oliver takes the sword and Tilly to keep them safe. Ryn and Violet meet up with Em and Max, Violet feels jealous of the attention Em is getting from Ryn, and she finds Jamon. Jamon saw Ryn's face fall when he realized Violet didn't remember him or her love for him, and Jamon decided right then that he's marrying Natesa because they love each other. Violet feels bad. Ryn comes, and he's friendly to Jamon, apparently over his jealousy. Uri arrives with the cure to her memory problem. She's afraid, but Ryn says take it, so she does. The potion doesn't work because of Violet isn't ready for it.
Violet puts the healing potion on her leg, and talks to Filigree about her fears for tomorrow night, her feelings for Ryn. Ryn visits, nervous. He's afraid for tomorrow too, and wants to spend tonight with her. They go to the training area to the Fishbowl. He's made it into a beautiful forest with a river, a boat, and lots of fireflies. He reassures her he feels nothing for Em, that she's the only one for him. In the boat, he says he was upset about the potion not working because she deserves to have her memories back, not just because he wants her to love him again. He's accepted that that might never happen. She is still the same intelligent, stubborn, ass-kicking, beautiful Violet to him. She feels a burst, a glowing inside her, and he asks her to feel that again. They kiss, and it turns into an incredible makeout session that brings back all her memories.
Tora died because of her! She takes the Forget potion but it doesn't work. She walks away from the destruction of her home, and Nate is there. He explains about the two comm glasses, that he could see her through them, that he used her need to be the best and prove herself to bring about this destruction. He's going to destroy everything she loves because she destroyed everything he loves (Zell killed Nate's parents in front of him as punishment for seeking Violet). He was lost and afraid, and she wouldn't forgive him for what he tried to stop; all he wanted was her acceptance, and she rejected him.
When she wakes up in her room, Uri is there. Ryn had been very angry because the prince is supposed to wake the sleeping princess with a kiss, not put her to sleep with it! Uri knew she needed to feel love for that potion to activate, because it was love that activated the other potion. She's got to find Ryn now to tell him that she loves him with all that she is. Before everything happens. She finds Oliver instead, and apologizes that Tora is dead. His eyes tear up. She sees where Ryn's team is on surveillance. She runs out there to talk to him. Armed men carry his motionless body away. Then she sees Draven's armies attacking. Oliver can't find Tilly, he gives Violet the sword. She realizes Amon is the traitor. Violet is trying to find Tilly; she's hidden from her mind. She's racing through corridors, staving off attacks. Asim, Jamon's dad, is injured by a mind-reading villain. Violet recognizes that talent, and lets her body take over the fight. Jamon finishes the villain off, and Violet rushes away. She recognizes it started with Nate and her, and it has to end with Nate and her. She goes to the Unseelie Court, is taken captive, and taken to Draven while still keeping the sword.
Draven has marked Tilly and Ryn. Violet remembers Nate, works to experience his life, and tearily says I forgive you. And I'm so sorry for turning my back on you. It appears Nate is completely gone, leaving only Draven. He ties her up, brings in Tilly and Ryn. They're prisoners in their minds. Draven tells Ryn to say goodbye, he does while cutting her bonds and Tilly winks. Ryn attacks Draven, Tilly gets the sword and stabs him. Nothing. Draven kicks Tilly down the stairs and Ryn over the balcony. Violet fights with him, notices he's wearing a necklace. Kale was hiding in the ceiling, jumps down to protect her from storms. His shield fails, and it's just Draven and Violet. She realizes it's her who has to break the whole in half. She is dying, she remembers the connection they once had, and says, “I loved you and you broke my heart and I’m SORRY!” He stops killing her, the green leaves him, surrounds him as a fog, she and Tilly take the sword and slice down through the green and Nate. Chaos, then Nate and the sword are gone. She sees in Nate's screen that the marking is lifted from everyone. Ryn gets back to the tower, she shows him her memory is back and tells him she loves him.
They have a celebration-of-life ceremony. Flint and Violet put a lei in the river for Tora. Violet puts in one for Nate, the real Nate who looked down at her. Lost. Confused. Alone. Fin died, as did Asim. The potion had worked on Zinnia; she took the bag of cures and went back to Draven a traitor. She healed Ryn and Tilly.
Because Tharros's evil is gone, Creepy Hollow heals. Violet doesn't feel right at the new Guild, she wants to work with Jamon to get non-faeries as guardians. Ryn's not sure where he wants to work yet. He kisses her and returns her bracelet and ring. She thinks about a future ring and Ryn feels her excitement. They walk. Ryn suspects Zinnia and Kale might have a thing, started after Reed died. Unseelie Court is ruled by King Savyon. They finish walk by old obstacle course. They make a bet on who wins.
BONUS CHAPTER
Ryn's point of view when he finds Jamon and Violet: Ryn watched the two of them and wanted to yell, tear his hair out, pummel the nearest tree, something to express just how utterly, horribly, painfully cruel life was. He finally had her back, the girl he loved more than anything else, and all she saw in his place was a stranger. He couldn’t look at her anymore. It hurt too much.
Amon: He became a traitor because guardians cared only for physical prowess, not knowledge. Zell appreciated knowledge and paid for it, too. Amon liked moving pieces in the game.
Ryn's point of view of being Draven's: Finally free to serve Draven. Zinnia comes in, and he apologizes for fighting her earlier. She stuns him and feeds him the cure. Zinnia explains the war is on and Draven expects Violet to come to him. Kale arrives, says to follow Draven's plan (Zinnia is curing Tilly). Ryn is confident Violet will come and will bring the sword. He knows her history with Nate and the guilt she carries over what she's done because of her.