Me on Reckoning

Title: Reckoning
Author: Lili St. Crow
Release Date: November 1, 2011
Publisher: Razorbill (Penguin imprint)

There will be spoilers for the other four books in the series. If you haven't read this series and you plan to, start with the first book, Strange Angels.

Dru's escaped with her life, but she's not out of the woods yet. On the run in a stolen car with Graves riding shotgun and the Broken wulf Ash curled up in the backseat, Dru heads for somewhere she knows will keep them safe, somewhere where she can plan their next move. But the Order wants her back, and Dru has to roll with the punches once again, facing possible betrayal from the one person she trusts more than anyone else.

At the end of Defiance, we left Dru realizing that she bloomed, became a full-fledged svetocha, extremely rare and extremely toxic to male vampires, but she was freaking out over saving Graves. This book is Dru after her blooming and her getting used to the new abilities and her new appearance. And Dru is still learning how to deal with the feelings she has for both Graves and Christophe. It's never easy with those two guys.

Reckoning was exactly what I wanted in terms of plot movement. It was still fast-paced, there was lots of action, lots of opportunity for Dru to do what she does best: kicking butt and taking names. It had what I wanted. I wanted Dru totally freaking out and trying to cope, I wanted Dru caught in the middle again, I wanted Dru fighting to survive with every single breath left in her body. I wanted Dru to realize that blooming was good, that change was good, that things weren't going to go back to the way they had been before Graves was kidnapped, before she met Anna, before she saved Ash, before she met Christophe, before Graves found her. Even before her father died.

Because this is the final book in this series about Dru, the story had to come to an end, but which story? Will it be the end of Dru's search to avenge her parents' deaths? Will it be the end of the new life Dru has come to know? Will Dru finally make a choice between Graves and Christophe? I could always feel the end coming, hoping to delay it as much as I could. Commenting on the ending would involve spoilers and ruin the book for those who haven't read it. It's an ending, it's the ending we get, it's the ending that fills us with continued speculation and hopes and dreams that the author might cave and give us a sixth book (even though I don't see that happening). Still, there's nothing wrong with dreaming, right?

This series has taken hold over a part of me for the last two years when I first read Strange Angels. Now, with Reckoning over and the last page turned, I will look back on the good times, reflect on the bad, and keep a constant vigil for another book or series set in this fascinating and dangerous world Dru is a part of.

(I purchased this book for both my own enjoyment and for review purposes. And the picture above corresponds with the cover of my copy of the book. I like how they revamped the creepy face on the left. Much better than the previous cover. That face looked almost cheesy. This one is honestly spooky.)