Enchanting end

Wendy thought she still had plenty of time to train and learn the way of the Trylle, but her mother knows she doesn’t. As Elora weakens, she tries to prepare her daughter to become queen. The new queen will not only face the prospect of war, but she will have to choose between her heart and her duty. Can she reconcile the two?

Aahhh! It all makes sense now! I must admit that I wasn’t too thrilled with the turn of events in book two, and the resolution wasn’t quite what I expected in book three, but it was satisfying. I enjoyed that Hocking didn’t go with the expected and she even managed to throw in some relevant societal issues and moral lessons in a fun way.

There was a lot more depth and emotion in this installment. I especially loved seeing the softer side of Elora. Watching Wendy come into her own and realize that she could be self-sufficient, seeing Loki try to be protective and yet understand that Wendy was strong enough to stand alone – these are some of the highlights I particularly enjoyed.

The magic was still there, although with a decidedly darker taint than the first two novels. I struggled with the end a little, but only because of personally preference. I generally like the author to leave a bit to my imagination, but Hocking wrapped up every thread very tightly.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series and love the author’s writing style. I’ll definitely seek out more of her works. I also have to say that I LOVE the covers of these books – they are enchanting and magical!