Review of Sylvia Mercedes's Crown of Nightmares

Who will live?

Who will die?

Who will be changed . . . forever?

Separated from the Evanderians, Ayleth finds herself alone in the malevolent Witchwood.

Or perhaps not entirely alone . . .

Confronted with the reality of her living grandmother, Ayleth soon learns that the horrors once ascribed to Dread Odile’s name and legend may not be entirely true. But what is the truth? Could the infamous Witch Queen be a freedom fighter providing hope for those oppressed under Saint Evander’s law? Is she the loving family Ayleth thought she’d lost forever? Or is she the greatest threat the world has ever known?

While battling to save their loved ones, Ayleth, Terryn, and Gerard must each face the lies that have influenced their lives since childhood. The final battle is upon them, and the decisions they make will shape the course of destiny.

Don’t miss the explosive finale of the acclaimed Venatrix Chronicles!

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My Review:

I buckled up for this read, and still got launched out of my seat during this roller coaster. I feel like I was constantly counting heads to try and keep track of all the characters and make sure everyone was still alive, but sometimes I didn't count fast enough.

This book had everything good and everything bad, only there wasn't enough of the good that I wanted and too much of the bad, it seemed. Terryn and Gerard get some brother bonding time. Fendral and Hollis fight alongside each other instead of against. Gerard gets some closure. Ayleth and Terryn are reunited.

Ayleth and Terryn are reunited at the worst time ever. Gerard loses his closure. Fendral and Hollis take turns holding each other fearing the other is dying.  Gerard trying to do some thing Terryn not going to be happy about.

Anyway, the climax does not fail in its epic proportion or non-stop action. I could have used more time with Ayleth and Terryn together and less trauma for Ayleth, but that's my personal preference and not anything against the necessities of the story. But I have some things I have to get off my chest, so there is a non-spoiler note and a spoiler note. Don't read the spoiler note unless you've read this book.

Non-Spoiler note: I did not see the final twist coming. I didn't even know that I should know and it floored me. Boy was that something and one character and I had a hard time recovering. Everyone, you have been warned. A final warning- the ending, while poetic from a standpoint, is far from fulfilling. Do not read this book unless you have the short story that is included in the omnibus version. I was an emotional wreck between when I finished this book and when I finally had a chance to read the short story after a long work day, and in that story was healing. So you have been warned. Because, honestly, only one couple is actually happy after the end of this book, and I need more than one couple happy when I've been shipping more than one couple, know what I mean?

Spoiler note: I will never emotionally recovery from the conclusion of Fendrel's story arc. As an author, I know that this is the only way he would go. As a reader, though, my heart grew and then exploded. Also, Terryn totally saved his soul. Why go through all the trouble of him learning his shade's power and learning how to work alongside it unless it was for that moment? Why leave that up to the reader's discretion? Also, Ayleth really needs to forgive poor Hollis even if it was unfortunately not in the actual book. She made a terrible mistake against Ayleth, sure, but I'm still weirded out by the whole wolf-sibling thing, so I don't think anyone can really blame Hollis for not understanding what she did at the time. I mean, it's weird. And the fact that Hollis is finally free to marry if she choose but doesn't have the only man she'd want to marry is more than cruel retribution. Hope she and Kephan become best buddies so at least they have each other.

Spoiler note II: If Ayleth was less stupid in the one moment she was stupid and the one moment we needed her not to be happy, and Terryn had been able to give her her assist kill, that would obviously have met the qualifications for her being the one to kill the evil queen. But since Terryn would have been the one giving the assist, would that have made him the rightful king instead of Gerrard? What would be the consequences there? Sure, the Witchwood would still exist, but so would a couple of characters. It may have been a bit awkward for Gerrard getting back out of the inner workings of Witchwood, but I think they would have managed. I want to see an alternative to see what would have happened if only two out of three prophecies were fulfilled in the climax.

Note to more sensitive readers: This book had some bad language, violence, horror elements, just plain intensity, and far too little romance.