A Book Obsession..: Early Review: Taste of Darkness by Maria V. Snyder

Early Review: Taste of Darkness by Maria V. Snyder

, by Kt Clapsadl

Taste of Darkness by Maria V. Snyder

Healer #3

She's fought death and won. But how can she fight her fears?

Avry knows hardship and trouble. She fought the plague and survived. She took on King Tohon and defeated him. But now her heart-mate, Kerrick, is missing, and Avry fears he's gone forever.

But there's a more immediate threat. The Skeleton King plots to claim the Fifteen Realms for his own. With armies in disarray and the dead not staying down, Avry's healing powers are needed now more than ever.Torn between love and loyalty, Avry must choose her path carefully. For the future of her world depends on her decision.

Wow, yet another series ending book. I feel like that's all I've been reading lately. Which honestly is pretty nerve wracking as so many times the endings aren't quite what I had hoped for. Luckily this wasn't the case in TASTE OF DARKNESS. I really enjoyed seeing all of the many different plot threads that were spread throughout the series come together, ending up in a satisfying conclusion. I'll admit that there were several times there that I felt the resolution I had hoped for was touch and go at best as Maria kept throwing some pretty massive curve balls. I was pretty much on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book, and even when one heart stopping event got resolved, yet another thing popped up, typically pulling at my nerves or heart strings even more. It really was incredibly impressive just how wrapped up I was in this story. There never was a dull moment.

The absolute best thing about the series is the depth of the characters. Each and every single one is fully fleshed out, and considering just how large the cast is, that is no small feat. I absolutely adore the main pair, Avry and Kerrick, but honestly the secondary characters stole my heart just as much from the Monkeys to Flea, and so many more that were picked up along the way. Heck I even have to give props to the enemies as they were definitely despicable and not just some cookie cutter "master villain." They were certainly evil and anything but predictable, giving that added suspense that kept me hooked. In two words, well done!

I'm so glad I gave this series a chance even though it's a bit outside of my normal genre preference as it leans more towards the full fantasy side. But trust me, even for hard core urban fantasy fans, this series is well worth the read as it will ensnare you from the start. I'm actually pretty sad that this is the last installment as I could definitely get behind more books in this world. But even if not, I'm definitely satisfied with the way things played out. Utterly captivating, and simply a must read, TASTE OF DARKNESS is not to be missed!

(Received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley)

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