Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Last Dream Keeper by Amber Benson Series: The Witches of Echo Park #2
Published by Ace on January 5, 2016
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Libro.fm
Lyse MacAllister did not step into an easy role when she took over as master of the Echo Park coven of witches after her great-aunt Eleanora’s death. As she begins to forge the bonds that will help her lead her sisters, she struggles to come to terms with her growing powers. And she soon faces a deadly new threat. A group of fanatics intent on bringing about the end of times has invaded the witches Council—but the Council is turning a blind eye to the danger growing in its midst.
Only one witch is prophesied to be able to stop the encroaching darkness. And if Lyse and her blood sisters are to have any chance at protecting all we know from being lost forever, they must keep her safe—no matter what the cost…
This Arc came in paperback in my first package for AceRoc stars. It looked like one of my top picks because I love magic but it was book 2 and we got so many great things. I had trouble getting book 1 without buying it and I prefer not to buy when I don’t know how I feel about the author or series. So I ordered up the first book through Interlibrary loan.
The Witches of Echo Park is book 1. The world-building and character development began at a slow pace. Each chapter took a different point of view so there was lots of information on lots of people. The setup of the story with its history and characters had a good amount of depth. There was some action, more to know and a possibility of romance, but this felt like the setup rather than the actual story. A strange book but not bad. Then I wanted the story. So I was excited to read The Last Dream Keeper.
The style continues with each chapter being in a different point of view. This was necessary as different members of the coven were in different places having things happen. This was the only way to see and know everything happening. It left me feeling disjointed with all this action but nothing coordinated because each person didn’t know even as much as I did. And I felt rather in the dark throughout. It certainly kept the mystery.
Unfortunately, I don’t feel I know what happened. I mean who is dead and who is alive? Who are the good guys, other than the coven members? I am just not sure. The action and adventure was distressing and uncomfortable. Nobody felt smart or capable to me. Not exactly. I hate that. At least, there was some growth in the coven members knowledge and abilities. The coven members did the best they could except they weren’t communicating or trusting each other very well. Both of these factors added to the severe lack of information each one had to make the best decisions.
The next in the series is The End of Magic and will be released May 16, 2017. I’m sure I’ll find out who is alive and I might understand more of what happened, so I’ll keep reading to get the full story.
About Amber Benson
AMBER BENSON co-wrote and directed the animated web-series, Ghosts of Albion, (with Christopher Golden) for the BBC. The duo then novelized the series in two books for Random House. Her first solo novel, Death’s Daughter, will be published by Penguin in 2009 with a children’s book for Simon and Schuster called, Among The Ghosts, to follow later that year. As an actress, Benson spent three seasons as Tara Maclay on the cult show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has also written, produced, and directed three feature films, including her latest, Drones, which she co-directed with Adam Busch and will be released later this year.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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