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A review by jessdone
Yield the Night by Annette Marie
4.0
This is a great addition to the Steel & Stone series but it peaks, giving us some of the best moments of the series, but also starts the down hill descent of the books.
Ash and Lyre are back to help Piper with her newest mess, and for a brief moment we enjoy a reunion where we expect to see the same dynamic and companionship shown in the first two books. But things have altered since then. Something never fully explored is wrong with Ash. Is he permanently damaged from his torture, has the use of the Sahar compromised him forever, has the distance from Piper undone him, is there some other magical explanation? We don't know, we never know and later books take what was set up to be a main theme and never explore it.
We also get a closer look at Lyre, and it's neither satisfying or insightful. He's no longer the fun reasonable-ish counter part, but morphs into a more angsty character who somehow manages to feel both under and over utilized in this book.
Piper herself is losing ground in her personal growth structure. That strong determined heroine who knew herself and knew what she wanted is fading--disappearing before the reader's eyes. I missed her tenacity and I didn't appreciate the budding doubt that sets up her retraveling the same story arch I just read.
Seiya as a character is unwelcome on every level. What she "brings" to the story isn't good. The whole book she feels like an out of place addition with nothing really to do but continue to manufacture unnecessary annoying conflict. I would have preferred more interactions with Mysis and a deeper evaluation with whatever is wrong with Ash instead of this weak third story element.
For all the weaknesses the book still has moments of glory. I enjoyed the quest for Piper to gain magic and I see how her "leveling up" is the next part of her story arc. I liked how her family issues are portrayed and I enjoyed her interactions with the Sahar and the overworked daemons. It just looks to me like the writer lost focus on what should be driving the plot and added a lot of unnecessary and unwelcome elements that really hurt the last two books.
Ash and Lyre are back to help Piper with her newest mess, and for a brief moment we enjoy a reunion where we expect to see the same dynamic and companionship shown in the first two books. But things have altered since then. Something never fully explored is wrong with Ash. Is he permanently damaged from his torture, has the use of the Sahar compromised him forever, has the distance from Piper undone him, is there some other magical explanation? We don't know, we never know and later books take what was set up to be a main theme and never explore it.
We also get a closer look at Lyre, and it's neither satisfying or insightful. He's no longer the fun reasonable-ish counter part, but morphs into a more angsty character who somehow manages to feel both under and over utilized in this book.
Piper herself is losing ground in her personal growth structure. That strong determined heroine who knew herself and knew what she wanted is fading--disappearing before the reader's eyes. I missed her tenacity and I didn't appreciate the budding doubt that sets up her retraveling the same story arch I just read.
Seiya as a character is unwelcome on every level. What she "brings" to the story isn't good. The whole book she feels like an out of place addition with nothing really to do but continue to manufacture unnecessary annoying conflict. I would have preferred more interactions with Mysis and a deeper evaluation with whatever is wrong with Ash instead of this weak third story element.
For all the weaknesses the book still has moments of glory. I enjoyed the quest for Piper to gain magic and I see how her "leveling up" is the next part of her story arc. I liked how her family issues are portrayed and I enjoyed her interactions with the Sahar and the overworked daemons. It just looks to me like the writer lost focus on what should be driving the plot and added a lot of unnecessary and unwelcome elements that really hurt the last two books.