(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I did like this third book a bit more than the second, but I could have really done without the multiple first-person POVs. It was interesting to read things from Nate’s perspective… right up until he was hearing Olga’s thoughts (cool twist) and she couldn’t stop thinking about how hot he was while visiting Conner, who was in a coma (so much less cool).
I was less than thrilled with the love triangle, but Conner’s struggles were really quite interesting. I found myself believing less that Olga was in love with both of them and more that she just liked stringing them both along while she tried to have the best of both worlds. And then the resolution with that was really unsatisfactory. (I almost had my own theory of how that should go, but I won’t go into details here).
It was good to see Doctor Judy in this, though I would have liked to see some more of her. It was also cool to see Riel and that he didn’t seem obsessed with Olga like he so clearly was in book two.
I did find many of the secondary characters much more interesting, such as Tammy… although she did kind of become Olga’s cheerleader, which was a bit annoying. What was also annoying was how Olga seemed to get most everything she wanted, without having to work for it. It was only towards the end of the book that I felt she really went through hardship and had the potential to grow as a character.
I found Nate’s and Conner’s interactions to be the most interesting throughout the book. It was good to see them needing to pull together at times and how things were eventually resolved between them.
I liked the faith aspects in this book and as I read further, I found it easier to read. I just kind of preferred… every other character to Olga. There’s a danger in the other characters telling someone she’s a really amazing, wonderful person when all she comes across as is selfish and man-obsessed.
I’m not sure if I’d read more books by this author in the future. It would depend on the book, I think. Just because I don’t like one set doesn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy reading a different world from the same author.
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Ink of Blood 