Customer Reviews

The Eternal Rose

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

 

 

I eagerly preordered this book because I enjoyed the previous two in the series. The first book, the Compass Rose, caught my attention. The "open marriage" concept with group magical sex took a little while for me to accept, but the story was engaging. In the second book there was a little decline in my interest level but still it was readable. This book however is totally unreadable.There is little if any character development. The core group of characters has gotten so large it is hard to keep track of all of them and it is difficult to feel sympathetic to anyone one character. The story just seem to fizzle out. I wish I had saved my money, and pre-read a little at the bookstore before buying this book.

I really enjoyed this book. Unlike other reviewers, I read them back-to-back and so was able to stay with the story line. I appreciated that although this is a 'final' book, it still has a story all it's own with a new setting and new characters. Again, very enjoyable.

I had been waiting for what felt like forever for this, the third in the Compass Rose series, to come out and I am really glad the author found the right publisher for it.

It's a solid, well-told story. I'm not sure anything could live up to my expectations after waiting so long, but I didn't love it as much as I did the first two. The author juggles a large cast of characters who were introduced over the course of the last two books, and if I'd been able to read it soon after the first two I probably wouldn't have gotten lost, but, having waited, I think I'd forgotten some of the individual quirks that made me care about each of the characters. They felt more two-dimensional in this story. That the issues of one character in particular were repeated without any attempt by the protagonist to address them was frustrating. I think that was intended to demonstrate the protagonist's state of mind, but, for me, it made me wonder why the author was hurrying. It didn't feel true to the character to dismiss the issues over and over.

Too, our protagonist is older, settled, and though this story once again unsettles her, it doesn't completely rearrange everything she knows about who she is and her role in life. For some reason it just didn't feel like the stakes were as high, though listing them for myself while writing this review, I think it's that they just didn't carry the depth of emotional impact of the previous two books. They didn't seem as important to the protagonist.

I do recommend this book highly. There are a lot of very successful, sometimes highly dramatic moments and the twist is nicely done, though a bit overly ambitious in its execution. That doesn't say much, but I don't want to spoil anyone.

My recommendation would be to read the first two over again before starting this one. I think that would have improved my enjoyment a great deal.

Gail Dayton is on my list of "must read" authors, and though this book alone wouldn't put her there, the series as a whole definitely does. I am eagerly looking forward to her next book.

Six years ago in Adara, the demon led rebels were defeated. Subsequently, Kallista Vary was appointed as the Renine. Although she felt good about the victory, she did not feel a celebration was in order, as extended family member Merinda was abducted and remains missing, leaving a hole in the united magic of nine.

Over the years she and her team rescue slave children, but finally word arrives that Merinda and her offspring reside in the household of a rival family in Daryath, the homeland of Kallista's mate Obed. Using the pretense of an official state visit, Kallista and her retinue travel to Daryath to bring home Merinda and her child. However, instead of a simple retrieval, a murder of the godmarked Iliasti occurs most likely by a demon assassin; that is followed by the killing of a Daryath official. Tensions are high and war seems imminent as the demons manipulate behind the scenes.

The final One Rose Trilogy (see THE COMPASS ROSE and THE BARBED ROSE) is a terrific conclusion to a fascinating fantasy although it helps to have read the previous two stories in the saga in spite a cleverly interwoven "history". Kallista holds the exciting plot together as she and her complicated multiple partners make the Dayton universe seems real, which is the key to this fine tale of magic, demons, and killers. Fans will appreciate the wrap up and cast a spell on the author for more tales in this inventive realm.

Harriet Klausner

The first book was good and the second only okay. I only finished the third because I started it and had to see it through no matter how unpleasant. Like some other reviewers, I didn't realize this was a Harlequin imprint and probably wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. (Actually, the first two were Luna, Harlequin's imprint. This one is Juno but seems about the same caliber.)

I don't normally read bodice-rippers (i.e., Harlequin's) but even setting that aside, the plots of all three books seem the same to me.

I liked Kallista at first. She was an accomplished female soldier with a loyal male bodyguard, Torchay. It was an interesting set up for fantasy which is traditionally male-dominated. The standard forbidden romance/sexual tension plot device is used (Kallista and Torchay aren't supposed to become involved) but even that was okay in context. The also-standard reluctant hero (heroine) was employed also but that was tolerable, too. There's a lot of sex thrown in, some magical/religious experiences, they collect a few more warriors/family members, more sex, they defeat the demon and credits roll.

In the second book, it's essentially the same plot. Except Kallista is becoming less of a soldier and more, I don't know, more of a soccer mom. I don't have children and never wanted any so for me the frequent reference to the "babies" was pretty annoying. The book just seemed to be less about her being a soldier and more about her being a mother. I don't have anything against motherhood - why one of my best friends is my mother! - I just don't want it to be a major theme of my fantasy novels.

The third book was almost painful. It was the same setup: demons are causing problems again and Kallista solves it all conveniently with her magic. And to make it worse, Kallista just descends into stubbornness and selfishness and isn't even a protagonist with whom I could sympathize. There is a crisis and she, who is supposed to be so in love with her family and such the caretaker of those people, just shuts down and wallows in her own misery. Everything is about her needs and her pain. And her family members, normally quick to set her straight, just let it happen. In my opinion, your spouse is the one person in the world who has the right and the duty to tell you when you are being a idiot in order to help you be a better person. She had nine (ten?) spouses and they all put up with her behavior for far too long. When one of them finally called her on it, it wasn't even in a very forceful manner. The character was unrealistically patient not nearly as frustrated as a real person would have been. I was annoyed with all of them by the end of it. Then she comes around just in time to, surprise!, save the day with her magic.

The other, technical, aspect that I didn't like was the repetitive use of the word "screaming". Every time they had sex, which was daily it sounds like, Kallista screamed. Every time there was a crisis with a family member, she screamed. I'm surprised she could talk at all what with all the screaming she was doing. (See? The word gets annoying after a while.)

Overall, two thumbs down for repetitive plot lines, annoying characters and entirely too many screaming orgasms.

I enjoyed the first two books in this series a lot more than the last, but it was able to wrap up the story fairly well. It didn't help that during most of the story I wanted to punch Kallista in the face for acting like an idiot. Obed was one of my favorite characters, so it was interesting delving into his background and his struggle to resolve his upbringing versus his present situation. I could read it again.

A final chapter that was as good as the first! I would have told anyone a story with group marriage involved would Not be my cup of tea,coffee or anything....yet in this trilogy it totally works (yes I could do without the "bedroom" multiple scenes but what the heck)...the story was original and entertaining- a Good easy read thru ALL THREE books....If you are into dissecting a book instead of just enjoying it that is your loss!