Author: Christina BauerSeries: Angelbound, #3
Published: October 14th 2014
Publisher: Ink Monster LLC
Length: 150 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy:Amazon
Five years have passed since Myla Lewis last fought gladiator-style in Purgatory's Arena. Now, she’s fighting again, only this time in Hell. And the stakes have never been higher. The King of Hell, Armageddon, has kidnapped Myla and Lincoln’s young son, Maxon.In the wake of Maxon’s abduction, all the after-realms calling for war, and no one shouts louder than Lincoln. Myla knows that a war against Hell will cost millions of lives, so she devises her own plan, involving a small attack team and a secret entrance to Hell. Will Myla save Maxon, or will her child and all the after-realms fall to Armageddon?
Armageddon brings some significant changes to the series. Five years have passed between books, and Myla and Lincoln are now married and have a small son named Maxon. They are also the royal couple since Lincoln’s parents chose to step down and allow Myla and Lincoln to rule. Their kingdom is happy and prosperous, but an old danger is still threatening them from Hell. Armageddon, the king of Hell, is very much alive and determined to get his revenge so he strikes them where it hurts the most – he kidnaps Maxon.
Myla is changed significantly in this book. She is still the great Scala and now she’s also a queen, but she’s a mother and a wife first, and that outshines everything else. I have to admit that I didn’t like the shift, the new roles she and Lincoln adopted along the way. I think I was supposed to warm up to Maxon, but I was a bit disturbed by Myla’s parenting decisions and I couldn’t even see the boy behind all the spoiled behavior.
The plot was oddly constructed and the book as a whole felt a bit rushed, which disappointed me. It lacked serious characterization, especially since we’re now dealing with older, more serious characters. I couldn’t connect with the new Myla at all, and what I liked about Lincoln before, now seems two-dimensional and empty. Bauer only scratched the surface this time and left all the potential of this world and her characters completely unexplored.
The next book, Maxon, takes place approximately 19 years after this one. That is a huge jump and I hope it will be handled better than this one. I will continue the series because I liked the first two books and I like the author very much. I still believe that this world has a lot to offer. Hopefully I won’t be disappointed.
A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.
Characterization seems to have receded instead of grow. That's disappointing. Regardless, I'm still curious about this series since I know next to nothing about it. And also, because you gave it such high praises in the past!
ReplyDeleteNothing worse than being disappointed with a book that you are excited about and while it doesn't sound like this was a complete waste, I am keeping my fingers crossed for you that the next one will be better.
ReplyDeleteI do got book 1...so one day
ReplyDeleteI was a little alarmed seeing that this book only has 150 pages. That is awfully short to tell a story well. Sorry that this disappointed you :/ I'm not sure whether or not I would pick up this one, the new Myla doesn't sound like the person in Angelbound at all and I wonder if Bauer is just milking the cow with this one. Do let me know how the next book turns out.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you... I still liked the book but nowhere near like the first two! The big jumps in the timeline are always unsettling! Let's hope Maxon's story is handled differently!
ReplyDeleteHm. Such a big jump in time would be off-putting I think, especially since Myla is a different woman now that she's become a mother. It seems like it might have helped if that process had been more gradual and you'd gotten to see some of the in between instead of just before and after. I've got my fingers crossed that the 19 year leap is more successful than this 5 year one!
ReplyDeleteAww, I'm sorry to hear this didn't deliver, Maja. I know how much you enjoyed the first two books--and this series is still very much on my TBR--but perhaps I won't dive into it so soon knowing that this third novel is a bit lackluster in comparison. Here's to hoping the next novel is just as good as the first two were and I can binge read this series after all! ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad this one was a little disappointing. I'll have to look up the first two though!
ReplyDeleteOh darn! I remember you gushing about the first 2 books and they are on my wishlist. I hope the series just has one of these books and it gets back to the goodness that came before!
ReplyDeleteSorry this one wasn't as impressive as the last two. I'm definitely curious to check the series out still. I hope the next book (and the jump) improves!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to jump five years into the future with characters that you really liked because things change so much. Too bad it wasn't all that the first two were!
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