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Red House Books is going through a bit of a update!

I've always had a pretty clear vision of what I wanted this space to be but I've been detoured from my path by...lots and lost of other people's opinions and ways of doing things...

I'm committed to this little chunk of the interweb but I've also branched out into other places so! Now it's time to think of Red House Books as more of a hub of all things me! And Me is a hell of a lot of book love!

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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Book Review: The Onyx Talisman (Talisman #3) by Brenda Pandos

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: December 2011
Publisher: Obsidian Mountain
Pages: 247
Series: 3rd and final
Acquisition: received for review

Summary:
Unrest stirs deep in Scotts Valley. Filled with uncertainty, Julia anxiously awaits Nicholas’ return. Phil, hurt and unsure of his place as a sober vampire, holds the pieces of Julia’s fragile psyche together, secretly hoping Nicholas stays away forever. Scarlett bides her time, plotting for the perfect moment to prove herself and earn redemption. But somewhere in L.A., Alora conspires to reclaim her talisman and strip Julia of everything she holds dear.
Little do they know, a war is coming and more than one vampire would like to see the Prince of Vampires overthrown. As more and more vampires show up from nowhere, addicted to her scent, Julia must pick her allies carefully before it’s too late. Can Julia bargain with fate? When the time comes, will she even have a choice? Find out how it all ends in this explosive grand finale of The Talisman Trilogy. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
I picked up The Onyx Talisman right after finishing book 2. It was hard not to because I realized that even though I didn't love everything about book 2, I really wanted to know what happened. I wanted to know how it all turned out. Julia still annoyed me but I couldn't not know what her fate was. Nicholas wasn't my favorite but I had to know what decisions he was going to make.

Have to say, there were a couple of twists to the story that I did not see coming at all! Julia's life gets even more complicated (which I didn't think was possible) and the choices she had to make were pretty heartbreaking.

Now, the ending threw me for a loop. Honestly, it didn't make a whole lot of sense to me and I had a really hard time accepting it. The rules that snapped into place at the last minute contradicted themselves a little bit and it was a little too neat and clean for my tastes. But! I actually really liked the ending Brenda gave her characters.

Final verdict:
So, not my favorite read but defiantly one that will stay with me. With vampires that I could both relate to and hate - as I should - and characters that I understood even if I didn't love, The Onyx Talisman was a mixed bag for me. I took some issue with the flow of the story and the actions of some of the characters but overall, the emotion and depth of love Julia has for the people in her life really won me over.

Overall Rating:
3 / 5 Stars

Books in the Series:
#1 The Emerald Talisman
#2 The Sapphire Talisman
#3 The Onyx Talisman

Linkage Love:
Author's website
Goodreads
IndieBound

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for participating in the tour, Emily. :)

    Hugs, Brenda

    ReplyDelete



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