Series: The Foundling #3
Published by Piatkus on December 4, 2018
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 320
Format: eBook
Source: Advance Reader Copy
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War burned her. Famine nearly killed her. Now Death is at her heels.
After her two worlds clashed apocalyptically, Luce Boudreau needed some time out. But Destiny had other ideas. When bodies begin washing ashore down the Mississippi River, Luce discovers they are part of a gruesome, lethal message. Her final sister, Death, is trying to break through.
Every sign is clear: the end is coming, but earth will be destroyed - quite literally - over Luce's dead body, even if that means she'll be battling her own nature. And her coterie will stand with her, though Cole keeps standing one step too goddamn far away. Her mysterious new partner, Adam Wu, on the other hand, seems determined to keep her close at all times. And the more Luce learns about the new world she's part of, the deeper the secrets go. Who - if anyone - can she really trust?
As the final pieces of an ancient war come together, Luce's chance to fight back comes sooner than she expected. Death can come at her . . . she's eager to return the favour.
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ve seen that I just tore through Hailey Edwards books this summer. Obviously I was super excited for Death Knell. This is the third book in The Foundling series, and I was really intrigued about where that last ending left Luce and her friends.
Quick game of catch-up: Luce Boudreau was found around age 12 in the swamp. The cop who found her took her in and was just the best dad a girl could ask for. But they both knew Luce was different. The first book was about Luce finding out about herself. The second book was about Luce joining the crew, her coterie, and leaving her old life behind. Luce is basically a dragon and she is Conquest, a ruler along with her sisters Death, Famine, and War. She’s from another realm, and her coterie followed her to Earth. They’ve all adapted and live as normally as they can, considering they’re dragons of some sort. But they aren’t the only ones to come to Earth, in fact, they aren’t even the first. So this book is where Luce is trying to prevent 2 of her sisters from breaking through to Earth.
The first half of this book swept me back into the world and I couldn’t put it down. But boy, Cole drives me nuts! If he’s going to be a love interest, let him be a love interest. Don’t jerk Luce around. But he does. He can’t let go of the fact that she is Conquest, and one day Conquest might rear her head inside Luce and take over. He’s in love with Luce, not Conquest, but Conquest enslaved him so he has all this pent-up hatred for her. But Luce is her own self. She isn’t Conquest. Cole had to come to grips with that. Which I get, but I got tired of him knowing Luce was in love with him, and he can’t even give her a crumb of his affection? Some sort of commitment…I don’t know. This is why I tend not to read Urban Fantasy. I want Romance. If this series hadn’t set Cole up to be Luce’s love interest so quickly, and so intricately, I don’t think I would be as miffed. But it was obvious right off the bat that he’s it for her. So let him be a love interest, not just backup in a fight.
The main thing that bothered me about this book is something that bothers me with this author’s Necromancy books as well; she doles out tiny bits of information to both the main character and to the readers, and it isn’t enough. I think at this point I have to realize that this is just her style. I’m willing to continue on because the worlds and characters she’s created intrigue me and are very compelling. But I just need to go in knowing that I don’t like that the heroine is basically fighting to save the world but with a blindfold on. It don’t think it would bother me as much if the rest of the people in her life didn’t know. But they all know, and they all choose to keep pieces of information from her. (*cough*Adam Wu*cough*
But, this is not a negative review! I really get into these books. The characters are so interesting and intriguing. I usually read them in one sitting because I just don’t want to put them down.
I want to see what’s coming, and I can’t wait to see what certain characters are going to do in the next book. I am seriously into the niece who Luce has taken under her protection. And I want to know more about Wu, his father, and what all of that means for Luce.
This series has a really intriguing and fresh take on dragons, and demons, and I am here for whatever comes next.
***ARC courtesy of Netgalley