*5 fabulous stars for the best book in the series thus far!!!*
5
By Rachael Leissner
I finished this book over a week ago and have been struggling on how to review it during the book hangover I've had. There is no way to reveal the plot or any portion of it without spoiling the whole adventure. In true Linde fashion, Kyla has continued the adventure we have been on with Cyrene since The Affiliate.
Perhaps one of the most fun things about this series for me is in the re reads before the current release. Going back to our characters to refresh on what all transpired last has been fun with The Affiliate and The Bound has been such a whirlwind of magic, romance and most of all suspense.
In the latest book, The Consort, we pick right back up where we left off in The Bound. Cyrene is held prisoner for a crime she didn't commit and feels her whole world shift as she goes from being on top of the world to being thrown into a dungeon.
While I can say nearly all the questions I've had lingering since the conclusion of The Bound were answered, there are so many twists and turns now that leave me with even more questions. This book is packed with the angst I always expect from a K.A. Linde book, but she has truly brought something else into this novel I don't even know how to describe. Myself not being a fantasy reader, at all, I have found myself emersed in the entire Ascension series. Between the love interests that have unfolded through out these three books, to the unexpected suspense and mystery surrounding Cyrene and her magic, this book with put you through the ringer and throw you out on the other side with the most unexpected book hangovers of your life!
*I received an ARC of this book at my request and am providing this voluntary review*
In which Cyrene descends to darkness
4
By VIP's Assistant
When you think about this series and the fact that K. A. Linde has created a whole world, you feel pretty impressed. Perhaps what impresses you most is Linde's attention to detail and her consistency. She knows her world, her characters, and her story, and she is faithful to them in this series.
The Consort represents the emotional nadir of The Ascension Series (so far, at least). Cyrene is at her lowest in every sense: she is imprisoned in a dungeon for a crime she did not commit, she is removed from those she loves, she mourns losses she suffered in The Affiliate and The Bound, and she feels that she has no choice but to trust someone she could never imagine trusting, Prince Kael Dremylon.
I KNOW, RIGHT?
All of this time spent imprisoned forces Cyrene to examine what brought her here, which, in turn, means that Linde gives you even more information about Cyrene and that Doma. At the same time, Linde treats you to a reunion of sorts with characters you met in the previous books. Well, sometimes it's a treat. Sometimes you're reading about people you wish you would never see again.
And there is romance. Ah, romance. Cyrene, so lucky despite that whole jailed-for-a-crime-she-didn't-commit thing, has not one, not two, but THREE men vying for her affections. Which one do you think she should choose? Your vote, like mine, may vacillate from chapter to chapter. By the end of the book, you likely will feel so emotionally spent that you aren't sure what to think. Because, dear reader, K. A. Linde will BREAK YOUR HEART.
You know, based on the first two books, that people you care about will die. In having Cyrene face her darknesses, Linde also makes her face her losses, old and - I am sad to report - new. Then again, if some of these folks lived to see another book, it wouldn't feel genuine. It would feel too contrived, and that is one thing that this Ascension series never is.
This book is an adventure, from start to finish. Some pages, you will read with tears in your eyes, and others you will read with a sigh on your lips Fans of the series will gobble up this book ... and then you will clamor for the next one because there is quite the cliffhanger at the end.