Thursday, April 16, 2020

Review: Brave by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Brave
(A Wicked Trilogy #3)
Publication Date: December 11, 2017
Paperback, 364 pages
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Ivy Morgan hasn't been feeling like herself lately. Not like anyone can blame her. After all, being held captive by a psychotic fae prince hell-bent on permanently opening the gates to the Otherworld is bound to leave some mental scars.

It’s more than that, though. Something dark and insidious is spreading throughout Ivy, more powerful than she could ever imagine... and it’s coming between her and the man she’s fallen deeply in love with, elite Order member Ren Owens.

Ren would do anything to keep Ivy safe. Anything. But when he makes a life altering choice for her, the fallout of his act has far reaching consequences that threaten to tear their lives apart.

If Ivy is going to have any hope of surviving this, she must put aside the hurt and betrayal she feels, and work with not only those she loves, but with an enemy she would rather kill than ever trust. War is coming, and it soon becomes clear that what Ivy and Ren thought they knew about the Order, themselves, and even their enemies, has been nothing but a cluster of dangerous, deadly lies.

Ivy knows she must be more than just brave to save those she loves--and, ultimately, to save herself.

Because behind every evil fae Prince, there’s a Queen….

My Review

The final book in JLA’s Wicked Trilogy picks up pretty close to where Torn left off. Ivy’s reeling from all that’s happened, and her friends are just as worried as she is. There’s so much angst. Something I feel like JLA does a very good job creating.

For a finale, Brave had it all: action, kissing, death, betrayal, and more. I do wish, however, that it had been another 100 pages longer. I think it could have done with being slowed down towards the end. Though I’ve noticed JLA’s final books for her series always tend to really amp up the speed. It didn’t necessarily detract from the story as I was reading, but reflecting on the ending later on, I think more pages would have prevented some rushed scenes.

One thing I LOVED about this ending, however, was Ivy’s growth. I’m not going to spoil it, but let’s just say the end of book two and the beginning of book three left her in a bad place. Her metamorphosis was so cool though. It’s what made me love this installment more than book two, and Ren’s reaction to Ivy’s change gave me all the heart flutters. He’s less alpha-male possessive-macho-man than JLA’s previous love interests. That’s not to say he doesn’t have some of those qualities, but he does trust Ivy to take care of herself.

As for the side characters, Tink had some very funny scenes. I’m still not sure exactly how I feel about his “growth.” I liked him a little better the way he was in the first book. I kind of felt the same about the villain of the story. He was more ominous in books one and two, and the twist in this ending left me unsure. Plus, I was a little shocked by how JLA chose to write the ending. It was so different from her other series.

All in all, I’m sad the trilogy is complete. I want more Ren. More Ivy. And more Tink. I think I’m entitled to another three books, right? Well, at least there might be a TV adaptation to get me through my book hangover....


*Note: I purchased a copy of this book myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

2 comments:

  1. I can't tell if that's sarcasm or not about the 3 more books thing, since there's the 3 book 1001 nights spin off, which does have more Tink. I can't tell. But good timing, because The Queen, the 3rd book, comes out this summer. :) Also, really excited for the tv show!

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    1. Yeah, I meant more of just Ivy and Ren's storyline. I know there's a spin-off, but I'm still not sure about that series. It just doesn't really interest me at the moment. I do like Tink, but I don't really want to read an entire trilogy just for him to pop up a few times. Idk. I've been on a major JLA kick, so maybe I'll dive in once I've caught up on her YA and NA stuff. Haha. And yes! The show has me excited too!

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