Burnt Devotion - Review

Burnt Devotion (Imdalind #5)

By: Rebecca Ethington

Published: March 22, 2015 by Imdalind Press

158 pages

Source: Personal Kindle Library

(Goodreads / Amazon)

Summary:

It was supposed to be the final battle, the one to end Edmund’s line, his life, and free the magic Edmund had taken from the world. That was how it was foreseen. The end of the battle that has raged for centuries, unbeknownst to the mortals around them, the battle that would end with Joclyn’s death.

But it did neither.

The battle still reigns, Joclyn still lives, and the sight that was given eight hundred years ago is broken.

And it’s not the only one.

Sights that were once thought infallible have become nothing more than scattered glass, with broken pieces shattering into incorrect visages. Sain clings to the magic that he knows to be true, but there is something else, something that he is not saying. And what he does say is no longer adding up.

Something is wrong.

Ilyan and his people move through the caves, following a sight they hope to be correct, fleeing a battle that should have been the end while the battle within each of them grows with each step.

Ryland fights the monsters his father has infected him with.

Wynifred fights the confusion of who she is.

Dramin fights to live.

Prague may not survive this battle, it may be ripped to shreds… or burned to ashes.

MY REVIEW:
Burnt Devotion was initially slated to be a novella in the Imdalind series, and for whatever reasons, the author decided to make it book 5 in the series instead of a novella. This book overlaps events from book 4, Soul of Flame, but adds an extra dimension to the story by focusing on the events of the soon to be battle in Spain between Ilyan's small, mostly dysfunctional, group and Edmund and his mass of followers, told from the POV's of Wyn, Ryland and Ovalia. Later in the book we also get Joclyn's POV.

I think this story was definitely worthy of a novella....but I can't say I was excited to see it devoted as a full novel in the series. About 55% of the way through, the book picks up where book 4 ended, perhaps a tiny bit farther, with Ilyan, Joclyn and crew in the dark underground tunnel that leads to Prague. Wyn used this same passage to escape Prague in the last book and it took her a week to get to them in Spain. They've escaped one battle that was supposed to be the end, and where Joclyn's death was supposed to occur, only to meet a second they saw in a sight. What used to be foretellings of the future, the sights are no longer the exact destiny that they portray though.

For whatever reasons, of which it does no good to list, it took me much longer to finish this 158 page book than it should have. Seriously guys, 10 days. And because of that I grew weary with it....thinking a couple of times of putting it down and picking up something else. But I have faith in the series and the author and wanted to push through. I knew the reasons I was struggling to finish such a short book were mostly on me.

One of the things I have loved about this series is the romance, without being graphic. It's always beautifully written and passionate. I found this book to be lacking that romance and passion. It was more about the battles and the injured. A necessary part of what's going on...but for my first love in a story I was disappointed.

Overall, it wasn't my favorite in the series. By a long shot. But any time spent in the world of Ilyan, Joclyn and Wyn is a journey that I enjoy.

One last minor dislike, total personal taste, and this is something I mentioned in my Soul of Flame review as well, is this cover. For books 4 and 5 I really dislike the covers. I get the "tattoo-like scar" on Wyn's face, but she looks ghostly - like a bad makeup job for a vampire. UGH. Just, no.

If you're new to the series check out my other reviews from the beginning:

Book 1: Kiss of Fire (4 stars)
Book 2: Eyes of Ember (5 stars)
Book 3: Scorched Treachery (5 stars)
Book 4: Soul of Flame (4 stars)

Favorite Quotes:
"You can't show love unless you know what it is to feel it. You can't recognize it until you've lost it."

"Sometimes, life takes us on bizarre journeys, and sometimes, we just need to go along for the ride."

"I don't care what anyone says," he whispered; "you were made for me."

Language Rating: 1 (light)
Mature Content Rating: 0 (none)
Final Rating: 3 stars