A book that lived up to the series' name!
594952
BOOK REVIEW:
  The third instalment of the series lived up to the expectations I had from the previous books I had read. It followed the already established romance / drama pattern and lived it up with strong female characters. This time, the story is about Leilani, a pampered child whose family takes a sudden flight from one country to another due to various reasons. What happens nearly decades later when her random act of bravery and kindness opens up a portal to her past and how she reacts to all that forms the rest of the story.
  I actually sympathised with Leilani as I felt she was trying to find out the meaning of love and trying to recover from drastic, life changing truths that shake a very comfortable existence. In times like these, deepest emotional turmoil would plague even the strongest of people. Anyone who faces what Leilani faces would start questioning their own identity. While the previous books were about Elise and her mother, this one also has Elise in an important role, as a really good friend.
  The story is about Elises brother Justin who starts dating Leilani. But then a series of lies, hidden truths and past secrets start haunting Leilani and through all this, she has Justin by her side, supporting her. The role reversal between the lead couple, Justin and Leilani and the way they met is a refreshing change from the usual run of the mill stereotypical man  saves  woman  and  carries  her  off  into  the  sunset kind of books.
  It takes a lot of effort to write an intriguing story and still manage to keep the strong surge (undercurrent) of emotions going strong. E Journey does it again. Her words are easy to understand, follow and the language is a joy to read. The characters are not exactly god like and flawless but they make very human mistakes that make them endearing. The books can be classified into many genres.
  The overall plot is nicely woven and the character description is a joy to read. The reader would immediately pick favourites from the book and feel an immediate connection with them. I greeted Elise like an old friend and also loved the central focus of this book. And this is the book where I felt the title added more intrigue to the story.
  E Journey has once again written a book that prevented me from noticing the time once I got involved in it. Really loved the story line. Yes, it had a few faults, but nothing hampered the overall reading experience.
2982614
I had been afraid that Lackey would not continue this series past "Alta", and I was extremely pleased that she did. I found Sanctuary, the city, interesting and thought the adjustments the dragon riders and others living there had to make were plausible. I was very glad to see the reappearance of characters (including dragons) I had liked in "Joust", and I liked the way Lackey handled the issue of tensions between Altans and Tians. I was particularly satisfied by the answering of questions from earlier in the series, such as why it was important for Ari to join the group in Sanctuary.

I did miss the rich development of characters that "Alta" had, and I was disappointed that there was a mix-up of two characters, with Gan being the beautiful character in this book. The story did tell what happened to the families of some of the riders, but I also wanted to know about the others. However, this series has become one of my favorites. I have enjoyed "Sanctuary" a number of times already, and I look forward very much to "Aerie" when it comes out.
3407569
I won't retell the story since others have done that so well.  I'll just say that this is the best of the series.  Earlier in the series I had felt that the books had bogged down into just rehashing the same relationships, arguments, and actions and was getting tired of Claudia Bishop's books.  The last couple of books, however, have moved along and we no longer seem the very same situations from book to book.  This one seemed fresh, even with the same people.  The addition of the baby helped a lot, and even the characters seemed to move out of the tight molds they were in.  I liked it very much and think the school near their Inn is probably going to be the source of lots of new material for future books.  This is really a book worth reading
4855719
I'm a big fan of the series, so I was prepared to like the book and I wasn't disappointed!

**spoilers**

I bawled my eyes out at the loss of one character (didn't care much about the other).  This book took it up a notch in terms of steamy, which was great.  I would have liked to see a little more character building, but you can see where this is a "bridge" book, tying the first part of the series to the conclusion.

