Customer Reviews

The End of Desire: A Rowan Gant Investigation (Rowan Gant Investigations)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked this up yesterday morning and couldn't put it down until about 7pm last night, when I was finished. A great book, and not what I expected. I do agree that the end felt a bit rushed & wasn't tied up with a neat little bow... I was expecting an epilogue or something to clear up some unanswered questions. Overall a good ending for Miranda and I'm looking forward to next October and the next story!

Getting my hands on the third and final(?) volume of the Miranda trilogy was something I had been looking forward to for many, many months. It did not disappoint. Another reviewer commented that the ending seemed a bit rushed, and I'll admit I'm a bit puzzled by what precisely happened. Without revealing a spoiler, the very last paragraph hinted that Miranda's presence likely will still be a part of the Gant-O'Brien household in future books.

But back to the things I loved about the book: the understated but believable magick, the wonderful telling of the human emotions experienced by Rowan, and grudging acceptance by more mainstream characters of Rowan's and Felicity's Craft. The writing style continues to grab me as though I'm truly seeing the story through Rowan's eyes.

My hope is that more pagans will discover the Rowan Gant series and see that there is an author who captures our world without crossing over to exaggerated sci/fi sorts of bangs and blue light.

I find myself agreeing with the majority of the reviews here. This trilogy has to be one of the best I've read. The characters of Rowan and Felicity, as well as the secondary characters ie; Ben & Constance are so well written you not only feel as though you know them, but you also feel what they're going through. That said, this was not my favorite book of the trilogy. I'm not sure exactly what it was. The first two books I actually read much slower than I usually do because there were so many heart wrenching things happening that part of me was putting off reading more, mostly due to how close I had gotten to the characters in the previous books. This book didn't quite connect with me as much. That's not to say I didn't like it though. There just seemed to be a little something missing especially between Rowan and Felicity. I also felt the ending was a little rushed. Still, as one reviewer already pointed out, it end with quite the teaser in regards to Miranda. Technically the books featuring her are done, yet there is someting near the end that suggests we haven't seen the last of her. Also, at the beginning of "The End Of Desire" there's a list of the previous books as well as two forthcoming books, one of which is called "Miranda". Hmm...

I began reading the Rowan Gant series about a year ago and have devoured each one. The End of Desire is no exception. From the very first word the to ending twist I was captivated into Rowan and Felicity's world. M.R. Sellars writing style is unique and coupled with the plot is what keeps me coming back. It's easy to read and makes you feel like your right there in the story.
This book is entertaining and suspenseful, two things that, in of themselves, makes this a fun read. But in addition to that, this book is very real. Everything from the mundane tasks of Rowan's day, to the decription of low blood sugar from the victim, to the reactions many witches have to endure when speaking of their religion. Sellars does not only a fantastic job of describing the (No pun intended.) elements of Wicca, but of the St. Louis area as well. All of these external cues add to the reality of this story. Blend all of that in with a mystery that keeps you guessing and you have a book you simply can't put down.

A note though - Read the series from the beginning. Each book builds for the next one. Once you start, trust me, you won't stop.

The End of Desire begins the wrap up of the Miranda trilogy and brings us many steps further in understanding the entire story arc. M. R. Sellars is really masterful at weaving a tale filled with more twists and turns than a double stacked labyrinth.

It seems as if the FBI and MCS have finally got a bead on who the killer is, and boy is that an eye opener to Felicity and Rowan. Lets just say the skeletons in the closet are talking and they play for keeps. Miranda just gets worse and worse, yet better and better for the storyline. She's one twisted sister that is for sure.

The gore/horror factor of the killings is pretty gut wrenching, but M. R. Sellars pulls it off with the panache as only he can with this cast of characters. Of course it ends with a cliff hanger just like the last book All Acts of Pleasure. Is this finally the end of the road for Miranda?

M. R. Sellars has woven a very interesting bit of history/legend into play and gives somewhat of a reveal of what has been driving this story arc. Lets just say that it was interesting enough for me to google it myself after finishing off this book!

Reviewed at Bitten by Books Paranormal Fiction Review Site by Rachel

I don't devour books the way I used to. Too many demands on my time. But this one... Worth every minute. As a pagan myself, I appreciate the close approximation to realism of how being "other" in a very Judeo-Christian society can affect a life. The plot had some very nice turns and Sellars has obviously devoted some research time to even lesser known concepts of voodoo and folk lore.

As with every other book M.R. Sellars has produced, I opened the cover and was immediately caught up in a tale I had been anxiously awaiting the conclusion of. The action was fast-paced at the end which was a bit different from from what one would expect if this were REALLY the end. So the hint that there will be more to come at a future date echoed in the mind rather than a neat and tidy ending to the trilogy. Quite unexpected that.. but given the source, it is about time he pulled the rug out from under us anyway. Sellars has that sort of sense of humor, LOL!

I was buzzing through this one having a grand ole time when I noticed that I was only about 20 pages from the end of the book. My first though was that the trilogy was about to become a quartet. The ending seemed forced and lacked the grand conflict that I would have expected given my experience with the rest of the Rowan Gant series.