A review by brynnlee
Pain, by Jaymin Eve, Jane Washington
4.0
I can’t believe this series is over, but it very clearly wrapped up with a neat bow on top. In fact it was so neat that it seemed a little out of place for a character like Willa. I enjoyed this book, it’s just not destined to be my favorite. That doesn’t change the fact that I really like this series though and I’m super happy that I read it.
We start off with the entire group still at Pica’s place, planning a party to introduce Willa to the rest of the gods. Their goal is to try to convince more people to side with them against Staviti. They have to stop him before he destroys their world. Willa is involved so of course there’s some drama at the party. Then Pica proves that she deserves her nickname of Crazy-pants. Once she’s been dealt with the group conveniently figures out how to begin the process of restoring balance to Minastol and Topia. Staviti isn’t going to allow that without a fight, and the battle to finally take him down is the focus of the rest of the book.
In the past I’ve complained about how these books didn’t have a coherent plotline, that there were too many tangents and abandoned storylines. That’s not an issue here. This is the last one, and there’s no time to set up things that aren’t going to be resolved. Looking back it’s easy to see how almost every event in this book connects to set up the final battle. Certain things are very convenient (of course Willa ends up in a position to rescue Jakan), but it feels silly to complain about that in this series. The downside is that this book is so straight forward that it actually felt a little flat and at times boring compared to the previous chaos.
Willa has always been the best thing about this series for me. I just love how strong and positive she always is. She’s finally settling down in this one. She steps up as a leader, fighting for her convictions and making sure things get done. Her thoughts are focused, and she’s no longer clumsy. The weird thing is just as I missed the chaos in the plot, I also missed the old Willa. It felt like she was missing a little bit of her spark, and this book wasn’t near as funny as a result. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still a great character. I appreciate how she’s changed and developed, but at the same time it’s a little bittersweet.
I don’t know how to explain it, but the ending was a little too perfect. Everyone lived happily ever after. I won’t spoil the battle, but if you don’t mind reading about the predictable epilogue It’s really nice, and they all deserve a happy ending, but at the same time I think I might have been happier if their lives were filled with a little more craziness.
It’s weird. I liked this book, there’s nothing wrong with it, but I found myself missing everything that made the previous books a wonderful disaster. I might have given this one three stars on its own merits, but I feel like it deserves a boost because the series as a whole has been great. If anyone reads this last review to try and decide whether or not to give the series a chance, I really hope you will. I love Willa and the Abcurses. I’ve had so much fun reading about them, and I’m sad to have reached the end.
We start off with the entire group still at Pica’s place, planning a party to introduce Willa to the rest of the gods. Their goal is to try to convince more people to side with them against Staviti. They have to stop him before he destroys their world. Willa is involved so of course there’s some drama at the party. Then Pica proves that she deserves her nickname of Crazy-pants. Once she’s been dealt with the group conveniently figures out how to begin the process of restoring balance to Minastol and Topia. Staviti isn’t going to allow that without a fight, and the battle to finally take him down is the focus of the rest of the book.
In the past I’ve complained about how these books didn’t have a coherent plotline, that there were too many tangents and abandoned storylines. That’s not an issue here. This is the last one, and there’s no time to set up things that aren’t going to be resolved. Looking back it’s easy to see how almost every event in this book connects to set up the final battle. Certain things are very convenient (of course Willa ends up in a position to rescue Jakan), but it feels silly to complain about that in this series. The downside is that this book is so straight forward that it actually felt a little flat and at times boring compared to the previous chaos.
Willa has always been the best thing about this series for me. I just love how strong and positive she always is. She’s finally settling down in this one. She steps up as a leader, fighting for her convictions and making sure things get done. Her thoughts are focused, and she’s no longer clumsy. The weird thing is just as I missed the chaos in the plot, I also missed the old Willa. It felt like she was missing a little bit of her spark, and this book wasn’t near as funny as a result. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still a great character. I appreciate how she’s changed and developed, but at the same time it’s a little bittersweet.
I don’t know how to explain it, but the ending was a little too perfect. Everyone lived happily ever after. I won’t spoil the battle, but if you don’t mind reading about the predictable epilogue
Spoiler
Willa is married to all of the guys, and pregnant with twins. Emmy and Cyrus are married and live nearby, as do Willa’s parents and the guys’ parents. Dwellers, sols, and gods live side by side in peace and harmony.It’s weird. I liked this book, there’s nothing wrong with it, but I found myself missing everything that made the previous books a wonderful disaster. I might have given this one three stars on its own merits, but I feel like it deserves a boost because the series as a whole has been great. If anyone reads this last review to try and decide whether or not to give the series a chance, I really hope you will. I love Willa and the Abcurses. I’ve had so much fun reading about them, and I’m sad to have reached the end.