(This review may contain spoilers).
It’s been quite a while since I returned to the world of Deverry, but when I started reading this book, it was really nice to return to a world I had spent a lot of time in when I was much younger.
I really liked being able to see the contrast between the past and the present. I couldn’t help but feel a lot of sympathy for some of the characters, especially at the beginning. The cycle of rebirth was really interesting to read about and I especially felt that this book did a good job of showing the differences in the characters from one life to another.
I really didn’t like Maryn in the first part of the book. I felt a lot of empathy for Bellyra, but I really thought that she was trapped in a loveless marriage. I very much preferred her relationship with Maddyn, even though they didn’t really have much hope. And even though I knew no good could come from their feelings for each other, I did want them to have a happy ending.
I really didn’t like Lilli, even though I did like seeing her relationship with Branoic and it was quite a strange thing to see Jill’s soul as a male, considering every other appearance she’s been female. I did think it was quite nice to see such a difference in that life.
I was somewhat unsure of what to make of Rhodry in the second half of the book. In the previous volumes, I really liked him, but I felt he was flirting with madness in this book. At the same time, it came across quite strongly that he’d lived too long and was at the point where death would be a welcome comfort. I did enjoy seeing him interact with the dragon, who I developed a particular fondness for.
I did feel sympathy for Varrac, even though I didn’t really like him when he was interacting with Raena. I was disappointed that the blurb wasn’t entirely accurate, as I didn’t feel there was a huge amount of hostility between Rhodry and Raena. Certainly not enough to stretch over at least two lifetimes.
There was a lot of action and fantasy in this book and it made me want to re-read the other books in this series at some point in the future.
Ink of Blood 