Can't wait for the next one.
1245733
This series was incredible. It wasn't without some faults such as a very linear plot and limited character development, but it made up for that with amazing language and imparting the reader with a feeling of wanting more and more. I never wanted to put these books down. I can only count on one hand the number of books that I've felt that way about and this is one of them. Have fun reading this series and this book everyone!
4063264
I waited for a year for this book and I was not disappointed. While I envisioned any number of endings, I think this one did the series justice. I tied up Mac's story line but left a lot of unanswered questions that can be made into a new series.
Life isn't tidy, why should a book be? If she never wrote another book I would be able to imagine what happened to Barron's and the others 1000's of years ago but since she is, I wait in anticipation for how she sees the world she created.

This series was based on Celtic myth, magic and heavy world building and I love it! It wasn't a love story but there was sexual tension and love interests.

Great series!
1694731
I bought this book on a whim while I was browsing through books, and wow, I really hit on a gem.  I've now read all the books of this series now and it was a fantastic ride that I am thrilled to have been a part of and more than a little sad that it is over.  There are some familiar fantasy tropes in this book while also creating some very new and interesting angles as well.  For me, the author strikes a perfect balance of action and explanation throughout the series.  I never felt that not enough explanation was given, but I also never felt bored or that the author was giving way too much detail either.  Loved the book and the series.
2994095
Ive finally reached the end of the series! I read this entire book in a day, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it  the last few books weren't my favorites, so I was dreading having just an okay ending to this series, but Last Sunday definitely doesnt disappoint. Its perfectly completes the series and makes those last few just-okay books worth it.

This book is basically just all action. The lines have been drawn, the war has started, and now Arthur has to figure out how to save everyone and get the will and key from Lord Sunday. Lord Sunday is the perfect final boss so to speak; his magic is way more powerful than the other trustees and he does not play around. He doesnt want to give Arthur the will and does everything in his power to make sure he doesnt get it. I love how Arthur is put in super difficult situations, so he needs to think of creative solutions and try his hardest. It made for a page-turning story, because I just couldn't wait to find out how he got out of a particularly dangerous situation.

On the other side, Leaf and Suzy are fighting another war, trying to find their way to Lord Sundays chambers and escape from the Nothing that is quickly eating up the entire House. They come together to find their friend so they can help him with the final battle. I really enjoyed that they put their rivalry on hold to help their greater cause, though there are glimpses of it throughout their interactions.

Overall, it was suspenseful, the characters continue to be amazing and surprising, and I absolutely was NOT expecting the ending. Of course, with the description listed above and with various hints throughout the series, I knew that it wasn't as straightforward as it all seemed, but I wasn't expecting the entirety of it. Definitely recommend this series if you enjoy adventurous middle grade fantasies. Its a delight.
167264
The Van Alen Legacy is by far the best book of the series! The book is packed with action, secrets, and adventure. The story is told through the three main girl character's point of view, Mimi, Bliss, and Schuyler. Reading Melissa's books always take me away into a fantasy world, but this one had me begging for more. There was a resolve between the love triangle between Sky, Mimi, Jack, and Ollie. And a new love triangle put in place, but I'll let readers find that out on their own. The book truly helps characters evolve and is an easy read. I am now anxiously waiting for the fifth installment as I'm sure other readers will be as well.
529569
An excellent addition to a wonderful and fun series!
4218638
I absolutely loved this book!!!  I'm sad because it is the last in the series.  This was full of little surprises for me.  For those that have not read this or the series, I highly recommend to!  I was really happy to see the furkids in it and hope they will be in the spin off series as well.  It will be interesting to see how the kids (guardians kids) have grown and what trouble they find themselves in.  As for Hroarr, I wanted to hit him upside the head at times he just seemed so damn arrogant.  I guess he is allowed being a god and all.  Sirena put her foot down on him and he towed the line in only the way a god can do.  They in the end make a perfect couple.  Although, I think she will have to keep him in line for a little bit more.  I thoroughly loved this series and thank you Setta for doing them!!!
1990526
I've been reading a lot of series lately but this is the most fun I've had in a series since the Lunar Chronicles. The plot was well thought out but still simple enough to follow and the pacing is insane! The ending was a bit of a shock at first, but it's the right way to close off, even if I wanted more for A&M. My only gripe is that I thought Nicolai's storyline just kind of fizzled out and I lost my connection to his character. Possibly this was intentional on the authors part, but after playing such a larger-than-life personality, I really felt his absence and it affected how I experienced the final book. All in all, a fabulous series that I'd recommend to anybody!
3405009
http://readfantasybooks.wordpress.com

Soldiers Live was a great ending to an epic fantasy series! This book was really exciting and I loved how it wrapped everything up and answered all the questions I had. I am definitely satisfied with the ending especially with Croaker and Lady and what happens with them.

