Curse of Darkness
Author: Bec McMaster
Reviewer: Jen
Rating: B-
What I’m Talking About:
WARNING: This review contains spoilers from the previous books.
Curse of Darkness is the long-awaited, highly anticipated third book in the Dark Court Rising fantasy romance series by Bec McMaster. This trilogy of stories must be read in order, and there was a major cliff-hanger at the conclusion of the previous book when hero Thiago sacrificed his life to save is newly discovered daughter, Amaya, and his beloved wife, Iskvien (Vi). Curse of Darkness picks up shortly after those events, with Vi trying to protect her kingdom, bond with her daughter, and save her husband.
I absolutely love the world Ms. McMaster has created. The origin of Vi and Thiago’s romance is unique and made for an entertaining, twisty story. In the second book, we saw the pair grow as a couple and Vi come into her powers. In this third book, the author addresses almost every bit of storyline that was raised in the first two books. I’m not going to lie: it is overwhelming. There are multiple plots and stories within stories. The book tackles Vi’s journey to bring back Thiago, as well as the preparing for war on multiple fronts. There are side alliances, some of which confused me tremendously. There are multiple bad guys and lengthy dissertations on their origins.
I loved the journey Vi makes to save Thiago. I adore their unceasing love that transcends time. I appreciate that they work together and trust one another. Although I was lost at times, I found myself completely engrossed… until I wasn’t. For some reason, I couldn’t stay connected to the characters. Everything is over-the-top dangerous (which it should be with what’s going on), but the constant near-death, death experiences wore on me. Also, the story was overly complex, and either I missed details, or they aren’t written, and I was supposed to infer them. Either way, it left me terribly confused at times, and therefore, I couldn’t always stick with the flow of the story.
In the end, I appreciate that the author brought this story to a close, but honestly, it was too long and complex. I also noticed what seemed to be small inconsistencies, and the OCD in me didn’t like the unbalanced POVs. I am excited that the author is going to write standalone romances for the side characters. The world is amazing, and I really want to see what happens next, so I’ll certainly pick those up.
My Rating: B-
Jen
About the Book:
The Darkness is coming…
Iskvien must face her darkest challenge yet, in order to save her world.
Her husband.
Release Date: March 22, 2022
Publisher: Lochaber Press Pty Ltd
Series: Dark Court Rising #3
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Format(s): e-book
Book Source: Purchased with my own funds
Purchase Info:
Amazon (affiliate link)
Reviews in the Series:
Promise of Darkness by Bec McMaster (Dark Court Rising #1)
Seduced by Darkness by Bec McMaster (Dark Court Rising #1.5)
Crown of Darkness by Bec McMaster (Dark Court Rising #2)