I Love this World!
My Initial Reaction...
I have to admit, I really missed Eve and Cian... I just didn't fall for Frenzy and Mila as easily. But Death's Redemption was very compelling, HOT (as I've come to expect from Marie Hall) and I'm increasingly curious about what Lise has up her sleeves.
The Characters...
It took me a little bit longer to get into the characters in Death's Redemption than I would have liked - but I did eventually come to love them... once they got over their hangups.
See, you've got Mila who's a seer. In this world (which I'm addicted to, BTW), that's an extremely rare and coveted trait. But when Mila gets attacked by a group of vampires seeking to control her powers, she knows that she can't let them get that control. So she seeks the only other alternative she can think of - death. Now on a level, you've got to admire a girl who's that determined. But - when Frenzy and Lise step in and change the course of things, Mila takes WAY TOO LONG to get a clue. Yes, this isn't what you wanted. It's a hard adjustment. I get it. Really I do. But come on! Would you stop trying to kill yourself and realize that something much bigger is going on? Oh - and have you really not noticed that you've got this incredibly gorgeous fae/reaper trying to help you? GET A CLUE! That being said, when she finally did get a clue - I grew to love her. I just wished it hadn't taken so long.
And then there's Frenzy, who has his own hangup - he loved a woman once and it went really badly. And he hasn't gotten over it. Just as I grew tired of Mila's incessant desire to die, I got over Frenzy's internal "poor me, I've loved and I can't love again." But once that passed - and it did, I think quicker than Mila's longing for death - I loved him too. And their romance really worked for me - it took them quite a while to figure it out and there was an awkwardness that was very believable. And they're both kinda messed up, so they just fit. I think I would have liked for them to get over themselves more quickly, since there was a lot of repetition of the same sentiments over and over, but by the last 60% things started to flow really well.
The Story...
For me the strength in Death's Redemption and this series in general is the world. I LOVE the fantasy world Marie Hall has built - it has so many layers and there's still so much to learn. She's given us enough to understand what's going on, but there's a lot of mystery and it's all bound up in Lise for me. She's one of the fates and she's constantly interfering. She's got an agenda and I'm not 100% sure I understand it (I don't think I'm supposed to yet) but I'm so curious to understand what this chic has up her sleeve. First she meddled with Eve and Cian. Now Mila and Frenzy. What's next?
The plot for Death's Redemption is all bound up in Mila and her powers as a seer. She's one of the last remaining seer's in the world and everyone - EVERYTHING - powerful wants to control her. She's hunted - most worryingly by the Shadow. I loved the story behind the shadow and everything surrounding it. Terrific evil and lots of twists to go with that element. I loved the glimpses we got of the fae world and only wish there were more of that too!
Concluding Sentiments...
Although I had some issues with the characters to begin with, they grew on me and I'm still totally enthralled by the world inDeath's Redemption. I look forward to seeing more of it and especially Lise in the next book!
This book may be unsuitable for people under 17 years of age due to its use of sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and/or violence.
