Summer Veil

It's a bittersweet moment to get the final book in a beloved series like Season's War has been for me. I have eagerly followed Royal Witch Ina through her trials and tribulations and was so happy that this final instalment, Summer Veil, didn't disappoint me at all. I appreciated the brief recaps of the previous books at the beginning - most of the information I could already remember, but a few details had slipped my mind - and then I plunged into the novel which takes up the tale from exactly where Spring Blight left off.

Like the thundering carriage, Summer Veil keeps up a blistering pace throughout. The various characters each have their own narrative threads so there is a satisfying sense of complexity, but not so much that I ever lost track of anyone. I was intrigued by how Ina coped with her bonds to Mar and Ren gone. These magical connections have been such a constant throughout the series that I was quite worried how Ina would manage alone. Olena Nikitin kept the tension high as, for much of the story, Ina doesn't seem to be coping at all!

I loved as well how other characters' allegiances can't be taken for granted. Rurik particularly was a fascinating person to spend time with and I did sympathise with his situation despite everything he has done in the past. He seems to want to make amends, but is that just a ploy? Without, hopefully, giving too much away, Summer Veil does build to a fantastic, thrilling climax, with wonderfully vivid imagery. When I started the Season's War series, I didn't think of myself as a fantasy romance fan. I'm certainly a convert now!