Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Rituals by Kelley Armstrong

Rituals is the fourth and final book in the Cainsville series so this review contains ***SPOILERS*** if you have not read the first books in the series.  This series is best enjoyed in order so read the rest of the series before you read anymore of this review.

Olivia Jones has multiple names and identities - and not all by choice.  For some she is Olivia Taylor-Jones, the daughter of a wealthy family who sadly lost her father but gained a suitably large trust fund.  No one partiocularly special, but also not someone easily forgotten.  For others she is Eden Larsen, the daughter or two serial killers who are serving life sentences in prison.  To those closest to her though, she is simply Liv - something she is determined to cling to, especially when it seems as though everyone wants something from her.  

With the Tylwyth Teg and Cwn Annwn both determined to win her over to their side it seems inevitable that someone is going to get hurt - especially with so much at stake.  Determined to stop the past from repeating itself Liv fights to hold onto the relationships that mean the most to her - especially Ricky and Gabriel.  As their final chapter approaches Liv is going to have to make a choice, and if she doesn't make the right one then it could mean the end for either the Tylwyth Teg or the Cwn Annwn.  What Liv doesn't know is that there is another player in town, one who has plans of their own and is determined to stop Liv from making the wrong choice - the wrong choice as far as they are concerned anyway.  The final choice is coming, and if Liv gets it wrong she could lose everything.

Rituals is the final book in the Cainsville series and it was a very satisfying end to what has turned out to be an exceptional series.  There are some delightful twists and turns in this final installment in the series, and one of the most frustrating thing about reviewing this book is trying to give it a good review without spoiling the surprises!  From the start it has been clear that the Cainsville series is a sweeping urban fantasy that takes elements of mythology and shapes them into a series that is both completely engrossing and also believable and grounded (not an easy feat for an urban fantasy with a very healthy dose of the supernatural).  

Kelley Armstrong has created characters that you connect with and care about - even if trying to figure out the pronunciation of some of the Welsh words was a bit of a challenge!   Finding a series that can keep you hooked when each book is more than 400 pages is no simple feat, and while I was satisfied with the ending of the series I feel a little bereft knowing that there won't be another book in the series (that's how well this world was written).  Hopefully there will be more books from Armstrong in a similar vein in the future because it was a very good series and created a nice niche for itself in the urban fantasy genre.

 If you like this book then try:
  • Omens by Kelley Armstrong
  • Visions by Kelley Armstrong
  • Deceptions by Kelley Armstrong
  • Summon the keeper by Tanya Huff
  • Night shifted by Cassie Alexander
  • Eight million gods by Wen Spencer
  • Dark descendant by Jenna Black
  • Moon called by Patricia Briggs
  • Spiders bite by Jennifer Estep
  • Prowlers by Christopher Golden
  • Precinct 13 by Tate Hallaway
  • Dead witch walking by Kim Harrison
  • Blood price by Tanya Huff
  • Kitty and the midnight hour by Carrie Vaughn
  • Children of the night by Mercedes Lackey
  • Alien taste by Wen Spencer
  • Cast in shadow by Michelle Sagara

Reviewed by Brilla

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