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A review by ashward5302
Bell of Truth by Alex Lidell
3.0
Despite only having read them a few days ago, I cannot remember what substantiated the first four books in this series. Not that I'm complaining, I know that I enjoyed them. It's just that the last three books filled me with such a high level of wonderful stress that I cannot remember the prior story arc.
Book 5, Great Falls Cadet, cut my soul up in the best way possible. Watching Lera try to interact with the guys and them not remembering her *at all* hurt so bad. Legit felt like I was being stabbed. Book 6, Great Falls Rogue, hurt in a much more nuanced way. The growing animosity between Tye and Lera wounded me as much as it did her while she built up emotional calluses towards the man she loved but that did not remember her. Book 7, Great Falls Protector, *finally* reunites the squad. They all have their memories back and varying degrees of guilt and remorse for how they treated Lera while they didn't know who she was to them. As they should. Especially Tye. He was an asshole. Book 7 also showed us Lera standing up to Lord Zake (her previous "provider" that whipped her senseless for years) and putting some cracks in the hold he had over her memories and emotions. We also got to see her own up to her shortcomings and her mistakes, rather than excusing it. River saw her leadership potential, Coal realized the importance of letting her in--both for his own trauma and hers. Shade learned how to step back and balance his needs with her rights, Tye learned how to prioritize what truly matters to him.
I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy the spinoff arc of the final three books, and contemplated on stopping at Book 4, Lera of Lunos, because it tied up fairly well. But I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did.
The only thing I found myself wishing for more of across this series was emphasis on character behaviors and the breaking down of said behaviors. For example, River and Lera butt heads a lot. It's enjoyable and often slightly humorous when they do, which I enjoy. However, at times I wished that the reactions were a bit more severe between the two--really punching in on the moment the scale tips in favor of either River or Lera. I would have *loved* to see a moment where Coal truly lets Lera in and vice verse, highlighting the exact moment that they decide to let the walls down and how that feels.
Book 5, Great Falls Cadet, cut my soul up in the best way possible. Watching Lera try to interact with the guys and them not remembering her *at all* hurt so bad. Legit felt like I was being stabbed. Book 6, Great Falls Rogue, hurt in a much more nuanced way. The growing animosity between Tye and Lera wounded me as much as it did her while she built up emotional calluses towards the man she loved but that did not remember her. Book 7, Great Falls Protector, *finally* reunites the squad. They all have their memories back and varying degrees of guilt and remorse for how they treated Lera while they didn't know who she was to them. As they should. Especially Tye. He was an asshole. Book 7 also showed us Lera standing up to Lord Zake (her previous "provider" that whipped her senseless for years) and putting some cracks in the hold he had over her memories and emotions. We also got to see her own up to her shortcomings and her mistakes, rather than excusing it. River saw her leadership potential, Coal realized the importance of letting her in--both for his own trauma and hers. Shade learned how to step back and balance his needs with her rights, Tye learned how to prioritize what truly matters to him.
I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy the spinoff arc of the final three books, and contemplated on stopping at Book 4, Lera of Lunos, because it tied up fairly well. But I stuck with it, and I'm glad I did.
The only thing I found myself wishing for more of across this series was emphasis on character behaviors and the breaking down of said behaviors. For example, River and Lera butt heads a lot. It's enjoyable and often slightly humorous when they do, which I enjoy. However, at times I wished that the reactions were a bit more severe between the two--really punching in on the moment the scale tips in favor of either River or Lera. I would have *loved* to see a moment where Coal truly lets Lera in and vice verse, highlighting the exact moment that they decide to let the walls down and how that feels.