Out of all the books in the series I believe this one was the most emotional. After following some of these characters for so long you develop some attachments to them and it is hard to let them go. Especially, when Cook isn't afraid to kill off his characters. There really aren't any original members left after the end of this book and I can say that I shed some tears along the way.

The aspect of this novel that I loved the most was that Croaker was back as the narrator! Finally! I missed his annals so much. However, as you read his annals you can really tell how much he has changed over all these years. He really isn't the same Croaker from the first few books, though I still enjoyed everything from his point of view. He feels like an outsider in his own company now because so many of his brothers have passed on, and I felt so bad for him. It was also strange that he wasn't the Captain of the company anymore. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed his annals as they were better than both Murgen and Sleepy's annals.

I thought the pacing of the book was pretty decent. It had its ups and downs throughout but never became too slow. I fell like the ending was a little rushed and less time was spent on it than on other less important events, but I enjoyed the ending anyway.

Overall, I thought this was a great ending to a fantastic series! It is a must read!
1745452
This is the hands down my favorite book in the series, its so good! This book really sets the scene for the first two books in the series.  Terry Schott Really lays in the background story and foundation for the series in this book! This book underlines the one behind it all Brandon, and gives a great representation of his character and shows how he became the Brandon we all know in the first two books.
902200
I really hope this series will have more books ... I didn't want to stop reading.

Generally - I don't like reading romance novels which drag on for a series - that is one couple's romance for more than one book. While I don't mind reading series where each book have different characters find their happily-ever-after, I really don't like the stoppers or fillers which are used to drag on one relationship through out successive books

Not so with this series!! Each book brought out a different facet of the main characters relationship and once they finally got together, there were no silly misunderstandings or fights to keep the story going but a gentle flow of their development and adapting to each other. Also - the romance while important to the central theme didn't involve the couple constantly getting "pants feelings" for each other especially in the middle of danger. Instead - the characters worked independently and intelligently, other supporting characters are very well fleshed out and the mystery and detective work takes the central stand and keeps you totally engaged.

If there was one complaint (and this is such a small one - you may stop reading at this point) its just that the magical battles are rather on an enormous scale with quite a bit of collateral damage, that there was this niggling voice that kept asking why the governments of the world hadn't banded together to destroy the magic users. But then again ... it didn't spoil the enjoyment of all three books in this series at all :)

Its just that good - I really didn't want it to end!!
2468556
I looooved this series!! I know there were a few people who were irked by the cliff hanger endings and that they had to spend like four whole dollars for some of the later books, but really, for all of the hours of enjoyment the twenty-some-odd dollars the entire series cost to buy was so worthwhile!! (Just for a value comparison, I spend at least that much to see a two-hour movie at the theater!) Definitely recommend-I thoroughly enjoyed the ride =)
3542525
I am so surprised by the negative reviews that this book has received. It is too bad when fans of a series want every book be the same basic story. I think it's great when an author takes a chance and shakes up the basic plotline.

I hate to think that these negative reviews would discourage someone from reading this book. I really enjoyed this entry in the series (better than the last one) and was sorry when it was over. I thought the dialogue was very well written. The fabric of the characters lives has always been the reason why I love this series - not for intricate, shocking, solutions to the mysteries.

I think that someone who never read another entry in the series could pick this one up without a problem. If you like books with strong female characters and a strong sense of family with a Southern feel, this book and series are for you.